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Delta starts letting you pay bag fees with SkyMiles
Zach Wichter
Aviation Industry Reporter
Zach has been interested in things that go since he was a kid. He previously worked at The New York Times and spent much of his time there covering the aviation industry, including contributing to the paper’s reporting on the 737 Max crisis at Boeing. He grew up in Bethpage, on Long Island, and graduated from Northwestern University in 2013 where he majored in journalism and gender and sexuality studies.
Dec. 17, 2019
•
2 min read
Delta starts letting you pay bag fees with SkyMiles
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Delta Air Lines is running a trial that will give you a new way to use your SkyMiles.
Passengers departing from Columbus, Ohio (CMH) and Greensboro, North Carolina (GSO) can now pay their checked bag fees with SkyMiles.
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Delta currently charges $30 for most passengers in the main cabin to check a bag. The fee is waived for travelers with Medallion status, or those with a Delta co-branded credit card. Paying with SkyMiles will cost 3,000 miles on domestic flights, which, according to TPG's valuations, is equal to $36. For this use, Delta is valuing SkyMiles at a cent a piece, so this isn't a way to get the maximum value out of each point.
The airline said the test, which was first reported by Thrifty Traveler, is part of its ongoing effort to make SkyMiles a more versatile currency.
"This new option builds on Delta's pioneering work to make miles even more valuable and providing more flexibility for purchases including air travel and upgrades, merchandise, Delta Vacations, SkyMiles Experiences and Delta Sky Clubs," Delta said in a statement. "We will share more details about using miles as a form of payment for bag fees once testing is complete."
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For now, passengers departing from the participating airports have to use self-service check-in kiosks in order to use miles to pay for their bags, and only standard-sized bags are eligible for SkyMiles payment. Delta said it plans to expand the program in 2020, and will incorporate customer feedback as it does.
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Best for businesses with high spending
TPG Editor‘s Rating
Go to reviewCard Rating is based on the opinion of TPG‘s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
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Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
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- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month