Think your SkyMiles are worthless? Think again: Even 20,000 SkyMiles (or less) could put you in the mountains, on a beach, or even out of the country. You just need to know where to look.
You might see ugly rates of 40,000 SkyMiles for even a short domestic trip, but trust us: Better deals are out there. Finding the best, cheapest ways to redeem Delta SkyMiles is what we do. We're constantly on the hunt for the next deeply discounted Delta SkyMiles flash sale – and we've found hundreds of them for our Thrifty Traveler Premium members.
And that includes plenty of deals for under 20,000 SkyMiles roundtrip, like unbelievable deals to Hawaii for just 9,000 SkyMiles; trips down to Cancún (CUN) or Costa Rica for 15,000 SkyMiles or less; or any old domestic trip from as few as 6,000 or 7,000 SkyMiles roundtrip, too.
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Tons of Domestic Deals for 10K SkyMiles
In good times and bad, you can count on Delta SkyMiles for one thing: A cheap ride somewhere in the States.
While you may see domestic roundtrip flights for 40,000 SkyMiles or more (especially heading into the holidays), the airline is regularly slashing SkyMiles award rates across the country … and all throughout its calendar. While you never know when a deeply discounted SkyMiles flash sale abroad will pop up, you can count on cheap domestic flights using your SkyMiles.
We regularly send our Thrifty Traveler Premium members alerts to get to Southern California, for instance. This latest one included some excellent fares for a trip this summer, fall, or winter.
The Delta SkyMiles in your account can get you to the beaches of the West Coast, but don't forget the beaches of Florida!
With the warm weather and Disney World, Orlando (MCO) is about as tried and true of a domestic destination as you can find. Yet we regularly find cheap SkyMiles fares to get there, too, like this recent deal for a trip this summer, fall, or winter.
Prefer somewhere new? How about Asheville, North Carolina. With a deal like this, it won't take you many SkyMiles to get to the Blue Ridge Mountains for some craft brews and barbecue.
The Blue Ridge Mountains are spectacular, but they're not the Rockies! Luckily, your SkyMiles can take you there, too.
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As always, travelers with a Delta credit card in their wallet get the best deal thanks to an automatic 15% discount when redeeming SkyMiles. And while the cheapest rates are almost always a Delta basic economy ticket, the cost to bump up to a better, main cabin – with free seat selection and cancellation, too – is often just 2,000 to 5,000 SkyMiles more within the U.S.
Want to go even further within the U.S. without breaking the bank? Maybe even head to paradise? We got you.
Hawaii and Back for 9K, Too!
Think Hawaii has to be expensive? Think again. Here's the proof:
We're always searching for Hawaii deals for our Thrifty Traveler Premium members, and we're always finding them. But this find from back in 2023 takes the cake, with ridiculously cheap fares from the West Coast to Kauai (LIH), the Big Island (KOA), and Maui (OGG) as low as 9,000 SkyMiles … roundtrip.
Typically, you can snag Hawaii flights from around 20-40,000 SkyMiles roundtrip, so you can get close, but we may never see sub-10,000-SkyMiles fares ever again.
Montego Bay Under 20K SkyMiles RT
Dust off that passport, because you only need 20,000 SkyMiles to book roundtrip flights to Jamaica this winter, too.
Over the last few months, we've found multiple Montego Bay (MBJ) deals.
Jamaica flight deals aren't always cheap, but when you use your SkyMiles, it all looks much more affordable. Here was the cheapest fare we found on our last deal that included more than 50 U.S. cities flying down to MBJ for under 30,000 SkyMiles.
Boston (BOS) flyers got the best of it at 16,000 SkyMiles roundtrip, but a ton of other cities were under 20,000 roundtrip as well.
It's a little more from some cities, sure, but there are some spectacular 19,000 fares or less from many Delta cities to get you to Jamaica this year for much, much less.
Cancún Under 20K SkyMiles RT
Travelers from all over the country could have also gotten down to Cancún (CUN) for less than 20,000 SkyMiles, too.
This recent find was exactly what the doctor ordered for many travelers. Delta flyers based in Atlanta (ATL) got the best of it with this 16,500-SkyMiles fare. And for everyone else, here is the full list:
Because of so much competition flying down to CUN every day, airfare gets low and stays low. But the best value might be using your SkyMiles instead.
Costa Rica from 16K SkyMiles
Almost nothing can beat Costa Rica's perfect blend of lush rainforests and pristine beaches for a winter getaway.
Well, there's just one thing: Getting there for 16,000 SkyMiles.
We sent this alert to Thrifty Traveler Premium members a few weeks ago, helping them get down to Costa Rica this fall and winter for next to nothing. This deal featured sub-30,000 SkyMiles fares from dozens of U.S. cities all across the country.
Costa Rica is the kind of place many travelers dream of, but with just 20,000-30,000 SkyMiles, you can book roundtrip Delta flights to finally lock in your trip in 2024 or 2025.
Bottom Line
Delta SkyMiles deals to destinations near and far don't have to cost more than 20,000 SkyMiles in most cases … and it's still a drop in the bucket compared to what we've found over the years.
While Delta SkyMiles get a bad rap for constantly changing, sky-high redemption rates, this is the upside. If you're flexible (or patient enough to wait for a Thrifty Traveler Premium flight deal alert) you can still get an amazing deal with your SkyMiles – and you won't need too many of them.