Sep 12, 2017, 8:39 pm
Last edit by: Bowgie
Note: This thread is about Mileage Upgrade Awards, which are Sky Miles upgrades that upgrade your coach seat to First Class, Delta One or Premium Select.
These are no longer available on domestic routes and have been replaced with using miles for FCM buy-ups at slightly over 1 cpm -- see the FCM thread
They are also no longer available from North America to Mexico, Caribbean, Central and South America.
Important Details:
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How to Upgrade with Delta Sky Miles
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Prices for the following markets as quoted by multiple reservations agents.
Other thread of potential interest:
Current Pricing (may be out of date, updates appreciated)
international main cabin to PS
Y/B/M: 25,000
H/Q/K: 35,000
US to Europe
Main Cabin (fare class Y, B, M) to Delta One - requires OY - 35,000 miles
Main Cabin (fare class H, Q, K) to Delta One - requires OY - 65,000 miles
Premium Select (fare class P, A, G) to Delta One - requires OY - 45,000 miles
US to South Asia/Oceania
Main Cabin (fare class Y, B, M) to Delta One - requires OY - 45,000 miles
Main Cabin (fare class H, Q, K) to Delta One - requires OY - 90,000 miles
Premium Select (fare class P, A, G) to Delta One - requires OY - 45,000 miles
LAX-SYD
PS (A) to D1: 17,500 miles
Historical pricing
(for curiosity/comparison, this section is a mix of really old and not so old pricing so may not make a lot of sense)
US/Canada/Mexico/Caribbean First Class (Most North America routes except for flights that offer Delta One)
Y/B/M: 15,000 miles
H/Q/K: 20,000 miles
L/U/T: 30,000 miles
Domestic Delta One Routes (domestic transcon & Hawaii routes that offer Delta One service such as JFK-LAX, LAX-DCA, ATL-HNL, etc)
Y/B/M: 23,000 miles
H/Q/K: 28,000 miles
L/U/T: 40,000 miles
NOTE: It *might* be possible to upgrade domestic segments of a PS fare (G A P) ticket to either FC or domestic D1 (unclear which) for 17,500 miles. *Unconfirmed*
US-Hawaii (Except for Delta One routes MSP/ATL/JFK/DTW-HNL. For these routes, see Domestic Transcontinental Premium Routes )
Y/B/M: 15,000 miles
H/Q/K: 20,000 miles
L/U/T: 30,000 miles
US-Northern South America
Y/B/M: 30,000 miles
H/Q/K: 45,000 miles
L/U/T: 55,000 miles
US-Southern South America
Y/B/M: 40,000 miles
H/Q/K: 60,000 miles
US-Europe:
Main Cabin to Delta One:
Y/B/M: 35,000 miles
H/Q/K: 65,000 miles
Main Cabin to Premium Select:
Y/B/M: 25,000 miles
H/Q/K: 35,000 miles
Premium Select to Delta One:
P/A/G: 40,000 miles
(NOTE: Confirmed on Aug 28, 2022 at this rate from JFK-AMS. Confirms books into OY class)
US-Northern Asia (Japan/Korea/China):
Main Cabin to Delta One:
Y/B/M: 45,000 miles
H/Q/K: 70,000 miles
Premium Select to Delta One
P/A/G: 45,000 miles
US-Southeast/Southwest Asia, Micronesia, Southwest Pacific:
Y/B/M: 35,000 miles
H/Q/K: 80,000 miles
US-Africa (incl. South Africa)
Y/B/M: 35,000 miles
H/Q/K: 80,000 miles
US-Middle East
Y/B/M: 35,000 miles
H/Q/K: 80,000 miles
US to TLV:
Main Cabin to Delta One:
Y/B/M: 45,000 miles
H/Q/K: 90,000 miles
Main Cabin to Premium Select:
Y/B/M: 25,000 miles
H/Q/K: 40,000 miles
These are no longer available on domestic routes and have been replaced with using miles for FCM buy-ups at slightly over 1 cpm -- see the FCM thread
They are also no longer available from North America to Mexico, Caribbean, Central and South America.
Important Details:
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- Your underlying fare class remains Economy, and you are technically still booked as an economy passenger.
- You are granted all inflight & airport benefits of having that upgraded seat (i.e. Premium security line, Sky Club access on international flights, etc).
- You earn miles based on your original Main Cabin fare.
- Mileage Upgrade Award prices are set by route and do not fluctuate based on the cash price of the upgrade.
- Delta no longer publishes the miles required by route to upgrade, and the numbers below is a FT best attempt to collect this data; it may not be accurate.
- Mileage Upgrade Awards are confirmed after your coach ticket is booked (though could be in the same phone call with an agent who has checked for upgrade space before booking)
- The only way to use Mileage Upgrade Awards is by calling Delta--there is no online option.
- This Wiki contains only minimal information about upgrading to and from Premium Select; please share information as you gather it, either by updating the wiki or posting in the thread.
- You must be booked in an upgradeable fare class to upgrade. It is possible to buy up to an upgradeable coach fare class and then upgrade with miles.
