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All 3 of the personal and business Delta Amex cards currently have mega increased SkyMiles as well as some big MQMs, that is, elite point bonus offers. They are some of the best we have ever. Does this mean NOW is the time to go for any of these offers? Maybe, maybe not.
There is so much that goes into that maybe answer. First off, all 6 of the big Delta Amex cards are unique products. That is, the Gold, Platinum and Reserve, personal as well as the business cards, are each all unique products (tip: you can find all the links here with personal links inside the business card links). You can get the new card bonus for each of these 6 cards once in your lifetime. Also, holding any of the other cards has NO impact on your ability to get the other cards other than the restriction that you are limited to 4/5 Amex credit cards at any one time (some say it is 4 others have data points it is 5 cards).
Until you have got the bonus once for each, NEVER EVER upgrade OR downgrade cards as it kills your 1x lifetime new card bonus chance. After you have that bonus once then there can be reasons to jump back and forth but that is for another post.
With that out of the way the next big question is are you getting the best deal possible since the new card bonus is 1x lifetime. There have been any number of targeted larger offers than the current ones but you have no guarantee you will ever see offers larger than the current ones. Also, as far as frequent flyer points, few public offers have been larger than these. When talking MQMs, there was once a few years back a 15k Platinum MQM business offer but that was the only time I have seen that mega offer and if you need MQMs now that deal does not help you.
That takes us to the next part of the thought process. If you are right now in need of a large chance of MQMs for your 2018 medallion year, that you are earning now under the old rules NOT the new 2019 rules that start after the 1st of next year, then either the personal or business Platinum or Reserve card MQM bonus may be a much cheaper choice than getting on a jet and doing a long mileage run to either keep your elite status or reach the one you are looking for. Time, after all, is of great value to us all.
So we have answered can you get the offer and card, should you get the current offer as well as considering the elite part of the card choice. Thus the last thing to consider is what card to go for if you are going for them now.
The answer is what are your travel plans. Will you be flying a ton for business and want the best perks status can give you for 2018 or are you not flying that much next year but do have some sweet vacations and simply want as many SkyMiles as you can get to get the award tickets. If you are short of SkyMiles now would be a smart time to get the cards to build up your SkyMiles totals to have flexibility to find the lowest SkyMiles cost tickets you can get and maybe even jump on a monthly “Flash Sale” when it comes up (because you have the points you need in your account).
But the next question is NOW better or wait until after the 1st of the year in regard to MQMs or elite points? That really only matters if you are talking about elite status and few will want to wait. If you can spend $25,000 (it took me 7 days this year fyi) this year on the Delta Platinum or Reserve cards (personal or business) before 31DEC17 you are MQD exempt under the current rules. After 1JAN18 you have to spend $250,000 to accomplish the same goal as part of your elite status. Very few will have the motivation or desire to do this mega spending over the year even though it really will not be that hard if you want to accomplish this amount of spend (again, it will take effort but is achievable for those who want it). Bottom line is, for most, NOW is the best call if you are shooting for the 2018 elite year.
Lastly on the MQM side who knows what 1JAN18 will bring in terms of new card offers. Traditionally the end of the year, i.e. now, has seen the largest offers for the year. In other words if you want MQMs for next year you may be starting with a much smaller offer. Then again, if you do not have rollover MQMs i.e. have met the level to have them then you may have no choice but to wait until 1JAN18 and see what the current offer is at that point.
Lastly there is the argument that you get SkyMiles now just to collect them since they do not expire. Here is the deal with this. Delta SkyMiles do NOT get better with age. Delta constantly, with no-notice, devalues SkyMiles and thus reduces the value of the points. Sure it is smart to hold some SkyMiles in reserve just in case but unless you are saving for a goal in mind just adding huge numbers to your totals is just not smart (right now). So only go for the points if you have a trip in mind over the next 1-2 year you are saving for. Don’t get SkyMiles just to hold forever!
So there you are. If you carefully consider all these items going for (or not going for) any of the increased Delta Amex card bonus offers will be simple! – René
Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.
Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Hi Rene, I got platinum card this June, and now if I apply for the Reserve card, and then put 25k on the platinum card, will I totally get 30k MQM? (10k from platinum opening bonus, 10k from 25k spending, and another 10k from Reserve card opening bonus). It seems there’s a rule saying only 2 pieces of those 10k can be from credit card in total, so not sure if I can possibly get 30k? Thanks much for help clarifying in advance!
@David – Each card has unique spend levels per card. You can get bonus for each.
Awesome! Thanks for quick reply, I am short for 5k MQM so instead of mileage run, might as well just apply for the Reserve card. 🙂
Thanks again.
@David – Yep. If you have never had it, it is the cheapest mileage run you can do right now.
Hi Rene! I currently have a personal Reserve Card and a business Platinum card. I believe I had personal silver and gold cards many years ago, too. But…I’m not sure which AmEx cards I have had…and which ones I got bonus SkyMiles for (AmEx card holder for 20+ years). Will AmEx be able to tell me IF I qualify for bonus DL points on each of their cards so there will be NO surprises if/when I apply for and get them? Tks…James
@James – Here is how to get a screen shot if you have had the card before per AMEX. Once you find out please come back and use our links to support the blog.
I jumped on the Platinum business card. 10,000 MQM’s and 70,000 bonus miles (plus $100 statement credit on any Delta purchase in the first 3 months) seemed the superior value at $195 since I already have a personal Delta Reserve card. Thanks for prompting me to look.
@KC – Thanks for supporting the blog!
Hi Rene, Just a follow-up with the Reserve card application. I did go ahead applied the card on 10/10 morning, received the card on 10/12 and put a big purchase on it right away, then got MQM and bonus miles posted last night 10/15. From application to Bonus posted totally 6 days, probably the most quick cycle, 😀 (last time similar time spent on Hilton Surpass. Amex is really fast on posting the bonus).
Btw: No HP this time as well, I got card on March with a HP, then June applied another card which was approved without HP, then this month applied yet another card also approved without HP, interesting.