Delta's loyalty program with fully flexible pricing – no fixed chart, but flash sales on domestic flights can offer outstanding value. For premium cabin flights on Delta, booking through Virgin Atlantic Flying Club often delivers better rates.
These cards earn transferable points that can be converted to Delta SkyMiles.
American Express Business Gold Rewards Card
Amex MR, 4:3
First-year value: $2,001
Business Platinum Card from American Express
Amex MR, 4:3
First-year value: $1,914
American Express Gold Rewards Card
Amex MR, 4:3
First-year value: $1,654
American Express Platinum Card
Amex MR, 4:3
First-year value: $1,581
Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card
Marriott Bonvoy, 3:1
First-year value: $650
Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card
Marriott Bonvoy, 3:1
First-year value: $616
American Express Cobalt Card
Amex MR, 4:3
First-year value: $336
American Express Green Card
Amex MR, 4:3
First-year value: $301
Our Valuation
1.6 cents per point(CAD)
1.2 cents per point (USD)
Fully dynamic pricing with no published chart – value is unpredictable, but domestic flash sales regularly deliver outsized returns. For premium cabin flights on Delta metal, consider booking through Virgin Atlantic instead for better rates.
Last updated: February 6, 2026
Delta SkyMiles is the loyalty program of Delta Air Lines, one of the US “big 3 airlines” and one of the world’s largest airlines in terms of revenue and fleet size.
Not only do Delta SkyMiles provide some great value when redeeming for Delta flights, but they could also be used to redeem award seats with SkyTeam alliance members and other partner airlines.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything there is to know about Delta SkyMiles, including how to optimize your earning and redeeming within the program.
Four personal cards and three business cards comprise Amex’s Delta SkyMiles offering:
Personal Cards
Anecdotally, it’s possible to receive a higher welcome bonus offer by opening the online application link through your browser’s incognito mode.
Membership Rewards points from Amex cards in Canada can be transferred at the rate of 1,000 MR points = 750 SkyMiles, while Membership Rewards points from Amex cards in the US can be transferred at the rate of 1,000 MR points = 1,000 SkyMiles.
In Canada, Amex Membership Rewards points are the only credit card currency transferable to Delta SkyMiles.
Amex MR Credit Cards (Canada)
Welcome bonus: 70,000 Membership Rewards points
Annual fee: $199
First-year value
$2,001
Welcome bonus: 130,000 Membership Rewards points
Annual fee: $799
First-year value
$1,914
Welcome bonus: 70,000 Membership Rewards points
Annual fee: $250
First-year value
$1,654
Welcome bonus: 110,000 Membership Rewards points
Annual fee: $799
First-year value
$1,581
Welcome bonus: 15,000 Membership Rewards points
Monthly fee: $15.99
First-year value
$336
It’s an unfavourable exchange rate, so you should only convert your Marriott Bonvoy points to Delta SkyMiles when you need a top-up for a planned redemption. Otherwise, you should save your Bonvoy points for aspirational hotel and resort stays.
Aside from Marriott Bonvoy, Delta SkyMiles can also be earned by converting from the following rewards programs:
Per $1 (USD) you spend on your ticket’s base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges, you’ll earn:
While you’ll still earn SkyMiles when you book Delta flights through third parties, your ticket might be priced as “exception fares”. In those cases, the number of SkyMiles you’ll earn will be based on the distance flown, rather than on the amount you spend.
The following are Delta’s partner airlines:
SkyTeam
Similar to cash back sites like Rakuten, the SkyMiles Shopping portal allows you to earn miles at over 1,000 online stores. The number of SkyMiles you’ll earn depends on the store.
Meanwhile, the SkyMiles Dining portal interestingly lets you earn up to $5 SkyMiles per dollar spent on partner restaurants, depending on your Medallion Status.
To earn SkyMiles on dining, search restaurants through the portal, then dine and pay with one of the credit and debit cards linked to your Delta account. You’ll be credited with SkyMiles automatically.
