Delta SkyMiles

Delta SkyMiles is Delta Air Lines’ frequent flyer program and is the only North American member of the SkyTeam alliance. Serving five different Canadian cities, Delta will be relevant for some Canadian travelers even though earning Delta SkyMiles in Canada can be a difficult and less-than-efficient process.

Delta SkyMiles are affectionately known as SkyPesos because award rates are priced dynamically to an extreme. Thankfully, Delta is among the minority for dynamically pricing their flights at such extreme prices, so there are often better alternatives to arrive at your destination. 

Let’s start our deep dive into all things Delta SkyMiles!

Acquiring Delta SkyMiles

Delta SkyMiles will likely become a part of your points and miles collection scheme as Delta operates so many routes around North America. One nice thing about SkyMiles is that they never expire, so as long as you remember your password, you’ll always have access to your miles. While you likely don’t want to end up with many miles, here are the best ways to top up your balance.

Flying on Delta & Partner Airlines

If you’re flying on a Delta Air Lines itinerary, the likely best value from flying will be crediting the flight to Delta. If the flight was purchased directly from Delta, SkyMiles members will earn miles on a sliding scale relative to your elite status, starting with 5 miles per USD and going up.

If your flight covers a very long distance, you’ll want to check your fare class on Where To Credit and see if it’s better to credit to a partner program like Air France/KLM Flying Blue. 

When flying with partners, you’ll only earn based on the distance flown. The most prevalent partner for Canadians is WestJet, where it might make sense to credit a flight to Delta rather than earn WestJet dollars.

For example, if you find a cheap $200 CAD fare from Toronto to Vancouver with WestJet, you would earn $10 WestJet dollars. By crediting it to Delta, you would earn at least 500 SkyMiles, if not 1,000 SkyMiles, depending on the fare bucket your ticket comes from.

Transfer from American Express Membership Rewards

The transfer ratio from American Express Canada Membership Rewards is not optimal, at 1:0.75 ratio compared with many other transfer partners at 1:1. That said, if you’ve accrued some SkyMiles from flying and need to top up your account for a redemption, it’s better than having to purchase miles.

If you’ve started to open US-issued credit cards, you can transfer US Amex Membership Rewards to Delta SkyMiles at a 1:1 ratio but will incur a fee of $0.0006 per point up to $99 USD. That means if you transfer more than 165,000 MRs to Delta, it’ll be a flat $99 USD, but there aren’t many situations where transferring that many points to SkyMiles makes sense as opposed to using a different frequent flyer program.

American Express US has an exclusive agreement with Delta to issue their co-branded cards and be the only financial institution as a transfer partner, so you won’t find any other ways to accrue Delta SkyMiles from banks.

Transfer from Hotel Programs

Transferring hotel points to Delta is strongly discouraged unless you won’t use the miles any other way. For example, Accor points expire within 12 months, so if you’re not going to redeem them for any stay, you may as well keep them alive by transferring to an airline. However, Accor points transfer to Finnair Avios at a 1:1 ratio, so you’re best transferring Accor points there.

Hotel Program Transfer Partner	Transfer Ratio
Marriott Bonvoy	3 Marriott Bonvoy Points = 1 Mile
Hilton Honors	10,000 Hilton Honors Points = 1,000 Miles
Accor Live Limitless (ALL)	4,000 Rewards Points = 2,000 Miles
IHG One Rewards	10,000 Points = 2,000 Miles
Radisson Rewards	2,000 Points = 200 Miles

There may be transfer bonuses from time to time, so ensure you check our Miles & Points Transfer Tool to stay up-to-date.

Spend & Earn Welcome Bonuses on American Express Co-Branded Delta Credit Cards (US)

While we don’t recommend the American Express Delta co-branded credit cards as the best option for most points and miles maximizers, they can offer niche benefits like free checked bags or lounge access. The Delta credit cards also have companion tickets that can be handy and of great value, depending on your travel plans, and usage of the Delta SkyMiles program. 

Be aware that these cards are now part of the American Express Family Language, which limits welcome bonuses on lower-tier cards if you’ve already had higher-tier cards. They do however have no lifetime language offers from time to time as well, so keep an eye out for these opportunities.

American Express Delta SkyMiles Blue Card

The American Express Delta SkyMiles Blue card (US) is a no-annual-fee option to continue a tradeline’s credit history by downgrading, but that’s about it.

The only benefit this card gives customers who fly on Delta is a 20% back rebate on in-flight purchases. If you’re considering this card for family rules, you can skip it, as the welcome bonus is almost always 10,000 miles.

