My Delta skymiles are expiring at the end of the year. What are my options?

Question

I have 45,000 miles to use and I can't find a single flight to use them on. Can I use my miles to rent a car? Buy something? Anything else besides earning a free ticket?

Answer 1

You can use your miles in conjuction with dollars to buy tickets (cash and miles).  Delta also offers different non-travel options for redeeming miles including an online auction, magazines, etc.

However, Delta miles will not expire if you complete some form of activiting on your account at least once every two years:

*  Earn miles for travel on a qualifying Delta, Delta Shuttle®, SkyTeam, or other SkyMiles airline partner flights.

*  Earn or redeem miles with one of the SkyMiles program partners including hotels, car rentals, Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express, international credit card partners, SkyMiles Dining & Hotels by Rewards NetworkSM, MilePoint.com, mortgage lenders, CAP magazine subscriptions, real estate, or telecommunications partners.

*  Buy Miles here at delta.com or by calling the number on the back of your SkyMiles card.

*  Redeem miles on Delta, Delta Shuttle, a SkyTeam partner, or another SkyMiles airline partner. Redemption of previous program awards does not extend the mileage expiration date.

I would contact Delta and make sure that you have pursued all options for banking your miles for a later time when you can use them for a ticket.

Answer 2

Have you called Delta to check the flights? Lots of times an agent can find a flight for you that you won't find online with your miles. They have several partner airlines, and they can usually find a seat for you one of their flights. My mom & I have found that researching the partner airline flights and having a list of all the possible options when you call Delta to be very helpful. We just booked a flight to Rio for Christmas using our miles, and it took a bit of patience, but we were able to get seats for all seven of us! It can be done....

If you can't find a flight, then yes, you should be able to use your miles for something else. Just go to Delta's website and check the skymiles page, and go through the list of companies they parter with.

Since you have 45,000 miles you might want to explore the idea of buying the extra 5000 miles and getting a trip to Europe. You just need 50,000 miles for that......

You could easily go to South America with just 45,000 miles..... Just an idea.

: )