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If Delta is your preferred airline, you should belong to SkyMiles. This free loyalty program offers a collection of valuable perks to regular travelers and may even be worthwhile if you aren’t a frequent flyer.
The Delta SkyMiles program offers the following benefits:
- Multiple redemption opportunities including flights, merchandise and experiences. There are no blackout dates for flight redemptions.
- Valuable perks for those who earn elite status.
- Miles can be earned on flights with partnering airlines, and miles never expire so long as an account is open.
Still, there are some cons to Delta SkyMiles, including:
- General membership doesn’t provide many perks, and you’ll need to earn elite status to make the most of the program.
- Mile redemption for flights is dynamic, meaning that how many miles you need to book a flight can depend on when you fly and where you’re going.
- Program details can be complex and confusing.
These few cons aside, this is a free loyalty program, so there’s no harm in joining even if you rarely fly with Delta.
What are Delta SkyMiles?
Delta SkyMiles is the name of the Delta Air Lines loyalty program. Like other frequent flyer programs, it awards miles based on how often you fly and how much you spend with the airline. Those miles can be redeemed in a number of ways that we’ll discuss in a moment, but first, let’s talk more about earning miles.
How to earn Delta SkyMiles?
There are two main ways to earn Delta SkyMiles:
- Flights
- Credit card purchases
The number of miles you earn for flights depends on your elite status. General members without elite status earn five miles per dollar spent. However, elite members can earn as much as 11 miles per dollar spent if they have Diamond Medallion status.
If you don’t fly often, don’t worry. You can still earn miles to redeem for free travel by using a Delta SkyMiles co-branded credit card. These cards offer one mile per dollar spent on most purchases plus additional miles in specific categories.
Here are some highlights of the Delta SkyMiles credit cards currently available:
Delta SkyMiles credit cards
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- Earn 10,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 in the first six months after opening an account
- Earn two miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.; two miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases; and one mile on all other eligible purchases.
- 20% in-flight savings
- No foreign transaction fees
- No annual fee
- Terms apply; American Express is a CardRatings advertiser
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- Earn 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card in your first six months.
- Earn two miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases
- Earn two miles per dollar spent at restaurants (plus delivery and takeout in the U.S.) and at U.S. supermarkets
- First checked bag is free on Delta flights
- After you spend $10,000 in purchases in a calendar year, you will receive a $200 Delta Flight Credit to inspire your next travel
- No foreign transaction fees
- AnnualFees
- Terms apply
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- Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new card in your first six months.
- First checked bag is free on Delta flights
- Earn three miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels
- Earn two miles per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets
- Receive $100 back for Global Entry or $85 back for TSA PreCheck after you apply through any Official Enrollment Provider (if approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck).
- Receive $2,500 Medallion Qualification Dollars each Medallion Qualification Year and get closer to Status with MQD Headstart. Additionally, earn $1 Medallion Qualification Dollar for each $20 of purchases made on your Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express card in a calendar year and get a boost toward achieving elevated Medallion Status for next Medallion Year.
- Receive a Companion Certificate on main cabin domestic, Caribbean, or Central American roundtrip flights to select destinations each year after renewal of your card. Payment of the government-imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights and no more than $250 for roundtrip international flights is required (both for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- No foreign transaction fees
- AnnualFees annual fee
- Terms apply
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- Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new card in your first six months.
- Enjoy complimentary access to the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a same-day Delta marketed or operated flight. You will receive four Delta Sky Club one-time guest passes each year. After that, you may bring up to two guests at a per-visit rate of $50 per person, per location. Effective 2/1/25, Reserve Card members will receive 15 visits per year to the Delta Sky Club; to earn an unlimited number of visits each year starting on 2/1/25, the total eligible purchases on the card must equal $75,000 or more between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24, and each calendar year thereafter
- Earn three miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases
- Earn one mile per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases
- Access to complimentary upgrades
- First checked bag is free on Delta flights
- 20% in-flight savings
- Receive $2,500 Medallion Qualification Dollars each Medallion Qualification Year and get closer to status with MQD Headstart. Additionally, earn $1 Medallion Qualification Dollar for each $10 of purchases made on your Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express card in a calendar year and get a boost toward achieving elevated Medallion Status for next Medallion Year.
