Delta SkyMiles has a reputation. Not always a great one. "SkyPesos" — the nickname points enthusiasts gave them after award devaluations made it feel like you needed a wheelbarrow of miles to book anything worth booking. United MileagePlus, meanwhile, has quietly become one of the more flexible programs in the US. But the comparison isn't simple. The "better" program depends entirely on how you fly, where you live, and what you're trying to do with your miles.

Here's an honest breakdown of both programs so you can stop accumulating miles in the wrong place.

The Basics: What Are These Programs?

United MileagePlus is United Airlines' frequent flyer program. United is a Star Alliance member, which means your miles can be used to book flights on 44+ Star Alliance partners — ANA, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Swiss, and more.

Delta SkyMiles is Delta Air Lines' loyalty program. Delta is a SkyTeam member, covering 19 airlines including Air France, KLM, Korean Air, and Aeromexico.

Both programs allow you to earn miles via credit card spending (more on that below), partner purchases, and of course flying.

Earning Miles: Credit Cards and Everyday Spending

This is where most people accumulate the bulk of their miles — not from flights, but from credit card spending.

United MileagePlus Cards (Chase)

Chase issues United's co-branded cards. The most popular options:

Card	Annual Fee	Welcome Bonus	Best Earning Rate
United Explorer	$95	60,000 miles	2x on United, dining, hotels
United Quest	$250	70,000 miles	3x on United, 2x dining/hotels
United Club Infinite	$525	80,000 miles	4x on United, 2x on all travel

Key perk: United Explorer gives two free checked bags for cardholder + one companion, which saves $70+ per round trip.

Delta SkyMiles Cards (Amex)

American Express issues all Delta co-branded cards:

Card	Annual Fee	Welcome Bonus	Best Earning Rate
Delta Blue	$0	10,000 miles	2x on Delta, restaurants
Delta Gold	$150	70,000 miles	2x on Delta, restaurants, U.S. supermarkets
Delta Platinum	$350	90,000 miles	3x on Delta, 2x on dining/supermarkets
Delta Reserve	$650	100,000 miles	3x on Delta, 1.5x on all other purchases

Winner for earning: Roughly a draw on welcome bonuses, but United's Chase relationship matters. If you hold a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to United at a 1:1 ratio — giving you a massive additional earning channel. Amex Membership Rewards also transfers to Delta 1:1 (including the Amex Gold and Platinum cards). Both programs benefit from transferable points, so this mostly depends on which transferable currency you're already accumulating.

Redemption Value: How Far Do Your Miles Actually Go?

This is where the programs diverge significantly.

Delta SkyMiles: Dynamic Pricing (and Its Drawbacks)

Delta moved to fully dynamic award pricing in 2023. There are no award charts. No fixed rates. Miles required for a given flight fluctuate based on cash price, demand, and Delta's algorithms.

In practice, this means:

A domestic round-trip might cost 7,000 miles one day and 30,000 miles the next
Business class redemptions can get expensive fast
It's harder to know if you're getting good value without checking every time

Average value of a Delta SkyMile: ~1.0–1.2 cents per mile (some valuations go up to 1.4 cents, but that assumes optimal redemptions)

The one genuine bright spot: Delta + Virgin Atlantic partnership. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club transfers from Amex and Chase, and Virgin's award chart often allows you to book Delta flights at significantly lower rates than booking directly through SkyMiles. Example: Delta One business class domestically can sometimes be booked for 50,000 Virgin points vs. 100,000+ SkyMiles.

United MileagePlus: More Flexibility, Star Alliance Power

United has partner award pricing that can be genuinely excellent. The big advantages:

No fuel surcharges on partner awards (unlike many programs). Booking Lufthansa first class through United carries no fuel surcharge — those same flights through Lufthansa's own program or through Avianca add hundreds of dollars in fees.

Strong partner network. Star Alliance is the largest airline alliance. ANA, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Scandinavian — all bookable with United miles.

Sweet spot redemptions:

- ANA business class to Japan: 55,000–75,000 United miles round-trip (vs. $4,000–$6,000 cash)

- Lufthansa business class to Europe: 70,000 miles one-way (no fuel surcharge)

- Singapore Suites (first class) to Asia: 95,000 miles one-way

Average value of a United mile: ~1.2–1.5 cents per mile, with top redemptions reaching 2.5+ cents on partner business/first class.

The Award Chart Situation

Feature	United MileagePlus	Delta SkyMiles
Award chart	Yes (partner awards)	No (fully dynamic)
Predictability	Moderate — partner rates are fixed	Low — changes constantly
Saver vs. standard	Two tiers exist	No distinction
Partner sweet spots	Strong (ANA, Lufthansa, Singapore)	Weaker (mostly Delta metal)

Winner: United. Having an award chart for partner bookings means you can plan redemptions in advance and know what to aim for. Delta's dynamic pricing makes it nearly impossible to optimize.

