How to Claim Missing Delta SkyMiles

Ramsey QubeinDecember 24, 2019
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Savvy travelers know to keep their boarding passes until after any miles have posted to their frequent flyer account. When earning miles with Delta SkyMiles partners, this tip is especially valuable, as miles can post slowly when SkyTeam partners are involved.

While it’s easy to follow up on those missing miles, another tip is to always make sure your SkyMiles number is in your reservation and appears on your boarding pass before travel.

If you have your boarding pass and ticket receipt, you can reach out to Delta on Twitter or Facebook to share details like ticket number, booking class and boarding pass to see if they can help. Otherwise, you’ll need to visit Delta’s website for assistance.

Request missing SkyMiles

After you log in to your account, select Request Mileage Credit under the Manage Your Account section of the SkyMiles drop-down at the top.

You can submit a mileage claim if it has been at least seven days since the flight (some partner airlines take longer to process miles). If you're requesting missing miles from a Delta flight, enter your SkyMiles number and ticket number (found on your boarding pass or on your ticket receipt) to submit the request.

Ticket numbers for Delta-issued tickets begin with 006, while partner airline tickets will have a different prefix. If you don't know your ticket number or SkyMiles number, you can talk to a Delta phone agent to get these details after answering a few security verification questions — just call 800-221-1212.

And don’t worry if you’re not a member of SkyMiles — you can still join after a flight and request retroactive credit for nine months prior to joining the program.

The bottom line

It's always best to ensure your mileage number is on your reservation and printed on your boarding pass before travel. But even if it is and your miles still don’t post, requesting them from Delta is easy. Just save your documentation like a ticket receipt and boarding pass for proof of travel.

Keep in mind that some of the cheapest fares on Delta partners are eligible for minimal (if any) mileage accrual. If you’re not sure if your fare is eligible for mileage credit, you can check by selecting your airline here.

Frequently asked questions

You can request miles for previous flights by using Delta’s “Request Mileage Credit” tool. You’ll need to be logged in to your SkyMiles account to access this tool.

Delta’s “Request Mileage Credit” tool lets you claim miles after the fact.

You need about 10,000 SkyMiles for the lowest-priced, one-way award flights, but the cost of any given flight varies significantly based on demand.

80,000 SkyMiles are worth about $720, according to our most recent valuations.

No, Delta SkyMiles do not expire. However, they will likely lose value over time.

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