Here is an easy way to earn Delta SkyMiles — but it’s also easy to forget. Even during our last trip, my wife reminded me, “Hey, submit for late baggage.”
You might be traveling during the holidays — and something worth remembering (at least for Delta Air Lines travelers) is Delta’s “Bags on Time” feature that can award you bonus SkyMiles if your checked luggage takes 20 minutes or more to find its way to the baggage carousel.
This is available on flights in all 50 United States and Puerto Rico.
Given that many airports are facing staffing shortages, you may experience regular luggage delays. So, I figured now’s a great time to do a quick refresher of this promotion!
Delta “Bags on Time”
Delta implemented its “Bags on Time” feature several years ago.
If you check a bag on a Delta flight and your luggage arrives on the carousel belt 20 minutes (or more) after the plane’s door opens, you’re entitled to 2,500 bonus SkyMiles.
I can already hear guffaws from people saying, “That’s hardly anything!” Well, true. But it’s something. And because Delta seems to value SkyMiles at about a penny each, 2,500 SkyMiles are worth approximately $25 in Delta travel. (Remember, too, that Delta SkyMiles award travel earns MQM, MQD, and MQS!)
When we arrived home at LAX a couple of weeks ago, our bags didn’t show up on the carousel until about 20 minutes after we arrived.
So, I went to this page and submitted the required information. My claim was confirmed and the 2,500 bonus SkyMiles were added to my account within a couple of minutes!
It’s something easy you can do on the car-shuttle-train-bus ride to your home or hotel.
A Few Things to Keep in Mind
Remember these criteria for Delta Bags on Time claims:
- You must be a Delta SkyMiles member during your trip. (If you’re not yet a Delta SkyMiles member, sign up here for free.)
- Eligible flights must be marketed and operated by Delta Air Lines and Delta Connection carriers.
- Codeshare flights are eligible — but the final leg must be marketed and operated by Delta Air Lines or a Delta Connection carrier.
- Submit your claim on this page.
- Feel free to bookmark this post, so you always know where to go when wanting to submit a Bags on Time claim 🙂
- You have up to three days after your flight to submit a claim. So if you’re reading this post on Monday and flew on Saturday, you still have time!
- You’ll receive 2,500 miles regardless of how many bags your check. For example, all three of my family’s checked bags were under my PNR. (My wife and daughter flew on a separate reservation.) I received a total of 2,500 bonus miles.
- You may take advantage of Bags on Time during both your outbound and return flights. So there’s the potential of earning up to 5,000 bonus SkyMiles. If you frequently travel and check bags, there’s a decent chance you’ll rack up some decent bonus miles through Bags on Time.
Final Approach
Remember that Delta still has its Bags on Time promotion! It’s a potentially easy way to score 2,500 bonus SkyMiles if your luggage is delayed by 20 or more minutes!
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It also works for misplaced luggage. My luggage was placed on an earlier flight from MSP to LAX and was there when I arrived. For this inconvenience (which it was actually better becasue I didn’t have to wait!) they automatically credited 2500 to my account.
If United did this, they would be broke. I NEVER see my bags before 25 minutes. 30 to 35 is the norm at IAD and LGA.
I get this all the time. If you look at Delta flight sales that are sometimes only 5k miles to Alaska like I just did, this can be pretty valuable 🙂
Great post! Used this myself last week. What NO LONGER WORKS is for the local baggage office to credit miles if the Sky Priority bags are unloaded last, as just happened to me. It was the non-stop SLC-MCO red-eye. I wasn’t too terribly early for my flight in SLC (2½ hours) and strongly suspect that SLC ground staff loaded the hold wrong. Either way, when one presses the local baggage office, regardless of Medallion status (Platinum in my case but I failed as a Diamond, too), the passenger is told to contact Customer Service.
This ceased before the pandemic, too. Still, free miles for a bag which hit the carrousel late because priority bags were loaded wrong was some comfort.
Thanks, Corbett!
Alaska Airlines does this too. And announces it as you are landing.
What if someone takes your bag by mistake and they finally get it to you the next day. Do you get anything for that?
Flew 12-11-22 SLC to SAN. Bags were about 45 minutes late.
Been awhile since I had delayed bags but another passenger told me she few this route weekly and her bags were frequently late.
Used the link to get 2500 miles for me and another 2500 for my spouse as we had checked one bag per person.
Considering how easy and quick it was to get the additional miles, it was definitely worth it.
Thanks for the reminder. Just did this for my flight from LAS to MSP yesterday. Miles credited in minutes. FYI Vegas for NYE was fun!