How to Use Your Delta SkyMiles to Bid on Luxury Travel Experiences

Dobrina Zhekova
·2 min read

Delta Air Lines' SkyMiles Experiences program is back — here's what you can bid on.

<p>Courtesy of Far Niente Family of Wineries & Vineyards</p>

Courtesy of Far Niente Family of Wineries & Vineyards

Delta Air Lines has relaunched its popular SkyMiles Experiences program after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19. The auction-based program, which originally launched in 2007, allows travelers to use their miles to bid on VIP experiences such as dining at impossible-to-reserve restaurants and hitting the red carpet at awards shows.

The new SkyMiles Experiences website is already up and running, and members can bid on dozens of epic events. The bidding for two experiences crafted with oenophiles in mind will close on Oct. 10: a private tour and wine tasting at Napa Valley's Nickel & Nickel winery for two guests that includes a take-home bottle of wine, and a private tour and tasting at the Brewer-Clifton Winery in California's Santa Rita Hills for four people, along with a one-year membership inclusive of two 12-bottle wine shipments. A third auction, closing on Oct. 13, will take the winner and a friend to a Michelin two-starred restaurant in the nation's capital, at 14-seat Jônt DC, helmed by chef Ryan Ratino, for an elaborate tasting menu.

"We’re so excited to relaunch SkyMiles Experiences and bring back exclusive, aspirational experiences for our members," Ai Stiver, Delta's vice president of merchandising and ancillary revenue, told Travel + Leisure. "In years past, our members have raved about these once-in-a-lifetime type experiences, and we’ll be adding even more locally focused experiences throughout the country that appeal to all of our members’ diverse interests."

Delta's October lineup also includes an auction allowing SkyMiles members to attend the 56th annual Country Music Awards in Nashville and leave with an autographed guitar "signed by a few of country music's hottest stars," per a statement released by Delta. You could also meet the culinary world's biggest stars during the Cayman Islands' four-day annual cookout event, held at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, in January 2023, with acclaimed chefs Andrew Zimmern, Eric Ripert, Daniel Boulud, and José Andrés. Other highlights of the miles-based program include a three-night stay for two at Borealis Basecamp in Fairbanks, Alaska, a six-day road trip throughout England with Iconic Luxury Hotels, and a weeklong culinary tour of Athens and nearby Aegina Island.

Find the complete list of SkyMiles Experiences here to start bidding. Each auction will last 15 to 30 days.