3 New 50,000 (~$500+ in Flights) Mile Cards From AMEX!

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Until September 8, 2014, 3 versions of the American Express Delta Airlines credit cards have an increased sign-up bonus of 50,000 miles after completing minimum spending.   Usually, the sign-up bonus on these cards is 30,000 to 35,000 miles, so this is a very good deal!

With the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express, there is a limited time offer to earn 50,000 bonus miles after you use your new card to make $1,000 in purchases within your 1st 3 months.

And the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express has the same limited time offer.

For both cards, the $95 annual fee is waived for the 1st year.

And you’ll get 50,000 miles, including 15,000 MQMs (elite-qualifying miles), and a $100 statement credit with the same spending requirements on the Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express.  The annual fee of $195 is NOT waived for the 1st year.

As always, terms and conditions apply.

Delta SkyMiles Credit Cards

1.   Limited Time Offer Ends September 8, 2014: American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles Card (Personal)

Link:   Limited Time Offer American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles Card (Personal)

You earn a $50 statement credit after your 1st Delta purchase and 50,000 miles after spending $1,000 in purchases with your new card in the 1st 3 months with the personal Limited Time Offer Gold Delta SkyMiles card.

This is a great deal because the usual offer is for 30,000 Delta Airlines miles.

You’ll also get your 1st checked bag free, priority boarding, and a 20% discount on in-flight purchases (food, drinks, entertainment) on Delta flights with this card.  Here are the terms and conditions.

Note:   If you’ve had a Delta SkyMiles personal card in the past, you can NOT get the sign-up bonus again.

But the terms suggest that you can get the bonus on the Gold Delta business card IF it has been 12 months since you last had the card.

2.   Limited Time Offer Ends September 8, 2014: American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles Card (Business)

Link:   Limited Time Offer American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles Card (Business)

Like the personal version of the card, you’ll get a $50 statement credit after your 1st Delta purchase and 50,000 miles after spending $1,000 in purchases in the 1st 3 months with the business Gold Delta SkyMiles card.  This limited time offer ends September 8, 2014.  Normally, the sign-up bonus is 30,000 miles.

And you’ll also get your 1st checked bag free, priority boarding, and a 20% discount on in-flight purchases (food, drinks, entertainment) on Delta flights.  Because this is a business card, you also get access to American Express OPEN discounts.  Here are the terms and conditions.

3.   Limited Time Offer: American Express Platinum Delta SkyMiles Card (Personal)

Link:   Limited Time Offer Platinum Delta SkyMiles Card

This limited time offer allows you to earn 15,000 MQMs (elite-qualifying miles) and 50,000 bonus miles after you use your new card to make $1,000 in purchases within your 1st 3 months.

You’ll also get a $100 statement credit after your 1st Delta purchase with the card.  The annual fee is $195 and it’s NOT waived for the 1st year.

Usually, the sign-up bonus on this card is 35,000 miles and no MQMs (although you can earn 10,000 MQMs after spending $25,000 in a year), so this is a very good deal!

You’ll also get a free 1st checked bag and priority boarding with the card.   Here are the terms and conditions.

Using Delta Airlines Miles

Delta miles aren’t the easiest to use, but with 50,000 miles redeemed before January 1, 2015, you could get:

• 2 round-trip coach class tickets to anywhere in the continental US, Alaska, and Canada for 50,000 miles
• A round-trip coach class ticket to Hawaii for 45,000 miles
• A round-trip coach class ticket to the Caribbean, Mexico, or Central America for 35,000 miles
• A round-trip Business Class or First Class ticket to anywhere in the continental US, Alaska, and Canada for 50,000 miles

You can use Delta Airlines miles to visit French Polynesia on Delta Airlines partners Air Tahiti Nui and Air France.  Emily and I used Delta Airlines miles to fly to Tahiti for our 2nd honeymoon.

And Emily used Delta Airlines miles to celebrate her birthday in the Dominican Republic with her best friend.

Save Money on Paid Tickets With Your Delta Miles

Link:   Pay With Miles

The easiest way to use Delta miles is with the “Pay with Miles” feature.  You can redeem Delta miles at a rate of 1 cent per mile and reduce the cash price of your ticket.

If your ticket is less than $100, you have to redeem 25,000 Delta Airlines miles which is not a good value because you’re paying 4 cents per mile ($100 cost of Delta Airlines ticket / 25,000 Delta Airlines miles).

For tickets above $100, you can get $100 off your ticket price by redeeming 10,000 Delta Airlines miles.  You can also redeem 5,000 Delta Airlines miles to get $50 off once you’ve already redeemed 10,000 or more Delta Airlines miles.

A round-trip coach ticket from Austin to Chicago on October 17, 2014, costs ~$488.  This ticket is eligible for Pay With Miles.

On the payment screen, you can select how many miles you want to pay to reduce the price of the ticket.

So you could redeem 50,000 Delta Airlines miles to pay for the entire ticket in Delta Airlines miles.

Or you could use 25,000 Delta Airlines miles to reduce the cash price to ~$238 (~$488 cash price of ticket – $250 for using 25,000 Delta Airlines miles).

So 50,000 Delta miles means that you will get at least $500 off on Delta flights!

Things to Know About Pay With Miles

1.   You Must Already Have Delta Airlines Miles

To use Pay with Miles, you have to:

• Be logged into your Delta Airlines account
• Have Delta Airlines miles to see the Pay with Miles option or you won’t see the Pay with Miles option
• Have the Delta SkyMiles card

2.   You Can Use Miles and Cash

You can also pay for a ticket using a combination of miles and cash, BUT you have to use an eligible Delta SkyMiles credit card from American Express.

3.   Only Delta or Delta Connection Flights Are Eligible

You can only use Pay with Miles on Delta operated Delta and Delta Connection flights booked through the Delta Airlines website.  So you could not use Pay with Miles on flights operated by Delta Airlines partners, like Alaska Airlines.

4.   Upgrades Are Limited

If you use Pay with Miles, only Delta Gold elite status, Delta Platinum elite status, and Delta Diamond elite status members are eligible for free upgrades.

5.   Earn Miles on First Class and Business Class Tickets

You will NOT earn miles on coach tickets when you use Pay with Miles.  However, you will earn miles on First Class and Business Class tickets using the Pay with Miles option.

Bottom Line

You can get 50,000 Delta Airlines miles after spending $1,000 in purchases with your new card within 3 months AND a $50 statement credit after your 1st purchase on the Limited Time Offer Gold Delta SkyMiles card (personal and business versions).  The business card offer expires September 8, 2014.

And, you’ll get 50,000 Delta Airlines miles, including 15,000 MQMs (elite-qualifying miles), and a $100 statement credit after meeting the same spending requirements on the Platinum Delta SkyMiles card.

It can be difficult to redeem Delta Airlines miles, but Emily and I used them for our 2nd honeymoon in Tahiti.  And Emily redeemed Delta Airlines miles for her birthday trip to the Dominican Republic.  

You can also use Delta Airlines miles and Pay with Miles to reduce the cash price of your ticket.  And if you’re buying a First Class or Business Class ticket, you’ll earn Delta Airlines miles.

Will you apply for the increased sign-up bonus on these cards?  Which is your favorite?