Delta SkyMiles: Guide To Earning, Redeeming and Elite Status

• Written by Harlan Vaughn
  

  Harlan Vaughn

  Credit cards, travel rewards, investing, loans, personal finance, deposits

  Harlan Vaughn has over a decade of experience covering credit cards and travel rewards content. His work has been featured in Bankrate, Business Insider, BuzzFeed, Forbes Advisor, NerdWallet and more. With millions of points and miles redeemed for travel, Harlan has used credit card rewards to visit incredible destinations including Iceland, Japan, Hawaii, New Zealand and Chile. His mission is to help others maximize their credit card rewards and benefits. Harlan is a dad of three and lives in Memphis, Tennessee. He’s also interested in personal finance, investing and financial independence. When he’s not digging into those topics or earning rewards with a portfolio of nearly 40 active credit cards, you can find him hiking, enjoying live music and traveling with his family.

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• Edited by Emily Gadd, CCC™
  

  Emily Gadd, CCC™

  Credit Cards, Personal Finance, Health and Wellness

  Emily Gadd is a NACCC Certified Credit Counselor™, editor and personal finance expert responsible for writing about personal finance and credit cards. She got her start writing and editing at Healthline. She is passionate about creating educational content that makes complex topics accessible. Emily holds a credit counselor certification, accredited by the National Association of Certified Credit Counselors (NACCC). She lives in Seattle with her husband and two cats.

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• Reviewed by Jasmin Baron, CCC™
  

  Jasmin Baron, CCC™

  Credit Cards, Travel Rewards, Loyalty Programs, Family Travel, Credit Building, Credit Scores

  Jasmin Baron is a NACCC Certified Credit Counselor™ and CardCritics’ senior editor, responsible for editing and writing credit cards, travel rewards, loyalty program, and other credit-related content. She is passionate about personal finance education and enjoys sharing tips and tricks for making the most of credit card points and miles with her readers. Her expertise in maximizing credit card travel rewards originated from over two decades of aviation industry experience, including 18 years working as a pilot and college professor/flight instructor in her native Canada. Her work has appeared on sites such as CNN Underscored Money, Business Insider, The Points Guy, and point.me. When she’s not planning her next trip with credit card rewards, you’ll probably find her tinkering around in the kitchen, hanging out with her three kids, or playing with her dog, Benji.

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• Last Updated Dec 19, 2025

Delta SkyMiles is the loyalty program for Delta Air Lines that allows you to earn miles and credit toward elite status when you fly with Delta or its many partner airlines. Unlike some other airline frequent flyer programs, miles never expire, making it an ideal program if you don’t fly often or don’t want to track expiration dates. 

There are plenty of ways to earn and redeem Delta SkyMiles other than flying. We’ll cover how to maximize Delta SkyMiles so you can get the most from this expansive loyalty program. 

What Is the Delta SkyMiles Program?

Delta SkyMiles is Delta’s loyalty program, where you’ll accrue miles every time you fly Delta or any of its airline partners, make purchases with a co-branded Delta airline credit card or spend with certain businesses. 

Delta SkyMiles is also where you can earn credit toward elite status, which gets you extra benefits when flying Delta, like free checked bags, priority boarding and more. Some of these benefits extend to other airlines in the SkyTeam alliance, including Aeromexico, Air France, Korean Air, SAS and Virgin Atlantic, when you reach higher elite tiers. 

If you fly Delta or have certain credit cards, it’s worth making a free SkyMiles profile. Miles never expire, and you never know when a worthwhile opportunity will pop up between limited-time welcome offers on credit cards, flash sales on award flights and spending with Delta’s partners. 

How To Earn Delta SkyMiles

Of course, you’ll earn Delta SkyMiles when you fly Delta or its SkyTeam partner airlines and add your SkyMiles number to your reservation. Without elite status, you’ll earn 5 SkyMiles per dollar spent on most flights (elite member rates are covered below). Here are more ways to earn. 

Delta Credit Cards

If you fly with Delta even occasionally, adding a Delta co-branded credit card from our advertising partner, American Express, could be a smart move. Along with a welcome offer, you can get a full slate of travel and purchase benefits, including the opportunity to earn more Delta SkyMiles with every dollar you spend. 

There are cards for all levels of interest, from the casual flyer to the Delta loyalist, including: 

• Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card: $0 annual fee, read more about Delta Blue benefits
• Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card (an advertising partner): $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150. annual fee, read more about Delta Gold benefits 
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card (an advertising partner): $350 annual fee, read more about Delta Platinum benefits
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (an advertising partner): $650 annual fee, read more about Delta Reserve benefits

Annual fees on the best Delta credit cards vary from $0 to several hundred dollars, and each has its own bonus categories and built-in perks. Whichever airline card you choose, you can earn more Delta SkyMiles on your purchases. 

