Delta vs United: How Their Miles Programs Compare in 2026

Delta SkyMiles and United MileagePlus both let miles live as long as the member does. They differ in how they pay and how they grant status. Delta pays 5 miles per dollar on most fares and awards status on spend alone. United set its general rate at 3 miles per dollar for tickets issued from April 2, 2026. It awards status on spend plus flights. This guide compares the two from their own program pages, terms and results releases. The last section reads both designs from the side of the teams that run loyalty programs.

Is Delta SkyMiles or United MileagePlus better?

Delta is the better pick for flyers who want status from spend alone and the earliest upgrades. Its base rate is 5 miles per dollar, against 3 at United. Delta Gold members start getting Delta First upgrades 72 hours before departure. The United Gold window is 48 hours.

United is the better pick for flyers who pool miles or chase lifetime status. Pooling lets up to five members combine miles. A United cardmember saves at least 10% on award flights. Lifetime tiers start at 1 million miles.

Delta SkyMiles vs United MileagePlus at a glance

The table sets the two programs side by side. Each value comes from the program’s own pages, terms or results releases, linked in the sections below.

How big are Delta and United?

Delta describes up to 5,500 daily flights to more than 300 destinations on six continents and says it served more than 200 million customers in 2025. It is a founding member of the SkyTeam alliance. United said it carried over 48 million customers in the third quarter of 2025, on the largest daily mainline schedule it has flown in a quarter. On June 18, 2026, a company record of 640,717 customers flew with it in one day. Neither program’s pages read for this guide give a current member count.

How do you earn miles with Delta and United?

Delta pays more per dollar. Members earn 5 miles in Classic or Refundable and 7 miles in Extra per $1 on Delta-marketed flights, and 2 on Delta Basic. Main Basic earns nothing. Medallion members earn 7, 8, 9 and 11 miles per dollar at Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond. Delta Amex cardmembers can earn up to 8 miles per dollar on Delta purchases.

United changed its rates for tickets issued on or after April 2, 2026. A general member earns 3 miles per dollar. Premier members earn 5, 6, 7 and 9 at Silver, Gold, Platinum and 1K. A primary United cardmember earns 6 miles per dollar as a general member and 12 at 1K, and more when the card pays for the ticket. Basic Economy fares earn less, and a general member without a United card earns nothing on them.

For illustration, take a $1,000 base fare on a standard fare. The table shows the miles each tier earns before any card bonus.

Both airlines pay on the fare and skip taxes and fees. United caps a ticket at 75,000 miles. Both reach beyond flying: Delta lists partners like Hertz and Starbucks, and United members can earn up to four miles per dollar on eligible Lyft rides.

Which elite status is easier to earn?

Delta counts dollars. Its Medallion Qualification Dollars are $1 per $1 on the ticket price of a Delta-marketed flight. Silver takes $5,000, Gold $10,000, Platinum $15,000 and Diamond $28,000 for 2027 status. Delta Main Basic tickets do not count. Delta Amex cardholders on the Platinum and Reserve cards, personal or business, get a $2,500 MQD Headstart each year. They also earn MQDs on card spend.

United counts dollars and flights. A member needs 15 flights and 5,000 PQP, or 6,000 PQP alone, for Silver. At the top, 1K takes 60 flights and 22,000 PQP, or 28,000 PQP alone. Every member must also fly at least four United or United Express flights. At Silver, Gold and Platinum, the points-only route costs 1,000, 2,000 and 3,000 PQP more than the Delta dollar threshold. At the top, both programs ask for $28,000 of spend.

Cards can speed either path. United primary cardmembers earn 1 PQP for every $20 on most cards, and the United Club Card counts up to 28,000 PQP. United also gave Premier members a head start: members who held status on February 1, 2026 received 300 to 1,400 PQP, by tier. Members can buy extra PQP through Premier Accelerator.

United kept its Premier thresholds the same for 2026.

How do Medallion and Premier perks compare?

Delta Medallion members get unlimited upgrades for themselves and a companion. The window for Delta First opens 24 hours out at Silver and 72 hours out at Gold. At Platinum it opens 120 hours out. Diamond members get priority at that point. Platinum and Diamond members can also choose a benefit, such as 6,000 Starbucks Rewards Stars.

United upgrades open on the day of departure at Silver and 48 hours out at Gold. Platinum gets 72 hours and 1K gets 96. Premier members have unrestricted access to Everyday Awards, so an open seat on a United flight can be booked with miles. Premier Gold and above also carry Star Gold status on partner airlines.

How do you redeem miles at Delta and United?

Delta says there are no blackout dates on any Delta flight. Its award calendar shows the lowest price options for chosen dates, and members can use Miles + Cash. Gold, Platinum and Reserve Amex cardmembers save 15% on Award Travel on Delta-operated flights. Award travel also earns MQDs.

