Delta Is Selling Round-Trip Australia Awards From 25,400 SkyMiles
Delta is pricing round-trip award flights from Los Angeles to Brisbane at 30,000 SkyMiles, or 25,400 SkyMiles if you hold a Delta SkyMiles American Express card. Auckland runs 40,000 miles round trip, dropping to 34,000 with the card. Delta never announced this sale and has published no end date for it.
The short version
Los Angeles to Brisbane: 30,000 SkyMiles round trip plus $129.33 in taxes, or 25,400 miles with a Delta Amex card
Los Angeles to Auckland: 40,000 miles round trip plus $99.83, or 34,000 miles with the card
Los Angeles to Sydney and to Hong Kong: 50,000 miles round trip, or 42,500 with the card
New York and Atlanta start at 50,000 miles round trip to Brisbane, 42,500 with the card
Travel dates run September through December 2026, with the widest availability in November
Delta has published no end date, so the pricing ends whenever the seats sell
What exactly is on sale?
Delta is discounting SkyMiles award pricing on its own long-haul flights to Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Taipei. The cheapest fares are Delta Main Basic, which is Delta's version of basic economy. Los Angeles is the best departure city by a wide margin. Frequent Miler found LAX to Brisbane at 30,000 miles round trip, LAX to Auckland at 40,000, and LAX to Sydney and Hong Kong at 50,000. Taipei sits at 58,000.
East coast departures cost more. Brisbane from New York or Atlanta starts around 50,000 miles round trip. Auckland is 60,000 and Sydney is 70,000.
One-way awards price at roughly half the round trip. Los Angeles to Brisbane one way shows up near 15,000 miles, which matters if you are flying home on a different program's miles.
Why is 25,400 SkyMiles a good price?
Delta SkyMiles has no award chart, so the only way to judge a price is against the cash fare and against what the route usually costs. Los Angeles to Australia in economy regularly sells for $1,300 or more. At 25,400 miles plus $129 in taxes, you are getting roughly 4.6 cents of value per SkyMile. Our guide to what points and miles are worth pegs SkyMiles closer to 1.2 cents in ordinary use. This is three to four times that.
The comparison to other programs is less flattering but still fine. A one-way economy award to Australia on a partner program often runs 40,000 to 55,000 miles. Delta is selling the round trip for less than most programs charge one way.
What is the catch with Delta Main Basic?
Delta Main Basic strips out seat selection, changes and refunds, and it boards last. On a 15-hour flight to Brisbane, sitting wherever the computer puts you is a real cost. Delta will sell you an upgrade to standard Delta Main for roughly 15,000 to 20,000 additional miles each way, which pushes a Brisbane round trip from 25,400 miles to somewhere near 55,000. At that point the deal is ordinary rather than excellent.
My take: book the Main Basic fare if you are travelling alone or with one other person and you are flexible about seats. If you need two seats together with a child, price the Delta Main fare before you get excited.
How does the 15% cardholder discount work?
Delta calls the benefit TakeOff 15, and it takes 15% off SkyMiles award pricing on Delta-operated flights. It applies automatically once an eligible Delta SkyMiles American Express card is saved to your SkyMiles profile. That is the entire difference between the 30,000-mile price and the 25,400-mile price. You do not pay with the card to get the discount, you only need to hold it and have it linked.
If you are weighing whether a Delta co-brand earns its fee, a sale like this is the argument for the cheapest version rather than the most expensive one. We cover the trade-offs in our best travel credit cards guide.
Should you book now or wait?
Book now. Delta's SkyMiles Program Rules state plainly that award prices "are subject to change at any time." There is no published deadline to plan around, which means the pricing disappears without warning the moment Delta has sold the inventory it wanted to move. Unadvertised flash sales have lasted anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
Two things reduce the risk of moving fast. Delta gives you 24 hours of risk-free cancellation on tickets bought in the United States, with the miles returned. And SkyMiles do not expire, so a speculative booking you later cancel costs you nothing but the effort. Delta's program rules say it directly: "Under the SkyMiles Mileage Expiration policy, miles do not expire."
What this means for you
If Australia or New Zealand has been on your list and you hold SkyMiles, check Los Angeles departures in November first. That is where the cheapest seats are. If you are short on miles, Delta SkyMiles is an American Express Membership Rewards transfer partner at 1:1, so a Membership Rewards balance converts into this fare quickly. Do not transfer until you have found and held the seat, because transfers to airlines are one-way and cannot be reversed.
If you have no interest in the South Pacific, skip it. A great price on a trip you do not want is not a deal.
FAQ
Is the Delta SkyMiles Australia sale still live?
The Delta SkyMiles sale to Australia and New Zealand was live as of September 30, 2026, and Delta has published no end date. Delta did not announce the promotion publicly, so the only way to confirm the price is to search delta.com for your dates.
Do I need a Delta credit card to get 25,400 SkyMiles?
Yes. The 25,400-mile price for Los Angeles to Brisbane reflects the TakeOff 15 discount, which requires an eligible Delta SkyMiles American Express card saved to your SkyMiles profile. Without the card the same round trip prices at 30,000 miles.
What cabin do these Delta award fares book into?
The cheapest fares in this Delta sale are Delta Main Basic, which is basic economy with no seat selection, no changes and last boarding. Upgrading to standard Delta Main costs roughly 15,000 to 20,000 more miles per direction.
When can I travel on these Delta award fares?
Availability in this Delta SkyMiles sale runs from September through December 2026. November has the most open seats to Australia and New Zealand. Hong Kong and Taipei skew toward earlier dates.
Do SkyMiles expire if I cancel a speculative booking?
No. Delta's SkyMiles Program Rules state that miles do not expire, and miles from a cancelled award ticket return to your account. Cancelling within 24 hours of booking a ticket issued in the United States returns the miles and the taxes.
The Bottom Line
A 25,400-mile round trip to Australia is one of the best SkyMiles prices of the year, and it comes with no deadline to hide behind. Search Los Angeles, look at November, and accept the basic economy restrictions or price the upgrade honestly before you book.
Subscribe to the TravelPointsPro blog and we will send the next one of these to your inbox while there are still seats left.
Comments