Transfer Partners: Where Can You Get These Miles?

Both programs accept transfers from major credit card currencies.

United MileagePlus receives transfers from:

Chase Ultimate Rewards (1:1) — Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, Ink Preferred
Bilt Rewards (1:1) — great if you pay rent

Delta SkyMiles receives transfers from:

Amex Membership Rewards (1:1) — Gold, Platinum, Business Gold/Platinum
Bilt Rewards (1:1)

Practical implication: If you're a heavy Amex Membership Rewards earner, Delta is easily accessible. If you're in the Chase ecosystem, United is the natural home. Some people run both currencies and use both programs.

Earning Miles When Flying

For road warriors who actually fly frequently:

Metric	United	Delta
Base earning (economy)	5 miles/dollar spent	5 miles/dollar spent
Business class	7 miles/dollar	7 miles/dollar
First class	11 miles/dollar	8 miles/dollar
Status miles (elite)	Based on PQPs	Based on MQDs (dollar-based)

Both programs have moved to revenue-based status systems. You earn elite qualifying currency based on how much you spend on flights, not how many miles you fly. This benefits high-spending business travelers and penalizes budget fliers who book the cheapest available fares.

Delta's medallion status: Silver (25,000 MQDs), Gold (50,000 MQDs), Platinum (75,000 MQDs), Diamond (125,000 MQDs)

United's elite status: Silver (12 PQPs), Gold (24 PQPs), Platinum (48 PQPs), 1K (90 PQPs) — also requires qualifying flights for some levels

Lounge Access

Both programs offer credit card lounge access at the high end:

Delta Sky Club: Accessed through Delta Reserve Amex ($650/year) or Amex Platinum (now limited to 10 visits/year unless you spend $75k annually)
United Club: Accessed through United Club Infinite card ($525/year) or United Club membership ($700/year)

Delta Sky Clubs are generally considered more premium — better food, higher-end design in recent renovations. But Delta's move to limit Amex Platinum access has frustrated many travelers who relied on it.

Hub Airports: A Key Consideration

Your home airport matters enormously for which program makes more sense.

United's primary hubs: Chicago O'Hare (ORD), Newark (EWR), Houston (IAH), San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX), Denver (DEN), Washington Dulles (IAD)

Delta's primary hubs: Atlanta (ATL), Minneapolis (MSP), Detroit (DTW), New York JFK, Salt Lake City (SLC), Seattle (SEA), Los Angeles (LAX)

Rule of thumb: If you live near Atlanta, Minneapolis, or Detroit, Delta will dominate your options and it makes sense to lean into SkyMiles. If you're in Chicago, Houston, Newark, or Denver, United is your natural carrier.

Which Program Wins?

For pure points value and flexibility, United MileagePlus is the better program. Partner awards, no fuel surcharges on key routes, and a fixed award chart for planning make it more optimizable.

For simplicity and Delta hubs, SkyMiles still makes sense if Delta is your dominant carrier. You'll never get great value compared to what United miles can do with ANA or Lufthansa, but if your goal is domestic flights and straightforward redemptions, it works.

If you...	Choose...
Fly United or are near a United hub	MileagePlus
Primarily earn Chase Ultimate Rewards	MileagePlus
Live near ATL, MSP, or DTW	SkyMiles
Primarily earn Amex Membership Rewards	SkyMiles (but consider Air France Flying Blue too)
Want to book premium partner cabins (ANA, Lufthansa)	MileagePlus
Just want domestic flights, no complexity	Either (check prices both ways)

Planning Trips Around Your Miles

Once you've picked a program, the next step is actually planning the trip that uses those miles well. That's where most people get stuck — they have the points, but not the plan.

Faroway.ai builds personalized trip itineraries that you can match to your available award availability. If you know you want to use United miles on ANA to Tokyo, Faroway builds you a Japan itinerary to pair with it — day-by-day, with pacing and neighborhood logic built in.

The miles are the ticket in. The itinerary is what makes the trip worth taking.

Bottom Line

United MileagePlus > Delta SkyMiles for most serious points earners. The Star Alliance network, partner award charts, and no fuel surcharges on key routes make it a more powerful program.

But if Delta flies more of your routes, if you're deep in the Amex ecosystem and want simplicity, or if your home airport is a Delta hub — SkyMiles still has a place in your wallet. Just don't expect to squeeze 2+ cents per mile out of it without going through a partner currency like Virgin Atlantic.

The real move: collect transferable points (Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards) and keep your options open. Then when you're ready to book, check both programs — plus Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, and Turkish Miles&Smiles — to find the best rate.

Miles are only worth something when you use them. Go somewhere with them.

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