SkyMiles® - Delta Air Lines

SkyMiles®
SkyMiles is the official frequent flyer program for Delta Air Lines, one of the largest and most famous airlines all over the world. This program was initially created in 1981 as a Frequent Flyer Program, and it has been proving its members with various rewards for over 30 years now. Members of this program receive complimentary miles for eligible transactions that they make with Delta or one of their partners.

The company offers flights all over the world, with a total of 300 different destinations in over 60 countries. The SkyMiles members are welcome to choose between different rewards such as free airline tickets, luxury products, cabin upgrades, etc. In addition, the reward program members can earn and use miles for daily purchases and hotel stays. Thanks to a wide range of benefits the SkyMiles Program is one of the most lucrative and beneficial frequent flyer programs in the world.
  • Pros
  • No fuel surcharges ❸
  • Free hold until 11:59 pm ❶
  • Miles do not expire at all!
  • Booking tool is easy to use
  • Good number of partner airlines
  • Most airlines can be booked online
  • Unlimited complimentary upgrades ❷
  • Cons
  • Not transparent award pricing
  • Fuel surcharge on some destinations ❸
  • Fees & Charges
  • Same-Day Change Fee ❺
    $75
  • Same-Day Standby Fee fee ❺
    $75
  • Reissue fee ❹
    $150
  • Expiration: Miles expire 0 months since last activity.
  • For some programs, an activity is any accrual of miles, crediting a flight, transfering or purchasing miles. For others, spending activities such as redeeming or donating points counts as an activity.
  • ❶ Hold tickets until 11:59 pm the following day if you do not have enough miles in your account
  • ❷ Elite members receive unlimited complimentary upgrades
  • ❸ When origin points is United States, other destinations could have fuel surcharge imposed.
  • ❹ In order to redeposit the acquired miles, it's necessary to cancel Award Tickets and mileage upgrades at least 72 hours before the initial flight departure time. It's required to reissue the tickets at least 72 hours before the scheduled departure time. Note that the Award Travel Miles aren't refundable for flights that are changed/canceled within 72 hours of the initial flight departure time. In addition, the Award Tickets can't be refunded, redeposited, or changed if they are booked within 72 hours of departure.
  • ❺ If your requested flight is same-day confirmed eligible. Notwithstanding Medallion or another elite status, it's not allowed to use Basic Economy fares (E) to make same-day standby or same-day confirmed travel changes.

Transfer Partners

1,000
Amex points
1 : 1
1,000
miles
Instant
1,000
ALL points
2 : 1
500
miles
12 days
1,000
Hyatt points
2.5 : 1
400
miles
56 days
1,000
Marriott points
3 : 1
+ 5,000 bonus
333
miles
42 days
1,000
IHG points
5 : 1
200
miles
42 days
1,000
Radisson points
10 : 1
100
miles
7 days
1,000
Hilton points
10 : 1
100
miles
4 days
The ratio is the number of flexible reward points it would take to transfer to SkyMiles®.
Transfer time is what is reported by the transfer programs, supplemented by our own research. However, actual time to transfer is often highly variable.

Airlines and Fuel Surcharge

This table will show you the partner airlines can be booked online and those which impose fuel surcharge.

Airline
Online
Booking
Fuel
Surcharge
Alliance
Air France Air France
SkyTeam
Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines
SkyTeam
Hawaiian Airlines Hawaiian Airlines
No alliance
LATAM Brasil LATAM Brasil
oneworld®
LATAM Chile LATAM Chile
oneworld®
LATAM Paraguay LATAM Paraguay
No alliance
LATAM Peru LATAM Peru
oneworld®
Mandarin Airlines Mandarin Airlines
SkyTeam
Shanghai Airlines Shanghai Airlines
No alliance
Aerolíneas Argentinas Aerolíneas Argentinas
SkyTeam
AeroMexico AeroMexico
SkyTeam
Alitalia Alitalia
SkyTeam
China Airlines China Airlines
SkyTeam
Airline
Online
Booking
Fuel
Surcharge
Alliance
China Eastern Airlines China Eastern Airlines
SkyTeam
China Southern Airlines China Southern Airlines
No alliance
KLM Royal Dutch KLM Royal Dutch
SkyTeam
Korean Air Korean Air
SkyTeam
MEA MEA
SkyTeam
Saudia Airlines Saudia Airlines
SkyTeam
TAROM TAROM
SkyTeam
Vietnam Airlines Vietnam Airlines
SkyTeam
Virgin Atlantic Virgin Atlantic
No alliance
Virgin Australia Virgin Australia
No alliance
XiamenAir XiamenAir
SkyTeam
WestJet WestJet
No alliance

Program Review

Program Review

Delta Air Lines is a major American airline based at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia. More than 5,400 flights operated by the airline consist of 319 destinations across 54 counties on six different continents. Delta Air Lines is the oldest airline in the US and it's a part of the five main legacy carriers. SkyMiles, which is Delta Air’s frequent flyer program, offers a number of rewards and benefits for members and constant flyers.

