Delta
Delta T You’ll typically get the most value from your miles if you snag one of Delta’s frequent flash sales, which offer discounted award flights domestically and abroad.
Whether flying or shopping online, earning SkyMiles is easy. Delta Keep reading to find out more about the Delta SkyMiles program.
Related: Best Delta credit cards
What is the Delta SkyMiles program?
ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY
Delta SkyMiles has roughly 120 million members, making it the world’s largest airline loyalty program. You Some popular ones include flying with Delta and its partners, spending on Delta’s cobranded cards, transferring points from American Express Membership Rewards, shopping through the Delta SkyMiles Shopping portal, dining out through the SkyMiles Dining program and partaking in various other promotions offered by the airline.
You can also earn Medallion Qualification Dollars to help you reach Delta’s four elite status tiers, which provide perks like seat upgrades, priority boarding and airport lounge access.
Related: How to keep your points and miles from expiring
Delta SkyMiles program partners
BEN SMITHSON/THE POINTS GUY
Delta is a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance, which includes over a dozen airlines worldwide. Sky SkyTeam serves 1,000 destinations and touches virtually every part of the globe, with flights landing on six continents.
The members are:
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Aerolineas Argentinas
Aeromexico
- Air Europa
- Air France
- China Airlines
- China Eastern Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- Garuda Indonesia
- Kenya Airways
- KLM
- Korean Air
- Middle East Airlines
- SAS
- Saudia
- TAROM
- Vietnam Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
- XiamenAir
- Related: Delta bolsters 2025 plans in Europe, Asia with 2 new international routes
- Other partners
Delta has several other partnerships beyond SkyTeam members, giving you numerous options for earning miles even when you aren’t flying with Delta or a SkyTeam airline. Nonalliance partners include:
AirBaltic
Cape Air
- China Southern Airlines
- El Al
- Hawaiian Airlines
- LATAM
- WestJet
- Just note that each partnership has specific restrictions and requirements.
- Related: The best websites for searching SkyTeam award availability
Delta SkyMiles elite status
CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
The SkyMiles program offers four elite status tiers for frequent Delta flyers: Silver Medallion, Gold Medallion, Platinum Medallion and Diamond Medallion.
Earning Delta Medallion status
As of Jan. 1, 2024, Delta only uses Medallion Qualification Dollars as criteria for qualification — and the requirement thresholds have increased significantly in recent years. Delta Here are some key benefits of each of Delta’s status tiers.
Related: Is Delta Air Lines status worth it? What this disappointed soon-to-be-Diamond thinks
SkyMiles Silver Medallion
The lowest elite tier in Delta’s SkyMiles program is Silver Medallion status. As a Silver Medallion, you’ll receive:
Complimentary first-class upgrades on domestic and short-haul international flights from 24 hours before departure
Upgrades to Comfort+ within 24 hours of departure
Priority boarding (Zone 5) and check-in
One free checked bag on flights operated by Delta and select partner airlines, plus a free checked bag for up to eight of your companions when traveling on a Delta flight
- SkyMiles Gold Medallion
- Next up is Gold Medallion status, which will give you:
- Complimentary first-class upgrades on domestic and short-haul international flights from three days before departure
- Upgrades to Comfort+ within three days of departure
SkyPriority status
Waived fees on same-day confirmed changes
- SkyMiles Platinum Medallion
- The third tier in the SkyMiles program is Platinum Medallion. In addition to the previously mentioned Silver Medallion and Gold Medallion perks, you’ll get the following:
- Complimentary first-class upgrades on domestic flights and short-haul international flights from five days before departure
- Upgrades to Comfort+ at booking
Your pick of a Choice Benefit
SkyMiles Diamond Medallion
- Finally, the highest publicly available tier in the SkyMiles program Diamond Medallion. Diamond Fly Earn The higher your status tier, the faster you’ll earn miles.
- General member
- : 5 miles per dollar
Silver Medallion
: 7 miles per dollar
Gold Medallion
: 8 miles per dollar
Platinum Medallion
: 9 miles per dollar
Diamond Medallion
: 11 miles per dollar
In practice, this means that if you buy a one-way flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) for $250 before taxes, you’ll earn 1,250 SkyMiles as a general member. However, you’ll earn 1,750 miles as a Silver Medallion and a whopping 2,750 miles if you’re a Diamond Medallion.
- Another way to earn miles is by flying Delta’s partner airlines, but how you earn those miles depends on how you booked the ticket. For example, when you book partner airline tickets on Delta’s website, you’ll earn miles the same way as you would on a Delta-operated flight.Meanwhile, if you book a partner flight on the carrier’s website (for example, Air France) and add your Delta SkyMiles number, you’ll earn miles based on a percentage of the distance flown. The exact number of SkyMiles you’ll receive varies based on the partner, booking class and your elite status.
- Related: Can I earn the miles if I buy someone a ticket?Earn SkyMiles through credit cards
- There’s a Delta credit card for everyone — the loyalist, the business traveler and even the infrequent flyer. The Check (Terms apply. )Credit card
- Annual feeWelcome bonus
- TPG’s valuation (as of February 2025)Notable perks
Delta SkyMiles(r) Gold American Express Card
$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 (see rates and fees)
Earn 80,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in eligible purchases within the first six months of card membership.
