Delta offers a Cash + Miles option that allows you to pay part of the ticket in cash and part with miles. I have no idea how much the miles are worth in that situation, but you should be able to do that.

There’s a general misconception amongst people not in the hobby that points are really valuable. They aren’t. A lot of points are really valuable. And unless you are going to sign up for many credit cards. are a “big spender”, or know how to take advantage of all the various promotions out there, it’s hard to get a lot of points.

How much do you typically spend every month? What categories is the spend in? If you’re just looking to earn enough points to fly domestically twice a year for 2x people from regular spend you need to be spending like $8,000 - $10,000 every month on your Delta AMEX to accomplish that.

If you’re not looking to get into the hobby you should look to maximize cashback and defray your out of pocket expenses.