Save $1,000s on Flights to the South Pacific by Earning an AMEX Delta Card Bonus!
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Update: One or more card offers in this post are no longer available. Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.Looking to travel somewhere extra special or book a romantic dream vacation? You can redeem Delta miles for travel to Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific islands (like Tahiti!), one of the most beautiful areas of the world!
Tickets to the South Pacific, especially to places like Tahiti typically cost $1,500+. So using Delta miles can save you a lot of money!
I’ll explain how you can get Big Travel by using Delta miles to fly to Australia, New Zealand, and other exotic destinations in the South Pacific!
Using Delta Miles for Travel to the South Pacific
Link: These AMEX Delta Card Offers Won’t Be Around Forever
Link: 11 Reasons Why the Delta AMEX Limited-Time Offers Are Worth Considering This Time Around!
Using Delta miles for award travel to the South Pacific can be a terrific deal because paying cash for the same flights is usually very expensive.
And through April 11, 2018, it’s easier to earn Delta miles because the welcome bonuses on the American Express Delta cards are the highest they’ve ever been!
So it’s a terrific time to consider these cards if you’re looking to earn more Delta miles for a romantic getaway or adventure to Australia, New Zealand, or the South Pacific.
You can redeem Delta miles to book award flights on 4 airlines without a stopover in Asia:
- Air France
- Air Tahiti Nui
- Delta
- Virgin Australia
You can also use Delta miles to travel to the South Pacific via Asia, on airlines like Korean Air and China Southern. These are longer itineraries, which are not as popular with many readers. So I thought I’d focus on award flights leaving directly from the US.
I’ll explain how to search for and book award seats for each airline.1. Delta
Flying Delta is the cheapest way to use your Delta miles to the South Pacific. That said, finding low-level saver award seats on Delta can be challenging, especially in Business Class. And Delta only flies from Los Angeles to Sydney. Delta no longer has an award chart. The cheapest one-way award flights I found were 45,000 Delta miles in coach and 94,000 miles in Business Class. Keep in mind, the award flight prices can vary depending on your travel dates. Award flight taxes & fees aren’t unreasonable at ~$120 for a round-trip coach award ticket.To book, go to Delta’s website and search for award travel using their flight search engine:
Before you use miles for an award, make sure to check the price of a ticket. Because you can potentially save miles by using Pay With Miles.
2. Air Tahiti Nui
If you’re planning travel to Tahiti, you can redeem Delta miles to fly from Los Angeles to Papeete on Air Tahiti Nui. Once there, you can connect to destinations like Bora Bora, Nouméa, and Moorea!Note that there are 2 different airlines that share a similar name: Air Tahiti Nui and Air Tahiti. You can only use Delta miles on Air Tahiti Nui, not Air Tahiti. Air Tahiti serves regional islands, while Air Tahiti Nui is the airline’s international operation.
For a one-way award flight, you’ll pay:
- 55,000 Delta miles in coach
- 115,000 miles in Business Class
These are fixed award prices, which do not change based on demand. You can expect to pay ~$200 in taxes & fees for a round-trip award flight on this route.
To search for award seats, you’ll have to use a tool like ExpertFlyer. Award seats in coach are plentiful if you book in advance. And finding 2 seats in Business Class isn’t hard if you book in advance or at the last minute.
Once you find award seats, call Delta at 800-323-2323 and give the agent your routing, date, and class of service. If booking coach, make sure to tell the agent you’re looking at “U space,” and if Business Class, “F space.”
Round-trip tickets on Air Tahiti Nui between Los Angeles and Papeete often sell for ~$2,000 in coach, and over $7,000 in Business Class! So using your miles on Air Tahiti Nui can be a fantastic award!
3. Virgin Australia
Delta has a partnership with Virgin Australia, which might be one of the most comfortable airline choice for flights to the South Pacific. Virgin Australia flies from Los Angeles to:- Brisbane
- Melbourne
- Sydney
With Virgin Australia, you can connect to most of Australia, New Zealand, and some South Pacific islands on the same ticket. For example, you could fly from Los Angeles to Sydney to Auckland, New Zealand on one ticket!
Taxes and fees for a round-trip award on this route are typically ~$140.
4. Air France
Air France operates a flight between Los Angeles and Papeete. Like Air Tahiti Nui, this is a great option if you’re planning to visit the South Pacific islands, like Bora Bora.
This flight is seasonal and does not operate every day, and award seats are limited. From Los Angeles to Papeete, this flight runs:
- Tuesday
- Thursday
- Saturday
And from Papeete to Los Angeles:
- Wednesday
- Friday
- Sunday
Delta charges 55,000 miles one-way in coach, and 115,000 miles one-way in Business Class. Taxes are ~$200 round-trip.
If you collect flexible points, you’ll be better off redeeming Flying Blue miles for the same flight. Currenly, a one-way award flight costs 30,000 Flying Blue miles in coach and 75,000 Flying Blue miles in Business Class. But after June 1, 2018, Flying Blue is making changes to their award chart. And you’ll be able to book low-level awards for only 25,500 Flying Blue miles in coach or 64,000 Flying Blue miles is Business Class! But we don’t know how many award seats will be available at these prices.
You can sometimes find available award seats on Delta’s website. But the best way is to use the Flying Blue website or ExpertFlyer. Then, call Delta to book your seats.
Bottom Line
Using Delta miles to Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific islands can be a great use to check off bucket-list destinations or go on a relaxing honeymoon.
You can redeem Delta miles for award flights to the South Pacific directly on Delta. Or on partner airlines like Air France, Air Tahiti Nui, or Virgin Australia. The best option will depend on your desired destination and travel preferences.
It’s a great time to earn Delta miles to save for your dream trip with the limited-time increased welcome bonuses on the AMEX Delta cards. But these offers expire April 11 2018!Have you redeemed Delta miles to travel to Australia, New Zealand, or the South Pacific? Let me know in the comments!
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