Delta Amex Card - Sign up By 1/29/2020 to Avoid Annual Fee Increases

This week, American Express announced changes to their Delta Amex credit cards.  Among the changes is annual fee increases for all of the Delta-branded Amex cards.  Some benefits have been improved or added, though this post does not delve into all the changes.  This post is a heads-up that signing up now makes sense, to get the card before the annual fee increases take effect.

The changes take effect on Jan 30, 2020.  

Also, this week, Amex announced higher-than-normal sign-up bonuses for its personal Delta Amex credit cards.  (The business versions of the Gold, Platinum, and Reserve Delta Amex cards currently have mediocre sign-up bonuses; only the personal versions are worth signing up for right now.)

These good sign-up bonuses are typically offered twice a year. These offers were previously offered 1st quarter 2019.

The increased bonuses for the Platinum and Reserve card are currently available only via referral from existing cardholders.  The Gold card signup bonus is the same via referral as the public offer.  

Please click my link if you are interested in any of the offers below.

http://refer.amex.us/JASONWc8CN?XLINK=MYCP

After clicking the referral link, click the 'View all Cards with a Referral Offer' link, then click the 'Looking for a Personal Card?' link to see the personal Delta Amex cards.

Background Reading

Frequent Miler and Rene's Points both have decent recaps and analysis of the changes.  Many of the changes are positive and many are negative.

For current cardholders it is really a personal decision as to how the card changes affect your own decision whether to cancel, keep, downgrade, or replace one card with another.  For me, the loss of 15k bonus SkyMiles at $30k and another 15k miles at $60k is a major blow.  That, along with the annual fee increase, has me feeling that the Reserve card is no longer worth it.

My bottom line analysis is that post-changes, the Platinum card makes more sense than the Reserve card for most folks.  More details available in the articles below:

https://frequentmiler.boardingarea.com/delta-credit-cards-huge-changes-coming/https://renespoints.boardingarea.com/2019/09/30/major-changes-and-higher-fees-coming-to-delta-american-express-cards/https://renespoints.boardingarea.com/2019/09/30/my-thoughts-on-the-new-delta-american-express-benefits-fees-and-more/

Last Day for Increased Delta Amex Credit Card Signup Bonuses

Weds April 3rd - today - is the last day to get higher-than-normal signup bonuses for several Delta-branded American Express credit cards.

The increased bonuses for new customers are available only via referral from existing cardholders.  Please click my link if you are interested in any of the offers below.

http://refer.amex.us/JASONW2rUF?XLINK=MYCP 

After clicking the link, click the View all Cards with a Referral Offer to see the other Delta Amex personal credit cards.  To see the Delta Amex business credit cards, click the Looking for a Business Card? link

Recap of Current Signup Bonuses - Delta Amex Personal Credit Cards

• Gold Delta SkyMiles card:  60,000 SkyMiles + $50 statement credit after $2,000 spend in first 3 months.  Annual fee waived first year, then $95/yr
• Platinum Delta SkyMiles card:  75,000 SkyMiles + 5,000 MQMs (toward elite status earning) + $100 statement credit after $3,000 spend in first 3 mos.  $195 annual fee (NOT waived first year)
• Delta Reserve card:  75,000 SkyMiles + 5,000 MQMs after $5,000 spend in 3 mos.  $450 annual fee (NOT waived first year)
• Blue Delta SkyMiles card - this is NOT a good card.  Signup bonus is only 10,000 miles after $500 spend in first 3 mos.  No annual fee.  Earning rate is only 1/2 SkyMile per $1 on most purchases except Delta purchases - terrible

Recap of Current Signup Bonuses - Delta Amex Business Credit Cards

The business cards have signup bonuses that are in some cases better than the personal cards, although not everyone may be comfortable applying for a business credit card.  For some reason, the increased signup bonuses are not working via referral link, but they are still publicly available.  Click the Frequent Miler article below for links to the application pages

