Knowing the various ways you can pay for your next Delta flight – whether it's with cash, SkyMiles, or a partner's mileage program – could be the difference between being able to afford to fly Delta … or not.
While it's good to have several plans of attack for booking Delta flights, not all of these booking methods are created equal. So we want to outline the best Delta flight booking methods to show you what you're getting, what to watch out for, and help you determine which one is really the best deal.
Let's load up your Delta booking tool belt.
Booking Cash Flights Directly with Delta
At Delta.com and on the Delta app, you'll find the simplest way to book Delta flights: With cash, directly with airline.
The best way to find the Delta fare you want to book is to start your search at Google Flights, just to make sure you're finding the best fare. But whether it's from Google Flights' link to Delta's site, or if you start your search with Delta directly, booking a cash flight with Delta is as simple as it gets.
Pros
- Booking directly with the airline is always best when things go wrong in travel. If you need customer support later on, having booked directly gives you a leg up and avoids dealing with the middleman.
- Plus, you'll earn Medallion Qualifying Dollars towards Delta status when you book Main Classic fares or above, as well as earn SkyMiles on your trip.
Cons
- You won't always get the best rate when compared to other booking options. SkyMiles and Delta's airline partners usually offer better value than booking with cash.
- Delta sells “Main Basic” basic economy fares on its website, luring you in with a cheap fare that doesn't include anything and isn't flexible if your plans change. Bumping up to “Main Classic” comes at a cost. (See screenshot above.)
Booking with Delta SkyMiles
Delta's SkyMiles program was widely maligned in the travel rewards space but has become one of the most valuable currencies in the U.S. thanks to increasingly common Delta SkyMiles Flash Sales.
Using the SkyMiles program won't always get you the best points and miles rate on your flight, but using SkyMiles is by far the most flexible way to book Delta flights.
Pros
- Maximum Flexibility: If you book a Main Classic fare or above, you can cancel your SkyMiles ticket at any time for a full refund of your miles and your taxes and fees. It's the most risk-free way to book travel, just so long as you remember to avoid that Main Basic fare!
- Delta SkyMiles Flash Sales can offer discounts you won't find anywhere else. Whether it's a roundtrip flight to the Bahamas (NAS) for 8,000 SkyMiles, a flight to Vegas (LAS) for 4,000 SkyMiles roundtrip (yes, seriously!), Australia for 50,000 SkyMiles roundtrip, or Delta One Suites to Europe for just 97,000 SkyMiles one way, flash sales offer amazing value for your miles.
- “TakeOff 15“: Plus, if you have a Delta credit card, you get a blanket 15% off all Delta flights when you book with SkyMiles – bringing those already powerful flash sales to unbelievable lows and taking the sting off of higher fares, too.
- Delta “Pay With Miles“: If you have a Delta SkyMiles credit card, you can also use your SkyMiles to trim the cash cost of a ticket. You need at least 5,000 SkyMiles to do this, but if you apply 5,000 SkyMiles, you can shave $50 off your ticket. 10,000 miles trims $100 off, and so on and so forth. This can help you save a little money on already cheap tickets. Plus, you earn MQDs and SkyMiles on your flight like normal.
Cons
- (Sometimes) Higher Rates: When compared to redemptions you can make with Delta's partners (more on them later), SkyMiles rates seem high. (Some would argue that SkyMiles are also easier to earn, though.) But when Delta is charging 20,000 SkyMiles or more for a one-way flight, its partners could be charging half that.
- Basic Economy: Delta sells “Main Basic” basic economy SkyMiles fares, luring you in with a lower rate that doesn't include anything and isn't as flexible if your plans change. You'll have to pay a SkyMiles penalty to get a refund.
Booking with Virgin Atlantic Miles
Virgin Atlantic was once the best way to book Delta flights. While it's still a solid option, I'd argue Flying Blue has usurped them. (More on that in the next section.) But Virgin still offers what Delta can't – a true award chart for determining Delta flight pricing when you use points and miles.
You may be wondering: How am I supposed to earn Virgin points if I'm not flying Virgin … like ever? The answer is by using flexible points and transfer partnerships – meaning you might have Virgin points and not even know it!
Pros
- Better Rates & Award Charts: Outside of Delta's flash sales, Virgin Atlantic will almost always beat using SkyMiles. Use the examples above and below. Above is the standard 70,000 Virgin Atlantic points roundtrip (35,000 each way) on the new Delta flight from Minneapolis (MSP) to Maui (OGG), which is currently going for 146,000 roundtrip when you book with Delta SkyMiles … ouch! Virgin uses what's called an “award chart,” meaning each flight on its partner airlines is priced based on distance and does not change. So while Delta balloons prices to 146,000 for an economy ticket on the high-demand route, Virgin keeps it right at that reasonable 70,000-point mark instead!
- No Basic Economy: Best of all, Virgin books you straight into Main Cabin – no basic economy here. That means you immediately get seat assignment on the flight, and it also means you get a free checked bag when flying overseas (not to Hawaii, though.)
