Delta Flash Sale: Australia From 50,000 SkyMiles Round-Trip
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Want to see the latest flight deals as soon as they're published? Follow The Points Guy on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to text message alerts from our deals feed, @tpg_alerts.
Delta's SkyMiles program doesn't have the best reputation, but it's making itself known for offering some enticing award flash sales. Just a few days ago, it launched the best offer yet: 22,000 SkyMiles round-trip to Europe. But, there's been plenty of other sales (domestic: 10,000 miles round-trip, Mexico: 12,000 miles round-trip, Asia: 40,000 miles round-trip)
The last Australia flash sale offered awards starting at 58,000 SkyMiles round-trip, but Delta has now discounted Australia award flights even further down to just 50,000 SkyMiles round-trip. That's spectacular when you consider both American Airlines and United charge no less than 80,000 miles round-trip for Australia flights.
At current TPG valuations, 50,000 SkyMiles are worth just $600. Adding in taxes and fees starting at $116 and this is equivalent to scoring a $716 round-trip deal to Australia.
If you're short on miles, remember that you can instantly transfer American Express Membership Rewards points into your SkyMiles account at a 1:1 ratio.
Airline: Delta
Routes: US Cities (ATL/BOS/SEA/JFK/PDX and likely others) to SYD
Cost: 50,000+ SkyMiles and $116+ round-trip in economy
Dates: September 6 through December 9
Booking Link: Directly with Delta
Purchase by: September 5
Pay Taxes/Fees With: The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on airfare), Citi Premier® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Citi Prestige (5x on airfare plus excellent trip delay insurance) or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on travel)
Here are a few examples of what you can book:
Atlanta (ATL) to Sydney (SYD) for 50,000 SkyMiles + $116 in taxes and fees round-trip in September:
Boston (BOS) to Sydney (SYD) for 50,000 SkyMiles + $116 in taxes and fees round-trip in October:
Seattle (SEA) to Sydney (SYD) for 50,000 SkyMiles + $116 in taxes and fees round-trip in November:
New York Kennedy (JFK) to Sydney (SYD) for 50,000 SkyMiles + $116 in taxes and fees round-trip in September:
Portland (PDX) to Sydney (SYD) for 50,000 SkyMiles + $116 in taxes and fees round-trip in October:
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.
H/T: Doctor of Credit