Earning miles with Delta Air Lines isn’t solely about the distance you fly. Many savvy travelers are maximizing their SkyMiles accounts through strategic bookings with Delta Vacations, hotel stays, car rentals, and even cruises. If you’re wondering How Many Miles To Fly Delta to reach your dream destination faster, the answer might surprise you – it’s not just about the flights themselves. Delta offers a comprehensive ecosystem where you can accumulate miles on the ground, accelerating your journey towards free flights and travel perks.
This guide breaks down the various ways you can boost your SkyMiles balance beyond just flying, ensuring you understand exactly how many miles you can earn with Delta Vacations packages, hotel bookings via Delta Stays, car rentals through Delta Cars, and cruise bookings with Delta Cruises. Let’s dive into the details and explore how to make every travel dollar count towards your next Delta adventure.
Earning Bonus Miles with Delta Vacations
Delta Vacations packages offer a significant opportunity to earn bonus SkyMiles on top of your flight miles. Whether you’re booking a flight and hotel stay, adding a car rental, or even just opting for a hotel and transfer package, Delta Vacations rewards you for bundling your travel arrangements.
Here’s a breakdown of the bonus miles you can earn based on your package booking cost:
- 1,000 bonus miles: For bookings up to $4,999
- 5,000 bonus miles: For bookings between $5,000 – $9,999
- 10,000 bonus miles: For bookings of $10,000 or more
Key Terms and Conditions for Delta Vacations Bonus Miles:
- Eligibility: You must be a SkyMiles member and include your SkyMiles number in the Delta Vacations booking.
- Qualified Customer: Bonus miles are awarded per “qualified customer,” meaning each individual with a SkyMiles number in the reservation who utilizes the booked travel components. Infants traveling on infant fares are not eligible.
- Booking Window: Packages can be booked up to 331 days before travel for travel anytime.
- Eligible Packages: Bonus miles are awarded for flight and hotel stays, flight and hotel plus car rental, flight and car, hotel and car, and hotel and transfer packages.
- Mileage Posting: Bonus miles will be credited to your SkyMiles account within 8 weeks after completing your travel. These bonus miles do not count towards Medallion status or Million Miler status.
- Airline Partners: Eligible flights include Delta flights, Delta-coded flights operated by partner airlines (including Delta Connection, Delta Shuttle, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Aeromexico, and Air France), provided tickets and travel documents are issued by Delta Vacations.
Maximizing Your Delta Vacations Miles:
Consider the total cost of your vacation package to strategically reach higher bonus mile tiers. If your booking is nearing a threshold (e.g., $4,800), exploring options to slightly increase the package cost could be worthwhile to jump to the next bonus mile level (in this case, adding a slightly nicer hotel room or extra activity could get you to the 5,000 bonus miles tier).
Accumulating Miles with Delta Stays
Delta’s hotel booking platform, Delta Stays, powered by Expedia, offers another avenue to consistently earn SkyMiles. For every dollar you spend on the base hotel or vacation rental rate booked through travelextras-delta.com, you’ll earn miles.
Standard Mileage Offer for Delta Stays:
- 2 miles per US$1 spent: Earned on the base hotel or vacation rental rate for completed stays booked via delta.com/hotels, delta.com/stays, or travelextras-delta.com.
Important Details for Delta Stays Mileage Accrual:
- Eligible Rate: Miles are earned on the base rate of the hotel or vacation rental, excluding taxes, fees, gratuities, incidental charges, and insurance costs.
- SkyMiles Number: Ensure your SkyMiles number is added at the time of booking and that the name on the booking matches your SkyMiles account.
- Mileage Posting: Allow up to 8 weeks after completing your stay for miles to be deposited into your account.
- Retroactive Credit: Mileage credit requests are accepted up to 6 months from the check-out date if miles are not automatically posted.
- Redeeming Miles for Stays: Delta Stays also offers the option to redeem SkyMiles for hotel stays, providing flexibility in how you use your accumulated miles. You can use miles to cover the full cost or combine miles with a credit/debit card for payment.
