Amex Delta Cards Offer, on the verge of applying!

[redpat]

---

@K-in-Boston wrote:

---

@RickNATL wrote:

I just downgraded from the $450 AF Delta Reserve to the $195 AF Delta Platinum...only because my Amex Platinum is an overlap in benefits of the Delta Reserve.  The downgrade allows me to keep the baggage fees at $0 since I travel alot and I used the yearly companion ticket as well.  The Sky Lounge access is now provided by the Platinum, and I get 5x the points (1:1) when booking flights on the Platinum card and it gives me access to the Delta Sky Lounge; that's why I downgraded.  To each his own, YMMV. Needless to say, I enjoy the card....

---

In addition to the Sky Club access (which yes, is redundant with Amex Platinum since it now has the same "must be flying Delta or a partner" requirement) the extra $255 also gives you the option of booking that companion ticket in First (which covers the entire AF in many cases) or Comfort+ instead of just Main Cabin.  The Reserve also has a much more generous Miles Boost (15k MQM and 15k SkyMiles for $30k and $60k spend, rather than 10k/10k at $25k and $50k) and gives Medallion members upgrade priority over other Medallion members at the same level and same fare code.

---

+1.  Everything K posted is the reason I applied for the reserve card instead of the delta plat card.  I/we fly FC so this card is free, so being out $450 is like buying an advanced flight for a 1k ticket.

If you can hit the miles boost spend you can basically stay medallion plat or diamond as long as you have the card.

[NRB525]

The MQM can help achieve Diamond, but not just card spend. You have to actually spend on Delta to reach Diamond ( unless you spend $250,000 on the Reserve AMEX )

I prefer Delta also, congrats on the new card

[Anonymous]

To offer a different viewpoint on the usefulness of the Delta cards from what K-In-Boston said (which is definitely valid for those who fly regularly), I don’t fly often but I use my Delta Gold regularly for day to day spend and the miles are accruing. Since I don’t fly often, I don’t need a high mile-earning platform, so the DG is fine. By the time I’m going to fly next, I’ll probably have enough miles for tickets for both my wife and I to use for tickets. And afterward, by the time I need my next airfare after that, I’ll likely have enough or nearly enough to fly those flights too.

For one who flies a lot, there are far better cards to earn flights on, but for the rare flyer, these are actually fine as regular-use cards that build a rainy-day airline mile Account. The Blue might be better in that it has no AF but the $95 fee on the Gold certainly isn’t scary.

[redpat]

---

@NRB525 wrote:
The MQM can help achieve Diamond, but not just card spend. You have to actually spend on Delta to reach Diamond ( unless you spend $250,000 on the Reserve AMEX )

I prefer Delta also, congrats on the new card

---

Thanks NRB,, not spending 250k, lol.  The spend part of fights isn’t a problem w/ FC and BC.

[NRB525]

@ITD if you use a Delta Gold and want to keep that for perks an earning miles, you could consider adding the Delta Blue. That would be a free accelerator on dining spend.

Also consider the AMEX Gold. 4 MR on dining and groceries adds up quick, for transfer to Delta for a small fee.

[Anonymous]

NRB525, I wasn’t aware that the Delta Blue offered a dining perk. Interesting. Nonetheless I’m not going to app the DB as I already have three cobranded AmEx cards, and I want the BCE for sure and possibly the Cash Magnet to replace my Quicksilver as a no holds barred 1.5% cash back card. No more cobranded revolvers from AmEx for me. The Gold charge is very much in my sights though - I should be in range scorewise for those core cards fairly soon, a few months or so, which is about right for seeing preapprovals since I got the Ascend two weeks ago and that three-month gap is the minimum I want to have between apps. I don’t want to load up on 4-5 AmEx cards in a 6 month period by any means.

I’m going to keep that tidbit in mind on the Delta Blue though, in the event I downgrade the DG after the first year. Thank you for that.

[EAJuggalo]

---

@Anonymous wrote:
To offer a different viewpoint on the usefulness of the Delta cards from what K-In-Boston said (which is definitely valid for those who fly regularly), I don’t fly often but I use my Delta Gold regularly for day to day spend and the miles are accruing. Since I don’t fly often, I don’t need a high mile-earning platform, so the DG is fine. By the time I’m going to fly next, I’ll probably have enough miles for tickets for both my wife and I to use for tickets. And afterward, by the time I need my next airfare after that, I’ll likely have enough or nearly enough to fly those flights too.

For one who flies a lot, there are far better cards to earn flights on, but for the rare flyer, these are actually fine as regular-use cards that build a rainy-day airline mile Account. The Blue might be better in that it has no AF but the $95 fee on the Gold certainly isn’t scary.

---

So what real benefit are you getting out of the card over using say an AMEX Gold or even an Everyday for your day to day and transferring the MR to Delta?  I'm getting 6,000-8,000 MR per month on my Gold, only cost me 68,000 total to fly my family of 4 to Disney World.

[staticvoidmain]

If you can use the companion ticket, this is a no brainer. Delta just "paid" me ≈ $500 in ticket cost last year. In my case, it shouldn't really make sense why they would do that because they are losing money on me.

...that is until I realized I have a Delta loyalty. So yeah, they have my business. But as pointed out, of the big USA Airlines, I will take Delta anytime, anyway. Plus I am next to a hub and the places I fly to have Delta hubs, so yeah.

The SUB is awesome. The MQM is totally worth it if you can meet their Medallion requirements. With regards to the bonus miles, I just used mine to fly Delta One transpacific (new A350 suites) and pay for a couple more tickets. SkyMiles also never expire, so there is that. 

[Anonymous]

You realize that to get the bonus miles (75,000 of them) you need to use the card for $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months. I did this by (a) buying 60,000 miles from Delta (for which I got double miles), paying my 2018 Federal taxes and charging some items that I am using to build a garage. The 75K bonus miles were posted to my account within a couple of days. The card seems to be pretty much everything they claim it to be. The Amex Everyday card gives a 20% bonus for each month you use teh card 20 times - regardless of the size of the purchase. Those miles can be transferred to the Delta card. Today alone I got 3 out of the 20 uses by buying some groceries (as 2x the points), a dozen bagels (at 2x the points) and a tank of gasoline for my car (also at 2x the points). I pay off all credit cards every Friday.

My wife and I fly to Europe at least once a year, and Paris is a great jump-off point to get to anywhere else in Europe. Air France (which is my airline of preference, I just love the A-380) is a Delta partner so the miles are interchangeable. We typically purchase Premium Economy class tickets and we intend to use the miles to periodically upgrade to Business class. As an airline, I prefer Delta over either United or American - the personel seem to be much less stressed and the airplanes (at least in the classes I fly) are clean, roomy and a pleasure to fly in.

[Anonymous]

I actually use my EDP also for gas and groceries and use MR points for miles with the reserve.