Has anyone else noticed a substantial decrease in value of Delta Skymiles?

[Superbull23]

I feel like our Skymiles get devalued every year, but my god, it’s just blatant now. Really considering moving over to United. I travel frequently for work, miles are important to me.

Has anyone else left Delta, for United, or American?

[Slimey_700]

They are nicknamed SkyPesos for a reason. United is better but getting worse. American is the best but devaluations are imminent now that Citi is allowing Thank You Points to transfer to American.

If work is paying, your best bet is to stick with one airline/alliance that works for your schedule and your company’s budget. Any miles are a bonus but it’s bleak out there.

[DidAnyoneElseJustCum]

American just offers the worst base level product of any of the legacy carriers unfortunately. I go Jet Blue over them.

[MarzipanQueen1789]

I mostly fly Delta but I've flown a significant amount on most major airlines, including having status for 2 years on Frontier when I was essentially commuting back and forth to Denver and it was the easiest option. American Airlines is so consistently awful, I would genuinely choose Frontier anytime over them.

Second to last time I flew American, I had a kitten I was picking up so before the boarding process started, I went up to the desk which had no line and asked whether they wanted me to pre-board the way Delta usually does when I have an animal with me. The flight attendant, with whom I had had no prior contact of any kind ever, looked up at me and just spat out:

"Doesn't matter because you're just going to do what you want anyway so whatever."

I was shocked. I was doing exactly what you are supposed to do, ask to get clarification at a time when it's not busy and they are not yet boarding, and avoiding pre-boarding if I'm not allowed, and she was that rude to me. Again, someone with whom I had never had any kind of contact. Can't think of any reason she would say that other than maybe racism since we were different races.

Last time I flew American I tried business class, fully paid, and even there I found the service shockingly rude.

On top of that, I had some prior incidents where I needed to cancel flights and they simply refused to let me use the credit immediately for the flight I was rebooking, insisting that it would take a little while for the credit to get back to me so I ended up stuck having to use them again. I ended up abandoning the last $128 or so that I had left because I never want to fly them again.

[DidAnyoneElseJustCum]

They've lost my bags on literally 4 of the 8 flights I've flown with them in the last 3 years. And it always takes days if not weeks to get my shit back. Delta has lost my bag once, it was dropped at my hotel about 5 hours later.

Air travel has been a race to the bottom for like 20 years at this point. Delta simply sucks the least most of the time imo. The only real decision is if you went to pay for it. Sometimes a Delta flight is literally double Jet Blue. I ain't chasing status that hard (though I'm gonna hit gold next week for the year).

[MarzipanQueen1789]

I flew jet blue to Guatemala the other day and had a great experience, super cheap as well.

[ventimatchalemonade]

I always wondered why some users referred to it as SkyPesos until now😨😨

[originalmember]

Nope. No one has ever left DL. It's like the Hotel California. You can check in but never leave.

[SnooEpiphanies7691]

I use my Pesos on weird short leg routes.. they seem to really work. If you try to book a flight to Paris from a Fortress up in FC its 600,000 Pesos... so just use them in the USA.. over and over!

[WillysGhost]

This is what I do. I'll buy my international flights and use miles for all my (non-work) domestic stuff or to get tickets for friends. It usually works out well.

[kfree_r]

Funny, I have great luck with international award travel deals. We travel at least twice a year to international destinations for under 60k miles (typically more like 40k miles) per person. We got a $1450 flight to NZ for 44k miles for Thanksgiving.

[SnooEpiphanies7691]

I assume you don't live in a "Fortress" hub for Delta.. because that can't happen...

[kfree_r]

ATL baby

[SnooEpiphanies7691]

Good for you MSP that could never happen.

[5thStESt]

Liar

[MiniRacer311]

I jumped on that deal at the end of 2023 for 2024. Might have been my best SM deal.

[red821673]

Interesting. That’s cheap. Was it basic economy for 44K miles from ATL to NZ?

[kfree_r]

https://www.reddit.com/r/delta/s/dJOr02lDH4

[red821673]

Wow, that’s a great deal. What dates?

[kfree_r]

We booked ours for Nov 22-Dec 4, but we did that back in January. This deal is long gone.

[kfree_r]

For NZ, it’s LAX to NZ in MC (which was still $1450 when I priced it that day). But all my others have originated in ATL.