It has the following spending multipliers:

• 2x Delta Purchases
• 2x Restaurant Purchases
• 1x Everywhere Else

American Express Delta SkyMiles Gold Card

The American Express Delta SkyMiles Gold card (US) is a bit more exciting. It often offers a welcome bonus between 50,000 and 75,000 miles and the first year free, then an annual fee of $99 USD per year. You’ll also get a free first-checked bag, Zone 5 priority boarding, a 15% discount on award flights, and a $100 Delta Stays credit.

The most useful perk is the 15% discount on award flights. If you can find a reasonably priced hotel through Delta Stays, that $100 credit could also be valuable. As checked bags are $35 per direction, this card could quickly pay for itself if you only fly once per year with Delta.

It has the following spending multipliers:

• 2x Delta Purchases
• 2x Restaurant Purchases
• 1x Everywhere Else

American Express Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card

With an annual fee of $250 USD, the American Express Delta SkyMiles Platinum card (US) doesn’t initially seem like a good fit for most people. But digging deeper, there are $390 worth of credits to help offset the fee and a companion ticket valid for economy bookings to domestic, Caribbean, or Central American destinations each year.

The $390 statement credits are as follows:

• $150 Delta Stays Credit
• $120 Resy Credit ($10/month)
• $120 Rideshare Credit ($10/month)

Even if you can’t maximize the credits, the companion ticket will likely have $200 of value even if you only use it for a one-way itinerary. 

It has the following spending multipliers:

• 3x Delta Purchases
• 3x Hotels
• 2x Restaurant Purchases
• 2x Grocery
• 1x Everywhere Else

American Express Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card

With an annual fee of $550 USD, you’ll need specific use cases for the benefits offered on the American Express Delta SkyMiles Reserve card (US). Otherwise, this is not a keeper card. The main draw of the Reserve card is access to Delta SkyClubs or Centurion Lounges when flying Delta.

There are $560 of credits split between Resy, Rideshare, and Delta Stays, but the credits will likely become difficult to use if you’ve got multiple Delta cards.

The $560 statement credits are as follows:

• $200 Delta Stays Credit
• $240 Resy Credit ($20/month)
• $120 Rideshare Credit ($10/month)

The best feature of this card is that the companion certificate can be used for First Class flights. This could be an excellent deal if you can find well-priced premium cabin tickets. 

It has the following spending multipliers:

• 3x Delta Purchases
• 1x Everywhere Else

American Express Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Card

The American Express Delta SkyMiles Gold Business card (US) has yet to receive the ‘coupon book treatment’ that the other cards have. With an annual fee of $99 USD, keeping this card around for free checked bags when flying Delta is easy.

Some small benefits, like Zone 5 boarding, are nice, but the best benefit is a $150 Delta Stays credit. If you can find an independent hotel to book for $150 yearly, you’ll get free checked bags with Delta simply for holding a credit card.

It has the following spending multipliers:

• 2x Delta Purchases
• 2x Shipping & Advertising
• 1x Everywhere Else

American Express Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Card

Back to coupon booking, the American Express Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business card (US) has an annual fee of $250 USD and is almost a carbon copy of its personal counterpart. The companion certificate is valid for domestic and economy flights to the Caribbean and Central America.

There are the same $390 of credits broken up as such:

• $150 Delta Stays Credit
• $120 Resy Credit ($10/month)
• $120 Rideshare Credit ($10/month)

It has the following spending multipliers:

• 3x Delta Purchases
• 1.5x Shipping, Transit, Rideshare, Purchases of $5,000 or more
• 1x Everywhere Else

American Express Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business Card

The American Express Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business card (US) is the same as the Platinum Business card in the sense that the annual fee is $550 USD, and the benefits and features are identical to those of the Personal Reserve card. Lounge access, Delta Stay credit, Resy Credits, Rideshare credits, and companion pass all remain the same.

A feature that won’t apply to many is that after spending $150,000 USD, all purchases will be categorized at 1.5x.

The credits are broken up as such:

• $240 Resy Credit ($20 Monthly)
• $120 Rideshare credit ($10 Monthly)
• $250 Delta Stays credit

It has the following spending multipliers:

• 3x Delta Purchases
• 1.5x Shipping, Transit, Rideshare
• 1x Everywhere Else

Delta Shopping Portal

As with all US Airlines, Delta has a shopping portal you can use to collect some extra bonus miles by double dipping on purchases. Signing up or installing a shopping portal button can be worth taking advantage of a promotion.

