How to Book a Delta Air Lines Flight with Chase Points

Chase Ultimate Rewards is one of the most lucrative travel rewards programs on the market. It offers members valuable redemption opportunities with 14 airline and hotel transfer partners. Unfortunately, Delta Air Lines fans cannot transfer Chase points directly to the Delta SkyMiles loyalty program because the carrier is not among them.

Luckily, there are a few ways to get around that fact, as you can still use your hard-earned Chase points to book Delta flights through the Chase Travel portal. You could also transfer your points to one of Delta’s SkyTeam partners that are part of the Chase Ultimate Rewards portfolio — namely Air France/KLM Flying Club or Virgin Atlantic Flying Club — and score a free (or nearly free) award flight that way.

Here’s everything you need to know about booking Delta flights with Chase points, plus a few award redemptions to work toward if you’re getting started with points and miles.

Booking Delta flights using the Chase travel portal 

Redeeming Chase points for flights through the Chase Travel portal is pretty straightforward. The intuitive platform operates like other travel booking websites. You can use it to book travel beyond the range of Chase’s 14 partners, plus other trip elements such as hotels, rental cars, cruises, and other activities. 

Of course, there are a few downsides. Since you’re technically reserving your flight through a third party, it might be tricky to reach customer service for help if anything goes wrong during your trip since you didn’t book directly with the airline. You may also have to pay extra for changes to your itinerary or flight cancellations (if they’re even allowed by the carrier) since tickets purchased via the portal are typically booked as non-refundable and non-transferable.

You also might end up getting a lower redemption value for your points versus when you transfer Chase points to a travel partner. That said, your final redemption rate has a lot to do with which Chase credit card you’re using. For Chase Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business Preferred cardholders, Ultimate Rewards points are worth 1.25 cents apiece, while the value increases to 1.5 cents per point for Chase Sapphire Reserve members. 

If, however, you’re using the Chase Freedom Flex, Chase Freedom Unlimited, Ink Business Cash Credit Card, Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card, or the Chase Freedom Rise Credit Card, each Ultimate Rewards point is worth a value of just one cent.

To book a Delta flight via the Chase Travel portal, log into your Chase Ultimate Rewards account or go straight to the portal chase.com/travel and log in there. Next, click on “flights” and select the type of trip you’re booking (round trip, one way, or multi-city), which class you want to fly in, and the number of passengers. Then, plug in your departure and arrival airports and desired travel dates. 

For this example, let’s search for a nonstop flight from New York City (JFK) to Paris (CDG) in early April 2025. Once the results appear, click on the “All filters” button in the top right corner, scroll down to “Airlines” and select “Show more.” Then, click on “Delta Air Lines” and hit “Apply.”

Read through the results and choose a flight to see how many Chase points you’ll need to redeem for it. In this example, it costs 36,737 for a basic economy ticket. The last page lists pricing details in the payment summary (pictured below).

Scroll down to see the option to use a portion of your Chase points to cover the flight if you’re not planning to redeem them all at this time. The difference will be paid in cash.

A quick comparison search on Delta’s website shows the same flights priced at 36,000 Delta SkyMiles and about $87 in taxes and fees, roughly the same amount as what you’d be spending by booking it through Chase. 

Booking Delta flights using Chase points on partners 

While Delta Air Lines isn’t an Ultimate Rewards partner, you can still transfer Chase points to any of its SkyTeam alliance partners that are — in this case, Air France/KLM Flying Blue and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club — at a transfer ratio of 1:1.

Remember to also check your Chase account for transfer bonuses, which are sometimes available. As of this writing, there’s a 20% bonus when you convert Chase points to Air France/KLM Flying Blue by Jan. 15, 2025.

It’s also a good idea to have a plan in mind and check for award availability before you transfer Chase points over to either program, as all transfers are irreversible and happen immediately (though there can sometimes be delays). 

Keep in mind that you can also combine points transferred from other transferable rewards programs — such as American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Capital One Travel Rewards, Bilt Rewards at a 1:1 transfer ratio, or Marriott Bonvoy at a 3:1 ratio — to build up your points balance with either partner.

SkyTeam alliance member: Air France/KLM Flying Blue

In addition to its reasonable redemption rates, Air France/KLM Flying Blue is known for its Promo Rewards, which can make your transfer even more lucrative. Flights between the U.S. and Europe typically start at 25,000 points, while premium economy trips start at 40,000 points, and business-class tickets start at 60,000 points each way.

You can also use Flying Blue to book affordable domestic flights within the U.S. on Delta metal. A sample search for one-way economy flights from Los Angeles (LAX) to Atlanta in early February revealed fares from 17,000 Flying Blue miles and $19.88 in taxes.

For comparison, the same one-way flight could also be booked through Delta’s website for 33,500 SkyMiles and $5.60 in taxes. In this case, it would make more sense to transfer Chase points to Air France/KLM Flying Blue and book it that way.

