US vacation, 5 flights to go "coast to coast" spending 30k miles and less than 30$
Do you dream of a coast-to-coast vacation in the United States when this is all over? Delta, in recent days, has launched [...]
Delta
SkyTeam
Do you dream of a coast-to-coast vacation in the United States, when will all this be over? Delta, in recent days, has launched a decidedly interesting promotion.
In this article:
Reserved for those planning touring vacations in the U.S., the promo allows you to "buy" internal flights for 3k SkyMiles points. And to thus fly from Seattle to Los Angeles, just to name one route, at a smart fare.
Delta is one of the American Express partner companies, you can turn Membership Rewards points into SkyMiles points With a conversion rate of 3:2.
Los Angeles, photo from Pixabay
Coast to coast in the U.S. with Delta
If you don't have an American Express card, now is the time to think about it. Definitely. And not just because of the "welcome offers" (Gold is free for the first year, Platinum gives 25k Membership points), but also and especially in view of when people will be traveling again.
If your desire is to discover the West Coast, gaze open-mouthed at Seattle's skyscrapers and then stroll around Los Angeles' Venice Beach, Delta's loyalty program (one of the most affordable in the travel industry) can save you a bundle. To wit, in July and August, flying between the two cities costs 3k points + 6 euros in taxes.
In this article we will explain how to maximize the use of points. We have already told you about how to Turning MR points into business class tickets with Alitalia, here we focus instead on the possibility of turning them directly into SkyMiles, which is Delta's loyalty program points collection. For traveling vacations in the US, they are the ideal solution especially if you don't want to drive miles and miles.
Coast to coast with Membership points
It takes just over 30k SkyMiles points for a coast-to-coast in the U.S., flying Delta.
We hypothesized a typical itinerary, imagining leaving in July/August:
New York - Buffalo (Niagara Falls): 6.5k for Basic, 9.5k for Main, and 10.5k for Comfort +5.6 $ tax (paying cash, the rates would be 98, 118, and 127 $, respectively)
Buffalo - Miami: 8.5k for Basic, 11.5k for Main, and 14k for Comfort +5.6 $ tax (paying cash, the rates would be 130, 170, and 204 $, respectively)
Miami - Las Vegas: 8.5k for Basic, 12k for Main and 20k for Comfort +5.6 $ tax (paying cash, the rates would be 189, 229 and 318 $, respectively)
Las Vegas - Los Angeles: 4.5k for Basic, 5.5k for Main and 7k for Comfort +5.6 $ in taxes (paying cash, the rates would be 41, 81 and 100 $ respectively)
Los Angeles - New York: 7.5k for Basic, 10.5k for Main and 22.5k for Comfort +5.6 $ in taxes (paying cash, you would pay 105, 145 and 284 $ respectively)
Los Angeles - New York with the miles
Los Angeles - New York in dollars
In total they are 36k SkyMiles points (54k Membership points), for a complete coast-to-coast.
Although the cash price on domestic routes is not high, booking with SkyMiles is still a good deal, since--depending on the period chosen--miles double in value or raise it by a third (typically, from Seattle to Los Angeles would use 6-8k SkyMiles points).
One important thing to keep in mind when flying with Delta is that in most cases the company offers a cheaper mileage cost on round-trip flights rather than one-way. In this particular case, however, this is not the case: all round-trip flights cost exactly double the miles on the one-way. And we're talking about an offer valid through 2021 (leaving on weekdays, however).
How to get SkyMiles points with your Amex
If you are an American Express cardholder, getting SkyMiles points is easy. And 3k points gets them easily, even for flying this summer by applying now for your Amex.
The conversion is as follows: 3 points Membership Rewards = 2 SkyMiles points.
Normally, it takes about 37.5k MemberShip Rewards points (25k SkyMiles) to fly domestically in the United States with Delta. A 3k SkyMiles flight, therefore, in terms of Amex points costs "only" 9k. The conversion with your Amex is 1:1 (€1 = 1 point).
Have we convinced you?