• Gold Delta SkyMiles Business card:  70,000 SkyMiles + $50 statement credit after $4,000 spend in 3 mos.  Annual fee $95/yr waived first year
• Platinum Delta SkyMiles Business card:  80,000 SkyMiles + 5,000 MQMs + $100 statement credit after $6,000 spend in 3 mos.  $195 annual fee (NOT waived first year)

Background reading

https://frequentmiler.boardingarea.com/increased-referral-offers-on-delta-personal-cards/
https://frequentmiler.boardingarea.com/inceased-delta-biz-offers-now-too/

Last Call - 70,000 Delta SkyMiles for $195

This offer expires on May 16, 2018.

The offer is still available via referral, but only thru 5/16/2018.  (The public offer has expired.)

Here is my referral link for the personal version of the Delta Amex Platinum card:  http://refer.amex.us/JASONWoAVH?XLINK=MYCP

Delta Amex Platinum personal & business - 70,000 SkyMiles + $100 statement credit

• 70,000 Delta SkyMiles + 10,000 MQMs (elite status miles) after $3K spend in first 3 months
• $100 statement credit after Delta purchase in first 3 months
• $195 annual fee NOT waived in first year
• 10k bonus miles and 10k bonus MQMs (towards elite status) after $25k spend and + second 10k bonus miles and 10k MQMs after $50k spend per calendar year
• Free domestic economy companion certificate after first year.  (Yes, this certificate really works.  Once it is in your SkyMiles account, you can use it regardless of whether your Delta Amex Platinum credit card account is open.)
• Priority boarding and free checked bags.
• Offer expires 5/16/2018
• TIP:  *Any* spend with Delta, such as a $2 headphone or $8 snack box during a flight, should trigger the entire statement credit; you do not need to spend $100 to get the $100 credit
• The personal and business version are two cards with the same signup bonus and benefits.  A person can hold both cards at the same time
• More info here:  http://frequentmiler.boardingarea.com/2018/03/01/four-new-offers-70k-60k-skymiles  (note that these offers expired in April, unless you apply via a referral link from someone.)

[DEAL GONE] Earn 60 Miles per Dollar Spent on Flowers

This deal has expired

If you don't mind ordering flowers from a big national website - FTD, in this case - this is a great deal.

How to Get the Deal

1. If you don't already have a Delta SkyMiles account, sign up and create one at www.delta.com
2. Register for Delta's promotion to earn 100% bonus with any new provider (from whom you did NOT earn miles in 2017) for any transactions between March 20 and May 31, 2018.  LINK HERE
3. Go to Delta's SkyMiles Shopping site and log in (provide your SkyMiles number or email address; no password needed).  LINK HERE
4. Search for "FTD" to find the link to the FTD website.  LINK HERE
5. Click the SHOP NOW button to be redirected to the FTD.com website.  The banner at the top will confirm you are earning 30 SkyMiles per dollar.  (The extra 30 SkyMiles per dollar is a bonus payout from the promotion you registered for, so it will not say 60 SkyMiles per dollar on the FTD site.)

How Good is the Deal?

Very good.  This is the highest miles earning rate for flowers I've seen in several years. 

15-30 miles per dollar is common on flowers when ordered online thru the appropriate airline shopping portal website.  All of the major domestic airlines offer these deals with FTD or 1-800-FLOWERS or other large flower companies.

This particular deal is 30 Delta SkyMiles per dollar spent from FTD.com.  The deal gets doubly good if you did not earn Delta SkyMiles from FTD.com at all during 2017.

Background Information

Frequent Miler, one of my favorite miles and points blogs, has a good article on this deal - LINK HERE


Miles are NOT earned on shipping, handling, and fees - so you earn 60 miles per dollar on the product(s) you order, but not 60 miles per dollar on every dollar you spend on the order

Delta Amex Platinum Business Card - 70,000 SkyMiles Sign-up Bonus

Great offer for anyone interested in earning Delta SkyMiles or Delta elite status.  Public offer has expired; sign-up bonus is available only via referral.

