In need of a winter beach vacation? Got a small stash of Delta SkyMiles? You're in luck.
Delta just unleashed a huge SkyMiles flash sale on award flights to some of the best warm weather destinations throughout Mexico and the Caribbean for as low as 14,000 SkyMiles roundtrip! This is your chance to fly to popular beach spots like Nassau, Bahamas (NAS), Barbados (BGI), Mazatlán (MZT) in Mexico, Puerto Plata (POP) in the northern Dominican Republic, and even Delta's new seasonal routes to Turks and Caicos (PLS) and Tulum (TQO) for half the miles it typically costs.
Delta is advertising this sale … but as usual, we dug in for our Thrifty Traveler Premium subscribers and found it's even bigger and better than Delta is letting on. Case in point: You can find flights to the beach for under 29,000 SkyMiles roundtrip from nearly 200 airports!
But you might want to act fast: Delta says this sale ends Thursday, Sept. 12. Travelers with a co-branded Amex card will see the lowest rates thanks to the automatic 15% discount on Delta award tickets.
We've seen a plenty of amazing Delta SkyMiles flash sales over the last few months, and this is just the latest example. You could find cheap award flights down south for trips in January or February 2025. And while all award flights down Mexico and destinations throughout the Caribbean get hit with $100 or so in taxes and fees, that's a small price to pay on an otherwise great (and cheap!) winter escape.
But the best part about this deal is how widespread it is: You can book at discounted SkyMiles rates from almost every airport, big and small, across the country. Even major Delta hubs like Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP), Atlanta (ATL), and Detroit (DTW) are getting in on the action – no Delta hub penalty here!
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This was just a fraction of the cities included in this deal to Tulum.
You'll see the lowest rates are for Delta basic economy award tickets, which don't come with free seat assignment … and and get hit with a 19,000-SkyMile penalty if you want to cancel to get the rest of your miles back. These fares also don't count toward Delta Medallion Status, unlike most award fares booked with SkyMiles. You can't even head to the Delta Sky Club before your flight, either.
So it could easily be worth spending a few thousand extra SkyMiles for a main cabin economy fare, as those tickets are fully refundable: You can cancel and get your miles and taxes and fees back for free! It varies by route, but you can generally expect to pay another 6,000 or so SkyMiles for a main cabin fare.
And there are plenty of deals to be had around the country, whether you're flying nonstop from Atlanta (ATL), New York City (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), Boston (BOS), and Seattle (SEA) or connecting from airports big and small nationwide. In fact, many smaller airports can make a quick connection through Delta hubs on the way down to Mexico and the Caribbean … and use even fewer SkyMiles to do it!
For example, we're seeing dirt-cheap Delta awards under 20,000 SkyMiles roundtrip from many small midwestern cities, like this one from Duluth (DLH) in northern Minnesota.
Don't have the SkyMiles you need to book these flights? You might: Delta is an Amex transfer partner, so you can send points to your SkyMiles account from cards like *amex platinum* or the *amex gold* instantly to your Delta account and book minutes later.
Thrifty Tip: Have *amex platinum*? Use the $200 airline fee credit to cover the taxes and fees for this Delta SkyMiles deal. This works as long as you have Delta selected as your preferred airline.
How to Book Delta SkyMiles Deals to Mexico & The Caribbean
To book these fares, do a normal search for flights at Delta.com and be sure to check the box that says “Shop with Miles”.
On the next page, you'll see a grid full of fares, but click the “Price Calendar” button to get the clearest view of what's available. From there, choose the dates with the lowest SkyMiles fares and book!
We recommend upgrading to Main Cabin to include advanced seat assignment and to have the ability to cancel online for a full refund of your SkyMiles and fees. That's easily worth paying an additional 6,000 SkyMiles per roundtrip ticket or so.
Read more: How to Find & Book the Best Delta SkyMiles Deals
Bottom Line
Don't let those Delta SkyMiles collect dust – especially when there are deals out there like these ones!
Delta is out with a massive award sale this week that could help you pull off a winter trip to Mexico or the Caribbean this winter using your SkyMiles – but you may only have until the end of the day this Thursday, Sept. 12 to book!