Delta pricing and Skymiles

We paid $1600 for main cabin seats to Amsterdam for September on Delta. I don't recall ever paying more than $1000. My inclination was to not do the trip. My husband felt that this could be the new normal. I'd feel better about it if skymiles were actually worth more than $1. The only positive beyond going to Europe is that the cost of these tickets actually puts me in a position to get Medallion status, which I really couldn't care less about except the possibility of upgraded seats.

Deltas Skymiles are notoriously some of the worst value for points:tickets. Your Amex points would go much farther booking via other transfer partners, which could even put you on flights operated by delta. (Exactly which would depend on value and availability.)

There are credit card/points blogs detailing how to get the best value out of Amex points. I’d look at Nerdwallet, Onemileatatime, and Thepointsguy

I’m a longtime Delta loyalist. I find the best FF flights to Europe are JFK to LHR. Usually can get for 50-60k points in coach. Then I pay cash for the flights to/from NYC and intra-Europe.

I am also a loyal Delta flyer but admit I have seen the value of Skymiles plummet. Flyers returned faster than airlines thought. Hopefully more flights will be added across the board in the next couple of years. What AMEX do you have? If you have an AMEX gold, platinum or reserve card, Delta added a benefit that gives cardholders 15% discount when booking with Skymiles. It doesn’t quite offset the 100% increase in Skymiles to book a flight but it helps a bit.

United just went through a big devaluation too. I think they were the last major airline to do it so now they are all expensive. Delta used to be my favorite too but then I switched to United the last few trips. Now I guess I will be shopping around.

I also think part of the problem is FF mile inflation due to so many credit card "sign on bonuses". There are just so many unused FF miles out that that are driving up the prices because as we all know, there are limited FF seats on each flight. I hope it normalizes in a year or two as more pilots get trained, new planes delivered, and more flights are available.

Jay, thanks for the information. But does the discount apply only to those with a Delta American Express card? I suspect it does. I have a regular American Express gold card, and I don't think the discount applies. Certainly, I could get a second card, but there is the annual fee, and the Delta card will not generate the number of points that my gold card will.

The basic AMEX card has a 95$ annual fee. If you use it enough, you’ll get a $100 credit, so it’s basically a wash. Plus, you will get 15% off Delta operated flights and a free checked bag. Don’t get me wrong, the card benefits/SkyMiles could be much better, but it maybe something to look at.

Jay and Jules, thanks again. And of course, I received yesterday in the mail the offer from Delta for a SkyMiles Gold American Express card with 65,000 bonus miles and an annual fee of $99 after the first year. Given the 15 percent discount on Delta flights and my preference for Delta, I need to consider the offer, though I have and will still use an American Express gold card, which is great for points at restaurants and supermarkets.

Ok, that just irritates me! I'd love those 65,000 miles. How about 65,000 miles for 10 year card holders. Just kidding, sort of. . . Enjoy your miles!