How to Upgrade with Delta Sky Miles
- You can Either:
- Call Delta and ask to book a flight that has Mileage Upgrade Awards available and then purchase and upgrade the flight at the same time with that agent. Inventory is highly limited.
- OR, call Delta to upgrade a flight you have already booked. When you call they will either process the upgrade or tell you that there are no upgrades available.
- If an upgrade is not available, it is possible to waitlist.
- Mileage Upgrade Awards that are waitlisted do not transfer to the Airport Upgrade List (for gate upgrade) and cannot be cleared at the gate.
- There have been rare exceptions reported to this rule. If you want to attempt to clear your upgrade at the airport on day of departure, speak with a red coat. This is against policy and will not usually work, but some have reported success.
- If an upgrade is not available, it is possible to waitlist.
- If you want to upgrade a flight that you have already booked the change fee should be waived for this upgrade. Ask for a supervisor if this is challenged.
- The Delta agent may offer you either Delta Upgrade Awards or Upgrade with Miles (see details below). Confirm you are getting the lowest mile option.
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NOTE: Delta offers an additional upgrade option which is called Upgrade with Miles. These upgrades are available on US Domestic flights only and are a pay with miles type of upgrade. (meaning that, unlike Mileage Upgrade Awards, the amount of miles needed fluctuates based on the cash price of an upgrade). When you use Upgrade with Miles you will earn miles for your flight based on the cabin flown, as you have now paid (with miles) to change your ticket to a premium cabin ticket (vs an upgraded coach ticket). The mileage amounts listed in this thread are not for this program. To use Upgrade with Miles you need to log into your reservation and check for an upgrade offer or call Delta and ask. Upgrade with Miles typically requires more miles to upgrade than Mileage Upgrade Awards.
In order to use Mileage Upgrade Awards from Main Cabin or Comfort+ to First Class or Delta One, you need to be booked in the correct fare class:- Mileage Upgrade Awards are no longer available for flights within North America and South America. These routes generally have variable online mileage upgrade offers which are based on the cash upgrade offer at the rate of 1 CPM (less 7.5% US excise tax for domestic flights).
- For all other markets you can upgrade when booked in: Y/B/M//H/Q/K
- You can see your booking class by logging into your reservation. Directly under your seat assignment it will say your cabin and your booking class. For example: MAIN CABIN (Q)
Prices for the following markets as quoted by multiple reservations agents.
Other thread of potential interest:
- Use Sky Miles to upgrade on VS (Virgin Atlantic upgrades with Sky Miles)
Current Pricing (may be out of date, updates appreciated)
international main cabin to PS
Y/B/M: 25,000
H/Q/K: 35,000
US to Europe
Main Cabin (fare class Y, B, M) to Delta One - requires OY - 35,000 miles
Main Cabin (fare class H, Q, K) to Delta One - requires OY - 65,000 miles
Premium Select (fare class P, A, G) to Delta One - requires OY - 45,000 miles
US to South Asia/Oceania
Main Cabin (fare class Y, B, M) to Delta One - requires OY - 45,000 miles
Main Cabin (fare class H, Q, K) to Delta One - requires OY - 90,000 miles
Premium Select (fare class P, A, G) to Delta One - requires OY - 45,000 miles
LAX-SYD
PS (A) to D1: 17,500 miles
Historical pricing
(for curiosity/comparison, this section is a mix of really old and not so old pricing so may not make a lot of sense)
US/Canada/Mexico/Caribbean First Class (Most North America routes except for flights that offer Delta One)
Y/B/M: 15,000 miles
H/Q/K: 20,000 miles
L/U/T: 30,000 miles
Domestic Delta One Routes (domestic transcon & Hawaii routes that offer Delta One service such as JFK-LAX, LAX-DCA, ATL-HNL, etc)
Y/B/M: 23,000 miles
H/Q/K: 28,000 miles
L/U/T: 40,000 miles
NOTE: It *might* be possible to upgrade domestic segments of a PS fare (G A P) ticket to either FC or domestic D1 (unclear which) for 17,500 miles. *Unconfirmed*
US-Hawaii (Except for Delta One routes MSP/ATL/JFK/DTW-HNL. For these routes, see Domestic Transcontinental Premium Routes )
Y/B/M: 15,000 miles
H/Q/K: 20,000 miles
L/U/T: 30,000 miles
US-Northern South America
Y/B/M: 30,000 miles
H/Q/K: 45,000 miles
L/U/T: 55,000 miles
US-Southern South America
Y/B/M: 40,000 miles
H/Q/K: 60,000 miles
US-Europe:
Main Cabin to Delta One:
Y/B/M: 35,000 miles
H/Q/K: 65,000 miles
Main Cabin to Premium Select:
Y/B/M: 25,000 miles
H/Q/K: 35,000 miles
Premium Select to Delta One:
P/A/G: 40,000 miles
(NOTE: Confirmed on Aug 28, 2022 at this rate from JFK-AMS. Confirms books into OY class)
US-Northern Asia (Japan/Korea/China):
Main Cabin to Delta One:
Y/B/M: 45,000 miles
H/Q/K: 70,000 miles
Premium Select to Delta One
P/A/G: 45,000 miles
US-Southeast/Southwest Asia, Micronesia, Southwest Pacific:
Y/B/M: 35,000 miles
H/Q/K: 80,000 miles
US-Africa (incl. South Africa)
Y/B/M: 35,000 miles
H/Q/K: 80,000 miles
US-Middle East
Y/B/M: 35,000 miles
H/Q/K: 80,000 miles
US to TLV:
Main Cabin to Delta One:
Y/B/M: 45,000 miles
H/Q/K: 90,000 miles
Main Cabin to Premium Select:
Y/B/M: 25,000 miles
H/Q/K: 40,000 miles
Delta Mileage Upgrade Awards
Sep 20, 2019, 11:07 am
#271
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,413
It's apparently the same waitlist as for GUC upgrades into D1, although officially only GUCs can be used for upgrades at the gate.
