It no longer matters whether you travel by land or by air—both methods of transit now yield major perks for members of Delta Air Lines’ rewards program.
In a move that grabbed headlines earlier this week, Delta announced that SkyMiles members will earn one mile for every dollar they spend on journeys with ride-sharing service Lyft. Members also get two bonus miles for every dollar when they take their Lyft rides to the airport (although it doesn’t matter if they actually fly Delta once they’re there). And if SkyMiles members are new to Lyft, they get an additional perk: two $10 ride credits.
The arrangement is a big deal for a few reasons.
First, SkyMiles is the only major U.S. airline loyalty program to give members miles for riding with Lyft. Second, Delta chose Lyft over Uber, a competing ride-sharing service that has significantly more market share but has recently drawn strident criticisms for the way it treats drivers and employees.
What’s more, the new relationship increases the number of travel partnerships Delta offers its most frequent customers. In recent months, the carrier has ironed out a similar deal with Airbnb for SkyMiles members and negotiated discounted rates with CLEAR. Sandeep Dube, Delta’s vice president of customer engagement and loyalty, said the company simply is giving customers what they want.
“We want Delta customers to choose the brands that they love throughout their journey[s], and be rewarded for it,” he was quoted as saying in the press release.
According to an article in the New York Times, all customers have to do to cash in on this partnership is link their SkyMiles and Lyft accounts through this website. After that, benefits begin accumulating immediately and automatically.
As of now, there is no limit to the number of SkyMiles points one can accumulate through Lyft, and all Lyft rides are eligible to earn points, including Lyft Line, Classic, Plus, and Premier.
