Category Archives: Delta Skymiles

Points Envy’s Newsreal

Posted on March 3, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Note: This post is satire and you shouldn’t follow any of Points Envy’s suggestions, nor should you break the law.  Any resemblance to the truth is purely coincidental.

A lot of exciting things have happened in the Points World over the last week or two, and this week at Billion Mile Secrets we are bringing you up to speed on some of the most significant developments.  As President Thomas Jefferson once said, “Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own points balances.  E pluribus unum.”

  • Delta Airlines and Starwood Preferred Guest have teamed up, creating an unlikely alliance between the most valuable hotel loyalty program and the least valuable frequent flyer program.  We only hope that SPG has a solid prenup in place. Continue reading →

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Posted in American Express, Club Carlson, Delta Skymiles, Starwood (SPG), Ultimate Rewards, Uncategorized, US Bank

May Not Last: 50,000 Points (~$500+ Travel) AMEX Premier Rewards Gold [Expired]

Posted on February 21, 2013 by | 110 Comments

[Disclosure:  Emily and I may receive a commission if you're approved for a credit card using the links to creditcards.com.  Thanks for using our links!]

I wrote about the American Express Delta 45,000 mile card, via the CardMatch tool from creditcards.com, but there is also a 50,000 point American Express Premier Rewards Gold card available!

American Express Premier Rewards Gold

50,000 Points American Express Premier Rewards Gold

I’ve always thought that the regular Premier Rewards Gold card which offers 25,000 points was a low offer, but 50,000 points after spending $1,000 within 3 months is a much better deal! Continue reading →

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Posted in American Express, British Airways, Delta Skymiles

Credit Card Updates: 45,000 Miles Delta, 1 Free Flight + 10,000 Miles Virgin America & US Airways Update

Posted on February 19, 2013 by | 21 Comments

[Disclosure:  Emily and I get a (possible) commission for the link to creditcards.com.  The links to the Virgin American and US Air cards are better than my affiliate links.]

1.   45,000 Mile Delta American Express

Million Mile Secrets reader Jake (thanks!) emailed me about a possibly targeted Delta American Express card for 45,000 miles.

You get 25,000 miles after your first purchase and another 20,000 miles after spending $5,000 within 6 months.  Spending $5,000 for an extra 20,000 Delta miles seems a bit high to me, but this could be worth it for some. Continue reading →

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Posted in Delta Skymiles, US Air, VIrgin America

What to do with 75,000 to 100,000 American Express Membership Rewards Points? [Expired]

Posted on January 25, 2013 by | 39 Comments

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Readers have been asking what they can do with 75,000 to 100,000 Membership Rewards points.  A few weeks ago there was a 100,000 point American Express Platinum card and up to January 28th there is a 75,000 point Business Gold card available.

1.   Travel Using Pay With Points

The simplest way to use Membership Rewards points is to use the “Pay with Points” feature and get 1 cent per point towards air travel booked through the Membership Rewards portal.  You get less than 1 cent per point if you book hotels and car rentals through the portal, so best to use Pay with Points for air travel.

This means that 75,000 membership Rewards points will get you $750 and 100,000 Membership Rewards points will get you $1,000 towards air travel expenses.

Membership Rewards Points Value 2

Using Pay With Points For 1 Cent Per Point

The advantage of using Pay with Points is that you get lots of flexibility with booking your travel because you don’t have to search for only low availability flights.  If there is a flight for sale, you can use points to book it.  You will also earn miles on the flight you book.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Aeroplan, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, American Express, ANA, British Airways, Delta Skymiles, Lufthansa, United Airlines, US Air, Virgin Atlantic

Which Credit Cards Do NOT Charge a Foreign Transaction Fee?

Posted on January 10, 2013 by | 54 Comments

[Disclosure:  Emily and I get a referral for all cards in the post except for the Southwest Premier, Chase Priority Club, Chase Fairmont, Chase United Club, Citi Thank You Premier (better than my affiliate link), Citi American Airlines Executive, and the American Express Mercedes-Benz Platinum]

No Foreign Transaction Fee CArds

Readers often ask which credit cards do not charge the 1% to 3% foreign transaction fee for using the card for transactions in foreign currency.  Most credit cards will charge you a fee for purchases in a foreign currency.

So I’ve made a new page on the Travel Credit Cards tab for No Foreign Transaction Fee cards!

No-Foreign-Transaction-Fee-Cards

No Foreign Transaction Fee Tab!

The cards listed on that page do NOT charge a foreign transaction fee if you use them for transactions in foreign currencies.

My favorite no-foreign transaction fee card is the Chase Sapphire Preferred which offers double points for travel (airfare, hotel, car rental, parking etc.) and dining.  And you almost certainly are spending most of your money on travel and dining when you’re on vacation! Continue reading →

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Posted in American Airlines, American Express, British Airways, Business Credit Cards, Chase, Citibank, Credit Cards, Delta Skymiles, Foreign Transaction Fees, Foreign Transaction Fees, Hilton HHonors, Hyatt, Marriott, Priority Club, Ritz-Carlton, Southwest, Uncategorized, United Airlines

How To Keep your Airline Miles From Expiring Without Flying!

Posted on January 3, 2013 by | 49 Comments

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airline miles expiration

Readers often ask how to keep their airline miles active if they don’t fly on a particular airline.  Miles expire in most US based airline program after 18 months of no earning or redemption activity.  Award Wallet is a good tool to track your miles and points balances and expiration dates.

