Redeem Delta SkyMiles for best value

If you’ve built up a cache of Delta SkyMiles over the last year and don’t know how to spend them, you’re in luck. Your Delta SkyMiles redemption options are both varied and valuable, allowing you to redeem on flight upgrades, fees, preferred seating, gift cards and more. For example, a flight on Korean Air to South Korea can cost you as little as 50,000 miles round-trip.

SkyMiles are worth an average of 1.4 cents each according to our March 2021 valuation. However, you can find flights with values of 2 cents per mile and above. Here’s how to find those Delta SkyMiles redemption sweetspots and make the most of your miles.

How to redeem Delta SkyMiles for flights

You have three main avenues for redeeming your Delta SkyMiles on flights for a good deal.

5+ best Delta SkyMiles redemptions

Here are a few excellent fares that help you get maximum value from your miles. You can search for all of them on the Delta website.

Flights within the continental US: Round-trip for 10,000 miles

Delta offers some 10,000-mile fares for domestic round-trip flights. You’ll find many qualifying routes for western cities such as Los Angeles and Seattle. You can also pick destinations such as Nashville, Chicago and Boston.

Flights under 750 miles in distance seem to bring a particularly large volume of 10,000-SkyMile fares.

Round-trip fares example

Virgin Atlantic to London in Upper Class: 86,000 miles each way

Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class gets rave reviews from travelers, so consider it for your next trip to London. You can take a one-way flight from an eligible city for 86,000 miles with $5.60 in fees. From London, you can easily connect to another European city.

If you want to fly Virgin Atlantic from Europe, consider doing so as a round-trip. If your flight starts in Europe, you could face steep surcharges.

Round-trip fares example

Fly Delta One from the continental US to Asia for 148,000 miles round-trip

Travelers also have great things to say about Delta’s exclusive cabins with lie-flat seats. You can find deals for Delta One.

You can book the round-trip Los Angeles-to-Beijing fare below for as little as 148,000 miles, for example. That’s including $41.13 in fees.

Round-trip fare example

Fly Korean Air to South Korea in economy for 50,000 miles round-trip

If you’d like to visit Asia, flying Korean Air to South Korea can be a good option. For fees of around $50, you can take a flight for 50,000 miles. This may yield a value of around 2.5 cents per mile.

From South Korea, you can easily take a flight to another destination in Asia. As a bonus, you can enjoy Incheon International Airport, which is consistently ranked as one of the best airports in the world.

Round-trip fares example

Fly from the continental US to the South Pacific for under 80,000 miles round-trip

You’ll find solid deals to places like Australia when flying Main Cabin. Check the five-week calendar to find fares under 80,000 miles for a round-trip with fees typically around $115.

The example fares below cost well under that amount: 70,000 and 64,000 miles, respectively. Your miles will be worth around 2 cents a mile.

Round-trip fares

Redeem SkyMiles with Delta’s airline partners

Your Delta SkyMiles can easily take you around the world, as Delta partners with many international carriers through its membership in SkyTeam.

SkyTeam carriers include:

Delta also partners with non-SkyTeam carriers such as Virgin Atlantic and Hawaiian Airlines.

You can earn Delta SkyMiles on flights with partner carriers. You can also redeem SkyMiles for eligible flights with these carriers.

How to earn Delta SkyMiles from credit cards

Award flights can cost tens of thousands — even hundreds of thousands — of miles. If you wanted to earn all those points with flights alone, you’d have to fly quite a lot.

For most travelers, there’s a better way to earn SkyMiles: credit cards. Through travel and everyday spending, you can rack up miles that’ll take you on your next vacation for less.

If you want to learn more about all of the ways you can quickly earn Delta SkyMiles, check out our full Delta SkyMiles earning guide.

Compare cards for earning Delta SkyMiles

Below, you’ll find Delta’s cobranded credit cards. Prior to January 30, 2020, the only accelerated rewards you’d find would be for spending on Delta purchases. However, now most of the cards offer bonus rewards in other categories such as hotels, supermarkets and restaurants.

The Delta perks are a heavy draw as well. With the higher-priced cards, you’ll find benefits like free checked baggage, priority boarding and travel credits.

You can also convert points from select travel credit cards to Delta miles. Amex cards are particularly strong options for this.

For hotel cards, consider products from programs such as Marriott Bonvoy, IHG Rewards Club and Hilton Honors. The transfer ratios aren’t as strong as what you’ll find with Amex cards, but they can be useful if you like to stay at specific properties.

Sort by:

Name	Product	Welcome Offer	Rewards	Annual fee	Filter values
The Platinum Card® from American Express		100,000 points after spending $6,000 in your first 6 months	5x points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel, 5x points on directly-booked flights on up to $500,000 annually, then 1x points after that and on other eligible purchases	$695		100,000 points after spending $6,000 in your first 6 months. Terms apply, see rates & fees	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card		10,000 miles after spending $500 in the first 3 months	2x miles at restaurants and on direct Delta purchases and 1x miles on other eligible purchases	$0		Earn 2x miles on Delta purchases and dining with this simple, entry-level Delta card, and pay no annual fee. Terms apply, see rates & fees	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
American Express® Gold Card		60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 6 months	4x at restaurants including delivery and Uber Eats; 4x at US supermarkets on up to $25,000 annually (then 1x points), 3x points on directly-booked flights and 1x points on other eligible purchases	$250		Rose Gold is here to stay. Card Members can choose between a Gold or Rose Gold Card. Earn up to 4x points on select purchases, a bevy of travel perks, and a welcome offer worth up to $600 based on our valuation with this upper-mid tier travel card. Terms apply, see rates & fees	Apply now View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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Bottom line

SkyMiles are worth around 1.4 cents each on average, but getting a higher value is always welcome.

Use Delta’s five-week view for flight searches to find fares for fewer miles. It could mean getting a fare for tens of thousands of points less. Along the way, keep an eye out for award fees.

If you’d like to learn about the ins and outs, check out our guide on Delta SkyMiles frequent-flyer program.

Frequently asked questions

• How do I find award flights to use my Delta SkyMiles?

  You can search for award space on the Delta website. The website may not list all available flights, so consider searching on other carriers’ websites as well.

  Delta is part of the SkyTeam alliance, so you can look for partner flights with carriers like Air France, KLM and Korean.

• “Are there ways to earn Delta SkyMiles other than spending with credit cards?
  Yes. You can earn miles through programs like SkyMiles Dining and SkyMiles Shopping. Also, you can book travel through hotel partners. You can also learn about more options with our Delta SkyMiles guide.
• “Do I have to redeem SkyMiles for flights?
  No. You can redeem miles for merchandise, charitable donations, experiences and more.