Delta is quietly pricing Hong Kong far below its cash fare in miles this fall, from airports across the US. What we found in Delta's app, whether miles beat cash, and the catch for couples.
Checked September 28, 2026, against Delta's own award search in the Fly Delta app, Delta's announcement of its Los Angeles to Hong Kong route, and cash fares on Google Flights. Point values are our own valuations: SkyMiles as of July 7, 2026, Amex Membership Rewards as of May 19, 2026. Award prices move daily, so treat every number as what we saw that day.
TL;DR
Delta started flying Los Angeles to Hong Kong nonstop on June 6, 2026, once a day, on its A350. The discounted award price is on that flight, and you don't have to live in Los Angeles to get it. We found the sale from every US airport we tried, on both coasts and in between, where Delta adds a connection to the Los Angeles nonstop. Below are the prices we saw from Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. From your airport the miles can differ, so search from yours.
What the Fly Delta app showed us on September 28:
| Trip | Miles round trip, per person | With a Delta card (15% off) | Taxes and fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles to Hong Kong nonstop, Tue Nov 10 to Sun Nov 22 | 34,000 | 28,900 | $79 |
| New York (JFK) to Hong Kong, one stop, same dates | about 45,000 | 38,200 | $84 |
| Chicago (O'Hare) to Hong Kong, with a connection, same dates | about 45,000 | 38,200 | $84 |
It isn't only that one pair of dates. Delta's flexible-dates grid showed the same 28,900 miles plus $79, with the card discount, for every combination we looked at: leaving November 9, 10 or 11 and coming back November 21, 22 or 23. We found the sale price on trips up to December 23. Christmas and New Year's aren't in it.
Compare it against the cash fare for the same flights. On September 28, Google Flights showed the cheapest fare on Delta's Los Angeles nonstop for November 10 to 22 at $979 round trip. Paying with miles still costs $79 in taxes, so the miles replace $900 of cash.
| Miles you pay | Cash they replace | Value per mile |
|---|---|---|
| 34,000 | $900 | about 2.6 cents |
| 28,900 (with a Delta card) | $900 | about 3.1 cents |
| 38,200 from New York (with a Delta card) | $975 | about 2.6 cents |
| 38,200 from Chicago (with a Delta card) | $958 | about 2.5 cents |
From New York, Delta's cheapest one-stop fare for the same dates was $1,059 on Google Flights, so 38,200 miles plus $84 replaces $975 of cash. From Chicago, Google Flights didn't list a Delta itinerary for those dates; the cheapest cash fare to Hong Kong was $1,042, with two stops on Alaska and Japan Airlines, so the same 38,200 miles replaces $958.
We value a SkyMile at 1.1 cents, because most of the time Delta charges a lot of miles. Anything above about 2 cents is a trip where miles clearly beat cash, and this one clears it by a wide margin.
For two people with a Delta card, Delta's checkout came to 57,600 miles plus $156.06 in taxes and fees, a little under double the calendar's per-person price. The same two seats cost $1,958 in cash.
If you hold a Delta SkyMiles Gold, Platinum or Reserve American Express card, Delta takes 15% off award flights it operates itself. Delta calls it TakeOff 15, and in the app it shows up as "15% Card Member Savings Applied", with the full price crossed out. The Blue card doesn't get it. It comes off the miles, not the taxes. We covered the details in our write-up of Delta's September award sale.
On this trip it's the difference between 34,000 miles and 28,900.
Want the 15% off? You need a Delta Gold, Platinum or Reserve card. The one we refer is the Delta SkyMiles Reserve, at $650 a year, with lounge access and a yearly companion certificate. Apply with our referral link; we earn a referral bonus if Amex approves your application. Amex shows each applicant its own welcome offer on that page, so read yours there rather than taking a number from us.
From Amex Membership Rewards. Membership Rewards points move to Delta one to one, and the transfer is instant. Amex adds a small fee on transfers to US airlines and shows it before you confirm. We value Membership Rewards at 1.9 cents, so 34,000 points is about $646 of value, used here to replace $900 of cash. Moving points for this trip comes out ahead.
From a Delta card. The Delta SkyMiles Gold at $150 a year is the cheapest card that unlocks the 15% off. The Reserve, with our referral link, is in the section above.
Only move points once you've found the exact flights. Points can't be moved back from Delta.
It's Main Basic. Delta's rules for it: "Your seat will not be assigned until after you check in to your flight," and seats "may not be together." For award tickets, Delta says "Delta Basic Award Tickets are also non-refundable; you may change or cancel for a fee assessed in miles, which is deducted from the value of your ticket, and the remaining mileage balance will be redeposited into your SkyMiles account." If you're flying as a couple and want to sit together for 16 hours, price the Main fare on the same dates before you book.
It's a long flight in economy. The nonstop is scheduled at 15 hours 50 minutes out of Los Angeles.
Prices can disappear quickly. Delta's past sales to Asia lasted days, sometimes only hours.
Check entry rules for your passport before you book.
Related reading: Award search tools compared