Apply for the Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card with this referral link:

http://refer.amex.us/MARYAW58fK?xl=cp01

Offer Details

• Must apply by Jan 31, 2018, using the link above or via a referral email
• 70,000 Delta SkyMiles when meeting minimum spend
• 10,000 Delta Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQMs) 
• Earn the sign-up bonus by spending $4,000 or more within the first 3 months
• $100 statement credit after Delta purchase on the card in first 3 months
• $195 annual fee (NOT waived the first year)

FYI:  This is the BUSINESS version of the card.  This means a couple of things:

• It is a separate product from the PERSONAL Delta Amex Platinum card.  You can get approved for, and earn the bonus on, the business version even if you hold or previously held the personal version.
• As a business card, this card does not hit one's personal credit report and therefore does not worsen one's situation with regard to Chase's 5/24 rule.

Good background article on HOW (and why) to apply for a business credit card:

http://millionmilesecrets.com/2015/09/13/how-to-qualify-for-a-small-business-credit-card-and-why-you-should-get-one/

Card Benefits / Details

• Earn an additional 10,000 SkyMiles AND 10,000 MQMs by spending $25,000 on the card in a calendar year.  Spend $50,000 and earn an additional 10,000 MQMs (20k MQMs in one calendar year with $50k spend)
• Priority Boarding (Zone 1) on Delta flights for cardmember and others on same reservation
• Card benefits - first checked bag free on every Delta flight.
• Earn 1 SkyMile per dollar spent.  Earn 2 SkyMiles per dollar on Delta purchases
• 20% off eligible in-flight purchases via statement credit (meals, food, alcoholic beverages, headsets; in-flight wi-fi and charitable donations excluded)
• Spend $25,000 or more on the card in a calendar year to waive Delta's revenue requirement component of elite status qualification.

Bottom Line
Great card, top-notch sign-up bonus.  Highly recommended.

• This offer usually pops up once or twice a year.  Last time, it required $5k spend; this time only $4k.
• The usual bonus on this card is about half this good - typically 35k SkyMiles and 5k MQMs.
• This card is a business card and will not show up on your personal credit report.  Nor will it count toward your Chase 5/24 limit.
• American Express has both Gold and Platinum Delta co-branded credit cards, each in a business and personal version (four cards total).

250 Delta MQMs + 1 SkyMile per $1 for Every Two-Night Hilton Stay 11/1-12/31/2017

Earn 250 Delta MQMs + 1 Mile per $1 per 2-Night Hilton Stay 11/1-12/31

Nice way to earn extra elite qualifying miles with Delta by staying at Hilton properties.  Even if you can't make the next tier of Delta status, Delta rolls over from this year to next year, any MQMs earned above the minimum required for a Medallion status level (Silver, Gold, or Platinum).

How to Get the Deal

• Log into your Hilton HHonors account at www.hilton.com > My Account > My Profile > Preferences, select "Points and Miles" earning style, and select Delta Air Lines as your preferred Double Dip® Points & Miles Partner in your Hilton HHonors account profile.
• Register for the promotion at www.HHonors.com/DELTAMQM
• Complete a minimum 2‐night stay at a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio from November 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017. Check out must be on or before December 31, 2017If you allow me to send you a sign-up offer via email, I'll earn 5,000 Starpoints after you are approved for the card.  The bonus is the same - 35,000 Starpoints - whether you are referred or can sign up for the offer directly from Amex, so I'd definitely appreciate the chance to refer you!

What You Get

• 250 Delta elite status qualifying miles (aka Medallion Qualifying Miles, or MQMs) for each 2+ night stay at qualifying Hilton properties
• 1 bonus Delta SkyMile per dollar spent on the stay
• Before registering for the promotion, make sure your Hilton account is set for "Points and Miles" earning style, NOT "Points and Points"
• Register for the promotion BEFORE checking in for a stay

Fine Print

• Before registering for the promotion, make sure your Hilton account is set for "Points and Miles" earning style, NOT "Points and Points"
• Register for the promotion BEFORE checking in for a stay
• Checkout must be on or before Dec 31, 2017
• You can earn this bonus multiple times - once per stay of 2+ nights.  Maximum 7,500 Delta MQMs can be earned via this offer

SPG Amex Credit Card - 35,000 Starpoint sign-up bonus after $5k spend; highest bonus ever

American Express is offering a 35,000 point bonus for the SPG Amex personal credit card.  This is the highest bonus offer ever offered on this card.

MUST APPLY BY APRIL 5.

Breakdown

• 35k Starpoints is the highest sign-up bonus ever offered on the SPG Amex personal card.  The same bonus level was offered almost a year ago, but typically the bonus on this card is 25k Starpoints.

How Good is This Deal?

• Very good...the 40,000 points you'd have after making the $5k minimum spend and earning the sign-up bonus are worth around $1,000 of hotel stays or $700-$1,000 or more of airfare
• It is feasible to get 8-12 free hotel nights from the 40k Starpoints
• How about TWO ROUNDTRIP TICKETS TO HAWAII?!  Yes, if you can find the cheap award flights you can fly Delta from anywhere in the U.S. to Hawaii, two people, for 50,000 miles total.  (You must transfer 40k Starpoints into 50k Korean Air miles, then use those miles to book the flights on a Delta plane; booking the same flight using Delta miles will cost you more miles because Korean Air has a cheaper award chart than Delta.  I'd be happy to explain this over a root beer sometime...)

What are Starpoints?

• Starpoints is the name of the hotel points currency for Starwood's loyalty program, which is called Starwood Preferred Guest, or SPG.
• Starwood properties include several brands such as St Regis, Westin, W, Sheraton, and Four Points by Sheraton.

What are Starpoints Good For?

• Free nights OR free flights
• Starpoints can be used to book free nights ('award nights') at Starwood hotels.  Free nights start as low as 2,000 points per night.  Many fairly nice properties cost only 5,000-7,000 points per night.  (In comparison, decent Hilton hotels cost 20,000-50,000 points per night.  1 Starpoint is easily worth 5x more than 1 Hilton point.)
• Free nights at Marriott hotels.  Marriott recently bought Starwood, and customers can freely and instantly transfer between Starpoints and Marriott points (you must set up an SPG and a Marriott account).  Transfer rate is 1 Starpoint :3 Marriott points
• Starpoints also can be transferred from the SPG program into airline miles with 30+ partner airlines such as Delta, American, British Airways, Flying Blue, and Korean Air
• Transfer rate to most airlines is 1:1
• 5,000 bonus miles for every 20,000 Starpoints transferred!  Transfer in 20k increments, get 25k miles for each 20k Starpoints, i.e. 1:1.25 ratio
• Point-for-point, Starpoints are one of the most valuable currencies in the miles and points world.

Get the Deal

• Send me an email if you are interested!
• If you allow me to send you a sign-up offer via email, I'll earn 5,000 Starpoints after you are approved for the card.  The bonus is the same - 35,000 Starpoints - whether you are referred or can sign up for the offer directly from Amex, so I'd definitely appreciate the chance to refer you!
• You cannot get this bonus if you have ever gotten a bonus on the SPG Amex personal card product.  Amex bonuses are once per person, lifetime, for each different card product they offer.

Details

• Apply by April 5, 2017
• 35,000 bonus Starpoints after $5,000 purchases in first 6 months:  Earn 25,000 bonus Starpoints after making $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months plus 10,000 bonus Starpoints after an additional $2,000 in purchases within the first 6 months
• No annual fee first year, $95 per year thereafter
• There is a Business version of this card, which is a separate product so you could get the same 35k bonus twice - once on each card.  However, the SPG Amex Business card requires $8,000 spend to earn the bonus, vs. $5,000 for the Personal card

Is this Card Worth Keeping Long-term?

