The Guide to Delta Flights to Vegas with SkyMiles

For both American and international travelers, Las Vegas is one of the most popular destinations in the U.S. Its casinos, restaurants and live entertainment attracted more than 32 million visitors in 2021. And Las Vegas has been the top trade show destination in the U.S. for 22 straight years. Whether you're heading to Sin City for a convention or to spend a weekend at the slots, the first step you’re going to want to take is figuring out how to get there. The answer is usually by plane, and that’s where Delta Air Lines comes into play.

While many travelers pay cash for their flights, we're going to show you how to book Delta flights to Las Vegas using miles.

Delta is one of the largest airlines in the U.S., which means there are many departure cities to choose from when planning your trip. For example, there are eight nonstop Delta flights from Atlanta to Las Vegas daily. And travelers in the north can choose from five nonstop Delta flights from Detroit to Las Vegas.

The process of booking a flight is the same no matter which city you depart from, so we'll choose Atlanta as our departure city and outline the steps you’ll need to take to book Delta flights to Las Vegas on the web. You may also book award flights to Las Vegas on the Delta app, but in this tutorial we're going to focus on booking through the website.

» Learn more: Delta Air Lines SkyMiles program: The complete guide

1. Start the process at Delta.com

To redeem miles for Delta flights to Las Vegas, the first step is to access your account. Go to Delta.com and select the red "Log In" button in the upper right corner.

2. Log in to your account

Log in to your Delta SkyMiles account by entering your SkyMiles number or username and your password. You can check the "Keep Me Logged In" box if you want to make it easier to access your account in the future. Then, select the red "Log In" button in the middle of the screen.

If you can't remember your log-in details, select the appropriate "Forgot Login" or "Forgot Password" links.

3. Enter your flight details

The next step is to enter your preferred flight details such as:

• Departure city.

• Destination city.

• If you're looking for a round-trip vs. one-way flight.

• Preferred travel dates.

• How many passengers will be traveling.

Before selecting the red arrow to start your search, check the box that says "Shop with Miles." The box is just below your destination city.

Selecting "Advanced Search" allows you to include nearby airports and choose which fare class you want to fly. If you pick a specific fare class for your search, you can change your search later when the search results are shown.

4. Flexible dates vs. price calendar

By checking the “my dates are flexible” box before you complete your search, you may be able to save miles on your desired trip. When you check the box, the "flexible dates" calendar is shown. This allows you to see the prices of flights based on your preferred travel dates, plus the departure and return dates three days before and after. By showing you multiple options, you can quickly determine the cheapest travel dates using Delta SkyMiles.

Switching over to the “price calendar” option shows the prices for your trip length within a five-week window. This lets you know which departure dates are the cheapest for that length of travel. You can easily change the length of the trip from the dropbox at the top of the screen.

5. Flight options

Once you've confirmed which dates you want to travel, select the red "Continue" box to see the flight options for those travel days. If you've chosen a round-trip flight, you'll see the departure date options first.

In this view, you'll see options for Basic Economy, Main Cabin, Comfort+ and First Class.

You can sort and filter the results by selecting from the drop-down menu in the upper right corner. Options can be sorted or filtered by:

• Price.

• Number of stops.

• Departure or arrival time.

• Travel time.

• Ticket type.

• Number of stops.

• Connection time.

• Total cost in miles.

• Connection airports.

Once you've found your preferred departure flight, select it and you'll automatically move forward to select your return flight. Repeat the process above to filter or sort flights that meet your criteria. Note that if you select main cabin or above, basic economy options will not present themselves for the return flight.

The flights with the lowest fare are indicated with a brown flag in the upper left corner.

6. Flight summary

After selecting your return flight, you'll be brought to a screen to check out. This screen summarizes your flight choices. The total price in miles and cash will be shown.

You may also receive an offer to upgrade your flight to a higher fare class. In this example, it's 42,000 miles per person to upgrade to Comfort+.

7. Select your seats and baggage allowance

You can select your seats using the "Select Seats" button. The baggage allowance for your flight is also shown here.

