Delta SkyMiles program information 2024

Phrases apply to American Specific advantages and provides. Enrollment could also be required for choose American Specific advantages and provides. Go to americanexpress.com to study extra.

The primary time I earned standing with Delta Air Traces was in 2013. I had lately began a job as a touring mission supervisor, and I couldn’t wait till I acquired upgraded from primary financial system—the place my six-foot-three-inch body actually didn’t match—to top quality, the place I assumed they nibbled on shrimp cocktail, popped champagne and performed with Goldendoodle puppies till touchdown. 

However I quickly found a hysterical irony. Just about everybody else in my 8,000-person firm should have earned elite Delta standing across the identical time as me, and since all of us flew out of the identical tiny airport on Monday mornings, I used to be most likely No. 7,991 on the improve record each time. 

Fortunately, Silver Medallion standing had tons extra to supply than the occasional fortunate improve to Goldendoodle class—and it nonetheless does greater than a decade later. You’ll get precedence check-in, free Most well-liked Seats and a stunning perk probably value as much as $630 spherical journey. That’s to not point out the useful SkyMiles you’ll earn alongside the best way, which you’ll redeem for flights, motels and extra to subsidize your subsequent journey. 

Nonetheless, there are just a few key caveats to this system that you simply’ll need to remember earlier than you e book your subsequent flight. So let’s study the professionals, the cons and the high-quality print as we talk about all the things that you must find out about Delta SkyMiles in 2024. 

What’s Delta SkyMiles?

Delta SkyMiles is Delta Air Traces’ official loyalty rewards program. 

Right here’s the way it works in a nutshell: When you create a free SkyMiles account and begin spending cash with Delta, you’ll start to earn two forms of factors. These are as follows:

• Delta SkyMiles, redeemable for flights, upgrades, motels and extra. 
• Medallion Qualification {Dollars} (MQDs), which rely in direction of your subsequent standing degree with Delta. The upper the standing, the extra perks and goodies you’ll unlock (e.g. free checked baggage at Silver Medallion, precedence top quality upgrades at Diamond Medallion).

Delta SkyMiles competes with rival airline loyalty programs, akin to United MileagePlus and Southwest Speedy Rewards. We’ll see the way it stacks as much as its rivals—and which one deserves your loyalty—in a later part. 

For now, let’s cowl the principle execs and cons of this system earlier than diving into the small print.

Delta SkyMiles: Professionals and cons in 2024

Delta “SkyMiles” defined

As talked about earlier, there are two forms of currencies you’ll earn by Delta’s loyalty program—SkyMiles and Medallion Qualification {Dollars} (MQDs). 

Let’s discuss SkyMiles first.

SkyMiles are primarily the “rewards points” of this system. You possibly can earn these miles by reserving Delta flights, utilizing your Delta Amex card when you’ve got one, and in just a few different methods, and you’ll redeem your miles for future Delta flights, lodge stays, holidays, and extra. 

Delta SkyMiles by no means expire so long as your SkyMiles account stays open, so even when you’re the least-frequent flyer ever, it’s nonetheless value opening an account and saving up SkyMiles for a visit within the distant future.

Easy methods to earn Delta SkyMiles

Delta provides you 4 official methods to generate SkyMiles: 

• Fly with Delta – Ebook a flight instantly with Delta or one in every of its accomplice airways and also you’ll generate rewards on the following charges.
  • 5X per greenback as a Base Member.
  • 7X per greenback at Silver Medallion.
  • 8X per greenback at Gold Medallion.
  • 9X per greenback at Platinum Medallion.
  • 11X per greenback at Diamond Medallion.
• Fly with airline companions – Flights with one in every of Delta’s 20+ trusted airline companions additionally generate SkyMiles, although the speed will fluctuate by accomplice (see a whole list of Delta’s partners additional down on this information). 
• Use a Delta American Specific card – On the time of this writing, Amex is the one issuer that provides Delta-branded bank cards, however you continue to have 4 private playing cards to select from—starting from the no-annual-fee Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card to the perk-rich, lounge-entering machine that’s the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. For extra choices, see our full information on the best Delta rewards cards. There are additionally three Delta enterprise playing cards.
• Spend with retail companions – You can even earn SkyMiles by making purchases at Starbucks, using with Lyft, and reserving rental automobiles with Avis, Enterprise and Hertz. 

There’s additionally a fifth, “secret” method to earn just a few further SkyMiles: Delta’s Bag-on-Time Assure. In case your bag doesn’t arrive at baggage declare inside 20 minutes of touchdown on a home flight, you may fill out this form and Delta ought to deposit 2,500 SkyMiles into your account. 

