Delta Upgrade With Miles
Fly completely comfortable with an upgrade to Delta One, First Class, Delta Premium Select or Delta Comfort+ for nearly all Delta flights. When traveling within the U.S. 50, it's easy to use your miles to upgrade during the booking process. Here's how:
delta upgrade with miles
Miles used to purchase upgrades on delta.com after booking may be redeposited into the purchaser's account if changes are made before the check-in window opens. Those miles can be used to book future travel with Delta Air Lines. If you voluntarily change your flight, your upgrade will not be applied to your new reservation. Prices vary by market and are subject to change without notice. This may not apply to all flights. View Terms & Conditions.
Upgrade Certificates are available exclusively for Diamond and Platinum Medallion Members as a part of your Choice Benefits. Upgrade Certificates may be requested and confirmed, subject to availability, when you book your ticket. Global Upgrade Certificates, available exclusively for Diamond Medallion Members, offer upgrades on both international and domestic flights with Delta and select partner airlines. Regional Upgrade Certificates, available for Diamond and Platinum Medallion Members, offer upgrades on the same routes as Medallion Complimentary Upgrades, including all flights with First Class and the domestic Delta One experience. Upgrade Certificates can now be used on Delta Award Travel tickets and Miles + Cash tickets on Delta-operated flights, and there is now no limit to the number of companions you can have1. Learn more about Upgrade Certificates and how to check availability in delta.com search results.
The airline does not publish upgrade availability or allow third-party access to this information. You are allowed to purchase or use miles to upgrade at booking or on an existing reservation, if available, but the pricing can sometimes be prohibitive.
When it comes to securing that coveted upgraded seat, knowledge can be power, and understanding how the process works can certainly gain you leverage when trying to secure an upgraded seat with Delta.
Our guide covers the types of upgrades available with Delta, how the upgrade process works, the value of having a Delta-branded credit card, and tips for increasing your chances of an upgrade on your next Delta flight.
Complimentary upgrades are valid for Comfort+, Delta One domestic flights, and first class on Delta. There are no international complimentary upgrades except for select regional international flights with Delta/Aeromexico. Complimentary upgrades are available on Aeromexico for Medallion members on all Aeromexico flights within Mexico, between Mexico and the U.S., and between Mexico and Central America, the Caribbean, Colombia, and Ecuador.
Log in to your account on delta.com to book your flight, then select a Main Cabin ticket. You will be given the cash price of upgrading your reservation and the option to upgrade with miles at the value of 1 cent per mile. For example, if the cost to upgrade is $450, you have the option to use 45,000 miles.
If you cannot upgrade online you will need to contact a SkyMiles representative. The representative will let you know if the reservation is eligible for a Mileage Upgrade Award and provide you with pricing.
Delta does a nice job of including companions in the upgrade process. If a Medallion member is traveling with a companion, the companion upgrade will receive the same status priority as the Medallion member.
For example, if a Diamond Medallion member is traveling with a companion on the same reservation, the companion will be elevated to Diamond-level priority when it comes to upgrades, regardless of whether the companion has status. However, the companion must be a SkyMiles member and must request the upgrade.
If flying in a premium cabin is your preference, watch for upgrade purchase opportunities at check-in, use miles to upgrade when the value is there, or try to select aircraft with larger premium cabins.
Hi Christine. Great article and thank you for the information. Question related to booking a Delta flight with hopes for an upgrade. I usually book via AMEX Platinum to get the 5x points. However should I book via the Delta Reserve Card if I want to increase my upgrade chances for an International flight?
Booking a flight with the Delta Reserve card will not improve your chances at being upgraded. We recommend you use whichever card will offer you the most value for your spending. In this case, that would be your Amex Platinum card.
I am Silver medallion. Do you think that purchasing comfort + will increase my chances of getting upgraded to first class? I.e. will I only be competing against those in comfort + for the upgrade to first or also with those in basic economy (1 Vs 2 seat upgrades)?
