How to Book a Delta Vacation Package

If you’re planning a trip but don’t have the time or energy to do all the research, it may be wise to consider a vacation package. These bundles can neatly fold all your necessities into one booking and can earn you rewards to boot. Delta vacation packages offer the convenience of booking your flight, hotel and even car rental at an affordable cost. 

Plus, with new changes to Delta Vacations as of July 2023, SkyMiles members will get more value for their miles when redeeming them for a package. They'll also earn more miles, too, if they book a Delta vacation package in cash.

We’ve put together a handy guide on Delta vacation packages, including a step-by-step guide on how to book the package and how you can decide if it's worth the cost.

Vacation packages are popular, so you’ll find offerings from multiple sources, such as online travel agencies, Costco, and airlines like Delta Air Lines and American Airlines. There are numerous benefits to booking a vacation package, including convenience and the ability to save money.

When booking a vacation with Delta, you can opt to redeem SkyMiles to pay for your package or earn SkyMiles when you pay for your booking. In addition to earning standard miles on your flights as you would with any Delta booking, you’ll also earn additional bonus miles.

Starting July 10, 2023, Delta is increasing the number of miles members will earn for vacation packages — at least at the higher price points.

Going forward, the number of SkyMiles you’ll earn will vary based on the price of your package:

• Bookings up to $4,999: 1,000 bonus miles.

• Bookings between $5,000 and $9,999: 5,000 bonus miles (previously was 2,000).

• Bookings of $10,000 or more: 10,000 bonus miles (previously was 5,000).

NerdWallet values Delta miles are worth 1.2 cents each. So if you earn 5,000 bonus miles on a booking, you’d be earning the equivalent of $75. Although it’s not a huge amount, those 2,000 miles can be put toward future flight redemptions.

Plus, Delta’s vacation packages offer a variety of options. To create a package and redeem miles, you can book any combination of flights, hotels, rental cars, car transfers and more. Even certain excursion packages are eligible for mileage earning, like escorted tours and river cruises available with Delta’s partner, Globus.

In many cases, Delta vacation packages will be cheaper than booking your vacation needs separately.

For example, with a package to Las Vegas Hilton at Resorts World in early October, including weekend nights and flights, a party of two can stay for three nights starting from $2,197. This doesn’t factor in resort fees, which tack on an extra $45 per night. That’s pretty pricey, but it is still cheaper than booking separately.

Let’s say you make your own independent bookings, with flight tickets for two people from New York to Las Vegas and the same hotel stay mentioned above. You’d be paying about $1,766 for your hotel (including resort fees) and $1,775.60 for the flights, bringing your total out-of-pocket cost to $3,542. In this case, you’ll be saving nearly 38% on your vacation.

You can also use Delta SkyMiles to book Delta Vacations packages. This can be a helpful tool for travelers who have a large number of miles in their SkyMiles account, or those with American Express Membership Rewards points that transfer to Delta.

As part of the changes Delta is introducing to its vacation packages, members should be able to milk more value out of their miles.

Going forward, SkyMiles will carry 15% more value when redeemed for a vacation package. Previously, each mile was worth one cent when it came to Delta Vacations redemptions. Now, each mile will be worth 1.15 cents.

This change should make it more attractive to redeem miles on vacations, especially when you can't book a Delta award flight for 1.15 cents per point or more.

Yes, Delta SkyMiles members booking vacations packages can make progress toward Medallion Status. Members will generally earn Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs) and Medallion Qualifying Segments (MQQs) for the flight portion of their trip just as they would for a flight, though there are some cases where the earnings may be different due to an special package or “exception” rate. In that case, you’d earn a fifth of the normal qualifying dollars, miles or segments.

» Learn more: When it may not make sense to use points or miles for airline travel

Booking a Delta vacation package is simple. Let’s say you’re looking for a Delta vacation package to Hawaii. First, navigate to the Delta Vacations webpage.

Next, enter your travel information, including destination, travel dates, and the number of passengers. After doing so, hit the search button to bring up your results. You’ll first be prompted to pick a hotel.

Depending on where you’re staying, you can find a decently wide selection of hotels. This search, for example, returned 34 options in Maui.

Once you’ve selected the hotel you prefer, hit Next. This will take you to pages where you’ll choose your flights. You’ll be given a range of options, including the ability to select more expensive fares and cabins.

After you’ve completed your flight selection, Delta will give you the option of including extras. For example, you can add on a rental car, transportation, and activities in this case.

You’ll be prompted to fill in information about all travelers on the next page. Here is where you’ll include your frequent flyer number if you have one.

After you’ve finished and moved to the next page, you’ll have the chance to review your booking before paying. There are multiple ways to pay. As we’ve already mentioned, you can use your SkyMiles to help pay for your booking, redeemed at a rate of 1 cent each. Otherwise, you can pay with your credit card, a gift card or even choose to make monthly payments.

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

Vacation packages can be an excellent option for travelers seeking convenience and savings. Along with the ability to book an all-in-one vacation, you’ll be able to earn and redeem your SkyMiles when booking a Delta vacation package.

Before you buy, remember that while your vacation package airfare does earn towards Delta Medallion status, hotels booked through the package will typically not earn towards hotel elite status, nor will you receive any hotel benefits usually provided to those with status. So calculate this offset in savings when building your vacation packages.