However by and enormous, you’ll most likely be incomes the majority of your SkyMiles by reserving Delta flights with whichever Delta Amex card you determine is greatest to your pockets. It’s value noting that these playing cards include stable welcome bonuses as nicely, starting from 10,000 SkyMiles to 60,000 SkyMiles on the time of writing (after assembly the respective spending necessities).

To view charges and costs of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Specific Card, see this page.

To view charges and costs of the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Specific Card, see this page.

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Specific Card

See Rates and Fees

Intro Bonus

Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $5,000 in purchases in your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership

Annual charge	$650
Common APR	20.99%–29.99% variable

However no matter whether or not you earn SkyMiles by bank card use, Lyft rides or $8 frappés, you may need a small fortune in miles stashed ahead of you assume. 

When you do, how must you spend it?

Easy methods to use Delta SkyMiles

Delta provides a litany of how to redeem SkyMiles that go nicely past simply reserving your subsequent flight. In whole, you may change your SkyMiles for any of the next: 

• Award flights – Redeem SkyMiles for an award ticket and also you’ll usually be capable to obtain a redemption fee of round 1 to 1.2 cents apiece. You can even mix Miles + Money to cowl your fare. 
• Seat upgrades – Why wedge your self into primary financial system when you may commerce SkyMiles for extra legroom? 
• Checked baggage – You can even redeem SkyMiles to cowl your $35 checked bag charge, though holders of the Delta SkyMiles Gold, Platinum and Reserve playing cards get their first checked bag at no cost. 
• Delta Stays – Because of a partnership with Expedia, now you can e book lodge stays by Delta.com utilizing SkyMiles. 
• Delta Holidays – In an identical vein, it’s also possible to e book all-in-one trip packages by Delta, akin to a sun-kissed retreat to Puerto Rico. 
• Purchase, reward, switch or donate – In case you’re feeling beneficiant, you may at all times give the reward of SkyMiles to a buddy or member of the family or donate them to numerous charities by SkyWish. 
• SkyMiles Experiences – Lastly, you should use SkyMiles to bid on issues like trackside seats to a NASCAR occasion, a non-public eating expertise with a celeb chef and extra.

SkyMilesExperiences.com

Whereas that’s positively a stable menu of redemption choices, simply be aware that money again isn’t one in every of them. In case you’re searching for a bank card that may enable you to maximize journey rewards—whereas additionally supplying you with the choice to money your factors out in a pinch—the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card could also be a greater card to your wants than a Delta Amex.

Chase Sapphire Most well-liked^® Card

Intro bonus

60,000 bonus factors after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening

Annual charge	$95
Common APR	21.49%–28.49% variable

One other factor to be cautious of is that SkyMiles can’t be transferred to a different loyalty rewards program. In different phrases, you may’t convert 1,000 SkyMiles to 1,000 World of Hyatt factors to squeak a bit further worth out of them when what you really want is a lodge keep relatively than an award flight.

To be honest to Delta, that’s fairly typical for an airline or lodge loyalty rewards program. However we needed to level it out nonetheless earlier than you attempt changing your Delta SkyMiles to Marriott Bonvoy factors to cowl an evening on the Ritz.

Additionally, when you get deep into optimizing your travel rewards strategy, know that American Specific Membership Rewards are just about the one versatile bank card factors that switch to Delta SkyMiles. However there’s one thing of a workaround in case your bank card permits you to switch factors to an airline that companions with Delta—for instance, each Chase Final Rewards and Capital One Miles switch to Virgin Atlantic, the place you could possibly e book accomplice area on a Delta flight.

How a lot are Delta miles value? 

As indicated above, Delta SkyMiles are typically value round 1 to 1.2 cents apiece when redeemed for Delta flights, Delta purchases (e.g. upgrades/bag charges) or flights with accomplice airways, so long as you train some savviness concerning the redemptions you choose.

As for motels, trip packages and NASCAR tickets, nicely, redemption values fluctuate. As a rule of thumb, when you’re not getting at the least 1.1 cents out of your SkyMiles with one in every of these choices, you must most likely simply pay money and save your SkyMiles to your subsequent flight or improve. 

Now that we’ve lined how SkyMiles work, let’s discuss standing.

Delta Medallion standing defined

Medallion standing is what Delta calls its elite standing tier system.

To earn larger (shinier?) Medallion standing, you’ll want to gather sufficient Medallion-Qualifying {Dollars}, or MQDs. These are completely separate from SkyMiles, though you’ll usually be incomes each on the identical time. 

