Just when we think the Delta SkyMiles flash sales can't possibly get any better, Delta outdoes itself … with some of the lowest award rates to Europe we've ever seen!
You read that headline right: Under 19,000 SkyMiles can get you to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG), London-Heathrow (LHR), Rome (FCO), Amsterdam (AMS) and beyond early next year … from virtually every airport in the country! That's less than half of what most other airlines charge to fly economy to Europe and back – and a quarter of what you can generally expect to pay with Delta.
In fact, we're calling it now: This could easily go down as the best Delta SkyMiles deal of the year.
Delta is advertising this sale, but as always, our Thrifty Traveler Premium members got it long beforehand … and it's even better than Delta is letting on. You'll find the lowest rates on the airline's nonstop flights from New York City (JFK), but there are plenty of flights across the pond for 26,000 SkyMiles (or slightly less) from airports big and small all across the country.
This is the most widespread SkyMiles sale to Europe we've seen in years, maybe ever. And let me reiterate: The savings here are enormous.
Most airlines typically charge 30,000 miles (or much, much more) for a one-way flight in economy to Europe – and with Delta, you'll more often see rates of 100,000 SkyMiles roundtrip. And while award surcharges are on the rise elsewhere, there are plenty of options to pay less than $100 roundtrip … or even half that.
There are ultra-low rates whether you head to London, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Ireland, and beyond! No matter where you go, there's widespread availability under 26,000 SkyMiles roundtrip from through February of next year.
There's no Delta hub penalty here, either: All the major hubs from New York to Boston (BOS) to Atlanta (ATL) and even Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) and Seattle (SEA) benefit from this rock-bottom pricing. One small hitch: You won't see these discounted rates on nonstops from a couple of Delta hubs like Detroit (DTW) and Salt Lake City (SLC).
While only nonstops from New York clock in under 20,000 SkyMiles roundtrip, virtually anyone around the country can take advantage of this sale: Nearly 200 cities nationwide are getting in on the action with roundtrip fares for 26,000 SkyMiles total!
Got a Delta SkyMiles card like the *delta skymiles gold card* in your wallet? You're in luck: You'll get the best deal thanks to the TakeOff 15 benefit. That 15% discount brings all these roundtrip fares to around 22,000 SkyMiles or less.
This is just a small, small fraction of the cities on the list.
Unfortunately, the lowest rates in this deal book into Delta's pesky “Main Basic” fare class. That means you won't be able to pick a seat for free, you'll forfeit a sizable 19,900 SkyMiles if you decide to cancel your ticket later on, and you won't earn Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs) towards elite status. It could be well worth the extra 12,000 miles or so to book a main cabin fare, which includes free seat selection and the ability to cancel and receive all your SkyMiles back if plans change.
Get the next discounted Delta deal and other points and miles alerts with Thrifty Traveler Premium!
Don't have the SkyMiles you need to book these flights? You might: Delta is an Amex transfer partner, so you can send points to your SkyMiles account from cards like the amex_plat or the amex_gold instantly to your Delta account and book minutes later.
Thrifty Tip #1: Got Amex airline fee credits to burn on cards like the Amex Platinum? Use your card to book this fare and cover those fees!
Thrifty Tip #2: Make sure to use Delta’s “Price Calendar” feature when searching for award rates to find the best deals over a five-week span.
SkyMiles Sale to Europe Details
- Travel December – February (Best availability in January and February)
- To book these fares, visit Delta.com and search from your airport – be sure to select “Shop with miles.”
- Get 15% off award rates with a co-branded Delta Amex card in your wallet, thanks to the TakeOff 15 benefit
To begin, do a normal search for flights at Delta.com and be sure to check the box that says “Shop with Miles” as well as “My dates are flexible.” On the next page, you'll see this grid full of fares.
For the best results, click the “Price Calendar” button to get the clearest view of what's available. It should look like this instead.
You can also filter for nonstops if you live in a major Delta hub like New York or Atlanta. From there, just choose the dates with the best deal and book!
Bottom Line
Delta SkyMiles flash sales have been incredible lately, but this one might just take the cake if you want to get to Europe next year.
Flying to Europe and back for half the miles other airlines charge is a steal – especially when it includes destinations all across Europe … and from nearly 200 U.S. airports big and small, to boot.
These sales are one of the main reasons why we value SkyMiles more than most. They're truly the best way to use your SkyMiles. And the fact that you can lock in a trip to Europe for as low as just 19,000 SkyMiles? You can't beat that.
Are these special fares good for one-way flights from Europe, Paris or London back to the US? Seems if you want to use Points to book the flight the cheapest airfare and points is to utilize a Delta partner like KLM or Virgin Atlantic
I am looking to travel to Rome (FCO) from Columbus (CMH) in April or May. The cheapest that I am finding is 62,000 points. Is that a pretty standard amount for a smaller airport like Columbus?
The fights from BOS-LHR are such a find at 20k miles but require long (7 hour???) layovers at JFK or DTW. How do you make that layover worth it?
Try other dates or scroll farther down past the initial options. There are tons of BOS-LHR fares with quick connections or nonstop. I checked one date (Nov 13th) and found tons of options.
I can’t seem to find out how to search flexible dates. I never see that box to check. I even searched by money not miles as well.
First, make sure you’re using the desktop site and not via mobile. As you’re selecting your dates from the homepage for your search, look for a small box labeled “Flexible Dates” — tick it and it should pull up some flexible options.