Delta SkyMiles offers numerous avenues to accumulate miles, enhancing your travel possibilities. While many focus on flying, did you know that car rentals can also significantly boost your SkyMiles balance, which can then be leveraged with Delta’s transfer partners? Understanding how these partnerships work can unlock even greater value from your miles.
Earning Delta SkyMiles Through Car Rentals: A Detailed Guide
Delta Air Lines provides SkyMiles members with the opportunity to earn miles when renting cars through their dedicated platform, delta.com/cars. This partnership allows you to accrue miles on the ground, complementing your flight miles and accelerating your rewards journey. Here’s a breakdown of how it works:
How Many SkyMiles Can You Earn?
For every qualifying car rental booked through delta.com/cars, SkyMiles members earn two (2) miles per eligible US$1 spent on the base car rental rate. This means the more you spend on the base rental, the more miles you accumulate, bringing you closer to your next flight reward or transfer partner redemption.
What Constitutes a Qualifying Rental?
Not all car rentals are created equal when it comes to earning SkyMiles. To ensure your rental qualifies, it must meet specific criteria:
- Participating Locations: Rentals must be booked at participating car rental locations. Delta.com/cars will guide you to these eligible locations during the booking process.
- Rental Duration: The rental must be for one or more days. Short-term rentals still count towards your SkyMiles earnings.
- Eligible Rates: Crucially, to earn miles, you must book rates other than:
- Travel industry rates or discounts
- Wholesale of tour package rates or discounts
- Wholesale tour package rates
- Insurance/dealer replacement rates
- Corporate and government rates
- Group travel discounts
- Rentals in conjunction with a frequent flyer car award
- Other corporate agreements applicable to the respective car company.
In essence, standard retail rates booked through delta.com/cars are generally eligible, while heavily discounted or negotiated rates are often excluded.
Understanding Qualifying Dollars
The miles are calculated based on “Qualifying Dollars,” which include the base car rental rate before taxes and fees. It’s important to note that:
- Taxes and Fees Excluded: Government taxes, airport fees, vehicle licensing fees, and other similar charges do not contribute to your Qualifying Dollars.
- Incidental Charges Excluded: Optional add-ons like GPS navigation, child seats, or insurance upgrades, as well as any booking charges, are also excluded.
- Redemption Vouchers/Discount Codes: If you use vouchers or discount codes to reduce the rental cost, the reduced portion is not considered part of the Qualifying Dollars.
Key Terms and Conditions for SkyMiles Credit
To ensure you receive your well-deserved SkyMiles, keep these points in mind:
- Name Matching is Crucial: The SkyMiles account name must precisely match the first and last name on the credit card used for the reservation. Discrepancies will prevent mileage credit.
- Credit Card Holder Earns Miles: Mileage is credited only to the SkyMiles member whose name is on the credit card used for booking.
- Provide SkyMiles Number at Booking: Always provide your SkyMiles number when making your reservation on delta.com/cars. This ensures the system automatically links your rental to your account.
- One SkyMiles Number Per Booking: Only one SkyMiles number can be associated with each car rental booking.
- Miles for Completed Rentals: You will only earn miles for completed rentals. Cancelled, no-show, or unpaid reservations are not eligible.
Mileage Credit Timeline and Retroactive Requests
- Allow Up to 8 Weeks: It typically takes up to 8 weeks after completing your eligible rental for the SkyMiles to be deposited into your account.
- Retroactive Credit Available: If your miles haven’t appeared after 8 weeks, you can request mileage credit within 6 months of the rental completion date. Contact Delta and select: Request Refund or Miles > Mileage Credit > Partners Requests.
- Enrollment Before Rental: Car rentals completed before you enrolled in the SkyMiles program are not eligible for mileage credit. Ensure you are a SkyMiles member before booking your rental to take advantage of this benefit.
Important Clarifications
- Bonus Miles, Not Medallion Qualification: Miles earned through car rentals are considered bonus miles. They do not contribute towards Medallion Status qualification, which requires Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) or Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) earned primarily through flying.
- Exclusion of Special Rates: Special contracted corporate, promotional, employee, net tour, travel agent, group, wholesale, package rates, crew rates, insurance/dealer replacement, or other non-revenue rentals do not qualify for SkyMiles awards. Stick to standard retail bookings through delta.com/cars to maximize your earning potential.
- Consecutive Rentals as Single Qualifying Rental: If you rent multiple cars on the same or consecutive days from the same location, even if you check cars in and out, it will be counted as a single Qualifying Rental.
Leveraging Your SkyMiles with Transfer Partners
While this article focuses on earning SkyMiles through car rentals, remember that these miles are valuable within the broader Delta SkyMiles ecosystem. Delta has a range of transfer partners, including airlines and hotels, allowing you to redeem your accumulated miles for various travel rewards beyond Delta flights.
By strategically earning SkyMiles through car rentals and other eligible activities, you can amass a significant balance to use with Delta’s transfer partners, opening up a world of travel possibilities. Always explore delta.com/cars for your rental needs to ensure you’re maximizing your SkyMiles earning potential on the ground.