MQDs are a bit tougher to earn than common SkyMiles, however many would say it’s definitely worth the effort to rack them up since having Medallion standing can massively increase your flight expertise. 

Right here’s how attaining Delta Medallion standing works and what it provides you.

Easy methods to earn Delta Medallion standing

You’ll earn larger Delta standing by accumulating a sure variety of MQDs in a calendar 12 months. When you attain a brand new standing threshold (e.g. Silver Medallion standing at $5,000 MQDs), you’ll be upgraded to that standing inside just a few days and can preserve it till the top of the subsequent 12 months. 

For example, when you reached Silver Medallion on Sept. 9, 2024, you’d have it for the remainder of 2024 and all of 2025 mixed (technically till Jan. 31, 2026). 

Delta provides you 4 predominant methods to earn MQDs: 

• Reserving flights – Earn $1 MQD for each greenback spent on the bottom fare worth with Delta or one in every of its accomplice airways, not together with primary financial system tickets (womp womp). 
• MQD Headstart – Holders of choose Delta Amex playing cards (Delta SkyMiles Platinum, Platinum Enterprise, Reserve and Reserve Enterprise) will get an “MQD Headstart” of $2,500 MQDs per card, so that you solely have $2,500 extra to go to achieve Silver Medallion. 
• MQD Enhance – Holders of the Delta SkyMiles Platinum or Platinum Enterprise playing cards additionally get $1 MQD for each $20 spent in eligible purchases. Holders of the SkyMiles Reserve or Reserve Enterprise playing cards get $1 MQD for each $10 spent. 
• Delta Holidays – Lastly, you’ll earn $1 MQD for each greenback spent on trip packages when utilizing Delta Holidays to e book.

More often than not you’ll most likely simply be incomes your MQDs by reserving predominant cabin fights or above with Delta or one in every of its companions. Which means you’d need to spend $5,000 (not together with taxes or charges) to achieve the primary standing tier, Silver. 

That’s numerous Delta spending to do in a 12 months, particularly when you’re a fan of primary financial system fares otherwise you aren’t notably loyal to Delta. (And, if that’s the case, you may discover a totally different selection on our record of best airline cards a greater match than a Delta-branded card.) 

However when you assume you may handle it, is incomes Delta standing actually value it? Let’s dive in.

Delta Medallion standing tiers defined

Delta has 4 Medallion tiers in whole: Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond. 

Even on the Silver Medallion degree, the record of advantages is loopy lengthy. We’ll summarize the highlights under, however for a peek on the complete chart, click here. 

• Silver Medallion – $5,000 MQDs
  • 7X SkyMiles on Delta purchases.
  • First checked bag free for you and as much as eight companions every approach.
  • Complimentary Most well-liked Seats.
  • Limitless top quality and Delta Consolation+ upgrades inside 24 hours of departure.
  • Limitless U.S. 50 Delta One upgrades on the day of departure.
  • Precedence check-in.
  • Precedence boarding.
  • 5 Star Standing with Hertz Gold Plus Rewards plus 5X on Hertz leases booked by Delta.

• Gold Medallion – $10,000 MQDs
  • 8X SkyMiles on Delta purchases.
  • Sky Precedence suite of companies (e.g. precedence safety line entry, expedited baggage service).
  • Limitless top quality and Delta Consolation+ upgrades inside 72 hours of departure.

• Platinum Medallion – $15,000 MQDs
  • 9X SkyMiles on Delta purchases.
  • 1 Selection Profit choice (from a list of choices together with a $400 Amex assertion credit score on eligible playing cards, 4 Regional Improve Certificates, and extra).
  • Limitless top quality upgrades inside 120 hours of departure.
  • Limitless Delta Consolation+ upgrades shortly after ticketing.
  • Limitless U.S. 50 Delta One upgrades on the day of departure.

• Diamond Medallion – $28,000 MQDs
  • 11X SkyMiles on Delta purchases.
  • 1 further Selection Profit choice (from an inventory with extra choices than Platinum standing, together with 4 World Improve Certificates, eight Regional Improve Certificates, a $700 Amex assertion credit score on eligible playing cards, and extra).
  • Complimentary CLEAR Plus membership.
  • Highest precedence boarding of Medallion members.
  • VIP telephone line.
  • SkyTeam Elite Plus standing together with lounge entry all over the world.

In case you had been hoping Diamond Medallion standing would unlock probably the most legendary Delta perk of all time—a plane-to-plane switch in a Porsche supercar—you must know that it’s not an formally listed perk. 

