Do Delta Miles Expire?

With so many airline loyalty programs, it’s hard to keep track of all the rules and benefits. Rewards expiration policies vary from program to program, and it’s impossible to remember each one. Do your miles expire? If so, when? And how do you keep them from vanishing from your account?

As a Delta Air Lines customer, you might be wondering, “Do Delta miles expire?” We’ve got the answer for you.

Do Delta SkyMiles expire?

Delta SkyMiles don’t expire regardless of the activity in your account. Your Delta SkyMiles won’t disappear because you didn’t earn more within a specific time frame. That means you don’t have to come up with creative ways to get miles in a pinch just to keep them alive.

In contrast, many frequent flyer programs have expiration policies usually ranging from 18 to 36 months. So if you’re reluctant to join a loyalty program for fear of not flying often enough, remember that you can accumulate SkyMiles at a slow rate without losing them.

When can Delta close your account?

Although Delta SkyMiles don’t expire for inactivity, the airline can deactivate or close an account if the account holder:

• Has fraudulent activity on their account.

• Requests account closure.

• Dies.

• Doesn’t respond to communication regarding their account.

• Moves to a country where membership is prohibited by law.

• Violates terms of participation in the program.

Staying on Delta’s good side is important if you don’t want your account closed. Here are some of the most important rules to remember:

• Members can’t have multiple SkyMiles numbers.

• First, middle and last names must match a government-issued identification.

• Members can’t sell or barter miles or other benefits to another member.

To avoid the closure of your SkyMiles account, make sure your contact information is up to date and the name matches your ID, and log in to your account every once in a while to keep it active. Additionally, don’t exchange SkyMiles for money, or your program membership could be terminated for violation of terms.

Earn Delta miles quickly

Although you don’t need to keep earning Delta SkyMiles to extend their expiration date, it’s good to have some activity on the account to keep it in good standing.

Besides flying with the airline or its partners, making purchases with a co-branded Delta SkyMiles card is probably the easiest way to earn a chunk of miles. American Express issues Delta co-branded credit cards, and consumers and business owners have a variety of card options, ranging from basic to premium. Here are the available cards, their annual fees and their welcome offers:

• Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card (annual fee: $0): Earn 10,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months. Terms Apply.

• Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card (annual fee: $0 intro for the first year, then $150): Earn 40,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card (annual fee: $350): Earn 50,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (annual fee: $650): Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

• Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card (annual fee: $0 intro for the first year, then $150): Earn 55,000 Bonus Miles after spending $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card (annual fee: $350): Earn 65,000 Bonus Miles after spending $6,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card (annual fee: $650): Earn 75,000 Bonus Miles after spending $10,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

Depending on the card, you can earn 2 to 3 Delta SkyMiles per dollar spent on Delta purchases, 2 miles at restaurants worldwide and 1 mile on all other purchases (plus bonus miles in a few other card-specific categories). The more you use your card, the quicker you accumulate miles.

Other ways to earn SkyMiles include flying Delta and its partners, enrolling in the SkyMiles Dining program and ordering meals at participating restaurants, taking Lyft rides and booking vacation rentals on Airbnb.

» Learn more: Best ways to earn Delta SkyMiles

Other airline miles that don’t expire

Wondering what other airlines have the same rewards expiration policy? Delta isn’t unique in that its SkyMiles don’t expire. The following airlines offer their loyalty program members the same benefit:

• JetBlue Airways.

• Southwest Airlines.

• United Airlines.

Even if you don’t fly often, crediting your miles to these programs will build a balance over time. The miles won’t go away just because you’re not a frequent flyer.

If you’re worried that your Delta SkyMiles will expire …

Don’t. Delta miles never expire. You don’t have to worry about earning more miles just to extend their validity. Just make sure to abide by the program’s rules to prevent your account from being deactivated.

Photo courtesy of Delta Air Lines.

To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, see this page.