Note that SkyMiles Shopping and SkyMiles Dining are applicable only to establishments based in the US.
First, you can earn SkyMiles through Delta’s partnership with Starbucks and Lyft. By linking your account to your US-based Starbucks Rewards account and your Lyft account, you’ll earn 1 SkyMile per dollar spent with both.
Delta also has a tie-in with entertainment company Ticketmaster. When you purchase tickets through the dedicated Delta-Ticketmaster portal, you’ll get 1 SkyMile per dollar spent on events in the US and Canada.
As you book your accommodations and other travel needs, you'll have several opportunities to earn SkyMiles. For one, Delta has allows you to book hotels, cars, and packages through its Delta Vacations agency.
Meanwhile, should you choose to book with your favourite hotel chain and take advantage of your elite benefits, you can earn SkyMiles through eligible stays at the following chains:
Finally, for car rentals, Delta has partnerships with most major companies. You can earn SkyMiles with Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty, Alamo, Enterprise, National, Turn, Europcar, Carmel, and Sixt.
However, Delta uses a dynamic pricing model for award flight redemptions. This means that the number of SkyMiles required for a flight fluctuates based on factors like demand, route, and season, among others.
On the upside, you’ll pay lower taxes and fees. With Delta’s pricing model for award flights, carrier-imposed surcharges are already baked into the miles required for redemption.
To search award flights, you can simply search at delta.com, or with the Delta app. You don’t need to log-in with a Delta SkyMiles account to look at award flight prices, but you’ll need to select “Shop with Miles”.
To aid you in your search, you can utilize the “Price Calendar” tool to see award flight pricing five weeks at a time. This way, you can easily find the cheapest fare should you be flexible with your travel dates.
Frankly, Delta’s dynamic pricing causes award prices to vary greatly. For example, a one-way flight from New York to Los Angeles can fluctuate between 7,500–51,000 SkyMiles.
Redemptions within a 21-day window from departure, known as “close-in bookings”, are also much costlier. With those in mind, it would surely help if you’re flexible with your travel dates and if you book in advance.
Note that if you hold one of the American Express Delta co-branded credit cards, with the exception of the American Express Delta SkyMiles Blue card, you can redeem Delta-operated flights for 15% fewer SkyMiles. The benefit, called “TakeOff 15”, can be especially helpful with redeeming long-haul flights.
Like Delta-operated flights, there’s no published award chart for redeeming SkyMiles with partner airlines, so you’re also at the mercy of dynamic pricing. For example, a one-way business class award from New York to London may cost 260,000 SkyMiles for both a Delta-operated flight and a Virgin Atlantic-operated flight.
An Air France premium economy seat from New York to Paris may cost 105,000 SkyMiles.
Thus, you should check the price of your desired partner flights with other SkyTeam partners first, if you have credit card points that you may transfer elsewhere. For instance, you could check transatlantic redemptions with Air France/KLM Flying Blue, which holds Promo Rewards monthly.
For Delta-operated flights, you may upgrade during the booking process or after you’ve already booked. You’ll see an option for a SkyMiles upgrade whilst booking, but should you choose to upgrade after booking, there should be an option for you to do so when you manage your flight.
You can use SkyMiles to upgrade all the way up to Delta One, which is Delta’s flagship business class. Delta claims that SkyMiles upgrades are available for nearly all its flights.
Meanwhile, to upgrade your seat with a partner airline, you’ll have to go through phone reservations. The following partner airlines participate in Delta’s upgrade program:
As an elite Medallion Member, you can use your SkyMiles to purchase an annual Delta Sky Club membership, which will gain you entry into more than 50 locations.
The executive membership costs 149,500 SkyMiles for one year of unlimited club access for you and up to two guests. The individual membership, on the other hand, costs 69,500 SkyMiles for one year, but you’ll have to pay an additional fee per guest.
Keep in mind though that the Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card come with Delta Sky Club access should you wish to use your SkyMiles elsewhere.