Strategic Hotel Bookings for SkyMiles:
When booking hotels, especially if you are a frequent Delta flyer, consider using Delta Stays. While comparing prices with other hotel booking sites is always recommended, the added benefit of earning SkyMiles can make Delta Stays a competitive option, particularly if the prices are comparable.
Miles on the Road: Delta Cars
Similar to Delta Stays, Delta Cars, also powered by Expedia, allows you to earn SkyMiles on car rentals. By booking your rental car through delta.com/cars or travelextras-delta.com, you can accrue miles for every eligible dollar spent.
Standard Mileage Offer for Delta Cars:
- 2 miles per US$1 spent: Earned on the base car rental rate for qualifying rentals booked through delta.com/cars or travelextras-delta.com (except for Hertz, Dollar, and Thrifty which have different earning rates).
Mileage Earning Variations by Car Rental Company:
- Hertz:
- General SkyMiles Members: 4 miles per Qualifying Dollar
- Silver Medallion: 5 miles per Qualifying Dollar
- Gold Medallion: 6 miles per Qualifying Dollar
- Platinum Medallion: 7 miles per Qualifying Dollar
- Diamond Medallion: 8 miles per Qualifying Dollar
- Dollar and Thrifty: 4 miles per Qualifying Dollar for all SkyMiles Members.
- Alamo, Enterprise, National, Avis, Budget, and Payless: 2 miles per Qualifying Dollar for all SkyMiles Members.
Key Points for Earning Miles with Delta Cars:
- Qualifying Rentals: Miles are earned on rentals at participating locations for rates other than travel industry discounts, wholesale packages, insurance/dealer replacements, corporate/government rates, group discounts, or rentals associated with frequent flyer car awards.
- SkyMiles Number & Payment: Your SkyMiles number should be provided at booking, and the name on the credit card used for the reservation must match the SkyMiles account name.
- Mileage Posting: Allow up to 8 weeks for miles to be credited after completing the rental.
- Retroactive Credit: Requests for mileage credit are accepted up to 6 months from the last day of the rental.
Car Rental Strategy for SkyMiles Maximization:
If you frequently rent cars, especially from Hertz and hold Medallion status, booking through Delta Cars can significantly boost your SkyMiles earnings. Always compare rates, but prioritize Delta Cars if the pricing is competitive, considering the bonus miles, especially for Hertz rentals.
Cruising Towards Miles: Delta Cruises
Delta Cruises provides yet another exciting way to earn SkyMiles while exploring the world’s oceans and rivers. By booking your cruise through cruises.delta.com, you can earn miles on your cruise fare.
Standard Mileage Offer for Delta Cruises:
- 2 miles per US$1 spent: Earned on the base cruise rate for completed cruise bookings made through cruises.delta.com.
Cruise Mileage Earning Conditions:
- Eligible Bookings: Miles are awarded for new bookings made through Delta Cruises on or before 12/31/25, for sailings through 12/31/26.
- SkyMiles Number: Your SkyMiles number must be provided before embarkation.
- Mileage Awardee: Miles are awarded to only one passenger per cruise booking.
- Eligible Fare: Miles are earned on the base cruise rate, excluding port charges, expenses, travel protection, taxes, and fees.
- Mileage Posting: Allow 6-8 weeks after your cruise for miles to be posted to your SkyMiles account.
Cruise Booking Tips for SkyMiles:
If you are planning a cruise, consider booking through Delta Cruises to earn SkyMiles on your vacation. Compare pricing with other cruise booking platforms, but factor in the value of the SkyMiles earned when making your decision.
Beyond Flying: Expanding Your SkyMiles Balance
Understanding how many miles to fly Delta is just the starting point. By leveraging Delta Vacations, Delta Stays, Delta Cars, and Delta Cruises, you can significantly amplify your SkyMiles earnings and reach your travel goals faster. Remember to always include your SkyMiles number when booking these services and to compare pricing to ensure you’re getting the best overall value while maximizing your mile accumulation. Every mile earned on the ground brings you closer to your next flight in the sky!
