Delta deal alert: Round-trip fares as low as $97 or 6,000 Skymiles

Delta is having a rather incredible sale right now on a number of domestic routes. Some of the fares, which are in the basic economy tier, are less than $100 round-trip or as little as 6,000 SkyMiles one-way for nonstop travel. The airline has the fare sale on its website right now, and since we started poring over it to find possible flights, several have already sold out, so don't dawdle!

These sale prices are for basic economy fares, so keep in mind Delta does not offer refunds or upgrades for this tier. You can make changes to your itinerary, but only for travel that happens before Dec. 31.

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These special rates are for travel from October through December.

If you are based in Seattle, there is even better news: Delta is running a buy one, get one free sale from Seattle.

A few of the deals

How does Miami to Boston for under $100 sound? We found wide availability for flights at this price through October and November if you want a respite from the South Florida humidity and a chance to enjoy Boston in the fall.

The same route using Skymiles will only set you back 9,000 miles, plus $11.20. Upgrading to Main Cabin would take only another 1,000 miles.

We also found fares from Chicago to Boston for less than $117 round-trip in December. There were lots of available seats at that price and if you prefer traveling in October or November, you could find fares at the $97 price.

One of the best SkyMiles bargains we found in this current sale was Seattle to New York City for just 6,000 miles each way, and $11.20. That's tough to beat for a nonstop coast-to-coast flight!

We also found lots of other flights from Seattle to New York City airports for just $197 or 10,000 SkyMiles round-trip.

We found another SkyMiles steal where you could fly from San Francisco to Seattle for just 6,000 miles round-trip, plus $11.20 in fees. If you prefer to pay cash, it would cost you just $117.

Related: The Delta Skymiles Gold American Express Card, the perfect card for infrequent Delta flyers

Seattle BOGO offer - 48 hours only!

Speaking of Seattle, Delta is offering a buy one, get one free sale on nonstop fares from Seattle to some of the most desired destinations in the U.S.

It's fairly straightforward: If you buy one ticket at the regular price, you get the companion ticket for just the cost of taxes and fees. You have to book both passengers on the same reservation to get the 50% discount on the base fare portion of Main Cabin travel (including basic economy). To take advantage of the BOGO offer, your trip must start in Seattle and take place between Oct. 5 and Dec. 15. Other restrictions apply, but this is important — you have to book your travel by Thursday, Sept. 23!

Full details for the Seattle BOGO deal can be found here.

But here's one enticing trip we found -- SEA-JFK for just $285.60 for two tickets! If you wanted to upgrade to Main Cabin, it would only cost an extra $25 per person. Don't sleep on these deals, people!

Maximize your purchase

Be sure to maximize your purchase by using one of the best cards for airfare purchases, including The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on airfare booked directly with the airline or via American Express Travel, on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year; $695 annual fee, see rates and fees), Citi Prestige® Card (5x on airfare), Citi Premier® Card (3x on air travel), Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x on airfare), American Express® Gold Card (3x on airfare booked directly with the airline or Amex Travel; $250 annual fee, see rates and fees) or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on travel).

The information for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

How to boost your SkyMiles balance

You can transfer American Express Membership Rewards to Delta SkyMiles if you need to bump up your account, and these transfers process immediately. If you’re looking to earn more Delta SkyMiles for future trips, the following cards currently offer at least 40,000 SkyMiles as a welcome offer:

• Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card: Earn 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first six months of account opening.
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card: Earn 50,000 bonus miles and 5,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first six months of account opening.
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card: Earn 50,000 bonus miles and 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first six months of account opening.
• Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card: Earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $2,000 in purchases on your new card in your first three months of card membership.
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card: Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles and 5,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new card in your first three months of card membership.
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card: Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles and 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first three months of card membership.

Bottom line

This is a great deal if you are booking a friend’s trip, a couples getaway or a family vacation. It’s even good for up to seven passengers, so if you can take advantage, jump on this deal.

For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Gold card, click here.