Deal Alert: Award Flights to Europe From 24,000 Miles Round-Trip
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Delta continues to impress us with one award sale after another. Currently, you can book flights to Australia from 48,000 SkyMiles round-trip in economy, flights to South Korea for 50,000 miles in economy or 70,000 SkyMiles round-trip in premium economy and flights to Mexico (Los Cabos, Mexico City, Cancun) from just 12,000 miles in economy. While there's still absurd pricing on some routes, these excellent offers justify retirement of the term "SkyPesos."
Although there are only a few routes listed by Delta, we are finding numerous other destinations that are discounted — and some are even cheaper than the 26,000-mile fares being advertised:
At current TPG valuations, 24,000 SkyMiles are worth just $288. Add in taxes and fees starting at $58 and this is equivalent to scoring a $346 round-trip deal. But, what’s especially valuable about these awards are that they book into the main cabin, not basic economy. So, you’ll be able to check up to a 50-pound bag each way for free.
If you’re short on miles, remember that you can instantly transfer American Express Membership Rewards points into your SkyMiles account at 1:1 ratio.
Airline: Delta
Routes: US Cities (JFK/ORD/DEN/JFK/SFO/BOS and likely others) to Europe (ZRH/BRU/FRA/MAD/LHR/AMS and likely others)
Cost: From 24,000 miles plus taxes/fees starting at $58 round-trip
Travel Dates: January 15-March 31, 2019
Purchase By: September 12
Restrictions: The terms and conditions note that a Saturday night stay is required, but this restriction isn’t being applied in practice.
Pay Taxes/Fees With: The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on airfare), Citi Premier® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Citi Prestige (5x on airfare) or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on travel)
Here are a few examples of what you can book:
New York Kennedy (JFK) to Zurich (ZRH) for 24,000 miles + $58 in taxes and fees round-trip nonstop:
Chicago (ORD) to Brussels (BRU) for 26,000 miles + $63 in taxes and fees round-trip:
Denver (DEN) to Frankfurt (FRA) for 26,000 miles + $126 in taxes and fees round-trip:
New York Kennedy (JFK) to Brussels (BRU) for 26,000 miles + $57 in taxes and fees round-trip nonstop:
New York Kennedy (JFK) to Madrid (MAD) for 28,000 miles + $52 in taxes and fees round-trip:
San Francisco (SFO) to Zurich (ZRH) for 26,000 miles + $64 in taxes and fees round-trip:
New York Kennedy (JFK) to London Heathrow (LHR) for 30,000 miles + $181 in taxes and fees round-trip nonstop:
Boston (BOS) to Amsterdam (AMS) for 34,000 miles + $49 in taxes and fees round-trip nonstop:
Maximize Your Purchase
Don’t forget to use a credit card that earns additional points on airfare purchases to pay the taxes and fees, such as the Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel), Citi Premier® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Citi Prestige (5x on airfare) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on all travel purchases). Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.
If you don’t have enough SkyMiles in your account, consider signing up for one of the Delta credit cards to ensure you’re able to take advantage of a deal next time one pops up. For example, the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express currently comes with a bonus of 30,000 bonus miles after you use your new Card to make $1,000 in purchases within your first 3 months and a $50 Statement Credit after you make a Delta purchase with your new Card within your first 3 months. Terms Apply.
