Big Change: Earn Delta Miles on Starbucks
Tl;dr: Although you now have to use larger and more precise Starbucks reloads to earn the most Skymiles, the earning potential is much better.
One of my favorite lazy miles & points hacks is getting a little less lazy but a little more powerful. For a while now, Delta Skymiles members have been able to link their accounts to Starbucks and earn one Skymile for every dollar spent at the coffee giant. It was my favorite way to earn points: set-and-forget. Link your accounts and then earn more miles when you spend, if you spend. No planning necessary.
The new system
Delta is now changing all that, and I’m sad to report that both minimum spending and math is involved. Starting today, in place of the old spend-a-dollar-get-a-mile system, Delta is now awarding Skymiles only when you reload your Starbucks account; there’s now a $25 minimum reload amount, and the amount of miles earned varies based on the amount reloaded:
$25-$49.99: 25 miles
$50-$74.99: 75 miles
$75-99.99: 125 miles
$100: 200 miles
This means the return on your spending can vary wildly based on how much you reload: $15 gets you 0 miles per dollar; $25 gets you 1 miles per dollar; $45 gets you 0.6 miles per dollar; $50 gets you 1.5 miles per dollar; $70 gets you 1.1 mile per dollar; $75 gets you 1.6 miles per dollar; $95 gets you 1.3 miles per dollar; and $100 gets you 2 miles per dollar.
The good news
Thankfully, it is very easy to see the sweet spots in this new bonus system, so you can simply set a default reload amount to the level that best balances miles-earning, your budget, and your coffee spending habits. Personally, $100 at a time is a little rich for my blood, so I’ll probably go for the $50 reloads, earning me 50% more Skymiles than I got under the old system.
And as I mentioned before, the best strategy was always to strategically reload your Starbucks account on Rent Day with a Bilt card, and that strategy is even more powerful now.
Conclusion
While this is bad news for people who don’t visit Starbucks that often (and won’t want to stash large sums of money in their Starbucks accounts) and those that preferred the old set-and-forget system, it’s great for heavy Starbucks users who can take advantage of the new system to maximize their Delta miles.
Edit: If you haven’t yet, be sure to link your Starbucks and Delta accounts. Also, the first 500,000 Delta members to enroll and reload $25 to their Starbucks will earn an extra 50 Skymiles (3x Skymiles per dollar spent if you reload $25 exactly, in addition to whatever you earn on your card and the Starbucks Stars you will eventually earn on coffee purchases).