Delta SkyMiles Dining: What To Know

SkyMiles Dining is a program that allows you to earn Delta SkyMiles for dining, ordering takeout and delivery at participating restaurants. It’s free to join, and you’ll earn bonus miles every time you order a meal from thousands of restaurants that are part of the Rewards Network.

The first step to extra miles requires you to join SkyMiles Dining. Enroll using your Delta SkyMiles number and password. Then, link a credit card of your choice. Every time you dine at an in-network restaurant and pay with a linked card, you’re awarded SkyMiles on the bill.

We recommend a set-it-and-forget-it approach. Link a card, or multiple cards you’re likely to use on dining purchases, and receive a nice surprise in the form of SkyMiles anytime you dine at a restaurant that you didn’t know or forgot was part of the network.

You can link up to 12 cards to SkyMiles Dining as you’d like. However, if you’re enrolled in a dining rewards program with another airline, such as MileagePlus Dining or AAdvantage Dining, you can’t link the same card to multiple dining programs. It’ll automatically unlink from the previous program as soon as you connect it with a new one.

To join the program, visit the SkyMiles Dining page and click “Join Now.” Enter your first and last name, ZIP code, SkyMiles number, email address and password. We recommend checking the box asking whether you’d like to receive occasional emails about the restaurants in your area and special offers because you’ll earn more miles by opting in for emails.

Let’s take a look at how many miles you can earn by participating in the SkyMiles Dining program.

The number of Delta SkyMiles you’ll earn through the SkyMiles Dining program varies, depending on how often you dine and whether you opted in to receive promotional emails.

You’ll earn SkyMiles at the following rates:

• 1 mile per $2 if you choose not to receive SkyMiles Dining emails
• 3 miles per dollar if you choose to receive SkyMiles Dining emails
• 5 miles per dollar if you choose to receive SkyMiles Dining emails and complete at least 11 dines in a calendar year

The earning rate between the first two tiers is quite significant, which is why we recommend checking the box that mentions email communication from SkyMiles Dining.

As a new SkyMiles Dining member, you’ll be awarded extra bonus miles after completing an eligible first order at a participating restaurant in the first 30 days. The size of the bonus fluctuates and can range from 500 to a few thousand bonus Delta miles. Keep an eye out for these offers and try to time your first meal with a promotion.

Dining is one of the most popular bonus spending categories, with many credit cards on the market offering a multiplier on restaurant spending. Using one of the cards below will provide an opportunity to stack your rewards—you’ll earn points on the card itself for making a purchase, and you’ll earn Delta SkyMiles if your card is linked to SkyMiles Dining.

For the best return on your spending, we recommend using a card that does two things: earns a bonus for spending on dining and restaurant purchases and earns flexible, or transferrable points.

Flexible points, such as American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards® or Citi ThankYou Points, can be transferred to multiple airline and hotel loyalty programs. So they generally have a higher value than rewards earned with airline or hotel-branded credit cards. Although some cards mentioned below are cash-back cards, their earning rates are high enough to justify being on the list.

The following credit cards earn elevated rewards in the dining category:

• American Express® Gold Card: 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1 point per dollar), 3 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express travel and 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases (Terms apply)
• American Express® Green Card*: 3 points per dollar on travel and transit including flights, hotels, taxis, rideshare services, trains, parking and more, 3 points per dollar on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and 1 point per dollar on other purchases
• Savor Rewards Credit Card*: 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 4% cash back on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services, 3% cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®) and 1% on all other purchases
• Chase Freedom Unlimited® or Chase Freedom Flex℠: 3% cash back or 3 Ultimate Rewards at restaurants
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3 points per dollar on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2 points per dollar on all other travel purchases and 1 point per dollar on other purchases
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®: 5 points per dollar on flights and 10 points per dollar on hotels and car rentals when purchasing travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3 points per dollar on other travel and dining and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
• Citi Custom Cash® Card: 5% cash back on purchases in a top eligible spend category up to the first $500 spent each billing cycle, 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2025 and 1% cash back on all other purchases
• Citi Prestige® Card* (not available to new applicants): 5 ThankYou Points at restaurants
• Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi*: 4% cash back on eligible gas and EV charging purchases for the first $7,000 spent annually, 1% thereafter, 3% cash back on restaurants and eligible travel purchases, 2% cash back on purchases from Costco and Costco.com and 1% cash back on all other purchases. A Costco membership is required to apply

Occasionally, the Chase Freedom (no longer available to new applicants) and the Chase Freedom Flex℠ will feature dining as a bonus earning category. Similarly the Discover it® Cash Back offers 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter up to a quarterly maximum of $1,500 in spending when activated. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically. Because the bonus earnings have a cap on spending per quarter, you might need to link multiple credit cards to SkyMiles Dining in case your quarterly spending on eating out is higher than the limit.

Signing up for the SkyMiles Dining program doesn’t cost a dime and offers an opportunity to earn bonus miles for making dining purchases at select restaurants. Simply link your credit card and earn Delta miles even if you’re not aware that a restaurant you’ve chosen is in the Rewards Network. The miles deposit into your SkyMiles account automatically, so there’s no extra work on your part.

To view rates and fees for the American Express® Gold Card, visit this page.