Delta Skymiles are often ridiculed for being low value and moving the industry dangerously to a revenue based model, but they sometimes are quite useful, given that American, United, and Aeroplan have all devalued in the past few years.

I received a neat email where Delta is discounting the miles required for economy class trips between the US and Canada on the west coast. There are some stunning deals available, such as 4,500 miles from Victoria to San Francisco. Normally, this would cost 12,500 Aeroplan each way.

Delta Airlines Canada Award Discount Details

I’m guessing this has something to do with the weakness of the Canadian economy, and the strength of the US Dollar which makes ex-Canada traffic to the US much lighter than previous years. While the cash fares are relatively cheap on these routes – it’s worth comparing to a miles ticket as there are some city pairs that are more expensive than others. The discounted price is not available every day.

However, since Skymiles simply charges airport taxes on these awards, taxes start at only $5.60 departing from the US.

There are a lot of restrictions on this sale – really similar to a paid fare. You must fly only Delta/Delta Connection metal, and this sale is valid only on economy class redemptions. There are also some other date restrictions:

• Purchase By: April 28
• Travel Between: May 20 – Aug 13
• Advance Purchase: 21 days
• Blackout Dates:

All Markets: May 26 – May 30, 2016, June 30 – July 11, 2016, July 18, 2016, July 25, 2016 and August 1, 2016
Billings, MT to Vancouver, BC: July 27 – August 1, 2016 and August 4 – August 9, 2016
Bozeman, MT to Vancouver, BC: August 4 – August 8, 2016
Juneau, AK to Calgary, AB: May 21 – May 24, 2016, July 12, 2016 and July 27 – July 31, 2016
Los Angeles, CA to Edmonton, AB: June 16 – June 21, 2016, June 23 – June 27, 2016, July 22 – July 26, 2016 and
August 4 – August 8, 2016
Los Angeles, CA to Victoria, BC: June 16 – June 21, 2016, June 23 – June 27, 2016 and August 4 – August 8, 2016
Portland, OR to Victoria, BC: June 10 – June 14, 2016
Salt Lake City, UT to Victoria, BC: June 23 – June 27, 2016
Sacramento, CA to Edmonton, AB: July 12, 2016, July 15 – July 19, 2016 and July 22 – July 26, 2016.

These fares also work on the east cost – for example Orlando to Montreal is only 9,500 miles.

Obtaining Delta Miles

Until Delta comes back with a co-branded credit card in the Canadian Marketplace, this sale works best for those who already have Skymiles. American Express Membership Rewards transfer at a 1:0.75 ratio – therefore it’s only worth it for the redemptions that are 4,500 miles. Starwood points also transfer at a 1:1 ratio, but I would recommend saving your valuable SPG points for other redemptions.

You can earn American Express Membership Rewards with these four cards, offering excellent signup bonuses:

• Business Platinum Card: 75,000 Points
• Business Gold Card: 40,000 Points
• Platinum Charge Card: 75,000 Points
• Gold Charge Card: 25,000 Points

Keep in mind that Delta elites also get upgrades on award tickets, so that stacks even more value with this sale. For full details, see the Delta Award Sale to Canada here.

—

Let’s connect: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Canadian Kilomters contains Terms of Use which maybe be applicable to your activity on this site. You agree to be legally bound to these terms when using the website, which shall take effect immediately on your first use of the website.