When you choose "Select Seats," a pop-up opens with a diagram of the plane and its seating configuration. The seats are color-coded; you can upgrade to another fare class by selecting those seats.

Seats with an "X" are unavailable, while seats with a person icon are taken. If there's a white triangle in the upper right corner, then there's a fee to select that seat.

Choose your seat for the departure flight, then select "Next Flight" and choose your seats for the return flight. When you're done, select "Save & Exit" to go back to checkout.

8. Enter passenger details

Enter the passenger information for the people traveling. If you are flying, then your information will be pre-populated from your Delta SkyMiles profile. When you check the "I'm not traveling" box, a drop-down menu will appear with the names of travelers you've saved to your account. If you're not booking for one of those travelers, enter the details of the new traveler(s).

9. Payment information and trip protection

While you're paying for your flight with miles, keep in mind that you will still have to pay out of pocket for all applicable taxes and fees. If you've already saved your payment information, your primary form of payment will already be populated. Otherwise, enter your credit card details.

You can also purchase trip protection for a flat fee to cover:

• Trip cancellation.

• Trip interruption.

• Emergency medical and dental transportation.

• Baggage delay benefits.

Many travel credit cards offer these benefits for no extra charge, so review your card details before paying extra for something that you may already have for free.

10. Complete purchase

After reviewing your earnings toward elite status, choose "Complete Purchase" to book your flight.

You have 24 hours from purchase to change your mind and receive a complete refund without penalty. All flights originating in North America and the Caribbean no longer have change or cancellation fees, except for basic economy. Basic economy flights must cancel within 24 hours from purchase to avoid fees.

When you're booking Delta flights to Vegas using your SkyMiles, here are some tips to maximize your award reservation.

• Join the Delta SkyMiles loyalty program first. In order to use miles to book Delta flights to Las Vegas, you need to have a Delta SkyMiles account with miles in it. You can earn miles from your flights, Delta credit card spending and more.

• Transfer points from American Express Membership Rewards. If you need more miles to complete your booking, Membership Rewards points transfer to Delta SkyMiles on a 1:1 basis. There is a minimum transfer of 1,000 AmEx points.

• Convert Marriott Bonvoy points. Another option is converting Marriott Bonvoy points to Delta SkyMiles. For every three Bonvoy points, you'll receive one Delta mile. Transfers start at 3,000 Marriott points, with a maximum of 240,000 points per day.

• Be flexible in your travel dates. Being flexible can save you thousands of miles on your award booking. The Delta award calendars are very helpful in making it easy to identify the travel dates with the cheapest flights.

• Look at alternate airports. For travelers who live close to multiple airports, consider multiple options. Although it may require a longer drive, the savings from flying out of an alternate airport might be worth it.

• Compare cash to award prices. Before booking your Delta flights to Las Vegas using miles, look up what the cash prices are. If you're not getting enough value for your award booking, then you might want to consider paying cash for the flight instead. We value Delta SkyMiles at 1.2 cents per mile.

• Understand your credit card benefits. Many travel credit cards include numerous travel benefits and protections. For example, every Delta co-branded card with an annual fee receives priority boarding and the first checked bag free. Some travel credit cards also include travel insurance, which can help in case your trip is delayed, canceled, or otherwise interrupted.

• Consider getting a separate travel insurance policy. If the credit card you use doesn’t come with built-in protections, consider securing your investment by adding a standalone travel insurance policy.

• Earn Delta miles for your airport ride. Thanks to the partnership between Delta and Lyft, you'll earn two miles per dollar spent on your Lyft ride to the airport. All other rides earn one mile per dollar. You must register and link your accounts first to start earning these extra miles.

It is possible to book Delta flights to Las Vegas using your Delta SkyMiles. The process is fairly straightforward, and the Delta flexible dates and price calendar make it simple to find the lowest award prices. If you don't have enough miles to book your flight, you have multiple options including getting a new Delta card or transferring points from American Express Membership Rewards or Marriott Bonvoy.

Before you complete your purchase, make sure that you're getting enough value from your miles, otherwise, it may make sense to pay cash for your flight.