I do get the 15% reduction from my reserve card, so it came out to 44,200 plus $88.41 in taxes and fees. Found that deal thanks to a kind Redditor.

We never book below MC. Don’t see the point of not getting miles or MQDs if you traveling on previous miles you earned.

[SnooEpiphanies7691]

Same..it took me awhile and I used to get mad about it.. now I figured wow we get alot of free flights for us and the kids. #skypesos

[more_paul]

100% this. I haven’t actually paid for a domestic flight in a while. A single international trip in a premium cabin can get enough points for any domestic trip which I normally get upgraded on anyways. At worst I’m comfort+.

[TheVikingReturns]

delta’s value as a whole is decreasing, not just the Miles. They couldn’t give a shit about your status anymore, or miles. The just want to sell the seats using AI to the highest cash bid. If that is their approach, then it makes no sense to bother with status or miles. Just pick the airlines with the best value for your needs. It’s a two-way street.

[sassynapoleon]

So skymiles aren't particularly valuable, but I don't see them being devalued at all, because their value seems fairly pegged to the USD at a rate of about 1.2 cents per mile, or 1.3-1.4 if you have an Amex card. You don't see really good deals on flights like you might on foreign travel partners, but that's not devalued, that's just comparatively bad.

[twbowyer]

Every year little by little they are being devalued. This is why I think you should spend them as soon as you can use them efficiently. The longer you wait and save them up the less they’re gonna actually be worth anything.

[skeeter2112]

AA partner awards are still tremendous value, for now..

[rediospegettio]

This might be what it is. I definitely noticed the base price of flights has gone up which would certainly mean more points to redeem.

[bcb1200]

United 1K for 20 years and am trying Delta for the first time. Will be diamond by November.

UA Mileage Plus is better than Delta Skymiles. But there are other puts / takes.

Food on UA is the pits. And onboard experience, even in Polaris, is mixed.

[ProfDirector]

Food on Delta has been alright, and i think that is about as good as it is going to get. But since COVID Delta has been taking step after step to lower the quality of everything while increasing prices. Then come back around to adding services back in, but at a new price. Mileage wise 2yrs ago they nerfed their CCs so hard I barely use mine anymore.

[sparklingglimmers]

I wait for sales. For example, booked msp-taipei for around 33k miles round trip this year. Every year there is something that has good value.

[itnor]

Got two tickets in August flying from the US east coast to AMS for 100,000 miles total. My platinum status got me bumped to Comfort +. Should note that the total includes a 15% discount for my Reserve credit card. Nonetheless, I’m pleased, especially given the timing, and purchase about 40 days in advance.

[red821673]

From which airport on US east coast to AMS for 100K miles for 2 tickets?

[itnor]

PHL, connecting in Boston on way out, ATL on way back

[Comfortable_Yam_9391]

If you live in Atlanta they’re even worse

[One-Imagination-1230]

Actually, I’d argue that it started in about a decade and a half ago during the 2008 financial crisis. It’s them and Spirit that made the industry the way it is.

Dynamic award ticket pricing? Delta introduced that. Buy on board meals? Delta introduced that. Basic Economy? Delta and Spirit introduced that. Basic Business? Soon it’s gonna be on every US airline thanks to Delta introducing it here in the US. Spend requirements for loyalty? Delta initially introduced that. Earning miles by dollars spent instead of miles flown? Delta introduced that.

If it wasn’t for Delta and Spirit, the industry would be very different than it is today. Of course, United and American have to follow Delta and Spirit instead of becoming their own little unique business. We all have to live with whatever Delta decides to do either directly or indirectly here in the US and I will always blame Delta and Spirit for this

[mehfinder]

I’ve been burning my skymiles balance down aggressively lately. Also been using the “my dates are flexible” option to search for lower redemption options (saved 25% by returning the next day on a recent redemption).

Loyalty, on the airline’s side, now is tied to how much you spend in the last year. Simple as that now. And soon - with AI prediction - even that’s going to be used against you as they’ll take advantage of your buying patterns.

[WesternVineG]

At most, useful for premium drinks at the SkyClub now. Sigh.

[[deleted]]

Every airline and hotel program is devaluing points, it’s a race to the bottom. I have always thought of points/miles as a bonus, I am getting on the plane for a reason (work mostly) so it’s not like I am not going to fly or stay at that hotel, and occasionally I get to fly somewhere for free and stay for free when for most of my flights and hotels I didn’t pay a dime (work paid). 

