I'm not one of those travelers who hoards SkyMiles. I'm the opposite: I can't seem to keep them in my account for very long at all. But even when my points pile is low, just 20,000 SkyMiles (or less) could put me in the mountains, on a beach, or even out of the country.
Sure, you might see ugly rates of 40,000 SkyMiles for even a short domestic trip, but trust us: Better deals are out there. Finding the best, cheapest ways to redeem Delta SkyMiles is what we do. We're constantly on the hunt for the next deeply discounted Delta SkyMiles flash sales – and we've found hundreds of them for our Thrifty Traveler Premium members.
And that includes plenty of deals for under 20,000 SkyMiles roundtrip, like unbelievable deals to Hawaii for just 9,000 SkyMiles; trips down to the Bahamas under 19,000 SkyMiles or less; or flights to Seattle (SEA) from just 4,000 SkyMiles roundtrip.
Tons of Domestic Deals for 10K SkyMiles
In good times and bad, you can count on Delta SkyMiles for one thing: A cheap ride somewhere in the States.
While you may see domestic roundtrip flights for 40,000 SkyMiles or more (especially heading into the holidays), the airline is regularly slashing SkyMiles award rates across the country … and all throughout its calendar. While you never know when a deeply discounted SkyMiles flash sale abroad will pop up, you can count on cheap domestic flights using your SkyMiles.
How cheap?
The leftovers in your account could be enough to book a roundtrip flight from Las Vegas (LAS) to Seattle (SEA), or vice versa! This was part of a Thrifty Traveler Premium flight deal alert for a SkyMiles flash sale to Seattle and Portland (PDX) that barely put a dent in the SkyMiles accounts of our members.
That's not all, either. We regularly send our Thrifty Traveler Premium members alerts to get to Southern California, for instance. This latest one included some excellent fares for a trip this summer, fall, or winter.
The Delta SkyMiles in your account can get you to the beaches of the West Coast, but don't forget Florida!
With the warm weather and Disney World, Orlando (MCO) is about as tried and true of a domestic destination as you can find. Yet we regularly find cheap SkyMiles fares to get there, too, like this recent deal for a trip this summer, fall, or winter.
These Delta SkyMiles deals are gone now – get the next one in your inbox with Thrifty Traveler Premium!
As always, travelers with a Delta credit card in their wallet get the best deal thanks to an automatic 15% discount when redeeming SkyMiles. And while the cheapest rates are almost always a Delta basic economy ticket, the cost to bump up to a better, main cabin – with free seat selection and cancellation, too – is often just 2,000 to 5,000 SkyMiles more within the U.S.
Want to go even further within the U.S. without breaking the bank? Maybe even head to paradise? We got you.
Hawaii and Back for 9K, Too!
Think Hawaii has to be expensive? Think again. Here's the proof:
We're always searching for Hawaii deals for our Thrifty Traveler Premium members, and we're always finding them. But this find from back in 2023 takes the cake, with ridiculously cheap fares from the West Coast to Kauai (LIH), the Big Island (KOA), and Maui (OGG) as low as 9,000 SkyMiles … roundtrip.
Typically, you can snag Hawaii flights from around 20-40,000 SkyMiles roundtrip, so you can get close, but we may never see sub-10,000-SkyMiles fares ever again.
Montego Bay From 16K SkyMiles RT
Dust off that passport, because you only need about 20,000 SkyMiles to book roundtrip flights to Jamaica this winter, too.
Over the last few months, we've found multiple Montego Bay (MBJ) deals.
Jamaica flight deals aren't always cheap, but when you use your SkyMiles, it all looks much more affordable. Here was the cheapest fare we found on our last deal that included more than 50 U.S. cities flying down to MBJ for under 30,000 SkyMiles.
Boston (BOS) flyers got the best of it at 16,000 SkyMiles roundtrip, but a ton of other cities were under 20,000 roundtrip as well.
It's a little more from some cities, sure, but there are some spectacular 19,000 fares or less from many Delta cities to get you to Jamaica this year for much, much less.
Mexico From 14K SkyMiles RT
Travelers from all over the country could have also gotten down to Tulum, Mexico (TQO) for less than 20,000 SkyMiles, too.
This recent find was exactly what the doctor ordered for many travelers. Delta flyers based in Minneapolis (MSP) got the best of it with this 14,400-SkyMiles fare. And for everyone else, here's all the cities we could fit into a single screenshot!
And for travelers who want to fly to the west coast cities of Puerto Vallarta (PVR) and San Jose del Cabo (SJD), you won't need many more miles, either!
Nonstop flights to Mexico make your next beach vacation a breeze, and at rates like these, you can't afford not to.
The Bahamas from 14K SkyMiles
There's nothing better than the pristine beaches and picture-perfect weather of the Bahamas.
Well, there's just one thing: Getting there for only 14,000 SkyMiles.
We sent this alert to Thrifty Traveler Premium members a few weeks ago, helping them get down to the Bahamas this winter for next to nothing. This deal featured sub-20,000 SkyMiles fares from dozens of U.S. cities all across the country.
The Bahamas are the kind of paradise many travelers dream of, but with just 20,000 SkyMiles, you can book roundtrip Delta flights to finally lock in your trip in 2024 or 2025.
Turks & Caicos from 14K SkyMiles
With roundtrip airfare in the $800s (or more) being the norm, a cheap vacation to Turks & Caicos is a tough sell for many travelers.
But our subscribers who have SkyMiles wouldn't know that…
Cheap SkyMiles fares to Providenciales (PLS) can look like this during one of Delta's patented flash sales.
These are record-low rates from many of these cities, including regional airports like Melbourne, Florida (MLB), Omaha, Nebraska (OMA), and more!
Bottom Line
Delta SkyMiles deals to destinations near and far don't have to cost more than 20,000 SkyMiles in most cases … and it's still a drop in the bucket compared to what we've found over the years.
While Delta SkyMiles get a bad rap for constantly changing, sky-high redemption rates, this is the upside. If you're flexible (or patient enough to wait for a Thrifty Traveler Premium flight deal alert) you can still get an amazing deal with your SkyMiles – and you won't need too many of them.