Teamwork makes the dream work, and Delta Air Lines is no stranger to the concept. With so many partners, including airlines and other well-known travel brands, such as Airbnb, Expedia, Hertz and Lyft, there are many ways to earn and redeem Delta SkyMiles. There are also plenty of ways to use these relationships to your advantage.

Featured Partner Offers

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
Partner OfferDelta SkyMiles® Gold American Express CardApply Now →
On American Express's Website
Welcome Bonus
Earn 40,000 Bonus Miles
Annual Fee
$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150
Credit Score
Good,Excellent
Regular APR
20.99%-29.99% Variable
Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
Earn 40,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
Partner OfferDelta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express CardApply Now →
On American Express's Website
Welcome Bonus
Earn 50,000 Bonus Miles
Annual Fee
$350
Credit Score
Good,Excellent
Regular APR
20.99%-29.99% Variable
Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
Earn 50,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
Partner OfferDelta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express CardApply Now →
On American Express's Website
Welcome Bonus
Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles
Annual Fee
$650
Credit Score
Good,Excellent
Regular APR
20.99%-29.99% Variable
Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

Delta Air Lines SkyTeam Alliance Partners

Delta is a SkyTeam alliance member that includes the following global carriers:

  • Aerolineas Argentinas
  • Aeromexico
  • Air Europa
  • Air France
  • China Airlines
  • China Eastern Airlines
  • Czech Airlines
  • Garuda Indonesia
  • ITA Airways
  • Kenya Airways
  • KLM
  • Korean Air
  • Middle East Airlines
  • Saudia
  • TAROM
  • Vietnam Airlines
  • Virgin Atlantic
  • XiamenAir

You can fly on any SkyTeam partner airline and earn and redeem Delta SkyMiles.

But that’s not all. Depending on the airline, your SkyMiles Medallion benefits extend to some partners. For example, if you’re a Medallion member flying Core Global Airline Partners, such as Aeromexico, Air France, China Eastern, KLM, Korean Air, LATAM or Virgin Atlantic, you can keep select benefits, including waived baggage fees, lounge access and the use of Global Upgrade Certificates, when flying these airlines.

If you’re flying Delta’s other partner carriers, you can get benefits like priority check-in, priority boarding, priority standby and preferred seat selection, among other perks.


Other Delta SkyMiles Partners

Delta’s Non-Alliance Partners

Besides being a member of the SkyTeam alliance, Delta also has partner agreements with Cape Air, China Southern Airlines, LATAM and WestJet, allowing you to earn and redeem Delta SkyMiles on their flights.

Delta’s Hotel Partners

Looking for a hotel at your destination? You can book accommodations through Delta’s hotel booking portal powered by Expedia. Make sure to reserve a room through the dedicated Airbnb/SkyMiles partnership link and include your SkyMiles number so you can earn 2 SkyMiles per dollar spent on your completed stays.

The upside of booking hotel nights through the Delta portal is earning bonus miles. The downside is your hotel status won’t be recognized if you’re an elite member with a hotel chain you book. Keep that in mind if you’re searching for rooms through Delta.

Airbnb

Delta SkyMiles members can earn SkyMiles by booking vacation rentals with Airbnb. To earn miles on Airbnb bookings, go through the dedicated Airbnb/Delta partnership page and enter your SkyMiles number. Agree to the terms and conditions and start searching for accommodations as usual.

If you go through the dedicated link, you’ll earn 1 Delta mile per dollar spent with Airbnb (excluding taxes and fees) on any rental worldwide.

Hertz

Delta Medallions members who rent cars with Hertz get complimentary elite status in the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program. Silver and Gold Medallions receive Five Star status, and Platinum and Diamond members receive President’s Circle status with the car rental company.

General SkyMiles members earn 2 miles per dollar on eligible car rentals with Hertz. Delta Medallion program members earn bonus SkyMiles at the following rates.

  • Silver Medallion: 5 miles
  • Gold Medallion: 6 miles
  • Platinum Medallion: 7 miles
  • Diamond Medallion: 8 miles

To earn SkyMiles on car rentals, you must go through Delta’s dedicated link.

Lyft

Request a ride through the ride-hailing app Lyft and earn 2 Delta SkyMiles per dollar spent with Lyft on airport rides and 1 mile per dollar on all other rides. You must link your Delta SkyMiles and Lyft accounts to earn miles on Lyft rides in the U.S.

