After weeks of waiting, Delta finally unveiled its long-awaited “big announcement” this week.
It was a Delta SkyMiles flash sale. But this wasn't just any ordinary sale – it was one of the best of all time, with some of the lowest rates we've seen in years. And despite Delta's warning that this sale would end, some extraordinary deals are still available as of publication on Friday afternoon!
Here's a taste of what we sent to Thrifty Traveler Premium members first thing Tuesday morning when we unearthed this huge sale:
- 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 – we're still seeing one-way fares for as low as 94,000 SkyMiles, a fraction of the normal, 400,000-mile rates!
- Fares to London-Heathrow (LHR), Edinburgh (EDI), Amsterdam (AMS), and elsewhere in Europe for under 30,000 SkyMiles roundtrip this fall and winter – still available!
- Roundtrip flights to Tokyo-Haneda (HND) for as low as 34,000 SkyMiles from cities nationwide this coming winter and spring – sorry, but these deals have all but disappeared
- Tons of deeply discounted domestic routes, including some fares as low as 5,000 SkyMiles … roundtrip – still available!
From top to bottom, those are some of the lowest Delta award rates we've seen in years. And while we've seen some surprisingly excellent business class deals with SkyMiles lately, this Delta One redemption on the brand-new route to Taiwan took the cake.
Delta One to Taiwan Under 93K!
Forget the usual rates of 400,000 SkyMiles or more – you can still book the nonstop from Seattle (SEA) for just 93,500 SkyMiles each way!
When we first sent it to Thrifty Traveler Premium members earlier this week, it was even better: As low as just 83,500 SkyMiles each way!
Either way, these are the lowest Delta One SkyMiles rates we've seen in four, if not five, years. As always, 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.
We're seeing the best availability early next year in January or February, but you can still find a bargain throughout much of the fall. Nonstops from Seattle (SEA) are the cheapest but you can find flights nationwide from airports big and small with a quick connection for under 115,000 SkyMiles.
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*.
Not interested in visiting Taiwan? First off, you should be. But even so, Taipei is the perfect jumping-off point to head onward throughout Southeast Asia, whether you want to go to Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, or elsewhere. Why not get there in style … for a fraction of the SkyMiles it'd normally cost you to book this fancy Delta One Suite?
Read our full review of flying the Delta One Suite on the Airbus A330-900neo!
Europe from 25K … Roundtrip!
Travel demand to Europe this summer was higher than ever. But as summer ends and makes way for shoulder season, Delta slashed SkyMiles rates across the pond like these sub-30,0000-mile fares from Boston (BOS) to London-Heathrow (LHR).
Again, these deals are still bookable despite flying past Delta's so-called deadline. And the cheapest fare of all is flying from New York City (JFK) to Amsterdam (AMS) and back this winter.
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 even if you opt to upgrade to a main cabin award ticket, the rates of 52,000 SkyMiles roundtrip are a bargain compared to what Delta typically charges.
When we first found this deal for Thrifty Traveler Premium members, there were dirt-cheap SkyMiles rates to cities all over Europe, from Amsterdam (AMS) and Barcelona (BCN) to Rome (FCO) and Zurich (ZRH). You're bound to find the cheapest rates to Amsterdam, Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG), and London-Heathrow (LHR) this fall or winter.
And not just from the East Coast, either…
Sold Out: 34K SkyMiles to Japan!
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'd seen SkyMiles deals this cheap to Tokyo!
Unlike others on this list, these SkyMiles deals to Japan are gone now: You'll likely find rates north of 80,000 SkyMiles or more roundtrip.
But they were good while they lasted. In fact, this was the best SkyMiles flash sale to Japan we'd seen since before the pandemic!
Don't miss the next deal – get it in your inbox with Thrifty Traveler Premium!
Here's just a small sample of the cities from which we found discounted fares to Tokyo for our Thrifty Traveler Premium members.
Bottom Line
It might not have been the “big news” many Delta travelers were expecting, but we'll take it.
This week's SkyMiles flash sale was one of the best we've seen in years, maybe ever. And lucky for you, some of these outsanding Delta deals are still bookable!