While we’ve recently seen some enticing Delta award flash sales (e.g. domestic: 10,000 miles round-trip, Mexico: 12,000 miles round-trip, Asia: 40,000 miles round-trip, Australia: 58,000 miles round-trip), today’s might be the best ever. Nonstop flights to Europe are currently pricing as low as 22,000 SkyMiles round-trip. It’s rare to book an award ticket to Europe for anything less than 34,000 miles round-trip through any mileage program.
At current TPG valuations, 22,000 SkyMiles are worth just $264. Adding in taxes and fees starting at $57 and this is equivalent to scoring a $321 round-trip deal. But, what’s especially valuable about these awards are that they book into the Main Cabin, not basic economy. So, you’ll be able to check up to a 50 pound bag each way for free.
If you’re short on miles, remember that you can instantly transfer American Express Membership Rewards points into your SkyMiles account at 1:1 ratio.
This is an unpublished flash sale, so it could disappear at any time. Make sure to jump on this quickly.
Airline: Delta
Routes: US Cities (JFK/SFO/ORD/DEN/LAX and likely others) to Europe (ZRH/BRU/FRA/MAD/LHR and likely others)
Cost: 22,000+ SkyMiles and $57+ round-trip in economy
Dates: October to May with the best availability in January-March
Booking Link: Directly with Delta
Pay Taxes/Fees With: The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on airfare), Chase Sapphire Reserve, Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express, Citi Prestige (3x on airfare plus excellent trip-delay insurance) or Chase Sapphire Preferred (2x on travel)
Here are a few examples of what you can book:
New York Kennedy (JFK) to Zurich (ZRH) for 22,000 miles + $57 in taxes and fees round-trip nonstop:
San Francisco (SFO) to Zurich (ZRH) for 26,000 miles + $63 in taxes and fees round-trip:
Chicago (ORD) to Brussels (BRU) for 26,000 miles + $62 in taxes and fees round-trip:
Denver (DEN) to Frankfurt (FRA) for 26,000 miles + $124 in taxes and fees round-trip:
New York Kennedy (JFK) to Madrid (MAD) for 28,000 miles + $51 in taxes and fees round-trip nonstop:
Los Angeles (LAX) to London Heathrow (LHR) for 30,000 miles + $185 in taxes and fees round-trip:
Maximize Your Purchase
Don’t forget to use a credit card that earns additional points on airfare purchases to pay the taxes and fees, such as the Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel), Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express Premier Rewards Gold or Citi Prestige (3x on airfare) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on all travel purchases). Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.
If you don’t have enough SkyMiles in your account, consider signing up for one of the Delta credit cards to ensure you’re able to take advantage of a deal next time one pops up. For example, the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express currently comes with a bonus of 60,000 SkyMiles after you spend $3,000 in the first four months. Offer ends Sept. 19. Also, this is a great card for defeating basic economy.
H/T: Dan’s Deals
Featured image via Getty Images.