27/08/2026
Before you book that Delta flight, check this FIRST. ✈️
My husband broke his foot, so we had to cancel our Italy trip. Now that we’re trying to reschedule, I found a direct Delta flight from Minneapolis to Rome.
But I don’t have a ton of SkyMiles.
So instead of automatically booking with Delta, I checked their airline partners.
Here’s what I found for the EXACT SAME FLIGHT:
✈️ Delta SkyMiles: 93,300 miles
✈️ Virgin Flying Club: 30,000 Virgin Points + taxes
✈️ Capital One Travel: 125,350 Venture miles
That’s a HUGE difference.
This is why I always say you need to understand transfer partners + airline alliances before booking with your points.
Delta is part of SkyTeam, and Virgin Atlantic is a SkyTeam partner. That means you can sometimes use Virgin Points to book eligible Delta flights. (Virgin Atlantic)
But here’s the important warning:
🚨 DO NOT transfer your points until you confirm the award is actually available.
Transfers are one-way. Once those Capital One miles become Virgin Points, you generally can’t just move them back to Capital One.
And don’t assume Virgin will ALWAYS be the better option.
Sometimes Delta will have better availability or pricing. Sometimes a partner will have the better deal. Delta controls how many award seats it makes available to partners, so not every Delta flight you see will be bookable with Virgin Points. (Virgin Atlantic)
Always check both before you transfer.
This one search saved me more than 60,000 points.
That’s the power of knowing how to use the points you already have instead of just booking whatever your credit card shows you first.
Follow Elise • Travel Savvy Mama | Family Travel Points & Miles for more points + miles strategies that save our family thousands on travel.
