Award flight miles requirement change/the same for flights with different prices.
 

Hey, hoping you guys can help me figure something out. Probably simple, but I'm new to Delta Skymiles and it's confusing me a little.

I've been tracking August flights from BNA to RSW using Google flights, and just discovered I could transfer my Amex points to Delta and use those to pay for it. Immediately after transferring last week, one of the flights I'm tracking showed a cash price of $342. When I searched for the same flight on Delta.com in miles, it showed a requirement of 19k. I thought that was pretty good, but unfortunately, didn't book it, since that flight usually dips down to $317 on Google flights every 3 weeks or so, I figured I'd wait and get it for even less miles when it dropped.

Well, that seems to not be the case, as the same flight today is again $342 cash price, but 29k in miles. Yesterday, it was 24k (same $342 cash price). Additionally, I'm also tracking another flight whose cash price today is $282, but also 29k in miles.

Can someone explain the miles increase, although the cash price has not changed? Did I come across some type of miles sales last week and didn't realize it? And why are the two flights today with different cash prices cost the same amount in miles? Lastly, should I wait it out and hope it dips again? Flights not til August, so I have time.

Thanks!

Because Delta RM can and they will. Cost is always changing. Its like playing the stock market in the sky.

Welcome to FT. As you go on you will see a number of posts like yours. Delta has gotten sophisticated (not sure I want to use that word:D) and prices constantly change, both for cash and miles and not necessarily the same because it's different inventory they are selling.

You will see advice, and I agree, that if you are familiar with the route, then buy when you are happy with the price instead of playing the "stock market" as the above post mentions.

I have found for tickets that I am buying, which are usually not big business routes or times, prices are high way in advance even if seats are being sold, because Delta is predicting what they think they will sell. I find when it gets less than two months, that prices will drop if there appears to be a lot of seats left.

1) When you search, Delta puts cookies on your computer so if it sees you looking at a specific city pair on specific dates it will price it higher because it perceives that you are wanting to fly those days.

2) Unlike an airline like JetBlue, Delta's mileage award pricing is not tied to the paid fare. Delta has a certain number of mileage seats on each flight and that is out of a separate inventory.

1) I wondered about cookies, so I searched this morning from a different browser, same prices.

2) Hmm..that makes sense. I think I'll hang tight and keep checking. Wish I'd taken the 19k, as I only have 30k miles.

Delta has a flexible date award search feature. Using the the 5 week search, I see plenty of dates in August at 19K RT. If you have a bit of flexibility in departure or return dates, I think you should be able to find a 19K redemption. I doubt this has anything to do with cookies (and this can be easily checked by clearing cookies or using a different browser). As others have noted, unlike JetBlue or Southwest, there is no attempt by United, Delta, or American to tie or correlate revenue ticket pricing to award point redemptions. So don't get hung up on with the relationship with award pricing and revenue prices.

Thank you. I'm specifically going weekend of my bday, so the only flexibility I may have is coming back a day later (which I see is 5k less points), but I'll need to weigh that cost versus the extra hotel night.

I don't fly much, and when I do it's usually SW, so I had no idea other carriers didn't have set price to points/miles structures. Seeing different miles requirements for flights with the same price really threw me off lol.

Are you asserting that's for paid fares, award fares, or both?

Anecdotal evidence says both, but I have seen it more for paid fares which is why I use a third party site to find which flights I want before I book or if I am tracking flights.