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Traveling can be quite a costly endeavor, especially for families. Over the years, travelers have become more creative to strike a balance between a great time in paradise and keeping a cash-positive bank account. One way to do so is by opting for a travel package.
Travel packages are a convenient go-to for travelers who don’t have the time to get into the nitty-gritty of planning a cost-effective vacation. These packages pack all your travel needs into a single booking and earn you rewards. Delta Vacations is one of the most prominent travel packages on the market. These packages give you the easy option to book your flight, hotel, and even car rental without spending too much.
But that’s not all! As of July 2023, all SkyMiles members are eligible for extra benefits when redeeming them for a package. If you pay with cash, you will also earn more miles for your package. The recent updates to SkyMiles have certainly created more buzz for Delta Vacations. What is all the buzz about? Read on to find out.
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Why book with Delta Vacations?
Delta’s vacation packages offer various options. You can book flights, hotels, rental cars, car rides, and more. Some excursion packages like guided tours and river cruises with Globus also get you miles. Here are some of the perks of booking Delta Vacations.
More value for money
As of the summer of 2023, Delta is now giving more miles to members who book pricier vacations. The number of SkyMiles you earn is based on how much your vacation package costs. Below is an breakdown:
- If your booking costs up to $4,999: You get 1,000 bonus miles.
- Between $5,000 and $9,999: You get 5,000 bonus miles (before it was 2,000).
- Costs $10,000 or more: You get 10,000 bonus miles (before it was 5,000).
Each Delta mile is worth about 1.5 cents. So, if you earn 5,000 bonus miles from a booking, it’s equivalent to getting $75. It might not sound like a lot, but the bonus miles could prove worthwhile for future trips. In lots of cases, choosing a Delta Vacations package can save you more money compared to booking everything for your vacation separately.
For instance, if you book a package for a trip to the Las Vegas Hilton at Resorts World for early October, which includes weekend nights and flights. With this, two people can enjoy a three-night stay starting at $2,197.
However, this price doesn’t include the resort fees, which is an extra $45 per night. But even with the additional cost, it’s still less expensive than booking flights, hotels, and rental cars separately.
If you decide to book everything on its own; you buy flights for two people from New York to Las Vegas and reserve the same hotel as mentioned above, the hotel cost, including resort fees, would be about $1,766, and the flights would be around $1,775.60. This adds up to an out-of-pocket cost of $3,542. So, by opting for the package, you are saving about 38% on your vacation expenses.
Earn Delta Medallion status faster
In the past, when you bought a Delta Vacations package, the miles you got in your SkyMiles account were based on the distance you flew and the type of ticket, which is termed as an exceptional fare.
Now, the system compares the exception fare accrual rate with how many miles you would get if you booked the flight directly with Delta. You will then get the higher amount of the two.
This also affects your Delta Medallion status, particularly the Medallion Qualifying Dollars. Prior, the exception fare method appealed to travelers who preferred discounted or long-distance flights. However, this often left customers with high fares or with short flights earning fewer Medallion Qualifying Dollars than if they purchased a ticket directly from Delta.
Now, you will earn Medallion Qualifying Dollars and miles just like one who has bought a regular Delta ticket. If you opt for the old exception fare way – Delta Vacations will consider the model that earns you more. See example the below;
LAX Airport to Sydney Airport with base fare at $3000
Normal accruals
- General member gets 15,000 SkyMiles and $3,000 Medallion Qualifying Dollars
- Silver Medallion gets 21,000 SkyMiles and $3,000 Medallion Qualifying Dollars
- Gold Medallion gets 24,000 SkyMiles and $3,000 Medallion Qualifying Dollars
- Platinum Medallion gets 27,000 SkyMiles and $3,000 Medallion Qualifying Dollars
- Diamond Medallion gets 33,000 SkyMiles and $3,000 Medallion Qualifying Dollars
Exceptional fare
- General member gets 22,464 SkyMiles and $4,493 Medallion Qualifying Dollars
- Silver Medallion gets 31,450 SkyMiles and $4,493 Medallion Qualifying Dollars
- Gold Medallion gets 35,942 SkyMiles and $4,493 Medallion Qualifying Dollars
- Platinum Medallion gets 40,435 SkyMiles and $4,493 Medallion Qualifying Dollars
- Diamond Medallion gets 49,420 SkyMiles and $4,493 Medallion Qualifying Dollars
From this example, you might notice that sometimes the exception fare model makes more money. Nevertheless, Delta Vacations will always give the traveler the higher amount automatically.
Use SkyMiles to book packages
You can also use Delta SkyMiles to book Delta Vacations trips. This is helpful for travelers with lots of miles in their SkyMiles account or those with American Express Membership Rewards points that can be used for Delta.
Delta also made changes to its vacation packages, so members could get more value from their miles. Now SkyMiles are worth 15% more when redeemed for a vacation package. Prior, each mile was worth one cent for redemptions. Each mile will be worth about 1.15 cents. This change makes it more appealing to redeem miles for vacations, especially if you can’t book a Delta award flight for 1.15 cents per point or more.
Delta Vacations are ideal for travelers who seek an easy and budget-friendly plan. With the new mileage and elite status improvements, saving on vacation expenses doesn’t get any better.
But keep in mind that while your flight helps you with Delta Medallion status, the hotels you book might not give you special elite status or benefits. So, when planning your vacation package, consider this difference in savings. But, with these mouth-watering prices and a chance to earn or redeem miles for trips, these changes make Delta Vacations a great option for your next getaway.