Emily’s had wonderful travel experiences in places like Cuba, the British Virgin Islands, and Playa del Carmen. You can visit these warm weather destinations (and many more) too using Delta miles!
If you don’t have Delta miles, the limited-time AMEX Delta card offers are worth considering. The increased welcome bonuses are the highest I’ve ever seen on the cards! But time is running out to apply because these offers expire on April 11, 2018.
You can use miles to save money on flights for a family vacation, romantic getaway, or just a solo escape!
And depending on your travel preferences, just one AMEX Delta card bonus could even get you a round-trip Business Class flight!
Pay Almost Nothing for Flights to Mexico & Caribbean Destinations!
Link: Increased AMEX Delta Card Welcome Bonuses Available Until April 11, 2018
And Delta offers flights to great destinations like:
- Aruba
- Bermuda
- Cabo San Lucas
- Cancun
- Cozumel
- Grand Cayman
- Guadalajara
- Mexico City
- Panama City
- Port-Au-Prince
- San Juan
- Turks & Caicos
- Virgin Islands
Here are a few examples of how you can use the miles to book flights!
1. Pay Nothing for 3 Round-Trip Flights to Cabo
Some folks might consider a trip to Cabo instead of Hawaii! Million Mile Secrets team member Keith absolutely loves Cabo. He and his wife spent 4 nights there for an anniversary trip.
Depending on your travel dates, I found round-trip, non-stop coach flights from Los Angeles to Cabo can cost less than $240 per person. Instead of paying cash, you can take advantage of the Pay With Miles perk, which is exclusively available to AMEX Delta cardholders. When you use Pay With Miles, your Delta miles are worth 1 cent each.
So the miles you’ll earn from the AMEX Delta Platinum (personal or small business) welcome bonus and minimum spending are more than enough to cover 3 round-trip tickets!
Using Pay With Miles is especially useful for flights during peak travel times (Spring Break, holidays, etc.) because you don’t have to worry about blackout dates. And you’ll also earn miles and elite status credit as if you were paying cash.
Also, as you’ll see in the next 2 examples, there are extra taxes & fees for award flights to destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean. But when you book using Pay With Miles, you can avoid any out-of-pocket expense because the taxes & fees are already included in the fare.
2. Save Nearly $1,000 on Holiday Travel to Cancun
Delta doesn’t publish an award chart. But you can still find great deals on award flights, especially if you have flexibility with your travel dates. Or if you’re traveling during peak dates when flights tend to be more expensive.For example, I found a round-trip, non-stop award flight from New York (JFK) to Cancun around Memorial Day for 50,000 Delta miles and ~$81 in taxes and fees. But the same flight costs nearly $1,000 if you pay cash!
Playa del Carmen is less than 1 hour from the Cancun airport. There are beautiful beaches, shopping, and terrific restaurants. You can read tips about visiting this popular area in Emily’s trip report!
3. Fly to the Bahamas in Business Class
The limited-time AMEX Delta card offers can also come in handy if you like to book Business Class award seats.
For example, you can pay 52,000 Delta miles and ~$110 in taxes & fees for a round-trip, non-stop award flight from Atlanta to Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas. This means earning the bonus on ANY of the best ever AMEX Delta card offers could get you enough miles to book this flight.
These same flights can regularly cost more than $950 if you pay cash. So using miles can be worthwhile to save money and get a more comfortable seat!
Looking to Earn Extra Delta Miles?
Earning a lucrative welcome bonus with the limited-time AMEX Delta offers might be all you need to travel to a destination in Mexico or the Caribbean.
But if you’re looking to use miles for other flights, you might look for ways to earn extra Delta miles. And remember Delta miles never expire!
Remember, the personal and small business versions of each card, and the Gold and Platinum versions, are each considered different products. So if you’ve had the personal version, you’re still eligible for the business version. Or if you’ve had the Gold, you can still earn the bonus on the Platinum (or vice versa!).
For extra Delta miles, you can also transfer AMEX Membership Rewards points to Delta at a 1:1 ratio. Keep in mind, you’ll pay a small excise fee of 0.06 cents per point (up to a maximum of $99).
Or transfer Starwood points to Delta at a ratio of 1:1. Plus, when you transfer in increments of 20,000 Starwood points, you’ll get a bonus 5,000 Delta miles!
Bottom Line
If you’re planning a getaway to a destination in Mexico or the Caribbean, you can save money on flights by taking advantage of the limited-time AMEX Delta card offers.
The increased welcome bonuses are the highest I’ve ever seen! But you don’t have much time left, because the deals go away April 11, 2018.
Then, use miles to visit Cabo, Cancun, or the Bahamas! The simplest way to book flights is using Pay With Miles to avoid blackout dates. But you might get more value for your miles by booking an award flight.
For example, I found a sample round-trip flight from New York to Cancun during peak travel dates, which costs more than $1,000 if you pay cash. But it’s possible to book the same flights using less than 50,000 Delta miles!