United’s award page says members can use miles for any open seat on its own flights. That includes the last seat on the plane. Since April 2, 2026, cardmembers save at least 10% on award flights. Premier cardmembers save at least 15%. A member short on miles can pay with Money + Miles.

Which program has better partners?

Delta is adding partners outside the cabin. More than 1.5 million SkyMiles members have linked accounts with Uber, and members can earn miles with Airbnb. On September 9, 2026, Hyatt said elite members of both programs would earn Hyatt points and Delta miles on qualifying travel once the deal launches.

United links its program to other airlines and brands. Through Blue Sky, members can earn and use miles on JetBlue. An Instacart deal gives members $0 delivery fees around domestic flights. Members can also redeem miles in the Lyft app.

What does each program cost?

Delta says SkyMiles is free to join. Neither program charges to hold status. The paid part is the co-brand card, and both airlines lean on it. Delta works with American Express. United works with Chase. Cardholders earn more miles and get award discounts. At both airlines they can also earn status credit on spend.

Both airlines let miles live for good. Delta says miles don’t expire. United’s rules keep mileage in an account until it is redeemed or forfeited under the rules, and its March 2024 pooling release said members earn miles that never expire.

Delta or United: which should you choose?

• Status from spend alone: Delta. Medallion counts dollars, and Silver takes $5,000.
• Earliest upgrades: Delta. Gold members start 72 hours out, against 48 at United.
• More miles per dollar on a standard fare: Delta. A general member earns 5, and United pays 3.
• Families who pool miles: United. Up to five members can share one account.
• Star Alliance flying: United. Premier Gold and above get Star Gold.
• Lifetime tiers: United. They start at 1 million miles of flying.
• Anyone who flies both: keep both accounts. Neither program expires miles.

What do SkyMiles and MileagePlus teach a loyalty team?

Both airlines earn money from the program itself. Delta reported American Express remuneration of $8.2 billion in 2025, up 11%. In the June 2026 quarter, remuneration was $2.4 billion, up 16%, and Delta said cardholder spend had grown at a double-digit rate for seven quarters in a row. United said loyalty revenue grew 9% in 2025, 13% in the first quarter of 2026 and 11% in the second.

A program that earns this much can secure debt. In the third quarter of 2025, United prepaid the remaining $1.5 billion of its MileagePlus bonds, which cleared all debt secured by the MileagePlus business. At the end of 2025 Delta carried $9.3 billion of loyalty program deferred revenue. Of that, $4.9 billion was current and $4.4 billion was noncurrent. Both numbers show that miles are a financial asset as well as a marketing tool.

The two status designs make different bets. Delta’s dollar-only rule is simple and rewards fare spend. United’s mix of points and flights rewards frequency, and it lets cards fill part of the gap. In 2026 both moved value toward cardmembers. Delta let Amex cardmembers check a second bag free on domestic flights. United raised cardmember earn rates and discounted awards for cardmembers. Our tier strategy guide covers how to weigh those choices, and the airline loyalty economics guide covers the card economics.

How GRAVTY handles airline loyalty at scale

Airline programs change rules often: new earn rates, card tiers and status paths. GRAVTY Visual Rules is Loyalty Juggernaut’s patented no-code rules engine, and it puts those changes in the loyalty team’s hands.

Migration is the hard test. WestJet moved WestJet Rewards off Siebel and onto GRAVTY, and its year-end rollover now takes 28 hours, down from 10 days. Riyadh Air built its program on GRAVTY before it flew and saw Sfeer pass one million members less than a year after launch. GRAVTY powers Emirates Skywards Everyday across 500+ partners and 2,000+ outlets.

GRAVTY runs 500M+ members in production. It holds a 99.99% uptime SLA and has average latency under 50 ms.

See how GRAVTY runs airline loyalty. Read about loyalty platform migration. Compare more programs in the best airline loyalty programs guide.

Frequently asked questions

Which airline pays more miles per dollar?

Delta pays more per dollar. A general member earns 5 miles per dollar on Classic and Refundable fares. United pays 3 on tickets issued from April 2, 2026.

Is Delta Gold easier to earn than United Gold?

Delta needs fewer dollars than United’s points-only route. Delta Gold takes $10,000 of qualifying spend. United Gold takes 30 flights and 10,000 PQP, or 12,000 PQP alone.

Do Delta and United miles expire?

No. Delta says its miles don’t expire. United says its miles never expire. United’s rules keep mileage in an account until it is redeemed or forfeited.

When do upgrades open at Delta and United?

Delta opens Delta First upgrades 24 hours out at Silver, 72 at Gold and 120 at Platinum. United opens upgrades on the day of departure at Silver, 48 hours out at Gold, 72 at Platinum and 96 at 1K.

Which airline gives cardholders an award discount?

Both do. Delta gives some Amex cardmembers 15% off awards on Delta flights. United gives cardmembers at least 10% off.

Can you pool miles at Delta or United?

United lets up to five members pool miles into one account, a feature it launched in March 2024.