American Express Membership Rewards Credit Cards

Many American Express credit cards earn Membership Rewards® points, which are transferable to several airline and hotel partners, including Delta SkyMiles at a 1:1 ratio. So, if you have Membership Rewards points, you can easily turn them into Delta SkyMiles. 

A few cards that earn flexible Membership Rewards points are: 

• American Express® Gold Card (an advertising partner): $325 annual fee, read more about Amex Gold benefits
• American Express Platinum Card® (an advertising partner): $895 annual fee, read more about Amex Platinum benefits
• American Express® Green Card** (an advertising partner): $150 annual fee, read about Amex Green benefits

These cards are an ideal option if you want more ways to redeem your rewards or find the bonus categories a better fit for your spending. Just note that you’ll pay an excise tax when you transfer Membership Rewards points to domestic airlines, including Delta. 

As an example, you’d pay $30 to transfer 50,000 Membership Rewards points to Delta. 

While I’m not a fan of the excise tax, it’s a handy way to get extra miles into your account quickly if you find a good deal and want to book it right away. Sometimes, it can be worth it. 

Book Travel Through Delta

You can earn Delta SkyMiles when you book a hotel stay, vacation package, cruise or rental car through Delta. 

When you opt to book this way, you’ll usually forfeit any other rewards you’d otherwise earn, such as elite credit and points for your hotel stay or car rental. But if Delta miles are what you’re after, this is another way to earn them. Just be sure to compare prices to get the best deal before you book. 

Spend With Other Delta Partners

You can earn Delta SkyMiles when you spend with over 1,000 merchants:

• Start your shopping at the SkyMiles Shopping portal and earn Delta miles when you click through and make a purchase
• Eat at a SkyMiles Dining restaurant and pay with a linked card
• Link your Delta SkyMiles account to your Starbucks Rewards to earn Delta miles on your Starbucks treats
• Link your Delta SkyMiles account to Uber and earn Delta miles on eligible rides and Uber Eats orders

With these partners, it’s easy to earn Delta miles on plenty of everyday purchases. 

How To Redeem Delta SkyMiles

There are several ways to redeem Delta SkyMiles, including: 

• Award flights
• Vacation packages
• Seat upgrades and checked bags
• Hotel stays and car rentals
• Experiences like exclusive access and events

You can also gift, transfer or donate your miles. 

Generally speaking, you’ll get the best value booking award flights, especially with partner airlines. 

To check prices, enter your destination and dates right on Delta’s website. Be sure to select “Shop with Miles” to see prices in miles. 

If your dates are flexible, you can check the appropriate box to access a calendar of flights with prices for a couple of weeks before and after your chosen date. 

Prices are automatically displayed by best match, but you can filter and sort based on connecting airports (or nonstops), price, times and more. 

On the page with your results, partner flights are displayed alongside Delta’s own flights. You can see the price for each class of service, from coach to first class. 

There are plenty of nuances, such as the price of taxes and fees, which can vary by partner, and the amount of miles required, which also vary by date, route and partner. 

One incredible way to use your miles is for Delta’s frequent flash sales, which have a dedicated page on the Delta website. 

I love browsing the list of destinations for travel inspiration — and there are some genuinely excellent deals buried in the mix. There are also lots of filters you can play around with. You might find yourself on a trip to a new place just because you found a good deal. I know I have.

My favorite way to use Delta miles is for long-haul international award flights on Delta’s partners. While deals and good values have gotten harder to find over the years, there are still some gems — and it’s worth checking if you have some Delta miles sitting in your account. 

Delta SkyMiles Elite Status

You’ll earn Delta elite status as you fly with Delta or its partners and add your Delta loyalty number to your booking. The more you fly and spend with Delta, the higher your status climbs. Elite status is measured with Medallion® Qualification Dollars (MQDs), which is how much you spend in a calendar year.  

Earning Delta Medallion Status

Earning MQDs is how you can move up to the next elite status tier. Each tier has a minimum spend that, once reached, unlocks additional benefits. 

You can earn MQDs in the following ways:

• Earn $1 MQD per dollar spent on flight operated by Delta or a partner airline
• With the right Delta credit card, you can earn MQDs on your purchases, which varies by card
• When you book a package through Delta Vacations, you’ll also get $1 MQD per dollar spent

With MQDs, it doesn’t matter how far you fly or how many flights you take. Instead, the only metric is how much you spend. 

