A frequent Delta flier's travel hack earned him $315 in free Skymiles last year. It only takes one minute.

09.01.2024 - 17:32 / insider.com / Delta Skymiles / Last Year

In the past year, Mikah Meyer told Business Insider that he earned 22,500 free Delta Skymiles. The only thing he had to do was wait for his checked bags.

The perk is part of Delta Airlines' 20-minute baggage guarantee, which gives passengers 2,500 free Skymiles if the wait for their bag is longer than 20 minutes after the plane has arrived at its gate. To receive the compensation, passengers must fill out a form that takes less than a minute to complete.

Meyer earned these free miles on nine flights last year, and he calculated those Skymiles to be worth $315, based on his valuation of 1.4 cents per Skymile. That's enough for a round-trip US flight.

While some were earned by bags just one minute late, Meyer said the average total time he waited for a delayed bag was between 25 and 30 minutes.

"It's an absolute bonus for nothing extra on my part," Meyer, a travel writer and the frequent traveler behind the Instagram account @mikahmey, said.

A post shared by Mikah Meyer (@mikahmey)

Meyer said he learned about the hack at the beginning of 2023. He was exploring the airline's baggage policy when he landed on a page describing Delta's "20-minute Bag-to-Claim Guarantee."

"If your checked bag doesn't arrive at the carousel in 20 minutes or less after any domestic flight, you are eligible to receive 2,500 bonus miles," the airline's website states.

Below the description is a short form passengers can fill out. According to the airline, travelers must be a SkyMiles member and are required to fill it out within three days of the flight.

Meyer said the form takes less than a minute to fill out, and typically the free miles showed up instantly on his Delta account.

Waiting for baggage was once a stressful, frustrating process, but Meyer said the policy has completely changed how he waits for his checked bags.

The moment Delta flight attendants announce that the aircraft doors are open and passengers are welcome to disembark, Meyer checks his watch.

Instead of heading to the baggage carousel, he heads to the nearest Delta lounge, which he has access to as a Delta Sky Club member.

There, he'll grab a snack and find a comfy spot to wait for the notification on his Delta app that his bags are at the carousel.

Once he gets that notification, he leaves the lounge and heads to baggage claim.

If it's been longer than 20 minutes, he fills out the form on the walk over. If it's been less than 20 minutes, Meyer was still able to enjoy a snack.

Meyer posted about the hack on his Instagram account @mikahmey.

The video gained nearly 887,000 views and the comment section was filled with commenters who were shocked to learn about this hack.

Other commenters also shared that Alaska Airlines has a similar policy in place, too.

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