Delta SkyMiles Dining Program: Everything You Need to Know

If you are looking for a way to continue earning Delta SkyMiles but don’t have any flights planned, the SkyMiles Dining program could be a great way to keep earning valuable miles. With the average American spending over $3,000 on eating out per year, there are some serious rewards you might currently be missing out on.

Plus, who wouldn’t want to fill their stomachs and SkyMiles balance simultaneously? In this article, you’ll learn about the SkyMiles Dining program and how it can help you earn more Delta SkyMiles.

What is Delta SkyMiles Dining?

SkyMiles Dining is a dining rewards program offered by Rewards Network that allows members to earn Delta SkyMiles by dining at partner restaurants. With the ability to earn miles at over 10,000 restaurants across the U.S., there are plenty of opportunities to earn airline miles. These 10,000 restaurants range from large chains like Pizza Hut to small, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, so it’s likely there are restaurants to fit your tastes.

How does Delta SkyMiles Dining work?

After a quick sign-up, you can be on your way to earning valuable Delta SkyMiles by eating out.

1. Start by going to SkyMilesDining.com
2. Hit the red “join now” button in the top right corner
3. From there, you’ll sign up for your SkyMiles account; you’ll need your Delta SkyMiles number to complete your registration

The next step is to register the credit cards you normally pay with when you eat out. Once you charge your meal, you’ll receive an alert that the coordinating amount of Delta SkyMiles will be deposited in your account. You’ll be awarded your SkyMiles around 10 days after your purchase.

The best parts about this program are that it’s 100% free and simple to use — and there are intro bonuses to be earned as well. Right now, you can earn up to 3,000 Delta SkyMiles by registering for an account, completing three restaurant visits while spending at least $30 each time, and completing surveys after each visit. Skymiles Medallion members can earn an additional 500 extra bonus miles from their first restaurant visit.

How many miles can you earn with SkyMiles Dining?

So, how much can you earn with the SkyMiles Dining program? Well, not a ton, unfortunately. Your miles also don’t count toward airline status.

While that’s not too exciting, belonging to SkyMiles Dining can actually still be a good idea because it’s a very passive and easy way to earn Delta miles. If you’re consistently eating at the same restaurants and they’re in the Delta SkyMiles network, there’s no reason not to take advantage of the dining program.

The amount of Delta SkyMiles you can earn with this program depends on two factors: how much you’re spending and your membership level. Your membership level is determined by whether you opt into receiving emails and how often you visit restaurants in the program.

To make this program remotely worth it, you need to at least opt into the emails. If you aren’t a fan of receiving marketing emails, I recommend setting your email program to automatically filter any Delta emails into a folder. This simple strategy will keep your inbox uncluttered and earn you six times more miles on every restaurant bill.

How to find Delta SkyMiles Dining restaurants

The simplest way to find restaurants participating in the SkyMiles Dining program is to visit SkyMilesDining.com. On the homepage, you’ll see a search bar where you can input your city and the restaurant name or cuisine you’re looking for.

Once you’ve done the initial search, you can then also filter by several different categories, like price or type of meal.

When I searched my zip code (a suburb of Los Angeles), I was given nearly 500 options to choose from, ranging from cheap eats to luxury dining. My wife and I typically use this program to search for new local restaurants to further increase our points earnings.

This program won’t make you “points rich,” but if you spend $3,000 a year on eating out, your earnings in this program could be 15,000 Delta SkyMiles. And that amount of points could make the difference between a paid flight and award flight.

How to use your credit cards to earn more SkyMiles

While the SkyMiles Dining program won’t make you “points rich,” adding the best travel credit cards to your billfold can. If you do this, you can earn Delta SkyMiles from the SkyMiles Dining program along with the miles or points earned directly on your cards.

Using a Delta credit card could earn you a significant amount of Delta SkyMiles for your next flight. However, Delta’s co-branded credit cards don’t have the best spending categories. With most of its cards, you earn bonus points when spending with Delta on flights or on inflight purchases. All other purchases only net you one point per dollar. The only exception to the rule is the Delta SkyMiles^® Blue American Express Card. You can earn 2X miles on eligible purchases made directly with Delta and at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and 1X miles on all other eligible purchases, but that still isn’t all that great.

However, if you use a non-Delta rewards credit card that has a bonus category with high earnings for spending at restaurants, you could be bringing in heaps of rewards in no time. If you’re a foodie or consistently eating out for business, it’s worth considering one of the cards below to boost your points and miles balances.

To start earning with these non-Delta cards, simply visit the SkyMiles Dining website, log into your account, and register any cards you’ll be using at the program’s partner restaurants. This takes about two minutes — and then you can be eating your way to more Delta SkyMiles every time you used a linked credit card.

The cards listed here earn bank-specific points rather than brand-specific points. These points are typically more valuable, as they can be transferred to a number of different airline programs rather than being stuck with one brand. But, if you're loyal to a single airline, there's no harm in finding the best airline credit card to maximize your rewards. 

Let’s take the American Express^® Gold Card, for example. Because of its healthy welcome offer coupled with its ability to earn 4X Membership Rewards points at restaurants worldwide (up to $50,000 per year, after that 1X), 4X at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year, after that 1X), 3X on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com, 2X on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com, and 1X on all other eligible purchases, the Amex Gold Card is a must-have for any foodie or restaurant connoisseur. With it, you can quickly earn Membership Rewards points on many of your purchases. You can then transfer these Membership Rewards points directly to Delta SkyMiles at a 1:1 ratio. Earning these kinds of transferable points is a much more effective way to earn large quantities of Delta SkyMiles than the co-branded Delta American Express cards, as the earning categories are very limited with the Delta cards.

I recommend both the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® because, while you can’t transfer Chase points directly to Delta SkyMiles, you can transfer them to the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. Given Delta and Virgin Atlantic’s working partnership, this transfer will allow you to use points that originated from your Chase cards to book Delta flights. You can transfer your Chase points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club at a 1:1 ratio.

And if you’re a fan of simply saving money on your restaurant purchases, you can’t go wrong with the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card, as this card offers 3% cash back at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®), on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services; 5% back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply); 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases; and 1% cash back on all other purchases.

In summary, if you’re someone who spends a significant amount of money on restaurants and wants to earn more Delta SkyMiles, I strongly suggest you apply for a card that earns transferable points. The American Express Gold Card is my all-time favorite card because of the ability to transfer points and the rewards I earn from my wife and I dining out.

FAQs about Delta's dining program

The bottom line on Delta’s SkyMiles Dining program

The Delta SkyMiles Dining program is perfect for someone who either enjoys eating out or is consistently traveling for work. While I wouldn’t go too far out of my way to earn a few extra Delta SkyMiles, the restaurant search tool can be a great place to start in finding the perfect place for your next date night or client dinner. That new restaurant down the street may just be participating in SkyMiles Dining, and you could earn a few extra miles for your next Delta flight, which can come in handy if you're a frequent flyer on Delta.

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