I like flying Delta. But I don’t use Delta SkyMiles when I’m looking for international award flights.
When it comes to Delta SkyMiles, I’m probably more forgiving than most. Delta is often the airline I’d rather fly, especially when the schedule, operation and onboard experience are better than the alternatives. But that doesn’t mean I think SkyMiles are a particularly valuable currency.
My approach with Delta is simple: earn and burn. I’ll use SkyMiles for inexpensive short-haul flights, especially when I can get slightly more than 1 cent per mile in value. That’s how I’ve been able to make SkyMiles work for short trips like flights from Orlando to New York.
But long-haul international awards? That’s where things get more complicated.
And after comparing international awards across multiple programs, I was reminded why I don’t use Delta SkyMiles.
Delta SkyMiles Wasn’t The Best Way To Book A Delta Flight
To see how much this matters, I searched for a nonstop Delta flight from London to Atlanta. The same flight was bookable through Delta SkyMiles, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and Flying Blue.
Here’s what each program charged for the Delta-operated flight:
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club: 17,500 miles + £199
Flying Blue: 27,500 miles + $484.03
Delta SkyMiles: 48,000 miles + £167
The cash price for the same Delta flight was $1,189.
This is where award comparisons get messy. Delta SkyMiles had the lowest cash surcharge, but it required more miles. Compared with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Delta wanted 30,500 additional miles for the same economy seat while saving only £32 in taxes and fees.
Flying Blue landed in the middle on miles, but had the highest cash component. Even so, it still required 20,500 fewer miles than Delta.
If I only searched Delta.com, I might think this flight cost 48,000 miles. But checking partner programs showed that cheaper mileage options were available for the same seat.
Partner Flights Can Be Even Worse Through Delta
The same thing happened when I searched for a Virgin Atlantic-operated flight from London to Atlanta. This was a different date because I needed to find available award space, so it isn’t a perfect one-to-one comparison with the Delta flight. But it shows how much prices can vary between programs.
For the Virgin Atlantic flight, here’s what the three programs charged:
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club: 7,500 miles + £244
Flying Blue: 28,000 miles + $321.13
Delta SkyMiles: 58,000 miles + £364
The cash price for this Virgin Atlantic flight was $1,294.
It’s hard to justify using Delta SkyMiles for this flight when the same seat costs so much less through other programs. SkyMiles requires 50,500 more miles than Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and also has higher taxes and fees. Flying Blue wasn’t as cheap as Virgin Atlantic, but it still required 30,000 fewer miles for the same flight than Delta.
That’s the part that makes SkyMiles frustrating. It’s not that the flights aren’t bookable. They are. It’s that the price through Delta can be so much higher than what another program charges for the same seat.
This Is Why Transferable Points Matter
If you only collect SkyMiles, you’re stuck with Delta’s pricing. You can either pay the number of miles Delta wants or decide the redemption isn’t worth it.
But if you have transferable points, you have options. Programs like Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and Flying Blue can both be useful for booking Delta, Virgin Atlantic and other SkyTeam partner awards.
They’re also easier miles to access. Virgin Atlantic and Flying Blue partner with several major transferable points programs, while Delta SkyMiles is much more limited. For most U.S. travelers, American Express Membership Rewards is the main transferable points program that moves directly to Delta SkyMiles.
That matters because it gives you more ways to shop around. If you have Chase, Citi, Capital One, Bilt or Amex points, you may be able to use Virgin Atlantic or Flying Blue instead of being locked into whatever Delta charges.
Final Thought
I still like flying Delta. Given the choice between Delta and some other U.S. airlines, Delta is often the one I’d rather be on.
But liking the airline doesn’t mean I have to use its loyalty program for every award.
For me, SkyMiles are useful for short-haul domestic flights, especially when the cash price is high enough to make it worthwhile.
For long-haul international awards, though, I’m going to check Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Flying Blue and other partner programs before using Delta SkyMiles.
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary, or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