SkyMiles Silver Medallion

Once you earn $5,000 MQDs, you’ll get Silver Medallion status, which includes: 

• 7 miles per dollar spent on qualifying flights
• Free upgrades to Delta Comfort and Delta First 24 hours before departure
• Domestic Delta One upgrades on the day of departure
• First checked bag free for you and up to eight companions flying on the same reservation
• Priority check-in and Zone 5 boarding

SkyMiles Gold Medallion

You’ll get SkyMiles Gold Medallion when you reach $10,000 MQDs, which comes with: 

• 8 miles per dollar spent on qualifying flights
• Free upgrades to Delta Comfort and Delta First 72 hours before departure
• Domestic Delta One upgrades on the day of departure
• First checked bag free for you and up to eight companions flying on the same reservation
• Priority check-in, security line where available, expedited baggage service and Zone 4 boarding
• SkyTeam lounge access on international flights

SkyMiles Platinum Medallion

When you reach SkyMiles Platinum Medallion status with $15,000 MQDs, you’ll earn:

• 9 miles per dollar spent on qualifying flights
• Free upgrades to Delta Comfort shortly after ticketing and Delta First 120 hours before departure
• Domestic Delta One upgrades on the day of departure
• First checked bag free for you and up to eight companions flying on the same reservation
• Priority check-in, security line where available, expedited baggage service and Zone 4 boarding
• Waived same-day confirmed fees for ticket changes
• SkyTeam lounge access on international flights

When you reach Platinum Medallion status, you also get a Choice Benefit selection from a list of perks, including: 

• Delta Sky Club membership
• Four regional upgrade certificates
• 30,000 bonus Delta SkyMiles
• Gift Silver Medallion status to two other members
• $300 Delta travel voucher
• $400 Delta Vacations voucher
• $1,500 Wheels Up private flight credit
• $1,000 MQDs toward next year’s Medallion status
• $400 statement credit for certain Delta American Express credit cards
• 6,000 Starbucks Rewards Stars

SkyMiles Diamond Medallion

Diamond Medallion is the highest elite tier, earned when you attain $28,000 MQDs, and grants you: 

• 11 miles per dollar spent on qualifying flights
• Free upgrades for you and a companion to Delta Comfort shortly after ticketing and Delta First 120 hours before departure
• Domestic Delta One upgrades on the day of departure
• First checked bag free for you and up to eight companions flying on the same reservation
• Priority check-in, security line where available, expedited baggage service and Zone 2 boarding
• Waived same-day confirmed fees for ticket changes
• SkyTeam lounge access on international flights
• Free CLEAR® Plus membership 

While that’s quite a list of benefits, you also get to choose three Choice Benefits: 

• Delta Sky Club airport lounge membership (requires two choices)
• Four global OR eight regional OR two global and four regional upgrade certificates
• 35,000 bonus Delta SkyMiles
• Gift Gold Medallion status to two other members
• $350 Delta travel voucher
• $500 Delta Vacations voucher
• $2,000 Wheels Up private flight credit
• $2,000 MQDs toward next year’s Medallion status
• $700 statement credit for certain Delta American Express credit cards
• 6,000 Starbucks Rewards Stars

Delta SkyMiles Program Partners

Delta has numerous airline partners that allow you to earn Delta SkyMiles when you fly and add your Delta number to your reservation. You can use Delta SkyMiles for an award flight with these partners, including all SkyTeam member airlines. Delta also has other partnerships outside the alliance. 

Here’s the full list: 

• Aerolineas Argentinas
• Aeromexico
• Air Baltic
• Air Europa
• Air France
• Cape Air
• China Airlines
• China Eastern
• China Southern Airlines
• El Al
• Garuda Indonesia
• Hawaiian Airlines
• ITA Airways
• Kenya Airways
• KLM
• Korean Air
• LATAM
• Middle East Airlines
• SAS
• Saudia Airlines
• TAROM
• Vietnam Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic
• WestJet
• Xiamen Air

If Delta doesn’t fly to a certain destination, chances are one of its partners does. There’s a strong presence in Asia, Africa and Europe — and of course throughout North America. 

Sometimes partner award prices can be a better deal than flying Delta, so it’s worth checking. From this list, you can reach nearly every corner of the world — or at least get far enough that you can add a cheap flight, car rental or train ride to get you where you want to be. 

The information related to the American Express® Green Card** and Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card was collected by CardCritics™ and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardCritics™ does not receive a commission for this product.