More than a month ago, Delta was teasing big news to close out the summer … until the airline's historic meltdown forced them to hit the pause button. Would the airline again raise requirements to earn Delta Medallion Status? Bring back Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQMs)?
The news is officially here – and go figure, it includes a massive Delta SkyMiles flash sale. The Atlanta-based airline unveiled its dedicated “Beyond the Summer” promo on Tuesday, teasing dirt-cheap deals to destinations like Tokyo-Haneda (HND), Taipei (TPE), Australia and New Zealand, and over to Europe later this year and even in early 2025. But as usual, the sale is even better than Delta is advertising.
A few gems we've found for Thrifty Traveler Premium subscribers include:
- Dirt-cheap SkyMiles rates to book Delta One Suites business class to Taipei (TPE) for under 84,000 SkyMiles each way, continuing a recent resurgence of deeply discounted Delta One award fares
- Roundtrip flights to Tokyo-Haneda (HND) for as low as 34,000 SkyMiles from cities nationwide this coming winter and spring – the lowest rate we've seen in years!
- Fares to London-Heathrow (LHR), Edinburgh (EDI), Amsterdam (AMS), and elsewhere in Europe for under 30,000 SkyMiles roundtrip this fall and winter
- Tons of deeply discounted domestic routes, including some fares as low as 5,000 SkyMiles … roundtrip!
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Delta first teased big news was on the way back in mid-July. But days later, it was in the midst of its worst meltdown ever, canceling nearly 6,000 flights over a five-day span – more cancellations than all of 2018 and 2019 combined. Wisely, Delta delayed its big announcement, telling SkyMiles members in an email: “We're staying focused on supporting our customers and employees following service disruptions over the weekend. Something exciting is still coming soon, and we appreciate your patience.”
That day has finally come. There's also a way for travelers chasing Delta Medallion status to get a leg up: Booking hotels, vacation rentals, or rental cars through Delta's dedicated travel site for a trip this summer will add to your balance of all-important Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs). But that's old news by now: That was announced last week … for the second or third time this year alone.
But really, this promotion is all about the SkyMiles deals. And these deals may not last long: Delta says you have to book by this Thursday, Aug. 29.
Travelers with a co-branded Delta Amex card in their wallet will get the best deal thanks to the automatic 15% discount on award tickets from the TakeOff 15 benefit. And in most cases, the lowest rates are for Delta basic economy awards which don't include free seat selection and can't be changed or canceled without forfeiting some serious SkyMiles. But there are some rock-solid deals for main cabin award tickets, too, like roundtrips to Tokyo for under 53,000 SkyMiles nationwide.
Better yet, the Delta One deals are among the best we've seen in many years. With that 15% discount for Delta cardholders, you can make your way to Taiwan in a Delta One Suite for under 84,000 SkyMiles each way this fall or early next year on the new nonstop route from Seattle (SEA).
Thrifty Tip: Short on SkyMiles to book deals like this? Delta is an Amex transfer partner, which means you can send points to Delta from cards like *amex platinum* or the *amex gold*.
Don't live in Seattle? No problem: You can make a quick connection from almost any airport nationwide for just over 100,000 SkyMiles each way, like this fare from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Taipei (TPE).
After years of staring down rates of 400,000 SkyMiles or more each way, we're ecstatic to see Delta continue discounting business class award rates. Better yet, they're even cutting travelers a deal on one-way redemptions from the U.S. to Taipei – a rarity for Delta these days, which typically forces you to book roundtrip to get even a halfway decent rate.
Read more: Got SkyMiles? Delta One Business Class Deals are Back (… But Still Not Great)
The post-pandemic travel boom to Japan is still chugging along, but you wouldn't know it by these SkyMiles rates. It's been years since we've seen SkyMiles deals this cheap to Tokyo!
And this isn't just one or two cities from the West Coast that can get to Japan and back for less – we're seeing rates like this nationwide. For a better, main cabin economy fare, you can book for just 50,000 SkyMiles or so! Here's just a small sample of the cities from which we found discounted fares to Tokyo for our Thrifty Traveler Premium members.
Travel demand to Europe this summer was higher than ever. But as summer ends and makes way for shoulder season, Delta is slashing SkyMiles rates across the pond like these sub-30,0000-mile fares from Boston (BOS) to London-Heathrow (LHR).
But the cheapest fare of all is flying from New York City (JFK) to Amsterdam (AMS) and back this winter.
Bottom Line
Delta's long-awaited “big news” is finally here. Surprise, surprise: It's a big sale.
We're seeing deeply discounted award rates to Japan, Taipei, Europe, and beyond for a trip this fall and even into early 2025 – including some excellent deals to book Delta One tickets to Taiwan for under 100,000 SkyMiles each way. Delta says these deals will only last through this Thursday. Aug 29: Book them while you can!