SkyTeam alliance member: Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Virgin Atlantic still uses an award chart to price out its redemptions, which include flights on Delta metal. You’ll get the biggest bang for your buck by opting for standard season saver awards vs. peak season fares, especially when booking premium or Upper Class (business class) tickets or domestic hops within the U.S.

A recent search showed one-way economy flights in early April from New York (JFK) to Tampa (TPA) from 16,500 points and $6 in taxes — or 59,500 points in business class.

It’s important to note that while flights redeemed via Virgin Atlantic Flying Club may cost fewer points, you’ll likely have to pay higher taxes and fees, which can add up quickly. 

Take the following example for a one-way economy flight from New York (JFK) to London (LHR) in early March. You’d need to transfer just 10,000 Chase points for this award, but the taxes and fees would be about $229 more. 

To compare, the same flight on Delta’s website costs 27,000 miles but incurs only $6 in taxes and fees. If you want to save miles and don’t mind paying higher taxes, the Chase/Flying Club option would make sense.

The best Delta flights to book using Chase points

As we noted above, it can be worth saving your Chase points for partner redemptions on domestic short-haul flights (see the above example), flights between the U.S. and Mexico (from 13,500 Flying Blue miles one-way in economy), or flights between the West Coast and Hawaii (from 18,000 Flying Blue miles one-way in economy). 

Flying Blue also offers valuable points redemptions on flights between the U.S. and Europe as well as within Europe, especially if you can catch a deal through its Promo Rewards or between Europe and Asia. Depending on your departure and arrival cities, you could also end up scoring a deal on Delta One flight redemptions, though availability is typically more limited than with economy flights.

As for Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, it’s worth saving your Chase points for standard season saver award flights, which cost between 10,000 and 15,000 one-way in economy from the U.S. East Coast or West Coast, respectively. Standard season premium economy fares on those routes start at 17,500 to 27,500, while Upper (business) class seats are priced from 47,500 to 67,500 one way. One-way peak season rates cost roughly 10,000 more points at every level. Use the website’s handy Reward Flight Finder tool to see which options work best for your dates.

How point.me helps you book Delta flights with Chase points

With point.me, it’s easy to find the perfect flight redemption. Every possible option is presented once you plug in your travel dates, preferred airports or cities, and the class you want to fly in. 

You can then filter the search results by loyalty program or, after creating an account, narrow them down further to see which ones match the credit cards and airline loyalty programs you’re a member of. 

Taxes and fees are shown with the number of points you’ll need to transfer, so there aren’t any surprises. You can also view the retail prices to see if it’s worth redeeming points or paying cash for your airfare.

Frequently asked questions about booking Delta flights with Chase points

Can I use Chase points for Delta flights?

You can use Chase points for Delta flights, but you’ll need to book your Delta flight directly through the Chase Travel portal. Your redemption will be at a rate of 1 cent, 1.25 cents, or 1.5 cents per point, depending on which Chase credit card you use. 

Alternatively, you could transfer your Chase points to one of Delta’s SkyTeam alliance partners (like Air France Flying Blue or Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, both of which are also part of Chase Ultimate Rewards). You can then reserve your Delta flight via that loyalty program’s website.

What other airlines can I transfer Chase points to?

The Chase Ultimate Rewards program has 11 airline and three hotel partners (IHG Rewards Club, Marriott Bonvoy, and World of Hyatt), allowing you to convert Chase points to any of them at a 1:1 transfer ratio. Airline partners include Aer Lingus AerClub, Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, British Airways Executive Club, Emirates Skywards, Iberia Plus, JetBlue TrueBlue, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards, United MileagePlus, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

Can I partially pay for a Delta flight with Chase points?

Yes. When you book flights through the Chase Travel portal, you’ll have the option to enter how many points you’d like to redeem, whether it’s your whole balance or just a portion of it. If you opt to just cover part of the flight with Chase points, the system will adjust the total and ring up how much you’ll need to pay in cash as the difference.

What is the ratio of Chase points to Delta miles?

Unfortunately, Delta is not a Chase Ultimate Rewards travel partner, so there’s no way to compare ratios between them. That said, it is possible to transfer Chase points to Air France/KLM Flying Blue or Virgin Atlantic Flying Club at a 1:1 transfer ratio, then use those to book flights with Delta since they’re all SkyTeam airline alliance partners.

Summary

While Delta Air Lines isn’t directly connected to the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, there are still a few ways to use Chase points to book award flights with the carrier. 

Utilizing the Chase Travel portal is a decent option, especially if you’re looking to redeem Chase points for flights on non-transfer-partner airlines like Delta. Chase credit cardholders can even yield a higher redemption rate of up to 1.50 cents per point by doing so.

Your best bet, however, is to transfer Chase points to one of Delta’s SkyTeam partners — like Virgin Atlantic Flying Club or Air France/KLM Flying Blue, which are each direct transfer partners of Chase Ultimate Rewards — and use those points and miles to redeem award flights on Delta.