If you want to earn (or requalify for) Delta elite status early next year, consider this Friday-Sunday business class mileage run from San Francisco to Madrid.
My Google Flights search indicates there are several weekends available during the first few months of 2022.
San Francisco to Madrid Business Class Mileage Run
This is an AeroMexico business class run that flies SFO-Mexico City-Madrid-MEX-SFO. The Unofficial SkyMiles Calculator says the trip should fly 15,104 miles. When you credit the run to your Delta SkyMiles account, you should earn $6,041 MQD (here’s why.) That meets the Gold Medallion MQD requirement with one trip!
Plus, it’s estimated to haul in 22,658 MQM and 30,208 redeemable SkyMiles (before any Medallion bonuses).
AeroMexico lists the trip as costing $1,796.97. So that’s an MQD return of over 3.3X! The MQM price out at nearly 8 CPM — which isn’t stellar. But, again, these runs are designed to score a bunch of MQD. The MQM and redeemable SkyMiles are a nice bonus.
Our sample trip departs Friday afternoon, January 21, and gets you back to SFO at 9:45 PM on Sunday, January 23. So you have some time to position to SFO (if you don’t live there) on Friday. Depending on where you live, you might be able to snag a redeye back home on Sunday night.
You’ll have Saturday evening to enjoy Madrid. Perhaps you have a hotel credit card with an anniversary night — and can burn it in Madrid!
Where to Book
You can find the trip on AeroMexico’s website. Alternatively, René usually starts at TopCashback and then books through Priceline so he earns back a few bucks.
AeroMexico flights purchased through OTA usually code as AeroMexico tickets — which is great if you pay with The Platinum Card® from American Express (5X points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel, on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.)
You might also consider using the American Express® Gold Card (3X on purchases made directly with airlines). Or maybe consider using a Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Ink Preferred (3X on travel), to name but a few.
Remember, too, that several Chase Ultimate Rewards cards offer 5X bonuses when you book travel through the Ultimate Rewards travel OTA.
I’ve seen AeroMexico runs available on the Ultimate Rewards OTA.
Don’t pay for seats. Once you book your trip, take your AeroMexico PNR and go into AeroMexico’s website to select your seats.
Anxious About Booking Delta Partner Trips? Need Some Help?
Are you worried your trip credits won’t correctly post to your Delta SkyMiles account? Not sure about COVID testing locations or requirements? Need help finding good deals on positioning flights and/or hotels? Want to make sure you’re booking the right itinerary and using the correct credit card?
You are not the only one. Don’t worry!
Our friends at Juicy Miles are mileage run professionals and can do all that work for you. (Plus, they’ll monitor your itinerary for any flight changes.) I’ve known Miles Jackson (one of their expert travel agents) for several years. I trust him and everyone at Juicy Miles to take care of our readers.
Or if you don’t like this run and want to find a different trip, then get in touch with Juicy Miles now!
- Don’t miss a single run. Subscribe HERE mileage run email alerts!
- Need to learn how to find a run? See THIS Rookie post for a how-to guide!
- Want a custom-built run from your home airport? You can find one here.
To see rates and fees for The Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this link. Terms apply.
To see rates and fees for the American Express® Gold Card, please visit this link. Terms apply.
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typo, you mean 2022 ???
Yep. Thanks for the heads-up!
Chris, just curious, can you book this on Delta, or it needs to be done via AeroMexico website? Thanks. Sandy
DO NOT BUY MQD RUNS FROM DELTA. That negates the big MQD bonus. Book only through the partner or a reliable OTA.