Airline
Expiration Policy
Alaska Airlines24 months of no earning or spending miles
American Airlines18 months of no earning or spending miles
British Airways36 months of no earning or spending miles
DeltaMiles Never Expire
Frontier Airlines18 months of no earning miles
Southwest24 months of no earning or spending miles
United18 months of no earning or spending miles
US Airways18 months of no earning or spending miles

But it is really, really easy to keep your miles active WITHOUT flying!

Sometimes, all you need to do is earn or redeem 1 mile to reset the mile expiration clock.  You can easily do this by buying a $1 iTune, making a $1 donation from the airline’s online shopping mall, downloading the airlines’ shopping toolbar and making a few searches, or using a credit card to keep your miles active!

1.   Alaska Airlines Continue reading →

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Posted in Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Delta Skymiles, Frontier, Southwest, United Airlines, US Air

Credit Card Updates – 45,000 Delta Miles, Chase Freedom 5% Activation, & Last 2 Days for 50,000 Citi Business Thank You

Posted on December 19, 2012 by | 21 Comments

[Emily and I get a referral for links to the Chase Freedom Visa, Chase Freedom MasterCard, & 50,000 point Citi Business Thank You.  We do NOT get a referral for links to the better Delta 45,000 mile offer. We're always very grateful to readers who apply using our link!]

 1.   American Express Delta 45,000 Miles.   Million Mile Secrets reader Julius (thanks!) emailed me with a links to both a personal and business American Express Delta card with 45,000 miles after spending $3,000 within 3 months.  This offer ends on December 24, 2012, and you can usually get the bonus on both the personal or business version.  The highest offer on the Delta card was for 70,000 miles, but which is no longer available.

This is much better than my referral link which only offers 30,000 miles or the offer on the Airline Credit Card tab which offers 30,000 miles + a $50 statement credit (not my referral link either.) Continue reading →

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Posted in American Express, Chase, Citibank, Delta Skymiles

Credit Card Updates: 50,000 Points American Express Business Gold[Expired], 50,000 Mile Citi American Airlines Executive, 45,000 Miles Delta & 20,000 Points Virgin America

Posted on November 19, 2012 by | 19 Comments

[Disclosure:  I do NOT receive a referral for the 45,000 mile Delta credit card or the Citi American Airlines Executive card in this post.  I do receive a referral for links to the American Express Business Gold and the Barclays Virgin America card.]

 1.   50,000 Point American Express Business Gold.  Just a quick reminder that the 50,000 point offer on the American Express Business Gold card ends next Monday, November 26, 2012 tomorrow.  You get the 50,000 points after spending $5,000 within 3 months.

The bonus on this card has been zero points for most of the year, but American Express has run 1-day only offers for 75,000 points, but with a $10,000 minimum spending requirement.  This offer is worth waiting for if you can manage the extra $5,000 in minimum spending.

 2.   50,000 Miles Citi American Airlines Executive.  Million Mile Secrets reader Ralph (thanks!) wrote in to let me know that there is a better offer for the Citi American Airlines Executive card which offers 40,000 American Airlines miles after spending $3,000 within 3 months, and an additional 10,000 miles after spending $10,000 within 12 months.  I’m not sure if the additional 10,000 miles is worth spending an extra $7,000 for, but it could be worth it for some of you. Continue reading →

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Posted in American Airlines, American Express, Barclays, Citibank, Delta Skymiles, Frontier, US Air, VIrgin America

News You Can Use – 25% Discount on British Airways Avios Redemptions, Buy Delta Elite Miles & 30% Alaska Air Discount

Posted on November 16, 2012 by | 10 Comments

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 1.   25% Discount on British Airways Avios Redemptions.  One Mile at a Time writes that up to November 19, 2012, British Airways is offering 25% off on the amount of Avios points needed for a redemption.  Unfortunately, this discount doesn’t apply to the high fuel surcharges (~$400 per long-haul segment to Europe).

This means that it costs 45,000 Avios for a 1-way First Class award from New York to London instead of the regular 60,000 points.  The discount is also valid for bookings made with the British Airways Travel Together ticket which you earn after spending $30,000 within 1 calendar year. Continue reading →

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Posted in Alaska Airlines, American Express, British Airways, British Airways, Delta Skymiles

I Earned Delta Miles for Reloading American Express Bluebird With my Delta Debit Card at Wal-Mart

Posted on November 7, 2012 by | 42 Comments

[Emily & I do NOT get a referral for the Delta, Alaska Air, or American Airlines debit cards.]

As soon as I got my American Express Bluebird card, I reloaded it with 3 miles earning cards – the Suntrust Delta debit card, the Bank of America Alaska Air debit card, and the UFB Bank Airlines Rewards Checking account which earns American Airlines miles.

It costs $2 per debit card load to load your Bluebird with a debit card ONLINE, and you are limited to $100 per day and $1,000 per month, so I don’t recommend this method.

However, you CAN load your Bluebird card with a debit card for FREE when you reload at a Wal-Mart store.

Bluebird Delta Debit Card

I Earned Delta Miles for Loading my Bluebird With the Delta Debit Card

Continue reading →

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Posted in Alaska Airlines Debit Card, Bluebird, Chase, Delta Skymiles, Southwest, Suntrust Delta Debit Card, UFB American Airlines