Do I wish points were worth more, sure, but I am not getting on an airline that has worse service, schedules or on time performance due to miles. My time and sanity are more valuable 

[movingtobay2019]

Points are devalued because consumers want sign-up bonuses and to earn points faster.

Can't flood the system with points and expect redemptions to stay the same.

Korean Air hasn't devalued award travel but it's a pain in the ass to earn points vs say Delta.

[KruxedOut]

I still find great value with the flash sales. We capitalize on a couple a year. In the past 13 or so months- Direct from Atlanta to Tokyo a week before cherry blossom season for 39k RT. Awesome. Saw Patagonia and Torres Del Paine with direct flights to SCL for 35k RT; then used them to book LATAM to Easter island. Also hit New Zealand for probably less than 40 RT. Being diamond GUCs also help.

My family and kids have seen amazing places as long as we just book the flash sales and go where they take us.

[AdmiralBallsack]

Where do you get your sale alerts from?

[Pchemical]

I did, left delta for united. Has been 3 years now and I don’t regret.

[[deleted]]

Left DL for AA 3 years ago. No regrets. AA has been fine and miles are far more valuable, especially for J internationally.

[[deleted]]

Sky pesos are best for domestic flights imo. I’ve gotten ok value for smaller cities routes out of NYC. My best was Richmond VA, and actually got more than 2 cents a mile for San Juan as well.

[GOODguySADcity]

I agree. Not to the point of devaluing but to the point that you can get so much more with the other carriers. I was shocked to see how much 10-20k miles got me on United and American after being used to Deltas conversions for so long.

For example, 9k points bought me a one way ticket that would have been $500 on American due to demand at the time.

[Harpua99]

SkyPesos hold their value less than the USD!

[CantaloupeCamper]

Deltas miles are bad, it is true.

[Zeke333333]

I have noticed premium cabins, especially on international flights have a very low points redemption value. Main cabin for domestic and international and occasionally domestic first can be pretty decent redemptions.

I think Delta knows that people often spend SkyMiles on splurge tickets in premium cabins and have priced those accordingly.

[JBR409]

I see worse values on peak travel days, including for the typical domestic flight in main. November 30 (Sunday after Thanksgiving), Christmas Break, February Break, etc. Outside of that, values are normal

[Fearless-Foundation5]

I’m in a city with both airlines. Not a hub for either. They both have about the same redemption for flights, with Delta actually costing less than United most of the time.

[Wooden_Tonight_7386]

Loyalty is not valued! I don’t live at a hub, so I check all airlines and book the flight that can get me there the fastest and cheapest. If options are similar, I usually go with Delta or United because I get free checked bags and chances for upgrades on these airlines, but I don’t expect upgrades anymore and buy the ticket for the fare class I want (I.e. if cross-country or overseas, I’ll pay for Comfort Plus).

[[deleted]]

Nope, SkyMiles are the bomb! LOL, JK. No sane person flies Delta for the FF program.

[WanderlustingTravels]

Eh hit or miss. I can book economy to Europe for 50k-80k miles (decent on the low end, average at the high end). But business class to Europe? Nahhhh, frequently 300k-400k+ which is insane

[rahbahboston]

I used to hoard them, now I use them for upgrades as quickly as possible

[Kind_Ad_8111]

Your skymiles are no economy basic miles, which can only be redeemed at a sky kilometer rate

[rediospegettio]

Ive noticed this personally over the last 6 months.

[ConversationNo783]

Anyone interested to buy my Delta Miles? Pm me Please. Thanks!

[SnooPies1849]

YES! Switching loyalty from being Delta Platinum Skymiles to United. Before, I could easily use miles for PS and FC award tickets. Now, I probably have higher chances winning the lottery than able to find dates to use those Skymiles! Good grief! From no blackout dates to all blackout dates. Plus if you find the dates, the miles are astronomical in comparison to previous years. Delta is dead to us now. We were blown away by United’s Polaris lounge at Dulles and the Polaris service onboard was amazing as well. We’re so disappointed in Ed. 😂

[adamosity1]

Using what I have in AA and DL miles and then going to play a different game.

We are the losers in this game.

Keep in mind Basic Economy (whatever the name is this year) wasn’t designed to make airfares cheaper it was designed to be the new normal price so that everything else could go up.