UPDATE: This offer has expired.
This is a reminder that the increased welcome bonus for the Delta co-branded American Express credit cards are coming TODAY, April 3, 2019. That means if you’ve been meaning to apply for one (or more) of these cards, you have just today to do so! There are three different offers giving you anywhere between 60,000-75,000 points per offer with a total of 210,000 points if you were to apply for all three (which I do not recommend doing!). For the Platinum and Reserve card, these are the highest offers we’ve ever publicly seen; for the Gold card it matches the highest offers from the past. Related posts: Top 10 Questions About the Delta Credit Cards, Is the Delta Platinum and Reserve Credit Card Worth the Extra 15k Points?
Key Links:
- Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express: Limited Time Offer: Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases within the first three months and a $50 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase with your new Card within your first three months. Offer expires on April 3, 2019. *Terms Apply.
- Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express: Limited Time Offer: Earn 75,000 bonus miles and 5,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within your first three months. In addition, earn a $100 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase with your new Card within your first three months. $195 annual fee. Offer expires on April 3, 2019. *Terms Apply.
- Delta Reserve® Credit Card from American Express: Limited Time Offer: Earn 75,000 bonus miles and 5,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card within your first three months. Offer expires on April 3, 2019. *Terms Apply.
Card Benefits…
- With all three cards you’ll receive your first checked bag for free for both you and 8 other passengers on the same itinerary, Priority boarding, 20% in-flight savings, and discounted SkyClub access. I personally find those benefits pretty basic, but the free checked baggage can really save you some money depending on how you fly.
- With the Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express only, every year you are a cardmember, you are able to earn 10,000 miles and 10,000 MQMs for the first $25,000 in spend on the card during the calendar year. You’ll then earn another 10,000 miles and MQMs after you spend $50,000 total on the card in the calendar year.
- With the Delta Reserve® Credit Card from American Express, you’ll also be able to earn additional MQMs, but even more than the Platinum card benefit. With this card you are able to earn 15,000 MQMs and 15,000 redeemable miles when you spend $30,000 on the card within the calendar year. You’ll then be able to earn another 15,000 MQMs and 15,000 redeemable miles when you spend $60,000 total on the card in the calendar year.
- With both the Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express and the Delta Reserve® Credit Card from American Express, you’ll receive an annual companion certificate, although the Reserve card allows you to book at any cabin class (including first class!). Here is everything you need to know about the Delta Companion Ticket.
- Since all are American Express cards, you are eligible to take advantage of the many American Express statement credit offers that I write about often! This can help often the annual fee and help you save money!
With three different personal cards, which card is best for you?
So while all three cards have similar benefits, the Platinum and Reserve card have some extra benefits — which makes sense due to the higher annual fees. One main reason to get the Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express over the Gold card is if you are looking to earn additional miles and MQMs. While you are eligible to receive an additional 5,000 MQMs upfront as part of the limited time offer (as long as you meet the minimum spend requirement), there is the ability to earn more miles and MQMs on an annual basis, as mentioned above. If you are able to put that much spend on your card, however, then paying the higher annual fee for the Platinum card could be well worth it. Also, the Platinum card comes with an annual companion certificate upon account renewal and paying the annual fee (domestic economy class that can be used within the 48 contiguous states + you have to pay applicable taxes/fees).
Now, with the Delta Reserve® Credit Card from American Express you are getting the same benefits as above, but the opportunity to receive not only more MQMs but also redeemable miles. Instead of receiving 20,000 MQMs in total during the calendar year, you can receive up to 30,000 MQMs plus 30,000 redeemable miles within the year. Of course, the spend to receive these MQMs and miles is quite high, but if you trying to earn your desired Delta status this could be huge. Additionally, you’ll receive an annual companion certificate, but it can be used for first class tickets as well!
With all that being said, if you are just looking for the basic perks and a good limited time bonus, then the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express. might be your best bet. The annual fee is waived for the first year, you’ll still receive a high welcome offer, you’ll get to check your bag for free, and you’ll receive priority boarding.
Overall…
The Platinum and Reserve card offers are the highest we’ve ever seen publicly available. The Gold card is on par with the increased offers we’ve seen in the past, although on and off there have been some higher targeted offers. And remember, American Express has a once in a lifetime policy (at least for these public offers), so if you’ve received the welcome offer for the exact same card in the past, unfortunately you will not be eligible again. Although, each card is a separate product, so if you’ve received the offer for the Gold card in the past, you are still eligible for the Platinum and/or Reserve (if approved).
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If this was for 600k to 750k, it might be worth considering. Example: I recently booked two business class awards to continental Europe with AAdvantage miles for 57.5k each way via AA to LHR, BA onward. Delta wanted 280k each way-flexible dates included, nearby airports considered, any partner airline, any number of stops or connections. Oh, and I’m ATL based. Connecting outbound in DFW, return through JFK wasn’t all that inconvenient in comparison. I avoid accruing Skymiles like the plague.