How to earn Delta SkyMiles, from using credit cards to online shopping

The Delta SkyMiles loyalty program can be a valuable program for domestic awards and partner redemptions.

Not only does the airline have a vast route network with significant hubs in large U.S. cities, but there are many different ways to earn Delta Air Lines miles that you can redeem for SkyTeam flights. Sometimes, Delta even runs award sales that allow you to snag cheap flights.

Delta miles are fairly easy to accrue, and they never expire. We’ll show you ways to add to your SkyMiles balance, including flying on Delta and its partners, spending on travel rewards credit cards and transferring miles from other programs.

Related: 5 things you need to know about Delta SkyMiles

Earn Delta SkyMiles by flying

Earning Delta SkyMiles by flying depends on several factors, as you’ll earn miles differently whether you're flying with Delta directly or a partner. Here’s everything you need to know.

Earn miles when flying with Delta

When flying on Delta‑marketed and ‑operated flights, you earn miles based on your ticket’s base fare and carrier surcharges (excluding government taxes and fees). For travel on or after Oct. 1, you’ll earn 5 miles per dollar spent on Classic or Refundable fares and 7 miles per dollar spent on Extra fares. Main Basic fares do not earn miles.

Those with Delta Medallion elite status will earn at a faster rate — the higher your status, the more miles you’ll earn per dollar spent:

• Silver Medallion: 7 miles
• Gold Medallion: 8 miles
• Platinum Medallion: 9 miles
• Diamond Medallion: 11 miles

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Earn Delta SkyMiles when flying with partner airlines

If you book a partner-operated flight through Delta, you’ll earn miles the same as with a standard Delta flight. But what happens if you book a partner flight on a partner airline’s website and add your Delta SkyMiles number? In this case, you’ll earn miles based on the distance flown. However, the exact number of SkyMiles you’ll earn varies based on the partner, fare class and elite status, so check the relevant SkyMiles page for the correct earning rates.

Earn Delta SkyMiles with credit cards

One of the easiest ways to earn lots of Delta SkyMiles is through cobranded credit cards, including welcome bonuses and earning on everyday spending.

Here’s a look at the full suite of Delta SkyMiles credit cards from American Express and their current welcome offers:

Personal Delta cards

• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card: Earn 70,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card: Earn 60,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.
• Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card: Earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.
• Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card: Earn 10,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.

Business Delta cards

• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card: Earn 80,000 bonus miles after spending $12,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card: Earn 70,000 bonus miles after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.
• Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card: Earn 60,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.

If you’re considering applying for one of these cards, keep Amex’s once-per-lifetime rule in mind. This rule limits you to one welcome bonus per card, per lifetime. For example, if you’ve received a welcome bonus for the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card before, you won’t be eligible to receive it again if you reapply for the card.

Transfer points to Delta SkyMiles

If you need SkyMiles quickly or don’t want to add another credit card to your wallet, you may be able to transfer points from another rewards program. Delta partners with American Express Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy, making it easy to top off your balance when needed.

Transfer Membership Rewards points to SkyMiles

Delta SkyMiles has one credit card transfer partner: American Express Membership Rewards.

You can transfer Membership Rewards points to Delta SkyMiles at a 1:1 ratio. However, to offset the federal excise tax, you will pay a fee of $0.0006 per mile (up to a maximum of $99), so the transaction will be more expensive.

Putting purchases on a card that earns Membership Rewards points will often yield more SkyMiles per dollar spent than using one of Delta’s cobranded American Express cards. For example, The Platinum Card® from American Express earns 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with any airline or through American Express Travel® (on up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar). Meanwhile, the American Express® Gold Card earns 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar) and at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar).

Transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to SkyMiles

You can also transfer points from various hotel loyalty programs to your Delta SkyMiles account, but most of these offer poor transfer ratios. In our experience, the only potentially appealing transfer is from Marriott Bonvoy, which transfers to Delta at a 3:1 ratio.

That said, we generally recommend redeeming Marriott points for hotel stays instead, as you’ll typically get better value. Chase and American Express issue several Marriott cobranded credit cards if you’re short on Marriott points.

Transfer Delta SkyMiles between accounts

While you can transfer SkyMiles between accounts, we don’t recommend it. Delta charges $0.01 per mile transferred plus a $30 transaction fee. This isn’t a great deal, as you’d lose most of the value of your miles after paying the applicable fees, and you can only transfer a maximum of 30,000 miles per transaction.

