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Useful New Perk for AMEX Delta Cardholders!

  • Million Mile Secrets

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    Update: One or more card offers in this post are no longer available. Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.

    Via Doctor of Credit, eligible AMEX Delta cardholders can now borrow Delta miles with the cards’ Fly Now, Earn Later perk.

    So, for example, if you don’t have enough Delta miles for a particular award, you can use the Fly Now, Earn Later benefit to book your trip, and earn the rest of the miles you need through credit card spending over the next few months.

    Check your American Express account to see if you’ve been targeted for this new program!

    This New Benefit Will Make It Easier to Plan and Book Delta Award Tickets!

    I’ll explain the details of how the Fly Now, Earn Later perk works.  And what it means for you!

    Borrow Delta Points With AMEX Delta Cards

    American Express is offering certain folks with AMEX Delta cards the option to borrow Delta miles, through their Fly Now, Earn Later program.

    So you can book the award ticket you need now with borrowed miles, and earn them back through credit card spending within the following 6 months.

    The number of miles you can borrow varies, depending on your past spending on the card.  And the miles you don’t earn back through spending will be billed to you at 2.5 cents per mile.

    Is It Worth It?

    It’s usually best to book award tickets as far in advance as possible.  So this is a great way for folks who want to make their reservations before award seats disappear, but who don’t quite have the miles yet.

    Fly Now, Earn Later Could Be Especially Useful for Folks Booking Award Tickets for Multiple Friends or Loved Ones

    Plus, you don’t have to use Delta miles to fly Delta.  You can use your miles to book flights on SkyTeam Alliance partners like Air France, KLM, or China Airlines.  Or other partners, like WestJet.

    Take a look at my post on how to use Delta miles for expensive flights.  And this post on using Delta miles to get to Europe!

    That said, make sure you’re able to earn back the miles you borrow within the allowed 6 month timeframe.  Because you don’t want to be stuck paying cash for the miles you used!

    Ways to Earn Delta Miles

    You may have Delta miles available to you without realizing it!  Take a look at my handy chart to help you figure out which points transfer to which airlines!

    For example, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points from cards like the Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express or The Business Platinum® Card from American Express, to Delta at a ratio of 1:1.  And transfers are instant!

    And don’t forget, the huge limited-time sign-up bonuses on certain AMEX Delta cards.  Through July 5, 2017, you’ll earn 60,000 Delta miles with the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express, and 70,000 Delta miles with the Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express after completing minimum spending.

    AMEX Delta cardholders get priority boarding and a free checked bag.  Plus you’ll have the option to Pay with Miles, so the sign-up bonuses from these cards alone worth hundreds of dollars.  And possibly more if you use the miles you earn to book award flights instead!

    So apply soon if you’ve been considering any of these offers!

    Bottom Line

    Targeted AMEX Delta cardholders can use the new Fly Now, Earn Later benefit to borrow the Delta miles they need for a specific award.  And earn them back through credit card spending!

    This is great news for folks who want to book tickets before award seats disappear, but who don’t have enough miles.

    That said, you only have 6 months to earn the miles back, or you’ll be charged 2.5 cents per mile.  And the number of miles you can borrow varies depending on your spending habits.

    What do you think about this new AMEX Delta cardholder perk?  Let me know in the comments!

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)