Otherwise, the standard advice is to use Rakuten for US purchases. Instead of earning cashback with Rakuten US, you can choose to earn American Express Membership Rewards, which are superior as they’re transferrable to many airlines, including Delta.

Delta Stays

Delta Stays is likely something you’ll become familiar with if you’re a Delta credit card holder, as virtually every card has a statement credit for it. You’ll immediately see that Expedia powers the system, so you should have no problem finding a hotel that works for you.

Booking through Delta Stays earns 2 SkyMiles per $1, but if you have an American Express Platinum card (US), you will earn more by booking through Amex Travel. I wouldn’t pay much attention to Delta Stays unless you’re using up yearly credits.

Delta Dining Portal

Delta’s dining program is run by Rewards Network, which has a monopoly on all loyalty program dining portals.

It’s a good way to pick up a few extra miles if you need them, but Rakuten or Bilt are probably better dining programs to link your card to, as you can transfer those rewards to whichever loyalty program you like.

Purchase Delta Miles

Buying Delta Skymiles is almost always a bad deal unless if you need a small amount to make a redemption. A base purchase price of 3.5 cents is nearly triple the average value of a SkyMile. You’d be better off transferring points from American Express Membership Rewards, ideally from your US account, as the ratio is 1:1 compared to 1:0.75 on the Canadian side.

Redeeming Delta SkyMiles

Redeeming SkyMiles for Flights

Redeeming Delta SkyMiles for flights is the best value for your miles. Delta Air Lines has taken dynamic pricing to new heights, as each mile is almost always worth 1.1 USD cents. However, the dynamic pricing algorithm isn’t perfect, so there may be occasions when they’re worth more.

Occasionally, Delta Air Lines comes out with a Flash Sale, which allows you to find flights for as little as 5,900 SkyMiles round trip. These tickets will always be in Basic Economy, which restricts access to SkyClubs even if you’re entitled to access with status or credit card privileges.

Delta SkyMiles Sweet Spots

Finding partner flights with Delta SkyMiles can result in high value, but Delta doesn’t publish an award chart for its partners, so the examples listed below can change. 

Booking awards with Korean Air for short-haul flights at a fixed 7,500 SkyMiles and $25 CAD can result in a 3.7 Cents per SkyMile valuation. Surprisingly, Air France/KLM Flying Blue cannot see the same award availability even though they’re part of the SkyTeam Alliance.

It’s challenging to find Korean Air business class seats available for redemption with SkyMiles, but if you can, expect to pay 65,000 SkyMiles for a one-way to Australia from South Korea.

Finally, a partnership between Delta and WestJet can prove fruitful. If you’re willing to book far in advance, you can find rates as low as 12,500 SkyMiles from most of Canada to Orlando or other US destinations. With only $6 in taxes and fees when departing the USA, this can yield a valuation of 3.3 Cents per SkyMile depending on cash costs and is often available for 4 or more passengers.

Converting your Canadian Membership rewards would still be a decent deal, as it effectively means 2.5 cents per MR Point.

Other SkyMiles Redemptions

While we don’t recommend redeeming Delta SkyMiles for anything other than flights, you can also redeem for checked baggage, seat upgrades, lounge membership, vacation packages, hotels booked through Delta Stays, experiences, or magazine subscriptions. 

Most of these redemption methods will yield a lower value than 1 cent per point, but there is one outlier. If you redeem miles for premium beverages at a Delta Sky Club, you’ll often receive 1.2 USD cents per SkyMile in value. If you have just a few extra Delta SkyMiles hanging around and a desperate hankering for Veuve Cliquot, this is an approved Frugal Flyer Redemption.

Delta SkyMiles Medallion Status

Delta Medallion status has changed in recent years to be solely based on Medallion Qualifying Dollars, or MQDs for short. By holding credit cards, SkyMiles members can accrue up to $10,000 MQDs in ‘Head Start’ dollars, which is enough to grant Gold Status. 

Members can earn more MQDs from credit card spending, but Delta intends its members to earn status organically by spending money on flights. MQDs operate like Air Canada’s Status Qualifying Dollars, better known as SQD.

There are many benefits to Delta Medallion status. You can find more details on Delta’s website, but examples include:

• Complimentary seat upgrades
• Same Day Change fee waivers
• SkyPriority Benefits
• Bag tag & drink vouchers
• Earning more miles per dollar spent
• Priority customer service

Frequently Asked Questions