5 Other uses for Delta SkyMiles Besides Award Travel

Delta SkyMiles are great because they never expire, but finding “low-level” (aka cheap) award seats can be incredibly frustrating.  If you have more than 25,000 Delta SkyMiles and are looking to redeem your miles for a free trip, check out my award booking service and I will do all the research for you.  If you are trying to get more Delta SkyMiles, read my post Should you get the 30,000 or the 45,000 Delta SkyMiles Credit Card?

If you have Delta SkyMiles, here are the options available to you:

• Redeem Delta SkyMiles for award seats (25,000 Delta SkyMiles minimum)
• Shop with Delta SkyMiles (no minimum number of Delta SkyMiles)
• Donate to charities with Delta SkyMiles (1,000 Delta SkyMiles minimum)
• 1 Year Delta Sky Club Membership (30,000 Delta SkyMiles minimum)
• Upgrade flights with Delta SkyMiles (5,000 Delta SkyMiles minimum)
• Pay for flights with Delta SkyMiles (10,000 Delta SkyMiles minimum)

I would put those options in this order (best to worst choice):

1. Redeem Delta SkyMiles for award seats (25,000 Delta SkyMiles minimum)
2. Pay for flights with Delta SkyMiles (10,000 Delta SkyMiles minimum)
3. Upgrade flights with Delta SkyMiles (5,000 Delta SkyMiles minimum)
4. Shop with Delta SkyMiles (no minimum number of Delta SkyMiles)
5. Donate to charities with Delta SkyMiles (1,000 Delta SkyMiles minimum)
6. 1 Year Delta Sky Club Membership (30,000 Delta SkyMiles minimum)

To use your Delta SkyMiles, go to www.Delta.com, click the SkyMiles tab, and click Use Miles.

Here are all the options to use Delta SkyMiles.

 

Option 1: Redeem Delta SkyMiles for Award Seats (25,000 Delta SkyMiles minimum)

Good luck trying to find award seats on the flights and dates you want.  If you need some help, go to my award booking service and I will do all the research for you.

 

Option 2: Pay for Flights with Delta SkyMiles (10,000 Delta SkyMiles minimum)

This is the next best thing to redeeming your Delta SkyMiles for award seats.  You get 1 cent per Delta SkyMile and this option is easy to use.  Just purchase your ticket on Delta.com and select Pay with Delta SkyMiles at checkout.

The number of Delta SkyMiles required corresponds to the total price of your ticket(s).  Delta SkyMiles can be redeemed in increments of 5,000 and 10,000 Delta SkyMiles.

 

Option 3: Upgrade Flights with Delta SkyMiles (5,000 Delta SkyMiles minimum)

This option is only available for seats purchased in select fare classes (usually more expensive classes).  The number of Delta SkyMiles required to upgrade your seats will depend on your departure and arrival cities.

 

Option 4: Shop with Delta SkyMiles (no minimum number of Delta SkyMiles)

Use your Delta SkyMiles to go on a shopping spree!

 

Option 4A: Delta SkyMiles Marketplace

Use your Delta SkyMiles to shop Delta’s online marketplace.  They have products in the following categories: electronics, fashion & beauty, food & wine, home goods, children’s toys, luggage, office, sports & recreation, and the ability to book a hotel or rental car.

One option is to buy a $100 American Express Gift Card for 21,500 Delta SkyMiles.  That is not a good deal because you are only getting 0.46 cents per Delta SkyMile.  However, there is a sliding scale were you can use between 1,000 and 21,500 Delta SkyMiles and pay the rest with a credit card.  This is a great way to liquidate your Delta SkyMiles balance.

 

Option 4B: Use Delta SkyMiles in Online Auctions

Bid on exciting auctions with your Delta SkyMiles.  Check back frequently for new auctions.

 

Option 4C: Use Delta SkyMiles to go to Broadway

Use Delta SkyMiles to buy Broadway tickets.

 

Option 4D: Buy Magazines with Delta SkyMiles

I used Delta SkyMiles to purchase magazine subscriptions.  These are actually pretty good deals if you like reading any of the magazine that they offer.

I recently purchased 26 issues of People Magazine for 1,900 Delta SkyMiles.

26 issues of People Magazine can be purchased online for $56.94.  That equates to $2.19 per issue.  1,900 divided by 26 equals 73 Delta SkyMiles per issue, or 3 cents per SkyMile.

