How much do Delta SkyMiles cost?

Delta frequently offers increased welcome bonuses on their SkyMiles credit cards – you may have seen a recent offer and are wondering if you should get a card. In fact, 50,000 to 75,000 SkyMiles can get you quite far, but Delta miles will give you a little more trouble than some airline miles.

Read on to learn about the Delta SkyMiles benefits and decide if this airline rewards program is right for you.

Delta SkyMiles Cost

We value Delta SkyMiles at an average of 1.3 cents (according to Bankrate), which is average compared to other airline miles. By comparison, its domestic rivals Southwest Airlines and United Airlines are valued at 1.5 cents and 1.1 cents, respectively.

Like many other rewards programs, SkyMiles Delta Air Lines changes its price depending on what you use it for. Even so, its average cost is decent, and joining Delta SkyMiles can be a win-win for regular Delta customers who enjoy the airline’s many destinations and luxury elite statuses.

How we value SkyMiles

Delta rates airline rewards dynamically rather than using a fixed chart and offers a fairly constant cost for airline rewards, with little opportunity to earn extra value from your miles.

When we compare the number of SkyMiles required against fares across routes, dates and classes, we find the same value for most fares.

There are a few exceptions – main cabin fares on international flights are above average, and upgrades offer exceptional value:

How to evaluate your SkyMiles

We’ve told you how much we value SkyMiles, but the truth is, the value of airline miles is subjective and depends on your personal goals and preferences, and ultimately how you use them. Here are a few questions to keep in mind when trying to figure out how much SkyMiles is worth to you:

• Which repayment option do you prefer? Are you interested in getting free flights or would you like to use your miles to upgrade to a first class cabin?
• What class do you prefer to fly? Are you more of a luxury traveler or a budget traveler? In general, you are more likely to get better Main Cabin and Comfort Class fares than Delta First Class fares.
• Where do you want to fly? Are you targeting domestic or international direction? International Delta flights, especially in the main cabin, are generally more valuable than domestic flights. Also, you should look at the range of miles required for your intended destination to get an idea of ​​how much it will cost you.
• Where are you departing from? If you are near a Delta transportation hub, such as Atlanta, you may find better deals on Delta flights.
• When you want to fly? Check Delta’s flight calendar for estimated travel dates to see how its fares compare to those of other airlines.
• How flexible are you in your choice of departure dates?? Since Delta’s fares – and therefore the cost of premiums – vary widely by date and time, the more flexible you are with travel dates and times, the less you’re likely to pay.
• How far is your flight? If you tend to book tickets closer to the departure date, Delta is not the best option – the cost of rewards increases as the booking date approaches.

On top of all this, you also need to consider whether the SkyMiles program is flexible enough for your needs, as miles are worth nothing if you can’t redeem them (more on that below).

How to calculate the cost of your SkyMiles

There are many approaches to estimating points and miles, but for the sake of simplicity, we suggest the following calculation.

SkyMiles Value = Reward Value (USD) / Number of Points

Basically, you take the amount you would pay in dollars and divide it by the number of SkyMiles you have (not including taxes and fees, which you still have to pay in cash).

The value you receive will be an estimate of the dollar value of each SkyMile. There are many factors that can affect the cost of an award flight, such as the opportunity cost of miles you could earn if you paid for your flight in cash or with an award card, the lowest possible price you could get. by paying for the flight in cash on the scheduled date (which can vary from minute to minute and depending on how diligently you check airfares), the opportunity cost of forgoing other savings and promotions, the lowest possible price that you could get by flying with any airline to your desired destination and so on.

However, we don’t think you need to complicate things just to make a basic comparison of rewards. The above calculation should be sufficient.

How flexible are SkyMiles?

The SkyMiles program is very flexible when you redeem SkyMiles for flights – you can find award seats on most flights – but you will pay for that flexibility with more expensive award seats. In addition, award routing rules are flexible, but they are also quite complex, and you can spend several hours going through the Delta SkyMiles terms and conditions, trying to determine what is allowed and what is not.

To help you decide if joining a program is a good idea, let’s look at some of the pros and cons:

pros

• SkyMiles does not expire.
• There are no blackout dates or award seat restrictions on Delta flights. If there are empty seats on the flight, you can usually book an award ticket.
• You can book almost any flight with SkyMiles and cash.
• Delta’s flight network is huge. Delta offers over 14,500 daily flights to over 800 destinations in over 170 countries.
• You can earn SkyMiles by flying with any of Delta’s 17 partner airlines as Delta is part of the SkyTeam Airline Alliance.
• Upgrades and main cabin seats on international flights have a particularly high redemption value.
• Delta’s routing rules are quite flexible for award tickets – you can book one-way and open-jaw tickets (i.e. tickets arriving and departing from different cities), also known as multi-city flights.
• You can cancel or change anything, including origin, destination, itinerary, date and time, on your main class (or higher) ticket at any time prior to departure free of charge.
• There is no charge for booking an online ticket at least 24 hours in advance.

Minuses

• Due to rising oil prices, Delta began to charge fuel surcharges on all flights.
• You have a few other redemption options besides Delta airfare and upgrades, but the value is terrible.
• Delta does not have a fixed reward table. The number of SkyMiles required varies by flight and changes over time, and the number of points is closely related to the cost of each flight, meaning there is little you can do to maximize the value of your rewards. Also, the closer you get to the date, the more expensive airfare becomes.
• SkyMiles are awarded based on airfare, not mileage, which means you can’t develop a routing strategy to maximize mileage.
• Delta does not allow stopovers on award tickets. Delay times are limited to four hours for domestic flights and 24 hours for international flights.
• Basic Economy tickets are non-refundable and non-refundable within the first 24 hours after your flight is booked.

Should you buy SkyMiles?

Your decision to earn SkyMiles may be largely based on your loyalty to Delta and your preference for flying with Delta.

The SkyMiles program gives you many travel options, but because Delta ties SkyMiles closely to fares, there is little you can do to add value to your SkyMiles. Also, the SkyMiles program, as mentioned, is a bit complicated. You can opt for a simpler rewards program like Chase Ultimate Rewards if you don’t want to wade through all the fine print. Find out more about the best airline credit cards here.