- Transfer Partners (& Bonuses): You might have Virgin points and not even know it thanks to a murderer's row of credit card transfer partners. They include: American Express, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Rove, or Wells Fargo. And while most of those points transfer 1 to 1 into Virgin, Virgin is known for frequent transfer bonuses from various banks including Amex, Chase, and Capital One – which have all offered 30% or even 40% transfer bonuses in the last year.
Cons
- Availability: When you book with partner airlines, the availability is always the primary concern. While you can book every available Delta seat when booking with Delta directly (cash or SkyMiles), Delta doesn't release all of its seats to partners – meaning not every Delta flight is bookable at lower rates. It's worth it to search (or let Thrifty Traveler Premium search for you) because the rates are so good, but it can be frustrating when the flight you want isn't appearing.
- Cancel Fees: Unlike SkyMiles, you won't get free changes or cancellation when you book Delta flights with Virgin. Virgin charges a $50 change and cancellation fee on all award tickets. When the taxes and fees on your ticket are less than $50 (like the $12 roundtrip for domestic flights), Virgin just keeps that money and refunds your points, so it's low risk.
Booking with Air France/KLM Flying Blue Miles
More and more, my Delta flight booking searches end with me redeeming Flying Blue miles. The loyalty program of Delta partners Air France and KLM offers the same availability as Virgin, but with lower award rates and sometimes slightly higher taxes and fees.
Like Virgin, Flying Blue uses an award chart, so the prices don't fluctuate on Delta flights. It's my favorite way to book short-hop Delta flights (as low as 5,000 miles each way!) and almost all of my domestic flying on Delta.
Pros
- The Best Rates & Award Charts: Flying Blue's award rates are typically lower than Virgin's. These Maui (OGG) flights are going for just 51,000 Flying Blue miles roundtrip as opposed to Virgin's 70,000. (Although Flying Blue has higher taxes and fees, but more on that later.)
- No Basic Economy: Just like Virgin, Flying Blue books you straight into Main Cabin – no basic economy here. That means you immediately get seat assignment on the flight, and it also means you get a free checked bag when flying overseas (not to Hawaii, though.)
- Transfer Partners (& Bonuses): You might have Flying Blue points and not even know it thanks to its credit card transfer partners. They include: Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Rove, or Wells Fargo. And while most of those points transfer 1 to 1 into Flying Blue, Flying Blue is known for frequent transfer bonuses from various banks including Amex, Chase, and Capital One – which have all offered 20% or even 30% transfer bonuses in the last year.
Cons
- Availability: Just like with Virgin, when you book with partner airlines, the availability is always the concern. While you can book every available Delta seat when booking with Delta directly (cash or SkyMiles), Delta doesn't release all of its seats to partners – meaning not every Delta flight is bookable with its partners. It's worth it to search (or let Thrifty Traveler Premium search for you) because the rates are so good, but it can be frustrating when the flight you want isn't appearing.
- Cancel Fees: Unlike SkyMiles, you won't get free changes or cancellation when you book Delta flights with FlyingBlue. FlyingBlue charges a $75 change and cancellation fee on all award tickets, which is especially annoying for those cheap, domestic flights. The lack of flexibility is a major consideration here.
- Higher Taxes & Fees: Air France/KLM Flying Blue charges higher taxes and fees on some redemptions than other Delta partners. For instance, on these Maui flights, Virgin and Delta both charge just $12 roundtrip in taxes and fees, while Flying Blue charges $60 thanks to a partner booking fee that the other partners don't charge. Flying Blue is known for its high taxes and fees, but it might still be worth it with much lower fares.
How NOT to Book Delta Flights
Booking cash fares with Delta, using SkyMiles, Virgin points, or Flying Blue miles are the four best ways to book, but they're not the only ways.
Other Partners: There are other Delta partners you can book with, including with China Eastern, Korean Air, Aeromexico, LATAM, and WestJet – none of which have miles that are particularly easy to earn at scale or have super appealing redemption rates.
Online Travel Agencies (OTAs): Third-party booking sites can sometimes get you discounts on flights, but the drawbacks outweigh the benefits. When you book flights with the likes of Expedia, Kayak, or credit card travel portals, you're going through a middle man to get that small discount. If you're 100% sure you're taking the flight and you're 100% confident the flight will operate without any issues, then it could be the right play. But when things go wrong, you have to go through the middle man – not Delta – which makes it harder to get a refund, change your flight, or adjust things like seat assignment, add-ons, and more.
Delta “Miles & Cash”: There's another way to redeem SkyMiles on Delta flights, and it's not a smart option. Delta Miles + Cash allows you to pay for flights using a combination of SkyMiles and cash, and unlike the “Pay with Miles” feature we talked about above, you don't have to have a Delta card to do it. You cannot customize how many miles and how much cash you can use at the time of booking. These rates are almost never a good deal – typically offering less than one cent for each of your miles at checkout.
Bottom Line
Not all Delta booking methods are created equal, and knowing how each of them works is the key to booking Delta flights for less.
Watch out for change and cancellation fees on Delta's partners, but slightly higher rates when booking with Delta directly.
