How to Claim Missing Delta SkyMiles

You can get the miles you earned from a past Delta flight credited to your account after the fact.

Ramsey Qubein, Sam KemmisMay 9, 2021
Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This may influence which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.

Not seeing Delta SkyMiles in your account that should be there? Forgot to add your SkyMiles number to a reservation? Don’t worry, Delta makes it relatively easy to claim missing miles. Here we explain the steps to take and some advice for avoiding missing miles in the future.

» Learn more: Delta Air Lines SkyMiles Program: The Complete Guide

Request missing SkyMiles

After you log in to your Delta 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.

More missing Delta miles advice

Keep your boarding pass

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.

Add your SkyMiles number to every reservation

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.

Reach out on social media

If you have your boarding pass and ticket receipt, you can reach out to Delta on Twitter or Facebook (via direct messages) 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.

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.

How to Maximize Your Rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2021, including those best for: