EASY! Earn Free Delta SkyMiles With Starbucks Purchases

Some of the best ways to earn miles and points can also be the easiest.  Small amount of points add up over time.  Earning points for things you’re already doing are really the golden opportunities for me.  That’s why a new partnership to earn Delta SkyMiles on your Starbucks purchases is such a great opportunity. Even if you don’t visit Starbucks on a regular basis there are a couple of easy scores here.

Earn Delta SkyMiles For Starbucks Purchases

Delta announced a partnership with Starbucks earlier this week.  Folks who link their Starbucks account to their Delta SkyMiles account can earn 1 SkyMile for each dollar spent at Starbucks.

On top of that, you can earn 500 SkyMiles as a bonus just for linking your accounts.  And, you can earn 150 Starbucks stars for making a qualifying purchase.  Both needed to be completed by December 31, 2022 to earn the bonuses.  I linked my accounts in less than a minute on the new partnership website.

The downside of a 5+ hour delay in the airport yesterday was plenty of time to test out a Starbucks purchase to see if the new partnership works as advertised.  Sure enough, shortly after a $14.80 pre-tax purchase at the DCA Starbucks I checked my account to find 15 miles (and my 500 SkyMiles bonus) already posted to my account.

The Final Two Pennies

Free miles and points are my favorite kind, especially when you can earn them for something you already do on a regular basis.  If you spent $5 per visit and hit Starbucks three times per week you’d earn 750 Delta SkyMiles.  That’s not a significant amount, for sure.  But, the miles are free.  And, there are plenty of opportunities out there to earn bonus miles or get a discount when purchasing Starbucks gift cards.  Typically, I use an Ink Plus card that earns 10 points per dollar on office supplies to pick up Starbucks gift cards when I need to replenish.

The purchase I made to earn 15 miles was with one of those gift cards, so I’m effectively stacking an extra mile for every dollar I spend at Starbucks with a few simple clicks.  Using small advantages like this to increase your mileage balance is even more important if you don’t have a regular way to earn lots of miles (lots of credit card spend or paid business travel, for example).  Take the free miles and enjoy!

Side note: Gary does note that it’s possible Aeroplan might roll out a more lucrative partnership with Starbucks in the future.  I don’t know how likely that is.  My guess is you’d earn the same one point per dollar spent.  I consider Aeroplan points to be considerably more valuable than Delta SkyMiles.  I imagine that there will be some way to switch your earning preference, though it’s possible that doesn’t materialize.

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