Delta Now Allows You to Cash Out Miles for Gift Cards

I have a weird relationship with frequent flier miles. The main problem is that airlines seem to have a much different definition of “frequent flier” than I do. As a result, my few flights a year — even if those flights take me around the world — don’t do much in the way of getting me the status I so crave. That said, I am at least getting to the point where I can make some use of my points. This is especially true now that my airline of choice, Delta, allows you to trade in miles for gift cards.

This revelation comes courtesy of The Points Guy, which notes that you can now redeem 7,150 SkyMiles for a $50 gift card, 14,300 for $100, and 35,700 for $250, etc. in Delta’s marketplace. At first glance, this is great news for me, as I am just on the verge of that $100 threshold. Unfortunately, the site goes on to disclose that the conversion rate for these gift cards is far lower than it would be if you were redeeming directly for flights. In fact, while they peg the average Delta SkyMile price per point at 1.2¢, this gift card “deal” shakes to about .7¢ per mile.

While that math is certainly disappointing, there may still be some value in Delta’s new offering. One of the frustrating things I’ve encountered when looking to make use of my points is that I don’t have nearly enough points to cover the long, overseas flights I normally embark on. Sure I could probably book a flight to, say, Nashville on my limited points, but there’s no way I’m getting to Europe. Moreover, while Delta does offer a Miles + Cash option, this only slightly lowers the number of miles required as a base. Thus, I’ll either need to settle for a short, domestic flight or save up a lot longer in order to cash in on my miles. Presented with this reality, I’d be lying if I said that having a $100 I could use to upgrade my seat or at least subsidize my next flight much sooner didn’t sound appealing.

There is still another downside to the gift card deal, which is that they only offer physical cards and not e-certificates. As a result, if you’re hoping to book right away, that might not work out for you. Additionally, since I obviously have yet to try this gift card route, I also can’t speak to the process of using them to book flights or other perks. Still, overall I do appreciate that Delta is adding another option so that even not-so-frequent-fliers like me can get rewarded for our loyalty.

Author

Kyle Burbank

Kyle is a freelance writer and author whose first book, "The E-Ticket Life" is now available on Amazon. In addition to his weekly "Money at 30" column on Dyer News, he is also the editorial director and a writer for the Disney fan site LaughingPlace.com and the founder of Money@30.com.

Other Articles by Kyle Burbank

Alaska Airlines plane

Travel Tuesday: Alaska Airlines is Offering a Status Match Challenge to Delta Elites

A few weeks back, Delta announced numerous changes impacting their most loyal customers. While I personally focused on the SkyClub entry rules and restrictions that are on the way, the adjustments made to the SkyMiles program were arguably even more disruptive. Not only did the airline move to a model...
Fellow Ode 2 Coffee Grinder

My Quick Review of the Fellow Ode 2 Coffee Grinder

A couple of weeks back, in my column on Fioney, I somewhat lamented a recent splurge purchase — not because I was necessarily upset with what I bought but what the process of doing so said about some of my personal finance failings. The item in question was the Fellow...

Should You Buy, Lease, or Finance Your Next Smartphone?

Remember a few years ago when you thought that friend of yours who always had the latest model iPhone was crazy for spending that much? That’s changed in recent years as carriers and others now allow you to essentially lease your device. Taking a page from the auto industry, you...
The "Email" field is empty, you must enter some text to proceed.The text you entered in the "Email" field appears to be invalid, please edit it and try again
Get Posts in Your Inbox
Featured Articles
Alaska Airlines plane

Travel Tuesday: Alaska Airlines is Offering a Status Match Challenge to Delta Elites

A few weeks back, Delta announced numerous changes impacting their most loyal customers. While I personally focused on the SkyClub entry rules and restrictions that are on the way, the adjustments made to the SkyMiles program were arguably even more disruptive. Not only did the airline move to a model...
Fellow Ode 2 Coffee Grinder

My Quick Review of the Fellow Ode 2 Coffee Grinder

A couple of weeks back, in my column on Fioney, I somewhat lamented a recent splurge purchase — not because I was necessarily upset with what I bought but what the process of doing so said about some of my personal finance failings. The item in question was the Fellow...

Should You Buy, Lease, or Finance Your Next Smartphone?

Remember a few years ago when you thought that friend of yours who always had the latest model iPhone was crazy for spending that much? That’s changed in recent years as carriers and others now allow you to essentially lease your device. Taking a page from the auto industry, you...
Bilt and Curve credit cards

Bilt Has Seemingly Shut Down Rewards on Curve Transactions

Ya know, some weeks I really struggle to find a quick tip post to share. And then there are weeks like this that are so overflowing with news that I don't even know where to start. So, since I trust you've already read about the big news regarding Delta SkyMiles...