Dive Brief:
- Delta Air Lines loyalty members can now link their SkyMiles and Uber accounts to earn miles from purchases made through Uber and Uber Eats, according to a Delta press release last week.
- SkyMiles members can automatically earn three miles per eligible dollar spent on Uber Reserve trips, two miles per eligible dollar spent on premium Uber rides, and one mile per eligible dollar spent on UberX rides to and from airports, among other benefits.
- “Our new partnership with Uber not only expands the value of loyalty and makes it easier than ever for our members to get rewarded — it also opens the door for new audiences to find reasons to love SkyMiles, no matter how often they fly,” Prashant Sharma, VP of loyalty at Delta, said in a prepared statement.
Dive Insight:
Delta’s loyalty program is a revenue driver for the airline, and the Uber partnership could further fuel its success by tapping into the power of cross-industry loyalty programs.
SkyMiles generated more than $3.8 billion in revenue in fiscal 2024, up 11% from 2023. The momentum continued into the first quarter of 2025, when loyalty revenue rose about 7% year over year.
The loyalty program is attracting younger members while driving deeper engagement, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said on a January earnings call. “Deeper engagement with Delta drives higher customer satisfaction, reinforces loyalty and creates greater lifetime customer value,” Bastian said.
Amid growing economic uncertainty, Delta executives stressed the importance of its loyalty program as a growth driver on an earnings call earlier this month. Loyalty program partnerships, like the one with Uber, could help the airline maintain the strong performance of its SkyMiles program.
Uber isn’t Delta’s only loyalty partner. The airline linked its loyalty program to Starbucks in 2022, and SkyMiles members can also earn miles from qualifying purchases made with Ticketmaster and Hertz.
Loyalty program partnerships that link brands across industries are growing in interest, according to a 2024 EY study. Nearly half of corporate employees responsible for loyalty programs said they plan to create a rewards ecosystem in the next year, which includes expanding rewards across product types and partner networks.
