(EXPIRED) Big Delta SkyMiles sale: Hong Kong 30K RT, Australia 50K RT, domestic 10K RT, more (economy class)

Delta is offering a great SkyMiles Flash Sale to domestic destinations as well as Hong Kong, Australia, Europe, and Latin America / the Caribbean valid for travel in September to most destinations (European destinations valid through March 2019). These deals are in economy class, so they won’t appeal to those who prefer to use miles to fly in business or first class — but for those looking to stetch their miles as far as possible (see what I did there?), this sale looks pretty terrific. Remember that Delta is both an Amex transfer partner and Marriott / SPG transfer partner.

The Deal

• Delta SkyMiles Flash Sale with round trip flights within the US and to/from Hong Kong, Australia, Latin America / Caribbean, and Europe
• Direct link to this promotion

Key Terms

• Dates vary by destination – see the promotion page for more details
• Note that even though some of them say 7-day advance purchase is required, I saw some of these deals available closer in than that
• Purchase by September 5, 2018

Quick Thoughts

There are some very good values available in this sale. I’d say that flights to Hong Kong are a particular standout value, with round trips starting at just 30K SkyMiles. These are the listed cities:

• Boston, MA (BOS) to Hong Kong (HKG) 34,000 miles + taxes & fees*
• Los Angeles, CA (LAX) to Hong Kong (HKG) 30,000 miles + taxes & fees*
• New York-Kennedy, NY (JFK) to Hong Kong (HKG) 34,000 miles + taxes & fees*
• Portland, OR (PDX) to Hong Kong (HKG) 30,000 miles + taxes & fees*
• San Fransisco, CA (SFO) to Hong Kong (HKG) 30,000 miles + taxes & fees*
• Seattle, Washington (SEA) to Hong Kong (HKG) 30,000 miles + taxes & fees*

Thirty to thirty-four thousand miles round trip seems like a steal for what is a very long trip. You’ll still be on the hook for about $70 in taxes, but that’s still not a bad deal at all.

Australia is a long way to go in economy class, but people do it every day and live to tell the tale. At 50K SkyMiles round trip, it’s a very good value for SkyMiles. Delta lists the following city pairs:

• Atlanta, GA (ATL) to Sydney, Australia (SYD) 50,000 miles + taxes & fees*
• Boston, MA (BOS) to Sydney, Australia (SYD) 50,000 miles + taxes & fees*
• Detroit, MI (DTW) to Sydney, Australia (SYD) 50,000 miles + taxes & fees*
• Los Angeles, CA (LAX) to Sydney, Australia (SYD) 50,000 miles + taxes & fees*
• Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN (MSP) to Sydney, Australia (SYD) 50,000 miles + taxes & fees*
• New York-Kennedy, NY (JFK) to Sydney, Australia (SYD) 50,000 miles + taxes & fees*
• Portland, OR (PDX) to Sydney, Australia (SYD) 50,000 miles + taxes & fees*
• Seattle, Washington (SEA) to Sydney, Australia (SYD) 50,000 miles + taxes & fees*

Availability isn’t quite as good on this one now, but there are still dates available. Here is New York to Sydney — you’ll have to kick in $117 in taxes & fees, but considering the fact that economy class fares are regularly $1100+ on this route, this is a pretty decent use of SkyMiles.

In past sales, I’ve often found that there are additionally lower-than-normal prices from other cities, so it’s worth checking even if you aren’t in one of the listed cities. For instance, I checked Albany, NY to Sydney, Australia, and that came up at 64,000 miles round trip, which might beat positioning depending on your situation.

There are also domestic deals like Detroit to Miami for 15K miles round trip, Boston or New York to West Palm Beach for 10K miles round trip. Deals to Europe include New York to Brussels or Zurich for 26K round trip.

Not all deals are stellar. Atlanta to London for 58K SkyMiles round trip doesn’t seem particularly exciting, nor does Salt Lake City to Los Cabos, Mexico for 34K since you should be able to get that route for 23K Iberia Avios round trip (or maybe even better with Southwest?). You’ll have to shop around. See the link under “The Deal” to see the full list of destinations and terms.

H/T: Miles to Memories

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