That stated, we’ve learn quite a few studies on-line of Diamond Medallion members being whisked away in a Porsche GT3 RS after they weren’t anticipating it. There’s additionally a tantalizing rumor that you could name a secret Delta VIP hotline to schedule a Porsche switch prematurely—however we’ll haven’t confirmed that, and should allow you to examine the rumor from there. 

In case you’re at present a vanilla SkyMiles Member, although, you’re most likely extra targeted on the deserves of Silver Medallion standing for now. Offered you’ll already be flying Delta a good quantity this 12 months, is it value taking an additional journey or two to achieve larger standing?

Is it definitely worth the effort to realize Delta SkyMiles standing? 

Delta provides you a boatload of perks at Silver Medallion standing—however in return, it asks you to point out a lot of loyalty to get there. 

We are saying that as a result of in an effort to attain $5,000 MQDs, it’s a must to spend a complete of $5,000 USD on base fares solely with Delta and its companions. If you add taxes and costs, you’re actually spending within the neighborhood of $5,500 or much more to achieve $5,000 MQD. 

If we do the mathematics and common that out over the course of a 12 months, that’s approaching $500 per thirty days on flights, which most folk could not spend. 

That stated, when you’re inside shouting distance of Silver Medallion, it could be value taking an additional end-of-the-year flight simply to cross the end line. As a result of when you do, you’ll earn a complete calendar 12 months of free checked baggage, upgrades, precedence check-in and extra for you and your journey companion.

Even when you solely test a bag as soon as a month, the free checked bag perk alone may probably prevent a notable chunk of cash—the mathematics being $35 x 12 = $420—over the course of the next 12 months. Double that quantity in case your companion checks a bag, too. 

So sure, incomes Silver Medallion standing is unquestionably value it in our opinion, when you’re shut. In case you’re a number of grand in spending away from it, you may most likely let it go. However when you’re only a flight or two away from reaching $5,000 MQD, go forward and e book an affordable flight to see an outdated buddy and luxuriate in your elevated perks on the best way house. 

And if Delta doesn’t service your buddy’s metropolis, remember that Delta has 25 accomplice airways you may earn SkyMiles with (and is a distinguished member of the SkyTeam alliance). The entire record is under.

Delta SkyMiles accomplice airways

Earlier than we conclude our chat about Delta SkyMiles, right here’s a whole record of this system’s 25 accomplice airways. For detailed directions on how one can earn SkyMiles with these airways—and your incomes potential—take a look at Delta’s official SkyMiles accomplice web page here.

• Aerolíneas Argentinas
• Aeromexico
• Air Baltic
• AirEuropa
• Air France
• Cape Air
• China Airways
• China Jap
• China Southern Airways
• Czech Airways
• EL AL Matmid
• Garuda Indonesia
• Hawaiian Airways
• ITA Airways
• Kenya Airways
• KLM
• Korean Air
• LATAM Airways
• Center East Airways
• Saudia
• Tarom
• Vietnam Airways
• Virgin Atlantic
• WestJet
• Xiamen

How Delta SkyMiles compares to different airline applications

To wrap issues up, let’s see how Delta SkyMiles compares to Southwest Speedy Rewards, and naturally, Delta’s arch rival United MileagePlus. 

Proper off the bat, the best aggressive downside to Delta SkyMiles is that it doesn’t care what number of flight segments you’re taking relating to calculating standing. For comparability, you may attain United MileagePlus Premier Silver standing by accumulating 5,000 factors or 4,000 factors plus 12 segments. Southwest is much more versatile, permitting you to achieve A-Record standing by 35,000 factors or 20 segments, and also you don’t want a combo of each. 

So when you are inclined to take tons of low-cost, quick flights, both of these different applications will most likely reward you with standing a lot sooner. 

Delta SkyMiles additionally falls a bit behind United when it comes to airline companions and bank cards. United has over 35 companions in comparison with Delta’s 25—and whereas each carriers have 4 compelling bank cards aimed toward customers that can assist you generate factors, the welcome bonuses are extra beneficiant with the United playing cards as of this writing (take a look at our record of best United cards to see what we imply). 

That every one stated, Delta positively has a trump card hidden within the high-quality print. When you attain Silver Medallion standing, you’ll get free checked baggage for you and as much as eight journey companions, which might’ve saved the huge household from House Alone a whopping $630 spherical journey. Positively one thing to remember when you incessantly journey with others, and none of you packs notably gentle. 

However, all issues thought of, Delta SkyMiles is a rock-solid loyalty rewards program. So long as you’re conscious of the principle caveats entering into—akin to incomes no miles with primary financial system and dealing with a protracted, costly trek to Silver—you’re in for some glorious perks and hefty bonuses

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