Everything you need to know about maximizing your Delta SkyMiles for award tickets

Despite Delta's efforts to enhance its on-time performance, elevate its business-class experience with Delta One Suites, and broaden its Sky Club lounge network, the SkyMiles program has faced its share of criticism. The absence of award charts and unexpected program devaluations have led TPG to value each SkyMile at just 1.41 cents, placing it behind AAdvantage and United MileagePlus miles.

Compounding the issue, Delta seems to be consistently aiming to lower the value of a SkyMile to just one cent, as shown by its SkyMiles seat upgrade and Pay with Miles options.

Nevertheless, the SkyMiles program can offer good — sometimes even exceptional — value, especially when you recognize that miles are just one aspect of the overall Delta experience. Additionally, it's crucial to note how easily miles can be accrued through flying, credit card usage, and daily spending. Below, we will share insider tips on how to make the most of the SkyMiles loyalty program.

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Award modification/cancellation policy

A crucial aspect of booking SkyMiles award tickets is grasping the cancellation and change policies. Fortunately, in 2020, the airline enhanced the flexibility of award tickets like never before.

All SkyMiles tickets, except for those booked in basic economy, now allow fee-free changes and cancellations as long as your travel starts in North America. This applies to both domestic and international flights.

Moreover, the airline previously mandated that all voluntary changes or cancellations to award itineraries be made more than 72 hours prior to departure. This policy has also been eliminated.

In essence, most SkyMiles award tickets are now effectively refundable, significantly enhancing their value. A refundable fare can easily cost four times more than a comparable nonrefundable ticket, as airlines justify charging a hefty premium for the privilege of canceling and leaving a seat empty.

Keep in mind that you need to book Main Cabin (or higher) seats to access the fee-free cancellation feature — basic economy tickets are always excluded, even if you hold Delta elite status.

SkyMiles award price adjustments

Unfortunately, this added flexibility comes with a caveat. While there are no change fees for altering SkyMiles award tickets, changes aren’t entirely free. Although you won’t pay a fee, you may face repricing. If you book a flight today and decide to change your departure date or route months later, the agent will inform you of the additional SkyMiles required.

The issue arises because they will price the ticket at current rates rather than the rate you secured when you made your initial purchase. The real downside here is that this applies even to a single leg of a round-trip or multi-city itinerary. For example, I booked a round-trip SkyMiles award ticket to Orlando (MCO) for a total of 20,000 SkyMiles. When I called Delta to cancel the outbound leg while keeping the return, I expected the agent to cancel the first part, refund me 10,000 SkyMiles, and say goodbye.

That’s not at all how it went. Even if you attempt to remove one leg of a round-trip SkyMiles award ticket, the agent will reprice the remaining segment based on today’s one-way rates. In my situation, the return leg had increased by 5,000 SkyMiles, so I was informed that I would lose all 20,000 SkyMiles and then have 15,000 deducted to accommodate the new pricing for the return.

What’s the takeaway here? If pricing isn’t affected, consider booking two one-way SkyMiles award tickets for greater flexibility. This way, if you need to cancel one leg, it won’t adversely affect the rest of your journey. However, booking round-trip flights can often result in significant savings (especially for international destinations), so two one-ways may not always be the most economical choice.

Utilizing schedule changes

While basic economy fares often lack flexibility, booking your SkyMiles award ticket well in advance might allow for fee-free changes and cancellations. Delta is known for implementing schedule changes, typically every Saturday. Regular Delta travelers often check their flights every Sunday morning to catch any adjustments made the previous day.

Schedule changes can disrupt your travel plans, but they also present an opportunity. According to Delta's U.S. contract of carriage, the policy is as follows:

"If a flight is canceled, diverted, or delayed by more than 90 minutes, or if it causes a passenger to miss connections, Delta will (upon the passenger's request) cancel the remaining ticket and refund the unused portion and any unused ancillary fees in the original payment method."

This means if Delta modifies your itinerary by 1.5 hours or more, you can call them to request a full refund. However, even smaller changes might qualify for a refund under certain circumstances. Below is a detailed list of modifications that may allow you to make fee-free changes and cancellations to SkyMiles award tickets, regardless of your elite status. It's advisable to be exceptionally polite when making these requests, as agents have the discretion to make exceptions based on the situation.

A schedule adjustment of 90 minutes or more across all connections

For instance, if your first leg is advanced by 55 minutes and your connecting flight is delayed by 45 minutes, you have the right to request a change or cancellation.

A change in operating carrier

For example, if you are booked on a Delta Connection flight between Raleigh–Durham (RDU) and New York-LaGuardia (LGA) that is operated by Republic Airline (YX), and Delta assigns that flight to Endeavor Air (9E), you might find an agent willing to waive the change or cancellation fee. Use the phrase, "the operating carrier has changed." Essentially, the airline you originally booked with is no longer handling your flight, allowing you to request a change.

