Delta.com Quirks and How to Work Around Them to Find Low Awards
I'm a big fan of Delta (I'm a Diamond and generally love their domestic upgrades, plane quality, route structure, etc), but it's commonly known that Delta.com is broken. The award calendar prices trips out at erratic levels, though in my experience, it can be coaxed to reveal better results with a little bit of effort. My goal on this blog is to teach you all how to wrestle delta.com and find the low level awards, because they are there - it's just a treasure hunt to find them.
Last week I wrote about Delta availability showing up on AirFrance.us' website. I recommended everyone sign up for airfrance.us because it makes booking Delta awards much easier than using Delta's own site. If you haven't done so already and you plan to use Delta miles in the future - do it right now (application link).
Yesterday I was planning my Euro/African summer trip (more details on that soon) and I was trying to find a way home from Europe to NYC in mid July - preferably July 21/22. Delta.com was showing no availability from their European destinations, so I booted up trusty airfrance.us.
I searched AMS-JFK and I saw a low date pop up July 21 - perfect! I've wanted to try KLM business class for a while, so I thought this would be a great opportunity. However, the low award space was actually AMS-Frankfurt-JFK, with FRA-JFK on Delta. Interesting.
Airfrance.us is pretty reliable, but I wanted to double-check on Delta.com to see why I hadn't seen that result in my many searches for low awards. I did a one-way search FRA-JFK on July 21 and indeed there was low availability - but only on FRA-CDG-JFK, with a 17 hour layover in Paris and then Paris to JFK on Delta on July 22 on a 767. The same exact flight I saw on airfrance.us was showing up for 325,000 miles!
I knew 325,000 couldn't be right, so when I clicked through, it miraculously decreased to 100,000. I'm not making this up folks! How many people searching would automatically be turned off by the result and get frustrated? That's why so many people hate Delta - it's not necessarily that there isn't availability - it's just that its near impossible to find.
I realized that Frankfurt to JFK was on a 757, which is Delta's worst international BusinessElite product, so I decided that Paris was actually the best option for me, because I'm flying from Africa (either Mauritius or Reunion). I did a one-way search CDG-JFK on July 22, however the non-stop Delta option didn't show up and the only thing was a 225,000 mile award through Atlanta. Weird.
I knew the award seat was there, so I went back and selected the boxes: "I am traveling, non-stop only, Delta flight only" and lo and held, the Delta seat came up at the low level. Kind of like magic, huh?
Lessons learned:
1) Never trust award availability on delta.com
2) If you see a green date on the calendar, it means there is most likely a low level award - the only problem is that it may not be displayed
3) Delta.com needs to be guided exactly to find what you need.
4) Airfrance.us is a solid engine, but isn't perfect and you can't actually book your flights using Delta miles, so take the information that you find there and try to replicate on delta.com
5) Always click through to the final screen - award prices may actually drop exponentially.
I'm not writing this post to bash Delta, but more so to bring to light the technical failures of Delta.com so they can be improved. In the meantime, I hope TPG readers can be savvy and take advantage of the technology failures. In a selfish way, I don't mind this low award space wild goose chase, because I can almost always find something that works for me. If it were displayed clearly for all, I have a feeling I would have a lot less options. That being said, I still hope the search functionality is fixed - for the sanity of all parties involved!
[card card-name='Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express' card-id='22034414' type='javascript' bullet-id='1']
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees