Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Travel
  3. Features

Delta’s new Group Drop turns loyalty intro shared adventures

Delta unveils “Group Drops” as social sweepstakes for shared travel experiences

By
Delta Group Drop
Delta

Delta SkyMiles members can now enter to win shared experiences with friends through the new “Group Drop” program. This important new lever within Delta’s SkyMiles Experiences platform is designed to be inclusive and accessible, tapping into travelers’ desire to share unique experiences and amplify emotional connections when traveling.

The Delta Group Drop program allows members to enter to win special events as a group instead of individually. The social sweepstakes model allows you and a friend to link SkyMiles accounts and enter together for the chance to win unique, travel-based experiences — no miles or purchase required. Joshua Kaehler, Managing Director of Delta’s SkyMiles Loyalty Partnerships, shares what inspired the unique new Group Drop program and how travelers can enter to win. Delta is expected to launch various Group Drops throughout 2026.

The idea behind Delta Group Drops

Delta
Delta

“Travel is about connection – to people, places, and passions. Experiences that merge travel with culture create deeper emotional engagement and give customers a reason to choose Delta beyond the seat,” shares Kaehler. “When we connect Members to moments they can’t find anywhere else, we’re not just moving them from point A to B—we’re creating stories they’ll carry with them long after the journey.” With this in mind, Delta formulated the Group Drop after noticing a meaningful shift in what travelers value the most: Experiences that allow them to reconnect, celebrate, and make lasting memories with people who matter most.

Recommended Videos

For Delta, Group Drop builds on the foundation already set in place by SkyMiles. “SkyMiles has always been about rewarding loyalty in ways that feel elevated and meaningful, but now Delta expands this by offering this new, inclusive entry point, open to members and their friends, in an effort to evolve SkyMiles into something larger than just a frequent flyer program. Delta strives to make SkyMiles a platform that delivers more value and engagement across every part of the customer journey. 

“Our goal is for members to walk away feeling genuinely connected — not just to the experience, but to one another and to Delta. When someone says, “That’s something I’ll never forget,” we know we’ve done our job. That’s the kind of engagement we’re trying to create with Group Drop,” says Kaehler.

How it works

delta airplane outside
Miguel Ángel Sanz / Unsplash

Unlike traditional sweepstakes, Group Drop encourages organic referrals by allowing Members to invite others to participate – all while maintaining low barriers to entry and delivering high-value experiences.  Unlike other airline loyalty programs that are built around frequency, Group Drop gives all SkyMiles members the chance to experience something new and extraordinary. With this program, Delta moves beyond transactional rewards to create experiences that bring people together around the things they love.

How Group Drop works

  1. Join SkyMiles – Log in to your Delta SkyMiles account, or sign up for free. Group Drop is open to U.S. members 21 and older.
  2. Create or Join a Group – Decide if you’ll be the Group Leader or the Friend. Leaders invite one friend using the email tied to their SkyMiles account. The invited friend must accept the invite to complete the entry.
  3. Enter for a Chance to Win – Once both members have joined, your group is officially entered in the drawing. Each Group Drop corresponds to a specific, limited-time experience — like the Delta x Starbucks trip to Costa Rica — and requires zero miles to participate.
  4. Wait for the Drawing – Delta randomly selects winning “Group Duos.” Winners share the entire prize package — travel, lodging, curated events, and more — as one team.
  5. Travel Together – If your group wins, you’ll experience every part of the trip together, from the private charter flight to the Hacienda Alsacia coffee tour. It’s about shared adventure and connection — the heart of why people travel in the first place.
Emily Caldwell
Emily Caldwell
Contributor
Emily is a Features Writer at The Manual, where she specializes in food, beverage, and travel content. She focuses on weaving… Read Full Bio
Travel
5 Tips If You’re Traveling With Cigars: I Learned No. 2 the Hard Way
Wood, Hardwood, Accessories

Traveling with cigars can be challenging if you’re not prepared. The lack of preparation can lead to your favorite cigars getting smashed from inadequate storage, or they can peel because they weren’t kept at the proper temperature, among other issues. Sometimes you do all the right things, and still come away shaking your head.

I’ve been smoking cigars for two decades now, and it’s not beneath me to admit that I’ve made plenty of cigar travel mistakes in that span, and as recently as two weeks ago. You live, you learn, and hope you don’t waste a stogie on the next trip. My most recent cigar travel mistake is what inspired me to share these tips. Sure, there are plenty of articles out there offering similar advice. But this list comes from a cigar smoker and writer who has visited six countries and about a dozen states in the last year alone. And in that time, mistakes were made, and lessons were learned.

Read more
Travel
The art of adventure packing: packing light but effective
Clothing, Coat, Jacket

If you are like me, you grew up with stories of adventure. Whether you were fans of fictional adventure like Indiana Jones and Alan Quartermain, or you loved the true-life accounts of Ernest Shackleton and David Livingstone, there is a deep pull to venture into the unknown. The desire to abandon the Mon-Fri 9-5 in search of something deeper. You could spend your time thinking about hopping a boat and sailing the seven seas like the pirates of old. You could look up at the elusive peak of a mountain and believe it begs to be summited. You could stare into the depths of a jungle and wonder what treasures it hides beneath its canopy. No matter what kind of adventurer you are, you need to be prepared for whatever the world throws at you. I have climbed Salkantay Peak and explored the jungles of Peru. I have scanned the plains of Africa in search of a giant cat (the prospect of which was much more comforting than the actual sighting and wondering if I was far enough away). And I have disappeared into the secluded areas of Svalbard. One thing that remained constant was the need for the right pack.

Here is what I learned when packing for my adventures.

Read more
Travel
Savannah Beyond the Postcard
Architecture, Building, Spire

Savannah is one of those cities that seems almost too easy to like. The live oaks are dramatic. The Spanish moss does exactly what it is supposed to do. The brick sidewalks buckle in all the right places. The houses look like they were designed by people who understood proportion, shade, and the value of a proper front step. Even the light seems to arrive with better manners than it does in most places.

I have a built-in advantage when it comes to Savannah. We have family there, so we have been back several times, not just once for the checklist version of the city. I have also done a photography workshop there, which is a terrific way to learn any city. You get up early, stay out late, and pay attention to alleys, doorways, ironwork, reflections, and the way a city changes when the tourists are still asleep.

Read more