If you decide to go this route, both accounts must have been open for at least 10 days and earned at least 1 mile. You can receive a maximum of 300,000 SkyMiles per year and transfer up to 150,000 SkyMiles per year.

Earn Delta SkyMiles by shopping and dining

You can also earn Delta SkyMiles through several everyday Delta partners. These methods make it easier than ever to earn miles doing things you already do, like eating out and shopping online.

Earn with the SkyMiles Shopping portal

Delta has an online shopping portal: Delta SkyMiles Shopping. This site lets you earn extra SkyMiles when you shop online in addition to rewards earned with your credit card.

To use the portal, sign up for a Delta SkyMiles Shopping account, find your merchant on the site and click through the link. Each merchant offers a different number of SkyMiles per dollar spent, and these rates fluctuate, especially around the holidays. Plus, the portal sometimes offers bonuses if you spend a certain amount. If you’re going to make a purchase anyway, shopping through Delta’s portal can mean earning serious bonus miles.

Earn while you eat with SkyMiles Dining

The Delta SkyMiles Dining program lets you earn extra miles when dining out. Simply sign up for an account, link a credit card and dine at a participating restaurant, cafe or bar. When you swipe your registered card at these establishments, you’ll earn extra SkyMiles in addition to the miles you already earn with your credit card. Make sure to link a card that earns bonus points or miles at restaurants, and watch the rewards add up.

Earn Delta SkyMiles for your business

Delta’s business program, SkyMiles for Business, is open to all companies, regardless of size and annual revenue.

Earn Delta SkyMiles with travel partners

You can also earn bonus miles when you book other types of travel, like rental cars, Lyft rides and hotel stays. Here’s a look at all your travel earning options.

Book a ride with Uber

You can earn Delta miles on U.S. Uber rides and Uber Eats orders when you link your Delta and Uber accounts. You can earn up to 3 miles per dollar spent (1 mile on UberX rides to the airport, 2 miles on premium rides and 3 miles on Uber Reserve rides). You can also earn 1 mile per dollar spent on a qualifying Uber Eats order over $40.

Keep in mind that if you're a Delta American Express cardholder, paying with your Delta-branded Amex nets you an extra mile per dollar spent on all eligible rides and Uber Eats orders.

Earn with Delta Vacations

Here’s what you can earn on travel packages with Delta Vacations:

• 1,000 SkyMiles for the primary passenger on bookings of up to $4,999
• 5,000 SkyMiles for the primary passenger on bookings of $5,000 to $9,999
• 10,000 SkyMiles for the primary passenger on bookings of $10,000 or more

You’ll also earn additional miles from the flight portion of your vacation packages.

Earn SkyMiles on cruises

Through Delta Cruises, you can earn 2 miles for every dollar spent on your next sailing. The platform also offers limited-time bonuses during certain times of the year, allowing you to take home even more miles.

To earn SkyMiles on your next cruise, book at cruises.delta.com or call 800-820-3244 with your SkyMiles number.

Earn SkyMiles on Airbnb stays

You can earn SkyMiles on eligible Airbnb stays. Just head to this page, enter your SkyMiles number and click through the link before you make a booking. You’ll earn 1 mile per dollar spent on Airbnb purchases (excluding taxes and fees) with no limit — so more expensive trips can rack up a nice haul of SkyMiles.

Earn SkyMiles when you book hotels

Earn extra miles by booking through Delta Stays (typically 2 miles per dollar spent, sometimes more with promos) or by choosing airline miles with select hotel programs.

Earn SkyMiles when you rent a car

You can also earn SkyMiles when you rent a car through Delta Car Rentals or with one of Delta’s partners (earning rates vary from partner to partner).

Buy Delta SkyMiles

If you need SkyMiles in a pinch, you can buy them directly from Delta. The airline charges a whopping 3.5 cents per mile, significantly more than TPG’s September 2025 valuation of 1.15 cents per mile. You must buy miles in increments of 2,000, and you can purchase a maximum of 60,000 SkyMiles per account, per year.

Delta frequently discounts SkyMiles by offering bonus miles or a bonus on the number of miles purchased. Buying SkyMiles is only worth doing if you have an immediate use for them. Otherwise, purchasing miles speculatively is usually a bad idea, as they can be devalued at any time.

Bottom line

There are plenty of ways to earn Delta SkyMiles, whether through flights, credit cards, transferring points and miles or using one of Delta’s many partners.

Even better? SkyMiles is one of the few loyalty currencies that never expire. And with the myriad earning opportunities outlined above, you’ll hopefully have no shortage of SkyMiles the next time you plan a trip.