How Delta SkyMiles Pay with Miles works on a cash fare

What you can do after reading this guide

• Check whether the Delta SkyMiles American Express Card you hold is one of the cards the benefit is limited to before you search for flights. [1]
• Read a fare against the stated eligibility test — a base fare equal to or greater than $50 or worth at least 5,000 miles, with the base fare excluding taxes and fees. [1]
• Choose miles, money or a combination of both at the Trip Summary page knowing the 5,000-mile minimum, the 5,000-mile increments and the rounding rule. [1]
• Predict what a refund or a reissue does to the miles portion and to the cash portion of the ticket. [1]

Who this applies to and what you need first

This guide covers the Pay with Miles benefit on the U.S. version of delta.com for SkyMiles Members holding an eligible Delta SkyMiles American Express Card, applied to a cash fare. [1] The U.S. page points readers who live outside the United States to a separate Pay with Miles International page; that international version is not covered here. [1]

The benefit is limited to Basic (not Additional) Gold and Platinum Delta SkyMiles and Delta Reserve Credit Card Members, as well as to Gold and Platinum Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card Members and Delta Reserve for Business Credit Card Members. [1] New Card Members and Card Members upgrading from another Delta SkyMiles Credit Card product who have a U.S. address as the primary address in their SkyMiles account are eligible to use Pay with Miles upon receipt of their new Card. [1] The SkyMiles Program Rules describe the option as an exclusive benefit for SkyMiles Members with an eligible Delta SkyMiles American Express Card. [2]

Before you search you need to be logged in at delta.com and have at least 5,000 miles per passenger available in your SkyMiles account; the amount of miles that can be used on a redemption is based on the account balance. [1] All SkyMiles mileage may be used, not just miles earned with the Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express, and all SkyMiles program rules apply. [1] The ticket itself must be a Delta or Delta Connection carrier-operated and ticketed flight booked at delta.com. [1]

How do you use Pay with Miles on a cash fare?

1. Log in at delta.com; you must be logged into delta.com to see the Pay with Miles option. [1]
2. Search for your flights. [1]
3. Select flights marked as Pay with Miles eligible, and confirm that every flight in the itinerary is eligible and that this is an original ticket booked at delta.com. [1]
4. Choose from the list of Pay with Miles options on the "Trip Summary" page — miles, money, or the combination of both. [1]
5. If you pay for the fare with both miles and a credit card, use your Delta SkyMiles Credit Card for the remaining ticket price; Delta states you earn double miles if you use your Card for the portion of the ticket you buy. [1]
6. Keep to the 5,000-mile minimum and 5,000-mile increments, remembering that the number of miles redeemed is rounded up to the nearest 5,000-mile increment, as applicable. [1]
7. Continue with booking the ticket; any miles you use are automatically and permanently deducted from your SkyMiles account at the time of the redemption. [1]

Pay with Miles redemptions can only be made when booking a trip on delta.com. [2]

How the miles are valued and which fares qualify

Worked example (illustration)

Illustration only: Delta's sample itinerary describes a Card Member who selects a round-trip flight from Atlanta, GA to Washington, D.C. for $250 total fare, has 22,000 miles in his SkyMiles account and decides to use Pay with Miles to redeem 20,000 miles, reducing the ticket cost by $200, with a remaining balance of just $50 after applying the 20,000 miles. [1] There is no fee for using the Pay with Miles benefit, and the miles used are automatically and permanently deducted from the SkyMiles account at the time of the redemption. [1] Five thousand miles generally provides $50 of value, but less value per mile may be received if the cost of a ticket covered entirely with miles is not a multiple of $50, and no cash and no miles are credited back because of minimum mile redemption requirements and increments. [1]

Common reasons it fails

• You are not logged in. You must log into delta.com to see the Pay with Miles option. [1]
• Too few miles in the account. Without the minimum 5,000 miles per passenger available, Pay with Miles does not appear as an option after selecting flights. [1]
• A flight in the itinerary is not eligible. All flights in the itinerary must be eligible in order to use the Pay with Miles option, and only flights marked Pay with Miles eligible are selectable. [1]
• The ticket is not an original booking at delta.com. The benefit is available only on original tickets booked at delta.com, and redemptions can only be made when booking a trip on delta.com. [1] [2]
• It is another carrier's codeshare flight. The benefit is not available on other codeshare flights, only on Delta and Delta Connection carrier-operated and ticketed flights. [1]
• You try to stack another benefit. It is not combinable with certificates, eCredits, vouchers, any other discounts, Award Travel tickets or upgrades. [1]
• Passengers are on different itineraries. For multiple tickets you need 5,000 miles per passenger available and the passengers must be on the same itinerary. [1]
• You expect the miles back after a refund. Apart from Delta's Risk Free Cancellation policy, miles redeemed cannot be re-deposited, even for fully refundable fares. [1]

