Here's What Delta Says About Their Award Pricing Glitch

Hi Lucky,
Interesting article. I am finding Delta confusing. How do you determine which flight is a "saver" award that can be booked via a Delta partner for a Delta flight? I've noticed "lowest price" or whatever they call it change from one month to the next-is that month's "lowest price" the saver award ticket that could be booked by one of Delta's partners?
thanks.

How's that Plat challenge going?

Hey Everyone,

My wife and I just got the Targeted offer of 75K skymiles after 3k Spend; with everything that’s going on, do you think it’s worth it to pull the trigger? The annual fee is waived first year and they now have a downgrade option, but I’m wondering if it’s even going to be worth the time. Would love your thoughts.

Wilks

Forgot to click notify

"Dynamic Pricing" is bullshit speak for: "when something is very popular we will charge whatever we thing we can get."

Theatres have been doing it for years. Delta has obviously made the corporate decision to do it with award fares. That leaves the public completely in the dark about what to expect.

I decided to spend all our SkyMiles on trans-Pac business class with their partner airline (CI) specifically due to uncertainty with the program. It's better to earn and burn then earn and sit because there is no good way to use the miles. With us being Seattle based, AS is our go-to airline program now, with UR and MR as our flex points.

They basically said nothing. As it usual with Delta.

Wilks:
75,000 miles won't buy you very much. There's a reason we call them skypesos.

That said, it depends in where you live
I'm a hostage in MAP. It routinely costs 35k to 50k points just to round trip to Charlotte.

It's routinely 330k to 450k skymrs round trip MSP to Paris if you want to go on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

So before pulling the trigger, figure out what 75k skymilex buys you.We

I think their transparency is actually clear - they have said they are not going to tell us and the price is the price. In a way that is being transparent. I realize we would like to know the "normal" or "saver" price, but Delta has said prices will constantly vary. So although it may be annoying, Delta is doing what they said they would do, which is whatever they want (all you'll like it!) I don't fly Delta much any more since I have tons of Southwest and AA miles, but I do plan to use them or partner US-France in the next few years.

Thanks for the insight. I’m at LAX/BUR, just figured 3K was an easy get, especially with downgrade option for new Delta Amex Card. Just need to see where all I want to go.

Thanks so much,

Wilks

@Wilks - Delta miles are worth at least $0.01 if you have their credit card, since they let credit card holders redeem them (in blocks of 5000) that way when buying flights. That means 75k Delta miles is worth at least $750, even if you can't find a better reward value. I won't claim that it is the most amazing bonus ever in the history of bonuses, but $830 (once you factor in the miles from the spend itself and the $50 rebate for a Delta purchase, which I assume was included - at least, it was in the offer I got, which otherwise sounds the same) is a very reasonable return on $3,000 in spend.

Yep, I’m thinking of using it to get a $50 Delta Gift Card. Plus with the fee waived year one, I’m thinking we could get solid value. Thanks so much for the help!

Having flown butt in seat on Delta for nearly a million miles, I only have 40K in the tiller with them and just don't care to fly them. Their people are really nice, but their complete award system is the worst of any airline.

I was recently charged 16k for a saver level (N class) economy LAX-JFK on Delta, I was surprised as 2 weeks prior I was charged 12.5k for the same saver level, I just assumed the price went up, but recently I saw 12.5k awards again, was I overcharged? do i have any recourse?

update, I now see flights for 11.5k! they really must be having some sort of dynamic pricing!

Ed Bastien Delta CFO hates that people bank miles for trips and has done what he can to make people confused and to burn the miles. Delta is always first to do something and now it is happy to screw its loyal flyers.

Any airline but Delta Bush pilots at best .Almost gave up travel because of them .
Rubbish

But all of you bloggers know Delta is trying to treat their program as a currency so you should think about it in that sense too. If you pay $2000 for a JFK-LHR ticket one week and $2500 the next in the same fare class, you just think they are pricing differently based on dates, demand, anything. You won't claim $2000 is the 'regular' cost of that ticket and that's exactly what they want to achieve with miles too. It's probably annoying for bloggers/ miles and points folks, but for most people who just accumulate miles in the course of the regular travel, when we feel like using them, we choose a date we need to travel and pay the price that is asked if we think it's okay, like we would with cash.