Delta also offers SkyMiles Experiences, which lets you buy or bid on a number of experiences using your SkyMiles.
For example, you can bid on a “Legendary Pathways” Voyage on Oceania Cruises, or a New York Yankees baseball game experience.
With many experiences to choose from, ranging from entertainment to travel, it’s possible that you can score a great deal. However, always make sure to compare the cash value of the experience before redeeming your Delta SkyMiles.
Lastly, SkyMiles can be used towards Delta Vacation packages and other travel products, such as hotels and car rentals. You can redeem your SkyMiles this way at a rate of 1 SkyMile = 1 cent.
On the promotion’s landing page, you can simply enter your desired origin or destination to filter the deals available.
For example, you can fly round-trip from Los Angeles to New York for 24,000 SkyMiles, or round-trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas for only 11,000 SkyMiles.
Keep in mind that if you have one of the eligible American Express Delta SkyMiles cards, you'll receive a further 15% discount on the required SkyMiles.
Another feature that could help you with your SkyMiles redemption is Delta’s calendar view, which allows you to easily browse all the cheapest award flight options. You can use the calendar to view your options up to five weeks at a time.
Let’s take a look at a couple of examples:
For 98,000 SkyMiles, you can redeem a round-trip ticket from Boston to Amsterdam in premium economy or Delta Comfort+. The same redemption may cost 192,000 SkyMiles if not redeemed through SkyMiles Deals.
For the transcontinental San Francisco to New York route, you can redeem a round-trip Delta Comfort+ ticket for 40,500 SkyMiles with SkyMiles Deals. A typical Delta Comfort+ redemption for the popular route may cost up to 55,000 SkyMiles.
Despite Delta's dynamic pricing, there are also sweet spots to be found with partner airline redemptions.
For example, you can fly from Miami to Buenos Aires in economy with LATAM Airlines for as low as 32,500 SkyMiles. When flown non-stop, the route covers 4,400 miles and takes 9 hours, so it's good value.
Going to the Caribbean, you can fly Air France’s fifth-freedom route from Miami to Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe in economy for 37,000 SkyMiles, or in business class for 75,000 SkyMiles.
If you are flying to or within Canada, SkyMiles can be redeemed for great value on WestJet flights, and there’s a lot of availability for most routes in economy.
For example, a one-way economy flight on the popular Toronto-Vancouver route only costs 12,500 SkyMiles. You could also fly direct from Vancouver to Honolulu with WestJet for only 22,500 SkyMiles.
There are four levels of Medallion Status: Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. General members, who are below Silver, are not considered Medallion members.
To qualify for the next Medallion Status tier, you’ll have to earn a combination of:
The following chart illustrates what you need to advance to the next Medallion Status tier:
There are many advantages to being a Medallion member. For one, you are treated to a host of benefits, including:
Lastly, if you reach Platinum or Diamond Medallion status, you’re also entitled to select one or three choice benefits, respectively.
The following benefits may be chosen:
With Delta’s flights to 275 destinations in 50 countries, your SkyMiles redemption possibilities are endless. However, remember that Delta imposes dynamic pricing on all SkyMiles redemptions, including flights on its partners.
Hence, the best way to redeem your SkyMiles is by booking through SkyMiles Deals, which offers discounts on specific routes and dates. You can also take advantage of sweet spots with its partners, especially low-priced flights on WestJet and LATAM Airlines.
If you fly with Delta often, you should consider gunning for Medallion Status, which is one of the most valuable airline elite statuses to hold. The program confers many benefits, including complimentary upgrades and SkyTeam status. Choice benefits are available to Platinum and Diamond Medallion members, as well.
First-year value
$2,001
Annual fee: $199
• Earn 50,000 points upon spending $7,500 in the first 3 months
• Earn 20,000 points upon spending $30,000 in the first 12 months
Earning rates
Key perks
Annual fee: $199
• Earn 50,000 points upon spending $7,500 in the first 3 months
• Earn 20,000 points upon spending $30,000 in the first 12 months
Earning rates
Key perks