Why is my Delta flight not eligible for miles?

Effective for tickets purchased on or after December 9, 2021 for flights departing on or after January 1, 2022, Basic Economy tickets are not eligible to earn miles in the SkyMiles Program or earn credit towards Medallion Status. No miles are earned for Award Travel.



In 2026, the most common reason a Delta flight is ineligible for SkyMiles is that it was booked as a Basic Economy (Basic) ticket. As part of their refined 2024 policy updates, Delta removed the ability to earn miles or "Medallion Qualification Dollars" (MQDs) on these lowest-tier fares. Other common reasons include: Award Travel (flights booked using miles do not earn additional miles), certain "deeply discounted" partner fares that do not have a mileage-earning agreement with Delta, or the ticket being a "non-revenue" or "agency" fare (such as those for airline employees or specific group tours). Additionally, if the name on your ticket does not exactly match the name on your SkyMiles account, the system may fail to credit the miles automatically. If you believe your flight should have earned miles, you have up to nine months in 2026 to request "Missing Mileage Credit" via the Delta website, provided you have your ticket number and boarding pass available. Always check the "fare class" (the single letter code) during booking to ensure it is eligible for rewards.

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If you do not have the minimum 5,000 miles per passenger available in your account, or if your selected flight is not operated by Delta or a Delta Connection carrier, you will not see Pay with Miles as an option to purchase your ticket after selecting your flights.

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Delta makes it easy to request mileage credit for past flights using an online form. All you need is your SkyMiles account number, ticket number and flight information. To access the form, log in to your Delta SkyMiles account, go to your profile, click My SkyMiles and then click Request Mileage Credit.

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Miles When You Fly: How to Earn on Flights *Most, but not all paid tickets earn miles. Ticket price eligible to earn miles includes base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges, but excludes government-imposed taxes and fees.

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How do I claim missing Skywards Miles from Emirates flights?
  1. Go to your Emirates Skywards account page and log in.
  2. From the left-side bar, click on 'Claim Miles'.
  3. Enter your full Emirates ticket number beginning with 176- (this is found in the top-right corner of your Emirates flight itinerary document).


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You can request miles for eligible flights if it's been at least 3 days since you completed travel. We'll reply to the email address in your account.

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There's no doubt that qualifying for an airline's elite status is the best way to receive complimentary upgrades. Whether it's domestic upgrades, regional upgrade certificates, systemwide upgrade certificates, or upgrading with miles, elite members have priority over those who do not have status.

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The most reliable way of getting upgraded for free is to have elite status on the airline you're flying. Most airlines reward their most frequent flyers with complimentary upgrades on domestic routes.

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On almost every flight, the passengers who get upgrades are either the ones who pay for them (whether in dollars or miles) in advance or frequent fliers with elite status who receive complimentary upgrades as part of their perks. There are very few exceptions, so don't expect to score a free upgrade by just asking.

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For the most current information about a financial product, you should always check and confirm accuracy with the offering financial institution. Editorial and user-generated content is not provided, reviewed or endorsed by any company. 35,000 Delta miles are worth an average of $392, according to WalletHub data.

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We sampled flight awards available with U.S. carriers and found that consumers need between about 8,000 and 57,000 miles to get a free one-way coach flight. Free flights in business or first class start at around 25,000 miles and climb to well over 150,000 miles one-way.

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Delta allows free cancellations and changes on most main cabin tickets, but not on basic economy. Baggage rules are generally the same between the two fares (carry-ons are free with Delta Basic economy). Basic economy fares don't include seat assignments, which makes them less than ideal for groups and families.

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Basic economy fares are cheaper than main cabin. However, you lose out on flexibility for flight changes and/or cancellations, seat selection options and the ability to earn miles at a high rate.

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Low Fare with Restrictions. Save with Basic Economy, but please remember refunds and upgrades are not available at any time. Basic Economy is best for those traveling by themselves with firm travel plans.

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