Delta SkyMiles flash sale: US, Canada flights starting at 9,000 miles round-trip

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express, Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express, Delta Reserve® Credit Card from American Express

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Delta is back with another SkyMiles flash sale, mostly to destinations on the West Coast, the Mountain States and British Columbia from now until Oct. 10 at 11:59 p.m. We’re seeing nonstop deals starting as low as 9,000 SkyMiles round-trip.

The deals appear to be available from around the U.S. from cities like New York (JFK), Ft. Lauderdale (FLL), Cincinnati (CVG) and San Jose (SJC).

Most of the deals are in Main Cabin, but you can also score some cheap Comfort+ deals. I was even able to find a few deals in first class. Note that some fares are in basic economy. If you book a Delta basic economy ticket, you will pay to check a bag and pick a seat before check-in and board last. Keep in mind that some basic economy restrictions are waived for elites and cardholders of Delta cobranded credit cards.

TPG values each SkyMile at 1.2 cents, so 9,000 miles represents a cash equivalent of $108. If you’re in need of SkyMiles, remember that you can instantly transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to Delta at a 1:1 ratio.

There are several Amex Delta cards with limited-time elevated welcome bonuses right now until Oct. 30, 2019. Because Amex only allows you to earn the welcome bonus on each of its credit cards once per lifetime, it’s important to time your applications to hit increased bonus offers like this:

• Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express: Earn 60,000 miles after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first three months, plus a $50 statement credit after making a Delta purchase in the first three months. Terms apply.
• Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express: Earn 75,000 miles and 5,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months, plus a $100 statement credit after making a Delta purchase in the first three months. Terms apply.
• Delta Reserve® Credit Card from American Express: Earn 75,000 miles and 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months. Terms apply.

To search, plug in your origin airport at Delta.com along with one of the sale destinations mentioned below. We recommend using Delta’s “Flexible Dates” calendar and making sure to check “shop with miles” when looking at search results.

Airline: Delta
Routes: Major routes served by Delta, see full list here
Cost:  9,000+ SkyMiles round-trip
Dates: November – February 2020
Pay With: The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on airfare booked directly with the airline), Citi Prestige® Card (5x on airfare),  Citi Premier® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x on airfare), American Express® Gold Card (3x on airfare when booked directly with the airline) or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on travel)

Here are a few examples of what you can book:

Phoenix (PHX) to Seattle (SEA) for 9,000 SkyMiles + $11.20 round-trip nonstop in basic economy:

Seattle (SEA) to Bozeman (BZN) for 10,000 SkyMiles + $11.20 round-trip nonstop in Main Cabin:

Los Angeles (LAX) to Vancouver (YVR) for 10,000 SkyMiles + $53.35 in Main Cabin:

Seattle (SEA) to Portland (PDX) for 11,000 SkyMiles + $11.20 round-trip nonstop in Comfort+:

San Jose (SJC) to Seattle (SEA) for 13,000 SkyMiles + $11.20 round-trip nonstop in first class:

Las Vegas (LAS) to Denver (DEN) for 13,000 SkyMiles + $11.20 round-trip nonstop in Main Cabin:

New York (JFK) to Vancouver (YVR) for 15,000 SkyMiles + $53.35 round-trip in Main Cabin:

Maximize your purchase

Don’t forget to use a credit card that earns additional points on airfare purchases, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel), Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express® Gold Card,  Citi Premier® Card, Citi Prestige Card (5x on airfare) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on all travel purchases). Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.

Featured photo by Darren Murph/The Points Guy.