A change in routing

If you book a nonstop flight and Delta removes it from their schedule, you will be automatically rebooked on a connecting flight. Since this adds a connection to your itinerary, you can call Delta to request a different routing of your choice at no extra cost or to receive a full refund. Likewise, if Delta changes your flight from one connection to two, or alters your connection city (for instance, from Detroit to Atlanta), you can request a fee-free change or cancellation.

You can take advantage of this even further if you’re feeling adventurous. Often, SkyMiles award tickets with less desirable routings are priced lower than more attractive, sensible options. If you're booking a trip six months or more in advance, it might be worth it to purchase a ticket with three connections, a red-eye flight, and a 10-hour layover to save on miles. Then, just hope for a schedule or routing change in the next six months.

Assuming a change does occur, check new routing options at Delta.com and be prepared with your preferred route when you call. Avoid calling Delta to complain about the schedule change and asking the agent to find you a better route; do your homework first to ensure you're placed on the route you genuinely prefer.

Even if the new itinerary displays a higher fare than what you initially paid, the agent should be able to switch you without charging any additional miles (again, being polite can make a significant difference).

Married-segment rule

To the dismay of frequent flyer enthusiasts everywhere, Delta has begun enforcing married-segment logic for SkyMiles award seats. In the good old days, you could search for individual legs on Delta.com, and if those legs were priced at a specific level, you could call Delta to create an itinerary where the total fare matched one of those legs.

For instance, if you discovered low-level award availability from Richmond (RIC) to Atlanta (ATL) and from Atlanta (ATL) to Los Angeles (LAX), you could previously call Delta to combine those two legs into a single one-way journey. This is no longer possible.

Currently, you should check Delta.com for your starting point and destination and accept what you find as definitive. The displayed results follow married-segment logic, meaning they are pre-combined by Delta and sold as a single ticket. This significantly restricts your options for creatively assembling low-cost SkyMiles award tickets.

However, Delta.com doesn't always effectively combine Delta-operated award flights with segments operated by partner airlines. In this case, searching segment-by-segment (or using a site like ExpertFlyer, which is part of TPG's parent company, Red Ventures) can be beneficial. If you locate a Delta flight to an international hub and separately find a partner flight from there to your final destination that isn’t available online, you should be able to call and have them ticketed together.

SkyMiles promotions and flash sales

Although standard SkyMiles pricing for award tickets has gradually increased over the years, Delta has offered some relief through regular promotions and flash sales. The airline now features a dedicated web portal for deals, organized by region. You can select the region you're interested in and delve deeper to filter SkyMiles offers from cash deals.

However, these "deals" aren't always spectacular. They typically rotate weekly or monthly, and you need to be an astute Delta traveler to recognize a worthwhile offer when you see one. Fortunately, casual flyers benefit from our team at TPG, who identify and share the SkyMiles deals that truly offer value on our TPG Deals portal.

You might occasionally find great deals during these flash sales, but keep in mind that some of the lowest offers are for basic economy fares. However, you can also score big and discover Delta One seats to destinations like Europe for under 100,000 SkyMiles.

Upgrading SkyMiles awards

Delta has recently introduced several beneficial changes to its Upgrade Certificates, which are available exclusively to select Delta Platinum and Diamond Medallion members. You can now use Global Upgrade Certificates and Regional Upgrade Certificates on award tickets, as well as on Miles + Cash tickets for Delta-operated flights. This is particularly advantageous since booking Delta One or first class awards directly can often come with a hefty price tag.

Earning SkyMiles

To make the most of the strategies I've shared, you need to actually have SkyMiles in your account. Here are some methods to earn them:

There are numerous ways to increase your Delta SkyMiles account balance. One of the fastest methods is to take advantage of the carrier's cobranded credit cards with American Express, which come in various options (terms apply):

* Bonus value is based on TPG valuations and is not provided or reviewed by the issuer.

Additionally, you might consider opening an American Express card that earns Membership Rewards points, as these can be transferred directly to Delta at a 1:1 ratio. Here are some top choices:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership. Terms Apply.
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Get 120,000 points after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months of card membership. Terms Apply.
• American Express® Gold Card: Receive a 60,000-point welcome bonus after spending $4,000 on purchases within your first six months of card membership. Be sure to check the CardMatch Tool to see if you're targeted for a 75,000-point welcome offer (offer subject to change). Terms Apply.

Conclusion

Delta has some peculiar restrictions within its SkyMiles award program, but being informed gives you an advantage! As long as you avoid booking basic economy, you'll find plenty of flexibility with SkyMiles award tickets. Top-tier elites can now maximize their awards by utilizing Upgrade Certificates. If you're lacking Delta miles, there are numerous ways to boost your account. This is a particularly opportune time to apply for a cobranded Delta card, as nearly all are currently offering enhanced welcome bonuses.