Delta devalues its SkyMiles…again

Bad news for Delta SkyMiles holders, including myself. Your points have just been devalued again…possibly.

Some are hoping it’s a temporary measure or mistake in the system, but multiple outlets have reported that partner flights booked through Delta using SkyMiles are now being matched with Delta operated costs.

If you’re unsure what this means, here’s an example:
Previously, if you wanted to book a flight with one of Delta’s SkyTeam partners, you could check Delta’s booking portal and find excellent deals using your SkyMiles. A hypothetical flight to Paris might cost 60,000 SkyMiles using a Delta operated route. The same route using Air France might only have costed 35,000 points. Now, it appears Delta have increased any partner flights to match their own, so that Air France route is now 60,000 miles, too.

There are still some sweet spots, however. If Delta doesn’t operate any flights itself to the airport you want to use, the points are still similar to before this apparent change. But for now, it’s going to pay dividends to do extra research and maybe avoid the Delta credit cards.