- No foreign transaction fees
- AnnualFees annual fee
- Terms apply
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- Welcome Offer: Earn 55,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in purchases on your new card in your first six months of card membership.
- Earn a $200 Delta Flight Credit after spending $10,000 on the card in a calendar year
- Earn 2 miles per dollar spent on purchases at U.S. Shipping providers and at U.S. providers for advertising (in select media) on up to $50,000 of purchases per category, per year; 2 miles on every dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta and on every eligible dollar spent at restaurants; and 1 mile on every eligible dollar spent on other purchases.
- First checked bag is free on Delta flights
- Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding for cardholders
- No foreign transaction fees
- AnnualFees
- Terms apply
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- Earn 65,000 bonus miles after spending $6,000 in purchases on your new card in your first six months of card membership.
- Receive a companion certificate each year upon card renewal (taxes and fees apply)
- Earn 1.5X miles* on eligible transit and U.S. shipping purchases, plus single eligible purchases of $5,000 or more (terms and miles cap apply). *If your purchase qualifies for a category that has a higher mileage accelerator, only the higher accelerator will apply. 1 mile on every eligible dollar spent on other purchases.
- Get closer to elevated Status next Medallion Year with MQD Headstart and MQD Boost: receive $2,500 Medallion Qualification Dollars each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $20 of purchases with your Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express Card.
- No foreign transaction fees
- AnnualFees annual fee
- Terms apply
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- Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $10,000 in purchases on your new card in your first six months of card membership.
- Complimentary access to Delta Sky Club(R) at no cost. Effective 2/1/25, Reserve Card members will receive 15 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club; to earn an unlimited number of visits each year starting on 2/1/25, the total eligible purchases on the card must equal $75,000 or more between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24, and each calendar year thereafter.
- Earn 3 miles per dollar on eligible Delta purchases.
- Access to complimentary upgrades
- Get closer to elevated Status next Medallion Year with MQD Headstart and MQD Boost: Receive $2,500 Medallion Qualification Dollars each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 on purchases with your Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card.
- No foreign transaction fees
- AnnualFees annual fee
- Terms apply
How much are Delta SkyMiles worth?
It depends on how you redeem your miles. However, travel websites typically calculate the value of Delta SkyMiles as 1.1 to 1.6 cents per mile when booking for travel, depending on your destination, ticket class, and travel dates.
Do Delta SkyMiles expire?
No, Delta SkyMiles do not expire so long as an account is open. Be aware, though, that Delta reserves the right to close any account where fraudulent activity has been detected, the member is deceased or repeated attempts at communication are not returned.
Delta SkyMiles Medallion status levels and Medallion benefits
Delta SkyMiles elite status is conferred through the airline’s Medallion program which has four tiers. To understand the Medallion program, you need to know the following terms:
- Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) – These dollars equal your spending on Delta flights as well as flights on many partner airlines. The MQD requirement for Silver, Gold and Platinum status is waived if you spend $25,000 in eligible purchases during a calendar year on an eligible Delta SkyMiles American Express card. To waive the MQD requirement for Diamond status, you must spend $250,000 on an eligible American Express card within a calendar year.
- Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) – MQMs are different than the regular miles you earn with SkyMiles. These are awarded based on the number of miles you fly and your fare class.
- Medallion Qualification Segments (MQSs) – Segments are earned based on how many flights you take.
Your Medallion tier depends on how much you fly and spend each year. Here’s a look at the benefits of each level.
