Delta Amex Gold to Platinum or Reserve "Upgrade"

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I'm not sure I find any value in the Amex Delta Gold. I actually won't find any value in the Plat or Reserve either. All those perks I get because of my Diamond Medallion status on Delta and I've been that way for a while.

I really just want to "expand my membership" with Amex -- in their own words (see what I did there?). What I really want is the Amex Gold. Once I can get to that, I'll prob just stop with credit cards all together.

I just recently started getting into the credit building game and have a thin fine. So, I just need to keep this Gold for a while and prove myself.

[K-in-Boston]

If you're not hurting for more MQMs and MQDs don't matter, the only thing I can really offer for a DM is that simply having the Delta Reserve card is high on the upgrade hierarcy.  So if you and another DM are both flying on an X fare and the other person has the card but you don't, you're gonna have to "slum it" back in Comfort+.  For PMs down, reaching the $25k MQD Waiver is also on the hierarchy, but unless you plan on spending $250k+ as a DM on Delta cards, it's not really a consideration for you.

The free bag for the cards does stack on top of your complimentary Medallion bag and whatever comes with your fare, and extends to up to 8 people flying with you.  The companion certificates on both Reserve and Platinum can easily cover the entire annual fee.  Reserve would also give you SkyClub access for domestic flights, so if you're using that as one of your Choice Benefits save it for something far more valuable like RUCs and/or GUCs (that you can then use for you and your companion when you redeem the companion certs!).

What's your Experian FICO 8 score right now?  It's probably rather likely that you would be approved for the Gold Card.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Yeah, I'm not sure I find any value in the Amex Delta Gold. I actually won't find any value in the Plat or Reserve either. All those perks I get because of my Diamond Medallion status on Delta and I've been that way for a while.

I really just want to "expand my membership" with Amex -- in their own words (see what I did there?). What I really want is the Amex Gold. Once I can get to that, I'll prob just stop with credit cards all together.

I just recently started getting into the credit building game and have a thin fine. So, I just need to keep this Gold for a while and prove myself.

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If you don't find any value in the Delta cards. Don't upgrade at 1 year, instead downgrade to the Delta Blue to keep the card alive with no AF.

As far as the Amex Gold card, you can check if you are pre-approved for it in your account. If you are, use incognito mode to get the 50k MR points for $4k spend. 

[Anonymous]

Now you're speaking my language. I never thought about the upg list priority. I have a very decent upgrade % to first. But could use the "sure thing" on long hauls. So, question on that then, does the travel have to be booked through the card? Or does Delta catch it in your profile?

I almost exclusively travel for work and tac on vacation days to those trips and have to use my Corp Amex for all that. With all the miles and flight credits, I can't remember the last time I actually paid for a ticket for personal use.

As for my credit score, I'm at a measly 664 right now. My Amex Gold is new and I'm just building back credit after not having paid attention to it since like 2010. I've applied for the Amex Gold a few times (waking 30 days or so in between) but for denied. So now I will wait till it's a sure thing.

The card actually does not even show up in my account anymore. I guess they removed it after declining me a few times.

My target is to try again in April. That is when my Delta gold would have aged to 6 months and my score would have improved. I'll also have 7 year old late payments from Cap One come off and 2 inquiries come off.

[K-in-Boston]

I think your plan for waiting on the Gold charge card is solid.

You do NOT have to pay for flights with your card to get any of the perks of the Delta credit cards, except I believe the language for Centurion Club access on Reserve as of yesterday does state that the ticket must be purchased with the Reserve card.  Since I have both personal and business Amex Platinum charge cards that give access, I didn't read it that closely so don't hold me to it.

The card is attached to your SkyMiles profile; all of them are, not just Reserve.  Someone without status who has Gold/Platinum/Reserve will actually have AMEX SKYMILES written on their boarding passes where yours says DIAMOND/ELITEPLUS and mine says PLATINUM/ELITEPLUS just to the right of center up top.  One downside to Reserve cardholders now being eligible for upgrades after FOs as of yesterday is that for those times where we're only in C+, those middle seats might start filling up next to us.

Anyway, once added your SkyMiles account should look like this, with the highest level of Delta card you have shown in the bottom left:

[Anonymous]

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@K-in-Boston wrote:

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@NRB525 wrote:

If you find value in the Delta Gold card, and also see value in the Delta Platinum or Delta Reserve, it is also possible to app for the DP or DR now, and still have the Delta Gold. 

There likely will be an upgrade offer late this year, but the miles offer for that upgrade won't be at the level a new app has now, for Delta Platinum or Delta Reserve.

The SUB for the "newly relaunched" Delta Platinum and Delta Reserve are the highest they have ever been. When those expire, it is not certain those offers will be back, so I would think about applying for one of those two.

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THIS.  I always encourage people to seek out high Welcome Offers for new Delta cards rather than upgrade.  

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Agree! I never took upgrade offers for Delta as the new welcome offers were way more enticing. 

[Anonymous]

Is it me or do we just have a very similar mileage balance and MQD spend YTD? LOL

[K-in-Boston]

You're not joking!

[PointsBonus]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Hello - does anyone know if this is possible? I've read a few places about "upgrades" from AX Delta Gold to Platinum etc.  

1. Is this real?

2. What is the criteria? Typical time frame? (I've had my Delta Gold since October 2019)

3. What considerations does Amex take into account? 

Is it simply just applying for another product? or an actual "you did so well with this, here is something better?"

Anyone had experience or knowledge?

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If your credit can support it, at the current elevated Sign up Bonus, I personally would Apply for a new one and not wait for the Upgrade.

This is what I did yesterday. I have had a Platinum for a couple of years and instead of upgrading, I signed up for the new Reserve with the Sign Up bonus. I did have to close my platinum due to having maximum number of Credit Cards.  Got a phone call in about 45 minutes letting me know that for them to send the new approved card out, I needed to close one.