• It's worth considering.  The best way to look at this card is that it earns 1.25 airline miles per dollar on all spending.
• This can be a great card to use for any and all spending on which you aren't eligible for category bonuses.
• There are no category bonuses on SPG Amex card purchases, so you may want to use other cards for restaurant, gas, grocery, or other purchases where a different card gives you 2, 3, or more points per dollar.
• The $95 annual fee is somewhat steep, but the card has decent travel-related benefits.

Chicago to Mumbai from $622 round trip

Chicago (ORD) to Mumbai (BOM) from $622 round trip on Etihad!  May 2017 and other dates

Great price on roundtrip flights from the Midwest to India.

• Good routing - just one stop, in Abu Dhabi (AUH)
• Etihad flies the Boeing 777 ORD>AUH and Airbus A380 AUH>BOM
• Last departure date with $623 round trip pricing is May 11, 2017.
• Can return thru June and into early July at this low pricing.
• Search Google Flights for more information.  www.google.com/flights
• New Delhi (DEL) available from $666 round trip
• Numerous dates are available, but not every day during the date range.

Google Flights Sample Searches (roundtrip pricing)

• March 11 - April 3.  ORD>BOM  $623 per person.  LINK
• May 11 - June 5.  ORD>BOM 6 people for $3,738 total ($623 per person).  LINK
• March 9 - April 3.  ORD>DEL $666 per person LINK

Two days left to get $2,100+ in travel for a single $450 annual fee credit card

The Chase Sapphire Reserve sign-up bonus is being reduced from 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to 50,000 points after January 11, 2017.

If you:

• have gotten fewer than 5 new credit cards from ANY credit card issuer in the past 24 months (business credit cards from most banks are not counted in this limit)
• have a solid credit score (mid 700s for sure, although low 700s may work)
• are interested in traveling for free

Then it's a no-brainer, for you and your significant other if applicable, to apply for the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card from Chase in the next couple days.

More background information about this deal is in my post from 9/22/2016:

Chase Sapphire Reserve article Sept 2016

Depending on your comfort level signing up for multiple new cards, you also may want to apply for the Chase Ink Preferred card first, then apply for the Sapphire Reserve after being approved for the Ink Preferred.

The Ink Preferred offers 80,000 point sign-up bonus.  Application link:  CLICK HERE

(The reason to apply first for the Ink Preferred card is that Chase does not count its own business credit cards toward the 5/24 card limit it uses to restrict people from being approved who have gotten 5+ new cards in the past 2 years.)

My blog does not have affiliate credit card links.  If you would like to apply, Google Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Ink Preferred.  Or you may consider visiting one of my favorite blogs, Ann Arbor-based Frequent Miler.  The Chase section of this page has a Chase Sapphire Reserve application link:  Frequent Miler best current credit card offers 

Up to 20 Delta SkyMiles per dollar for United Way donation

Up to 20 Delta SkyMiles per dollar when you donate online to United Way

Do something good for folks in need and earn some airline miles for your efforts.

Sweet spots in this promotion are when donating exactly $50 or $125:

• Donate $50, Earn 1,000 miles (20 miles per dollar)
• Donate $125, Earn 2,500 miles (20 miles per dollar)

To Earn the Miles

1. Go to https://volunteer.truist.com/cwma/donate
2. Enter your SkyMiles number on the donation form
3. Donate at least $50 between Sept 15th and Oct 20th, 2016

Terms and Conditions

• Donate between Sept 15th and Oct 20th, 2016.
• 1,000 SkyMiles for $50-$124 donation
• 2,500 SkyMiles for $125-$299 donation
• 5,000 miles for $300+ donation
• Visa, Amex, MasterCard, or Discover
• Maximum 5,000 SkyMiles may be earned 
• Members must enter their SkyMiles number on the donation form to qualify.
• Bonus miles will post to the SkyMiles account 4-6 weeks after the END of the promotion, i.e. approximately Nov 17 - Dec 1.

Hat Tip:  The Gate