$960
$200 Delta flight credit after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases on your card in a calendar year
Up to a $100 annual statement credit toward hotels and vacation rentals through Delta StaysDelta SkyMiles(r) Platinum American Express Card$350 (see rates and fees)
Earn 90,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in eligible purchases in the first six months of card membership.
| $1,080 | An annual companion certificate for a main cabin round-trip flight within the U.S. or to Mexico, the Caribbean or Central America | A statement credit to cover the entry fee for Global Entry ($120 every four years) or TSA PreCheck (up to $85 every 4.5 years) | Up to $10 per month in statement credits for eligible U.S. Resy restaurant purchases and up to $10 per month in ride-hailing statement credits with select U.S. providers | Up to a $150 annual Delta Stays statement credit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hertz Five Star status | Enrollment is required for some benefits. | Delta SkyMiles(r) Reserve American Express Card | $650 (see rates and fees) |
|
| 15 Delta Sky Club lounge visits per year (effective Feb. 1, 2025) and access to American Express Centurion Lounges when you book your Delta flight with the card | An annual companion certificate for a round-trip flight within the U.S. or to Mexico, the Caribbean or Central America in main cabin, Comfort+ or first class | Complimentary upgrades for non-Medallion members | Up to $20 per month in statement credits for eligible U.S. Resy restaurant purchases and up to $10 per month in ride-hailing statement credits with select U.S. providers |
Earn 90,000 bonus miles after spending $6,000 on your new card in the first six months of card membership. |
| $1,080 | Earn 2 miles per dollar spent on shipping and advertising (up to $50,000 per year, then 1 mile per dollar) | A $200 Delta flight credit after you spend $10,000 on purchases with your card in a calendar year | Up to a $150 annual Delta Stays statement credit |
A statement credit to cover the membership fee for Global Entry ($120 every four years) or TSA PreCheck (up to $85 every 4.5 years) |
| Up to $10 per month in statement credits for eligible U.S. Resy restaurant purchases and up to $10 per month in ride-hailing statement credits with select U.S. providers | Up to a $200 annual Delta Stays statement credit |
Enrollment is required for some benefits. |
Delta SkyMiles(r) Reserve Business American Express Card |
|
| 15 visits per year to Delta Sky Club lounges (effective Feb. 1, 2025) and access to American Express Centurion Lounges when you book your Delta flight with the card | Earn 1.5 miles per dollar spent on eligible transit, shipping and office supply store purchases, plus all eligible purchases after you spend $150,000 per year on the card | An annual companion certificate for a round-trip flight within the U.S. or to Mexico, the Caribbean or Central America in main cabin, Comfort+ or first class | Complimentary upgrades for non-Medallion members |
Earn SkyMiles through shopping portals |
| 10’000 HOURS/GETTY IMAGES | One of the easiest ways to earn SkyMiles is through Delta’s online shopping portal, Delta SkyMiles Shopping. Up You After You You’ll receive a confirmation email when your miles have been posted — this is typically within three to five days, but it can take up to 15 days. |
Almost every major airline has a shopping portal, so use a shopping portal aggregator to ensure you get the best deal when you shop online. |
Related: Your guide to maximizing shopping portals for your online purchases |
We’ve generally found the best redemptions on domestic flights. You That said, prices will vary by day, route and cabin class. |
DELTA.COM
Note that Delta award tickets are fully refundable (on flights originating in the U.S. and Canada excluding basic economy fares), so if your plans change, you can redeposit the miles and get a refund for the taxes and fees you paid. This also allows you to rebook award tickets when the mileage price drops, securing a refund of the difference in miles.
Additionally, you can use your SkyMiles to book partner tickets on most of Delta’s SkyTeam and nonalliance partners. Unfortunately, these have now largely been aligned with prices on Delta’s own flights, minimizing the opportunity to get better value from partner awards, especially in premium cabins.
Related: How to redeem Delta SkyMiles for maximum value
Sweet spots
BEN SMITHSON/THE POINTS GUY
With Delta using full dynamic pricing across its route network, there aren’t many sweet spots to maximize the value of your SkyMiles. There There Some Delta You’ll often find the best deals when booking in advance and traveling on off-peak dates.
Delta and LATAM economy flights to South America
Regardless of the class of service, cash flights to South America are rarely cheap, especially to Brazil. Delta For example, 66,000 SkyMiles can generally get you a round-trip itinerary from JFK to Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport (GRU), and many of these flights are nonstop.
Related: How to get value from 5,000 or fewer Delta SkyMiles
Bottom line
With its operational performance, wide route network and numerous partner airlines, Delta is often touted by some as the best domestic airline. T Although recent changes to award pricing and elite status requirements have disappointed many Delta loyalists, there’s still plenty to like about the Delta SkyMiles program.
Whether you’re a frequent Delta flyer or more casual customer, focusing on a mix of flying, using shopping portals and making purchases with Delta credit cards can increase your SkyMiles balance for your next redemption.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business Card, click here.