Exceptions and limits

• United States version only. The U.S. page links to a separate Pay with Miles International page for members living outside the United States; that version is outside this guide. [1]
• Additional Card Members are excluded. The programme is limited to Basic (not Additional) Gold and Platinum Delta SkyMiles and Delta Reserve Credit Card Members. [1]
• A U.S. address is required for new and upgrading Card Members. New Card Members and Card Members upgrading from another Delta SkyMiles Credit Card product who have a U.S. address as the primary address in their SkyMiles account are eligible upon receipt of their new Card. [1]
• Booking for other people is allowed. You may use Pay with Miles to book someone else's ticket, and for multiple tickets, with 5,000 miles per passenger available and all passengers on the same itinerary. [1]
• Upgrade statements differ. The Pay with Miles page states that tickets purchased with full or partial Pay with Miles redemptions are not eligible for mileage upgrades, Systemwide Upgrades, Global Upgrades or Regional Upgrades [1], while the SkyMiles Program Rules state that Members may use Global or Regional Upgrade Certificates with, among other tickets, Pay With Miles tickets, in each case except for Delta Basic experiences [2].
• Complimentary upgrades are not guaranteed. Medallion Complimentary Upgrades on Pay with Miles tickets are subject to availability and are not available on all flights; for flights departing on or after April 6, 2017, a Medallion Member travelling with one companion is eligible for Complimentary Upgrades to First Class and Delta Comfort+ based on the status of the higher-tiered Member where the companion is a General SkyMiles Member or Medallion Member on the same reservation. [1]
• No blackout dates, no inventory restriction. Pay with Miles can be used for any eligible flight available at delta.com on any day of the year, and for any open seat on any eligible domestic or international flight available at delta.com. [1]
• Fare rules and programme changes still apply. Except for mileage accrual, upgrades and the form of refund for refundable fares, all other fare rules for the ticket purchased apply [1], open jaw, routing, stopover and ticket validity rules are determined by the fare rules of the ticket purchased, and Delta reserves the right to change Pay with Miles terms and conditions, redemption levels and thresholds at any time without notice. [2] Selling or bartering tickets purchased with the Pay with Miles benefit is prohibited. [2]

Frequently asked questions

What value does Delta state for Pay with Miles?

Pay with Miles always has a value of up to $50 per 5,000 miles for Card Members, and five thousand miles generally provides $50 of value; you may receive less value per mile if the cost of a ticket you cover entirely with miles is not a multiple of $50. [1]

Whose card qualifies for the benefit?

It is limited to Basic (not Additional) Gold and Platinum Delta SkyMiles and Delta Reserve Credit Card Members, plus Gold and Platinum Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card Members and Delta Reserve for Business Credit Card Members. [1] The SkyMiles Program Rules describe Pay with Miles as an exclusive benefit for SkyMiles Members with an eligible Delta SkyMiles American Express Card. [2]

Do I still earn miles on a ticket paid partly with miles?

Yes. Pay with Miles tickets earn mileage and MQDs for the portion of the base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges remaining that is paid in currency after miles are applied to the ticket total. [1] The portion of the base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges purchased with miles using the Pay with Miles benefit is on the list of items that do not earn SkyMiles mileage credit. [2]

What happens to the miles if I refund or cancel the ticket?

On a refund, including a fully refundable fare, only the paid portion is credited back to the credit card, and the Pay with Miles portion is returned as non-refundable credit equivalent to the dollar value of the portion of the ticket redeemed with Pay with Miles, usable to purchase future travel. [1] In the event of a valid ticket cancellation under Delta's Risk Free Cancellation policy, the Pay with Miles portion is redeposited into the SkyMiles account and the paid portion is credited back to the credit card. [1]

Next step and official entry points

• Delta: Pay With Miles — the U.S. benefit page with the booking steps, the sample itinerary, the eligibility and restriction paragraphs and the refund terms. [1]
• Delta: SkyMiles Program Rules — the Pay with Miles paragraph, the earning and non-earning rules for the miles portion and the notice that Pay with Miles terms and redemption thresholds can change without notice. [2]
• Delta SkyMiles programme hub — start here for the wider programme and the pages linked below. [1]

Related pages

Delta SkyMiles programme, pay with points, Delta SkyMiles credit cards, book Delta SkyMiles awards, Delta SkyMiles earning guide, Delta SkyMiles fees guide, and the full guides index.

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. This guide covers the U.S. Pay with Miles benefit as described on delta.com U.S. English pages: the eligible Delta SkyMiles American Express Cards, the stated value, the 5,000-mile minimum and increments, eligible and excluded fares, earning on the currency-paid portion, and refunds and reissues. It does not cover the separate Pay with Miles International version, Award Travel pricing, or any calculation of a cents-per-mile value.

1. Delta Air Lines: Pay With Miles (U.S.), checked 18 October 2026
2. Delta Air Lines: SkyMiles Program Rules, last updated 1/1/2026, checked 18 October 2026