 

Option 4E: Buy Newspapers with Delta SkyMiles

Enter your Delta SyMiles account information and zip code to determine which newspapers are available for your home address.

For me, only the Wall Street Journal was available.  39 weeks of Monday-Saturday delivery was available for 2,417 Delta SkyMiles, which is equal to 2,417 / 234 days = 10 Delta SkyMiles per day. That is a great deal!

 

Option 5: Donate to Charities with Delta SkyMiles (1,000 Delta SkyMiles minimum)

Donate your Delta SkyMiles to your favorite charity in 1,000 Delta SkyMile increments.

 

Option 6: 1 Year Delta Sky Club Membership (30,000 Delta SkyMiles minimum)

If you like airlines lounges, you can buy a 1 year membership to the Delta Sky Club for 30,000 Delta SkyMiles.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.

Here are all of Chase’s 1:1 Ultimate Reward (Transfer) Travel Partners:

 

British Airways:

The chart below represents the number of British Airways Avios (miles) required for each flight that falls into the corresponding category.  Want to learn why British Airways Avios are special?  Read 2 Round Trip Tickets to Hawaii for $105.

 

Korean Airlines:

Skip this partner, too much hassle to redeem for flights.  Thank me later.

 

Southwest Airlines:

Southwest Rapid Reward Points are worth more than 1.67 cents per point when redeemed for Southwest Airline flights.  For example, if a flight cost $167 on Southwest Airlines, you would only need to use 10,000 Southwest Airline Rapid Reward Points.

 

United Airlines:

United MileagePlus miles are great for domestic and international flights (see award chart)

 

Virgin Atlantic:

Virgin Atlantic miles are great for flights to London (see award chart).  The chart below shows round trip prices, but one way flgihts are half the miles/taxes.

 

Amtrak:

I’ve never taken Amtrak (not practical in SoCal), but here is their zone map award chart.

 

Hyatt Hotels:

Hyatt Gold Passport Points can be redeemed at all 6 categories of Hyatt Hotels here.

 

Marriott Hotels:

Marriott Reward Points can be redeemed at all 9 categories of Marriott Hotels here.

 

IHG / Priority Club Hotels:

Priority Club Points can be redeemed at all 9 categories of Priority Club Hotels here.

 

Ritz-Carlton Hotels:

Ritz-Carlton Points can be redeemed at all 5 categories of Ritz-Carlton Hotels here.

If all else fails, you can redeem your Chase Ultimate Reward Points for “Travel Funds” at 1.2 cents per point. You can pay for hotels, car rentals, plane tickets, etc with Chase Ultimate Reward Points.

If you need help transfer Chase Ultimate Reward Points to their Transfer Partners, read this page.  Any questions?

Create a Custom Avatar Picture

Good Sunday morning everyone!  Here is a quick tutorial showing you how to get your own custom avatar next to your name.  This will work on my site, all of Boarding Area, and any website that is powered by WordPress.

Here are what my comments look like on my site and other WordPress hosted sites.

 Step 1: Go to Gravatar.com.

Step 2: Enter your email address and click the Get Your Gravatar button.

Step 3: You will need a WordPress.com account to continue.  You can click the blue button in the middle to sign into your WordPress.com account or you can click the link on the bottom to create a free WordPress.com account.

Step 4A: If you have a WordPress.com account, click the blue button to sign in.

Step 4B: If you do not have a WordPress.com account, click the bottom link and create an account.  Use your email address that you normally use when leaving comments.

Step 5: Check your email.  Click the Activate Account button and then click the Sign In To Gravatar button.

Step 6: From here, you can add more email addresses (will show the same Gravatar image) and add an image by clicking the below link.

Step 7A: Enter another email address (optional).

Step 7B: Click the top button and select the picture you want to use.

Step 8: After selecting and uploading your picture, you will need to move the dotted box to the part of the image you want to show.  Here is the before crop view…

… and here is the after crop view.  Click the Crop and Finish button at the bottom.

Step 9: You will need to select the rating for your Gravatar.  Some WordPress sites will only show G rated Gravatars, so select the G rating.

Step 10: You are all done!  If the Gravatar looks good to you, you can start leaving comments on any WordPress website.  P.S. – Please allow 5 to 10 minutes for avatar changes to take effect.  Previous comments made by you will also be updated with the new Gravatar.

Test out your Gravatar by leaving a comment below.