Hi Rob. Purchasing a higher fare class does increase your chances for an upgrade. You will not be competing with basic economy travelers as basic economy fares are not eligible to receive complimentary upgrades or purchase upgrades, regardless of Medallion status. You will be competing with Medallion travelers who have higher status or those who have purchased a higher fare class. Purchasing Comfort Plus could make sense for a more comfortable journey and for a chance at the upgrade. I would also watch for upgrade offers that show up in your reservation. Thanks for reading.
My wife and I are going to South Africa early next year out of Dallas. We would like to take the nonstop Delta flight from Atlanta to JNB but would like to fly in Delta One. Is there any chart/way to know how many miles/points it would take to upgrade from one of the other class seats? We typically fly American or Southwest but my wife does have a lot of Delta miles. Thanks
Hello Blake. That sounds like a wonderful journey. Unfortunately, Delta does not publish a chart for upgrading with miles. The amount of miles needed will depend on the class of service you purchase, with lower main cabin fares costing more to upgrade that Premium Select. Since Premium Select can cost just a few hundred dollars more than Comfort Plus, this may be a good strategy depending on the numbers. If a flight is upgradeable with miles, you will see the offer during the booking process. You can also call and find out the cost. Mileage Upgrade Awards can be available after booking as well and will show up in your reservation.
Honeymooning to Greece from US. A couple of questions concerning upgrading with miles: 1) when will I see the availability? 2)any idea how many miles I will need for the separate legs? 3) what can I do ahead of time to be on the list? The trip is 100 days away now.
First, congratulations Sheree, Greece is an excellent honeymoon destination. Regarding upgrading your trip with miles, I would first check your reservation for upgrade offers. You can do this by logging in to your Delta SkyMiles account and if upgrades are available you may see the offers in your reservation. Pricing is variable depending on route and on the fare class you purchased. Also, there is no published chart that tells us how much it will be. You can also call in and speak with a Delta rep as well.
Basic economy fares are not upgradeable. You are assigned a seat after check-in and it will be a seat in the main cabin seating area. I have even noticed that some basic economy customers have been assigned to even better seats although this is not the published policy and it will depend on availability. When you purchase a basic economy flight, you do have a confirmed ticket and the same rights to fly as any confirmed ticket holder. Here is some more information on basic economy: _US/traveling-with-us/onboard-experience/basic-economy.html
Delta makes all tiers of Medallion members eligible for unlimited complimentary upgrades to first-class and Delta Comfort+ seating on a wide array of routes. Since April 1, 2018, all Delta Medallion elite members have been eligible for day-of-departure unlimited complimentary upgrades to the Delta One experience on flights within the U.S., including flights to Hawaii.
Global Upgrade Certificates, available exclusively for Diamond Medallion members, offer upgrades on both international and domestic flights with Delta along with select flights with KLM, Air France, Virgin Atlantic, Korean Air and Aeromexico. Regional Upgrade Certificates, available for Diamond and Platinum Medallion members, offer upgrades on the same routes as complimentary upgrades, including all flights with first class and the domestic Delta One experience.
For starters, GUCs recently changed for the worse. Starting Feb. 1, 2022, these certificates only offer confirmed upgrades for one cabin higher than originally purchased. On flights with a Premium Select cabin, Main Cabin tickets will upgrade to Premium Select. Then, the elite member processing the upgrade will be placed on a Delta One upgrade waitlist 24 hours before departure. The good news is that there will be last-seat upgrade availability in Premium Select on international flights. Likewise, there will be last-seat availability when you use your GUC to upgrade a domestic flight, even on Delta One routes.
Each certificate may be used to upgrade flights operated by Delta Air Lines or Delta Connection booked in the P, A, G, W, Y, B, M, H, Q, K, L, U, T, X or V fare classes, and may also be used to upgrade on SkyMiles awards, Pay with Miles tickets and companion certificates.
With more customers than ever earning miles in everyday activities other than flying, like using their Delta SkyMiles American Express Credit Card, grabbing a Lyft or staying at an Airbnb, even Members with lower balances will find their miles more valuable as the global airline expands the ability to use them.
With Delta Air Lines, you can book your ticket today with cash, then use SkyMiles to upgrade your flight during the booking process or at a later date. Delta Medallion members are also eligible for unlimited complimentary upgrades. 041b061a72