A New Way Travel Advisors Can Use Clients’ SkyMiles for Delta Vacations

Image: Delta Air Line's Boeing 737 MAX 10. (photo via Delta Air Lines Media)

by Laurie Baratti
Last updated: 3:10 PM ET, Thu June 8, 2023

Delta Vacations just made an exciting new announcement that sure to pique the interest of its partners in the travel agent community. Starting today, travel advisors can access gain the ability to pay with their clients’ Delta SkyMiles accrued loyalty points when planning their next great vacation experience.

Members’ miles can be used to pay for all vacation elements, or selectively for flights, accommodations, attractions, activities, etc. Advisors can apply their clients’ SkyMiles rewards toward a wide variety of getaways to more than 300 destinations around the globe, at any time, with no blackout dates.

Rewards miles from one Member’s account only can be redeemed per booking, but can be applied as payment for anyone who is included under the same reservation. There are no restrictions as to the minimum or maximum number of miles you can use, and no promo code is necessary when booking your client’s next vacation. SkyMiles Members will even earn miles on the trips they book using their rewards.

How To Apply Clients' SkyMiles To Their Booking:

First, create your client’s booking via the WorldAgent Direct portal or by calling the Customer Engagement Center, since a booking number will need to have been generated before you can begin the miles redemption process.
Provide your client with the booking number, as well as the WorldAgent Direct SMS contact number so that they can initiate a text exchange to authorize application of their miles as payment. The client will need to text the number (833-312-3048) stating clearly that they want to pay for their referenced booking using rewards miles. This must be done via SMS texting, as calling to redeem those miles isn’t an option.
Clients must have paid their deposit in full before their miles can be applied toward anything else. And, Delta Vacations won’t accept rewards miles as a method of payment unless the accrued total fully covers or exceeds the required deposit amount.

Own Your Vacation Style (Courtesy of Delta Vacations)
According to SkyMiles terms and conditions, only the SkyMiles Member himself/herself may redeem their miles and this process cannot be facilitated by a third party (i.e., their travel agent). Because of this, miles redemption requests made by a travel advisor on behalf of their client will not be authorized.
The company’s Customer Engagement Center messaging agent will send a secure SkyMiles Verification form directly to your client, and they will need to complete the authentication process and indicate the number of miles they wish to redeem toward the given transaction. The Engagement Center will apply those as payment and refer the client back to their advisor for any additional questions.
You will then receive an updated invoice reflecting the amount paid by the client using miles. Once those SkyMiles rewards have been successfully applied to the client’s booking, you will be able to view the amount applied in WorldAgent Direct.