Sep 24, 2019, 12:51 pm
#272
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PDX
Programs: DL DM, EBS
Posts: 13
Data point:
SVG-AMS-MSP-PDX on a B fare, tweeted @Delta to check for Mileage Upgrade Award availability, confirmed availability and was quoted 35 000 miles to upgrade to D1. Easy and quick processing. Upgraded into OY, about 10 seats available when I asked about upgrade availability.
SVG-AMS-MSP-PDX on a B fare, tweeted @Delta to check for Mileage Upgrade Award availability, confirmed availability and was quoted 35 000 miles to upgrade to D1. Easy and quick processing. Upgraded into OY, about 10 seats available when I asked about upgrade availability.
Oct 7, 2019, 2:29 pm
#273
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 46
Delta twitter found availability for my next week's SEA-NRT to D1 from PS. Rate was 45k miles. I have a connection to NRT-TPE on China Airlines in Econ, should that have been upgraded with it as well?? I bought the entire SEA-NRT-TPE ticket from Delta.
The PS fare at the time was only $300 roundtrip more than econ, so I took it as a no brainer. Had it been in Econ completely, I wouldn't even qualify with L fare. Return had no availability but I think first row PS is pretty decent for a 9 hour flight.
The PS fare at the time was only $300 roundtrip more than econ, so I took it as a no brainer. Had it been in Econ completely, I wouldn't even qualify with L fare. Return had no availability but I think first row PS is pretty decent for a 9 hour flight.
Oct 7, 2019, 2:49 pm
#274
Join Date: Jan 2017
Programs: Delta PM
Posts: 890
Delta twitter found availability for my next week's SEA-NRT to D1 from PS. Rate was 45k miles. I have a connection to NRT-TPE on China Airlines in Econ, should that have been upgraded with it as well?? I bought the entire SEA-NRT-TPE ticket from Delta.
The PS fare at the time was only $300 roundtrip more than econ, so I took it as a no brainer. Had it been in Econ completely, I wouldn't even qualify with L fare. Return had no availability but I think first row PS is pretty decent for a 9 hour flight.
The PS fare at the time was only $300 roundtrip more than econ, so I took it as a no brainer. Had it been in Econ completely, I wouldn't even qualify with L fare. Return had no availability but I think first row PS is pretty decent for a 9 hour flight.
Dec 19, 2019, 12:48 pm
#276
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 59
Just waitlisted for MSP-HND PS-D1 upgrade. 70+ days to departure but a Tuesday flight so fingers crossed. Will post in here if it works.
Dec 22, 2019, 9:12 pm
#278
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: San Francisco
Programs: DL
Posts: 466
17.5k miles is almost certainly the wrong price for W => J... they quoted you 17.5k miles for a one-way upgrade to Delta One?
Dec 22, 2019, 9:33 pm
#279
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: LAX
Programs: UA MM | BA Silver
Posts: 7,193
"Everything has been waitlisted on the reservation. If and when the waitlist clears, the miles will be deducated [sic] and ticket reissued. The big thing is to leave 17,500 miles in your account in case it clears."
Dec 22, 2019, 9:40 pm
#280
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: San Francisco
Programs: DL
Posts: 466
I would call/tweet again, and make sure the agent did everything right... Even on Asia routes, which are presumably lower volume than SYD, the amount is 45k to go from P/A/G to OY (D1). I would be very surprised if it was that much cheaper!
Dec 22, 2019, 9:43 pm
#281
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: LAX
Programs: UA MM | BA Silver
Posts: 7,193
I'll follow up. If I mention OY they will know?
Dec 22, 2019, 9:50 pm
#282
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: San Francisco
Programs: DL
Posts: 466
Dec 22, 2019, 10:36 pm
#283
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: LAX
Programs: UA MM | BA Silver
Posts: 7,193
I don’t know. Asked again and different initials confirmed 17.5k and my upgrade (waitlist) looks properly processed.
Dec 22, 2019, 10:43 pm
#284
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: MCO
Programs: DL PM, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hertz Presidents Circle
Posts: 4,319
Do you know what was the underlying coach fare for this ticket?. If it was a high fare bucket, then this offer seems about right.
Dec 22, 2019, 10:45 pm
#285
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: San Francisco
Programs: DL
Posts: 466
Edit: looks like sometimes they do, although I doubt it factors in here.
