On Monday, Delta launched a new tool allowing its SkyMiles members to see deals on some of their award sales. The page has been branded ‘SkyMiles Deals' and will be updated on a weekly basis going forward. The page will display award deals that Delta thinks are the best use of their SkyMiles currency.
It is not yet clear if ‘SkyMiles Deals' will include some of the recent unadvertised flash sales the Thrifty Traveler team has uncovered, but if I had to guess, I would say it will not.
The page will categorize deals into the following five categories: domestic, last-minute (weekly deals for that weekend), Europe, Latin America-Caribbean and transpacific.
Being the page launched yesterday, Delta has loaded its deals for the current week which can be seen below. The current week has eight domestic deals listed from 11k SkyMiles roundtrip plus taxes and fees. These deals must be purchased by May 22, 2018, for travel between May 1 and August 11, 2018.
This week also lists five deals originating out of Atlanta to a number of Mexican and Carribean destinations from 20k SkyMiles round trip. These deals state that you must purchase by May 15, 2018, and travel between August 15 and September 30, 2018.
Our Analysis
This is an interesting development from Delta. The new ‘SkyMiles Deals' page is something we will certainly be checking on a weekly basis. However, I am confident the page will not be displaying the best bookable SkyMiles deals in Delta's system. Delta often runs unadvertised flash sales that offer incredible savings.
While the site is certainly a great new feature from Delta, doing your own research before booking any of these award fares will be important. Sometimes it will just make more sense to pay cash instead of using points.
Thrifty Tip #1: Understanding the value of your Delta SkyMiles can prove to be difficult. Read our guide to get the most bang for your buck.
Bottom Line
Make sure to check the ‘SkyMiles Deals' page each week to see the latest publish award sales from Delta. These could provide good value for your SkyMiles. However, stay tuned to Thrifty Traveler for the unadvertised sales you won't find Delta promoting.