Long gone are the days when you needed just 50,000-60,000 Delta Air Lines SkyMiles to book one-way business-class awards between the U.S. and Asia or Europe. Back in 2015, when Delta stopped publishing award charts with set redemption rates and switched to dynamic pricing (where how many miles you need for an award fluctuates with the cash price of a ticket), mileage requirements for business-class awards on Delta itself and then many of its partners skyrocketed.
One of the best ways to redeem Delta SkyMiles, however, is still to use them for business-class award tickets on Delta’s airline partners between Asia and Europe. Just by searching on delta.com, you can regularly find availability from hubs like London, Paris and Rome to Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Taipei, Taiwan, for just 80,000 SkyMiles each way on carriers including Air France-KLM, China Airlines and Vietnam Airlines.
That’s how, just a few weeks ago, I was able to snag one of Air France’s new business-class suites aboard a Boeing 777-300ER from Bangkok to London via Paris so I could enjoy nearly 13 hours (on the longer flight) in total privacy and comfort. My total out-of-pocket cost was 80,000 Delta SkyMiles transferred from my American Express Membership Rewards account plus $42 in taxes and fees … instead of $2,300 for the ticket.
Even better? Thanks to my Delta Gold Medallion elite status, I was able to assign myself one of the extra-roomy suites in the bulkhead row for free.
While much of my travel originates or ends in the U.S., being able to redeem SkyMiles for such good value when I’m on longer journeys around the globe is one of the reasons I plan to continue flying Delta and earning with its program.
Want to learn more about how to use Delta SkyMiles for sweet spots? Check out these stories:
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