Silver Medallion – Awarded after 25,000 MQMs or 30 MQSs plus $3,000 MQDs
- Earn seven miles per dollar spent on Delta flights
- Complimentary preferred seats
- Unlimited complimentary upgrades to First Class and Delta Comfort+ beginning 24 hours prior to departure and domestic Delta One on the day of departure
- First checked bag is free for you and up to eight travel companions when flying on Delta
- Priority check-in and boarding
- Phone line priority when calling to speak with a SkyMiles representative
- SkyTeam Elite status when flying on partner airlines
- 1,000 bonus miles with qualifying vehicle rental through Hertz
Gold Medallion – Awarded after 50,000 MQMs or 60 MQSs plus $6,000 MQDs
- Earn eight miles per dollar spent on Delta flights
- Complimentary preferred seats
- Unlimited complimentary upgrades to First Class and Delta Comfort+ beginning 72 hours prior to departure and domestic Delta One on the day of departure
- First checked bag is free for you and up to eight travel companions when flying on Delta
- Sky Priority services at airport including priority check-in and boarding
- Waived same-day confirmed and same-day standby fees
- Phone line priority when calling to speak with a SkyMiles representative
- SkyTeam Elite Plus status when flying on partner airlines
- 1,000 bonus miles with qualifying vehicle rental through Hertz
- Five Star Status in the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program
Platinum Medallion – Awarded after 75,000 MQMs or 100 MQSs plus $9,000 MQDs
- Earn nine miles per dollar spent on Delta flights
- Opportunity to select one of the following Choice Benefits:
- Four regional upgrade certificates
- Gift Silver Medallion status to a friend or family member
- 20,000 bonus miles for yourself, someone else or a SkyWish charity
- $200 Delta travel voucher
- $200 Tiffany & Co. gift card
- Complimentary preferred seats
- Unlimited complimentary upgrades to First Class beginning 150 hours prior to departure, Comfort+ shortly after ticketing and domestic Delta One on the day of departure
- First checked bag is free for you and up to eight travel companions when flying on Delta
- Sky Priority services at airport including priority check-in and boarding
- Waived same-day confirmed and same-day standby fees and well as waived award travel change fees
- VIP phone line
- SkyTeam Elite Plus status when flying on partner airlines
- 1,250 bonus miles with qualifying vehicle rental through Hertz
- President’s Circle Status in the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program
Diamond Medallion – Awarded after 125,000 MQMs or 140 MQSs plus $15,000 MQDs
- Earn 11 miles per dollar spent on Delta flights
- Opportunity to select three Choice Benefits from the following options:
- Delta Sky Club Membership options
- Global and regional upgrade certificates
- Gift Gold Medallion status to a friend or family member
- 25,000 bonus miles for yourself, someone else or a SkyWish charity
- $200 Delta travel voucher
- $200 Tiffany & Co. gift card
- Complimentary preferred seats
- Unlimited complimentary upgrades to First Class beginning 150 hours prior to departure, Comfort+ shortly after ticketing and domestic Delta One on the day of departure
- Complimentary CLEAR membership to quickly move through security
- First checked bag is free for you and up to eight travel companions when flying on Delta
- Sky Priority services at airport including priority check-in and the highest priority boarding
- Waived same-day confirmed and same-day standby fees and well as waived award travel change fees
- VIP phone line
- SkyTeam Elite Plus status when flying on partner airlines
- 1,250 bonus miles with qualifying vehicle rental through Hertz
- President’s Circle Status in the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program
How to redeem Delta SkyMiles?
When you’re ready to redeem your miles, SkyMiles gives you the following options:
- Free flights: Use your miles to book flights directly through Delta. There are no blackout dates, but the number of miles needed for your flight will depend on factors such as the length of the flight and your travel dates.
- Upgrades and flight amenities: Miles can be used to upgrade seats to a different class, pay for premium drinks or cover fees such as preferred seat or ticket change fees.
- Vacations and experiences: Use your miles through Delta Vacations to book hotels or bid miles at SkyMiles Experiences for backstage passes and event tickets.
- Merchandise: In the SkyMiles Marketplace, you can redeem your miles for Apple products, household items, jewelry and more. Redeeming miles for magazines is also an option.
As with most frequent flyer programs, you’ll get the most value out of your miles redeeming for travel rather than merchandise. If you don’t have enough miles to book the vacation of your dreams, using a combination of miles and cash may be an option for some redemptions.
Joining the SkyMiles program is free which means there is no reason for Delta travelers not to become members. Consider applying for one of the American Express cards listed above to quickly rack up the miles needed for your next getaway.
To see the rates and fees for the American Express cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: CardName: See Rates and Fees; CardName: See Rates and Fees; CardName: See Rates and Fees; CardName: See Rates and Fees; CardName: See Rates and Fees; CardName: See Rates and Fees; CardName: See Rates and Fees
