The number of Delta SkyMiles needed for an award flight ticket can vary greatly depending on a variety of factors like your destination, travel dates, cabin class, and more. Generally speaking, domestic economy class flights start at just 5,000 SkyMiles each way, while international business and first class flights can cost hundreds of thousands of miles. Keep reading for a detailed breakdown of SkyMiles award chart pricing.
Domestic SkyMiles Flights
For flights within the continental United States, the following SkyMiles requirements apply:
- Main Cabin (economy class): 5,000-25,000 miles each way
- Delta Comfort+ (premium economy): 7,500-50,000 miles each way
- First Class: 12,500-50,000 miles each way
As you can see, even just a basic domestic economy ticket can range from 5,000 to 25,000 miles each way, depending on factors like demand, seasonality, route, and more. Generally, shorter flights and less popular routes will price out on the lower end of that range, while longer cross-country flights and busy routes will be at the higher end or even exceed it.
Here are some example domestic SkyMiles prices:
- New York to Miami (Main Cabin): 15,000 miles each way
- Los Angeles to Seattle (First Class): 25,000 miles each way
- Atlanta to Dallas (Main Cabin): 7,500 miles each way
Booking a roundtrip flight essentially doubles the miles needed, since you’ll need a separate award ticket for each direction. So if a one-way LA to Seattle first class flight is 25,000 miles, getting a roundtrip award would be 50,000 SkyMiles total.
International SkyMiles Flights
For flights to destinations outside the continental US, Canada, Hawaii, and Alaska, the SkyMiles requirements are understandably higher than domestic routes.
Here’s an overview of international Main Cabin award pricing:
- Short-haul flights (under 1,151 miles): 15,000-30,000 miles each way
- Medium-haul flights (1,151 to 3,000 miles): 30,000-50,000 miles each way
- Long-haul flights (over 3,000 miles): 50,000-70,000 miles each way
And for Delta One business class and first class:
- Short-haul: 50,000-80,000 miles each way
- Medium-haul: 80,000-120,000 miles each way
- Long-haul: 120,000-200,000+ miles each way
A few example international SkyMiles prices:
- New York to London (Main Cabin): 60,000 miles each way
- Los Angeles to Tokyo (Delta One): 140,000 miles each way
- Atlanta to Rome (First Class): 220,000 miles each way
As with domestic awards, roundtrip prices are roughly double the cost of a one-way. However, Delta does offer a discount when booking roundtrip international business/first class awards, charging only 180% of the miles instead of 200%.
General Tips for Booking with SkyMiles
Here are some key things to keep in mind when redeeming SkyMiles for award flights:
- Book early for lower prices – Last minute awards will cost significantly more miles
- Aim for off-peak dates to save miles
- Be flexible with routing – Connecting flights and less direct routes can cost fewer miles
- Consider using SkyMiles for one leg of a roundtrip ticket – You can book a revenue ticket one way and an award ticket for the return and still save money
It’s also important to note that Delta frequently runs special SkyMiles award sale promotions. By having some flexibility with your travel dates, you may be able to take advantage of discounted award pricing during sales periods. Signing up for Deal Alert emails on Delta’s website can help you find out when sales are happening.
Using SkyMiles Partners
While Delta operated flights are the most basic way to redeem SkyMiles, you can also use your miles for award tickets on any of Delta’s dozens of airline partners. This includes world-class carriers like Air France, KLM, Virgin Atlantic, Korean Air, LATAM, and many more.