 

SkyMiles Program

SkyMiles offers those who fly with Delta Air Lines a way to earn points/miles that can be redeemed for complimentary flights, hotel bookings, cabin upgrades, and a number of other things. It is important to know that there is a difference between SkyMiles and Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs). You have the opportunity to redeem award airline tickets using SkyMiles, at a time when MQMs can be used for determining your elite status tier qualification within the certain program.

There are a number of benefits associated with the various elite status tiers that you will learn about in this article.

 

Earning SkyMiles Points

There are multiple various ways and options to earn points using the Delta SkyMiles program. SkyMiles are earned according to the total cost of the ticket of flights, which includes the base bar, carries surcharges, and excluding government taxes and fees. You can earn as much as 75,000 SkyMiles on a single ticket. The number of miles that can be acquired ranges from 5 to 13. You're able to receive two bonus miles per each dollar spent when booking the flight using a special Delta SkyMiles credit card.

In addition, there's the possibility to receive points via partner flights being a SkyMiles member. You can earn as much as 75,000 miles per ticket based on the price of the ticket by flying with Delta Air Lines partners. However, the amount of miles that can be earned on partner-marketed flights always depends on the carrier. Partner carriers fall into four different groups: Group 1, which offers the most miles, while Group 4 offers the least.

 

Redeeming Mileage Points

Once you have accumulated a significant number of SkyMiles, you will, of course, want to find out about different ways on how to use and redeem the points. You can redeem your miles for free flights on Delta Air Lines as well as participating partner airlines. You also have the option of using your miles for cabin upgrades and various items in the SkyMiles marketplace. When you have enough SkyMiles accrued, you can book an award ticket on Delta or one of their partners.

You can only redeem reward flights through Delta.com or a Delta Air Lines ticket agent, whether it is in person or over the phone. It's important to mention that any changes of departure and arrival airports, route, date, time should be made at least 72 hours before the original departure time. This way, the provided miles remain the same. The program members are welcome to use your miles to a book a flight on Delta Air Lines, all SkyTeam Global Alliance Partners, and other SkyMiles partners.

You can book your awards flight on the official Delta website by simply filling out a form that details your travel plans (department/arrival locations, number of passengers, travel dates, etc.) Once you have filled out this information, click the Find Flights button to find flights that you can use with the miles you’ve earned as a SkyMiles member.

 

Routing Rules

As of 2015, Delta no longer allows stopovers or open jaws for award tickets. 

 

Redeem on Upgrades

Those who become SkyMiles members will be able to upgrade their cabin class on a flight with points they have accrued in this program. You will first need to book your flight on Delta’s website, then select your Main Cabin ticket. The program members will automatically get the opportunity to upgrade in your trip summary using miles, in case the reservation is still eligible. Note that all flights need to be reserved within the United States, and flights must also be on Delta or a Delta Connection carrier.

 

Booking Fees & Charges

There are some booking fees that you might encounter as a SkyMiles member, including a $200 fee for changing flights, and a $150 fee for reinstating award tickets. If you book a flight too late, you will not face any fees for the service.

 

Elite Levels

There are two different types of membership: the basic SkyMiles program and the Medallion elite membership. When signing up for the Delta Air Lines SkyMiles program for the first time, become a part of the basic program by default. You will be able to qualify for the Silver Medallion status or even higher after accruing enough Medallion Qualification miles, segments, or dollars within a year. Note that the more Medallion Qualification points you collect, the higher status you're able to achieve.

The MQM requirements for each tier are as follows:

  • 25,000 for Silver Medallion status
  • 50,000 for Gold Medallion status
  • 75,000 for Platinum Medallion status
  • 125,000 for Diamond Medallion status

 

Benefits of SkyMiles Program

While it is true that Delta Air’s frequent flyer program might have some strict rules regarding stopovers, there are still plenty of other benefits to consider. One of the best things about this program is that it is so easy to earn miles/points when flying to your destinations through Delta or one of their partner airlines. There are also lots of different benefits associated with moving up the Elite Status ladder, including priority waitlist status and preferred seating.

This means that you will receive waitlist status when your preferred class of service is not available. There are numerous seats set aside in the Main Cabin for eligible passengers, including Delta Medallion members. Diamond, Platinum, and Gold Medallion members have access to frequent traveler security lines in select airports all over the world as well as the opportunity to take advantage of priority boarding.