Starbucks

Caffeine junkies rejoice because you can earn Delta miles on Starbucks orders as well. Simply link your Starbucks Rewards and Delta SkyMiles accounts and earn 1 mile per dollar on all orders (excluding taxes and tips). Airport locations are also eligible, meaning you’ll earn miles whenever you need a pick-me-up before takeoff.

Ticketmaster

Sports fans and concertgoers can earn 1 Delta mile per dollar spent with Ticketmaster. To earn miles on ticket purchases, don’t forget to click through a special partnership link before making a purchase. Remember that only events in Canada and the United States are eligible for mileage accrual.


How To Earn Miles With Delta Partners

You can earn Delta SkyMiles by flying with over 20 of its partner airlines. If it’s a Delta-marketed flight, you’ll earn miles based on the fare cost and your Medallion status. The more expensive the flight, the more SkyMiles you’ll earn. If you booked a flight through Delta and it includes some segments operated by partner airlines, the whole itinerary is likely marketed by Delta.

Delta Medallion members earn miles on the base fare (minus taxes and fees) on Delta-marketed flights at the following rates:

  • General member (no status): 5 miles per dollar
  • Silver Medallion: 7 miles per dollar
  • Gold Medallion: 8 miles per dollar
  • Platinum Medallion: 9 miles per dollar
  • Diamond Medallion: 11 miles per dollar

However, booking a flight sold and operated by a Delta partner, means you’ll earn SkyMiles differently. Your earning rates depend on the airline and the fare class you booked. Fare classes, or fare buckets, are letter codes assigned to plane tickets. The letter code determines how many miles you’ll earn on Delta partners.

Let’s look at an example with Air France, a SkyTeam partner of Delta. You’ll earn a percentage of the distance flown in the following fare classes on international flights:

Purchased Fare Class Base Miles Class Bonus Total Miles Earned
P, F
100.00%
200.00%
300%
J
100.00%
100.00%
200%
C, D, I, Z
100.00%
100.00%
200%
O
100%
n/a
100%
W, S, A
100%
50%
150%
Y, B, M
100%
25%
125%
U, K
100%
n/a
100%
H, L, Q, T, E, N
50%
n/a
50%
R, G, V, X
25%
n/a
25%

If a fare class isn’t listed, you won’t earn redeemable Delta miles on your ticket.

Let’s say you take a round-trip flight from New York to Paris, which is 3,635 miles each way or 7,270 miles total, according to GCmap, in fare class V. If you purchase the flight directly with Air France and credit it to Delta SkyMiles, you’ll earn 1,817 miles on this round-trip ticket.

The mileage accruals change on flights within Europe. Here’s how many Delta SkyMiles you’ll earn on Intra-European Air France flights:

Purchased Fare Class Base Miles Class Bonus Total Miles Earned
J
100.00%
100.00%
200%
C, D, I, Z
100.00%
100.00%
200%
Y, B, M
100.00%
25.00%
125%
W, P, F, U, K
100%
n/a
100%
S, A, H, L, Q, T, E, N
50%
n/a
50%
R, G, V
25%
n/a
25%

Each Delta partner has its own mileage accrual chart, so carefully check which fare class you booked. Finally, you won’t earn redeemable miles on tickets booked with airline miles.


How To Redeem Miles With Delta Partners

It’s possible to book award tickets on most Delta partners online, except Air Europa, Czech Airlines and Kenya Airways. You must contact reservations for award travel on these carriers.

To redeem SkyMiles for partner flights available online, go to Delta.com, fill out your travel details and check the Shop with Miles box.

In the search results, you’ll find flights operated by Delta and its partners, but partner flights include a disclaimer that they’re operated by a carrier other than Delta. Make sure to read the fine print.

Once you’ve selected your flights, you’ll have another chance to look over your itinerary and note the operating carriers before you complete the booking.


Which Credit Cards Earn Delta SkyMiles

If you’re looking to earn credit card rewards and use them to book partner flights through Delta, American Express issues the following co-branded SkyMiles credit cards (terms apply):

Additionally, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards to Delta SkyMiles (terms apply). So if you hold the following cards, you also have access to SkyMiles:

Find the Best Airline Credit Cards of 2024

All information about American Express® Green Card, Amex EveryDay® Credit Card, Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card has been collected independently by Forbes Advisor

Bottom Line

With so many partnerships in place, it’s quite easy to earn Delta SkyMiles. You can do so by flying Delta and its SkyTeam and non-alliance partner airlines. Additionally, non-flying activities with other partners like Airbnb, Lyft and Starbucks can help you build up your SkyMiles stash even faster.