Partner award prices are region-based. Here’s an overview of how many SkyMiles you can expect to pay for partner awards:
Region | Economy | Business | First |
---|---|---|---|
North America | 35,000-60,000 RT | 110,000-200,000 RT | 160,000-350,000 RT |
Central America | 40,000-80,000 RT | 120,000-260,000 RT | 160,000-400,000 RT |
South America | 60,000-140,000 RT | 260,000-500,000 RT | 320,000-550,000 RT |
Northern Europe | 50,000-100,000 RT | 150,000-250,000 RT | 225,000-350,000 RT |
Southern Europe | 60,000-120,000 RT | 150,000-350,000 RT | 250,000-400,000 RT |
Africa | 75,000-160,000 RT | 250,000-550,000 RT | 375,000-750,000 RT |
Middle East | 75,000-140,000 RT | 260,000-500,000 RT | 350,000-600,000 RT |
Asia | 80,000-160,000 RT | 260,000-750,000 RT | 400,000-850,000 RT |
Australia/New Zealand | 125,000-200,000 RT | 350,000-750,000 RT | 450,000-850,000 RT |
As you can see, partner awards generally cost more miles than Delta-operated flights, but can still represent an excellent value depending on your specific route. Using partners opens up access to more destinations, cabin products, and amenities.
Booking Partner Awards
The process for booking partner awards is essentially the same as for Delta flights. You can use the multi-airline award search on Delta’s website to look for availability across partners. One thing to note is that pricing is different for each partner, so the same route may have different SkyMiles costs depending on which airline operates the flight.
Availability for partner awards can be more limited than on Delta-operated flights, so it pays to be flexible and search across a range of dates and routings to find space. You may also need to call Delta directly to book some partner awards, especially in premium cabins.
Non-Flight SkyMiles Awards
In addition to flights, you can also use Delta SkyMiles for a variety of other award redemptions including:
- Hotel Stays: Book rooms at partner hotels like Marriott, IHG, and Hyatt.
- Car Rentals: Reserve rental cars with partners like Avis, Hertz, and Budget.
- Experiences: Use miles for concerts, sporting events, tours, and more.
- Gift Cards: Convert miles to gift cards for retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, and more.
- Magazines: Pay for magazine subscriptions with SkyMiles.
Most of these non-flight awards represent relatively poor value for using your miles, with the potential exception of hotel stays at high-end luxury chains. But they can provide a way to use up SkyMiles if you don’t have enough for a ticket.
Miles + Cash Option
If you don’t quite have enough SkyMiles in your account for the award ticket you want, Delta offers a “Miles + Cash” option on select itineraries. This allows you to supplement your miles balance by paying cash for part of the ticket price.
For example, say you only have 75,000 miles in your account but want a roundtrip business class award ticket that costs 140,000 miles. You could redeem your 75,000 miles and then pay the difference in cash fare equivalent to 65,000 miles to book the full business class award.
The cash co-pay cost varies by the specific itinerary, but can represent a significant discount compared to just purchasing a revenue ticket. Essentially you are converting your SkyMiles into cash value applied towards the reservation. It’s a handy option for topping off your miles balance when needed.
Standby with SkyMiles
Delta also offers the option to use your SkyMiles for Same-Day Standby access, at a rate of 5,000 miles per segment. This allows you to fly on any available Delta flight with open seats on the day of travel without having to pay cash fares.
This standby option can be an efficient way to use your miles if you live near a Delta hub and have great flexibility to fly at the last minute. However, keep in mind there is no guarantee you will clear onto a flight, as revenue passengers and earlier standby members take priority.
Conclusion
The number of SkyMiles needed for an award ticket can range from just 5,000 miles for a short domestic economy flight up to several hundred thousand for an international first class partner award.
Exactly how many you’ll need depends primarily on your destination region, routing, travel dates, cabin class, choice of Delta vs. partner airlines, and other factors. In general booking further ahead, traveling in shoulder seasons, and having flexible travel plans can help reduce your SkyMiles costs.
For expensive premium cabin partner awards, you may need to be diligent about accumulating miles over years of travel and credit card spending. But the experience of flying luxuriously to far flung destinations can make it worthwhile.
Understanding the SkyMiles award charts and cabins is key to getting the best redemptions. With smart planning and strategic account management, you can take amazing trips for relatively few miles. So check your balance, search award availability, and start imagining where your next SkyMiles redemption will take you!