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GUIDE

How to Book Delta SkyMiles Awards

Booking a Delta SkyMiles award means redeeming miles for an Award Ticket. Delta prices each award individually rather than from a fixed chart, issues the ticket only on its own ticket stock, and requires the applicable taxes and fees to be paid at the time the ticket is booked. [1] [3] Award seats are capacity-controlled and are not open on every flight, and routing restrictions apply to award travel. [1]

Facts checked: 18 October 2026

Key takeaways

  • Award seats may be limited and are not available on all Delta Connection or airline partner flights, so a route being flown does not mean it can be booked with miles. [1]
  • Award travel is capped at two connections per origin and destination on domestic itineraries and three connections on international itineraries. [1]
  • Award Tickets are issued only by Delta and only on Delta ticket stock; any other air travel must be ticketed separately from the award. [1]
  • Taxes and fees are the passenger's responsibility and must be paid when the ticket is booked. [1]

Pricing the award

Delta states that the prices and benefits of each award, and of each partner airline's awards, are subject to change at any time. [1] It also states that it may change program rules, partners, benefits and mileage levels in whole or in part at any time with or without notice, even where that affects the value of miles already collected. [3] Award pricing therefore needs checking at the time of booking rather than assuming a rate seen earlier still applies. [1]

The cash side of an award is more predictable in the rules. Award Travel tickets require payment of the September 11th Security Fee of $5.60 per one-way trip. [1] An award redemption requires at least $11.20 in U.S. government taxes and fees on domestic itineraries, and international itineraries may include up to $600 in foreign government taxes and fees and/or carrier-imposed fees. [1] International award tickets, including travel to or from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, carry U.S. user fees and a September 11th Security Fee of up to $40.00 plus foreign charges of up to $400 depending on the itinerary. [1] Some airline partners add a surcharge on redemptions for travel on their aircraft, collected at booking. [1]

Open-jaw itineraries are priced using One-Way Award Travel pricing rules. [1] Delta also offers Miles + Cash on select round-trip flights during the booking process; those tickets are award tickets and carry all the limitations of an award, including ineligibility for mileage accrual, and vouchers, eCredits, gift cards and unused tickets cannot be applied to them. [1] Miles + Cash may not be available in all markets or on all flights. [1]

Pay with Miles is a different product, restricted to SkyMiles Members holding an eligible Delta SkyMiles American Express Card and bookable only on delta.com; Delta notes that award tickets may in some instances require fewer miles. [1]

Routing and connections

Routing restrictions apply to Award Travel, and valid routings vary according to the operating carriers on the ticket. [1] Any exception or variation to those routings may require additional miles. [1] Connection counts are capped: two connections per origin and destination for domestic travel and three for international travel. [1]

For international awards, if no published routing exists between two cities, or service is not offered via a published routing, travel must stay within the maximum permitted mileage. [1] Completely open tickets will not be issued. [1]

Destination limits also apply. Award Tickets are not issued for travel that U.S. carriers are prohibited from providing or facilitating under U.S. sanctions regulations or other applicable law. [1] These routing rules sit alongside availability, so a legal routing still needs an open award seat before it can be booked. [1]

Ticketing and payment

Award Tickets are issued only by Delta and only on Delta ticket stock, and all other air travel must be ticketed separately from the award. [1] Miles are deducted automatically when the redemption transaction is completed, and the applicable taxes and fees must be paid immediately at the time of ticketing with a form of payment Delta accepts, such as a credit or debit card, an eCredit or a Delta Gift Card. [1] eCredits cover tickets and government-imposed taxes and fees only, and cannot be used for other charges such as checked baggage or change fees. [1]

Some reservations require identity and payment checks in person: Delta may require the Member to come to a ticket office to make payment, or to show a credit card and ID before the ticket is issued. [1] If the Member redeeming the miles is not travelling, that check can be done at any airport ticket counter or ticket office before check-in. [1]

Market-specific timing rules override the usual flow. Award tickets for travel within or originating in China, Russia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Brazil and any country in Africa require 72 hours' advance purchase, and travel inside that window must be purchased at the airport; Delta states there are no exceptions, including for reissues. [1] Name changes are not permitted once an Award Ticket has been issued. [1]

After ticketing, the rules on changes differ by market. For travel originating in the United States and Canada to anywhere in the world, Members may change origin, destination, routing, date and time or cancel without a redeposit or change fee, except on Delta Basic experience fares, where a change fee applies if changes are permitted; any mileage difference, taxes and fees still apply. [1] For some travel originating outside the United States and Canada, award ticket restrictions vary and the ticket may be non-cancelable or changeable for a fee. [1] Once travel has begun the award is considered used, and miles are not credited back for the unused portion. [1]

Exceptions and limits

  • Extra charges. Additional fees apply for some mileage transactions, including award redemption at an airport ticket location or Delta city ticket office, replacement of lost or stolen tickets, and tickets issued by Delta Reservation Sales. [1]
  • Miles + Cash refunds. The cash portion of a Miles + Cash transaction is nonrefundable, and any refund of the mileage portion bought with cash is returned as miles. [1]
  • Earning on awards. Award tickets do not earn miles, but Members can earn Medallion Qualification Dollars on award tickets operated by Delta and Delta Global Airline Partners in Delta Main Classic or above and in Delta Comfort Basic when booked through a direct Delta channel, calculated as miles redeemed divided by 100. [1]
  • Upgrades. Award Tickets cannot be upgraded with a Mileage Upgrade Award, but Global or Regional Upgrade Certificates can be used with Award Travel tickets, Miles + Cash tickets on Delta-operated flights and Pay with Miles tickets, except on Delta Basic experiences. [1]
  • Children. Award prices and terms for children and infants are the same as for adults. [1]
  • Account risk. Miles do not expire under the Mileage Expiration policy, but Delta may close an account and remove all miles in it, for example for fraudulent activity. [1]

Sources

Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. It covers Delta SkyMiles awards only; the separate programme terms of SkyMiles partner airlines, and other airlines' programmes such as AAdvantage, are not covered here.

  1. Delta SkyMiles program rules, checked 18 October 2026
  2. Delta How to Earn Miles, checked 18 October 2026