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If you’ve been stockpiling Delta SkyMiles, it feels like a no brainer to book with their miles, right? But the more I got into traveling on points and miles, the more I realized miles with individual airlines aren’t always the best deal.

In fact, Delta flights can often be booked for a lot fewer points through partner programs.

Just getting started with points? Make sure to start with my beginners guide to points and miles. It’s a game-changer, especially when you’re planning trips for a whole family.

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Why I Rarely Use Delta SkyMiles to Book Delta Flights

Here’s the problem: Delta uses dynamic pricing for their award flights, meaning the number of miles can be very high based on timing and the number of seats booked. A typical “deal” you might see for business class is often upwards of 300,000+ miles roundtrip, and that’s just for one seat.

Instead of using Delta SkyMiles, I often transfer flexible points from my favorite cards to partner programs like Virgin Atlantic Flying Club or KLM/Air France Flying Blue to book Delta flights.

How can I do this? It’s because these airline programs are part of the same airline alliance as Delta, but they use distance- or region-based pricing, which can make the exact same flight cost a fraction of the miles.

That said, you won’t find every Delta flight available through these programs, because Delta only releases a limited number of seats to its partners. This is where flexibility with your dates and routes can really pay off.

While Delta is known for high award prices, they’ve actually improved a lot in recent years with flash sales and better pricing for cardholders. If you stack those discounts with a Delta credit card, there are definitely times when using SkyMiles still makes sense; it just shouldn’t be your only option.

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Example: Booking a Delta One Flight to Europe

Let’s say you’re eyeing a Delta One business class flight from New York to Paris. Here’s how it might look:

Virgin Atlantic and Flying Blue are both transfer partners of all the major banks points programs, which makes them incredibly easy to use.

That’s what makes flexible points so powerful… you’re not stuck earning one specific type of point. You can pull from almost anywhere and book the same flight for way fewer points.

If you’re wondering how to rack up flexible points, here’s a list of my favorite travel cards for families that let you earn rewards you can transfer to Virgin or Flying Blue.

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This Trick Works for More Than Just Delta

It’s not just Delta where this strategy works. Most major airlines belong to alliances, which means you can book flights through partner programs and sometimes pay fewer points.

A couple of examples:

• American Airlines flights can often be booked with British Airways or Qatar Avios for fewer miles, especially for short-haul flights.
• United Airlines flights can sometimes be booked with Air Canada Aeroplan or Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles at much lower rates, especially in business class.

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The Credit Cards That Make This Work

There’s certain banks that I can’t name the card and others I can. So here’s my list of the most popular cards people start with for flexible points.

If you are wanting Delta cards to stack the awards discount, here’s a few of those.

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
GUIDE HERE

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
GUIDE HERE

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
GUIDE HERE

But when you earn transferable points, you get options.

You can:

• Transfer to programs like Virgin Atlantic or Flying Blue when they have better pricing
• Compare multiple programs before booking
• Book the exact same flight for a fraction of the points

That flexibility is what makes the biggest difference, especially when you’re booking for a whole family.

The reason I love this strategy is because all the major banks transfer to programs like Flying Blue and Virgin Atlantic, so you’re not tied to just one system. You can earn points first, decide later how you want to use them, and then use co-branded cards to top off points where you need them.

If you want a simple breakdown of which points transfer where, I have a free cheat sheet HERE that makes it really easy to see your options.

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Delta’s Improvements

Now this doesn’t mean you should completely ignore Delta.

Delta has actually gotten a lot better about running flash sales and discounted award deals, and sometimes those prices are really good. This is where tools like Thrifty Traveler can be helpful. They’ll alert you when those deals pop up so you don’t have to constantly search.

If you already have a Delta card, that can sometimes give you access to better pricing or make it easier to take advantage of those deals when they come up with their award discounts.

So it’s not that SkyMiles are “bad,” it’s just that they shouldn’t be your only option.

Flexible points give you the ability to compare, pivot, and book the best deal available. That’s what makes this strategy work so well.

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Don’t Let Miles Go to Waste

Delta Skymiles miles aren’t worthless! They can still be useful, especially if you earn them through flying or promotions. But when you have flexible points in your account, you open the door to better deals and fewer miles spent.

If you’re planning a trip and want your points to stretch as far as possible, make sure you’re checking partner options before locking in a flight. It’s one of the easiest ways to travel more—without blowing through all your points.

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Editorial Disclosure: Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.

Advertiser Disclosure: The Rewards Mom has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. The Rewards Mom and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.