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Most Delta flyers who care about airline status are either A) All set for the year and relaxing or B) Finishing Delta / Amex spend for bonus MQMs or C) In a state of panic trying to determine how in the world they will get the last few MQMs they need for the year to reach Silver or Gold or Platinum or Diamond for 2018.
I get that not everyone, in the next two busy months, will have time for a crazy elite mileage run (or three). It is not always easy to position to some start city and then fly for a few days and then fly home (also why some have Adam and his team help from their home town airport). But that is why now is the time to really look at all the Delta Amex cards for either SkyMiles or MQMs (or both). Here are the current offers (personal or business – same offers):
- Delta Amex Gold card – 60,000 SkyMiles after 3k spend
- Delta Amex Platinum card – 70,000 SkyMiles plus 10,000 elite MQMs after 4k spend
- Delta Amex Reserve card – 40,000 SkyMiles plus 10,000 elite MQMs after 3k spend
All are solid offers and if you have not ever held that EXACT card you can get the new card bonus after spend. It does not matter if you hold the other cards as all 6 cards are unique products and you can get the bonus 1x lifetime for each (#ProTip – never upgrade / downgrade until you have had the new card offer at least once in your lifetime).
The Gold Delta Amex card yields no elite points but is nice if you need just SkyMiles. But I want to focus on the elite points that so many need now. If you look at the screen shot at the top of this post you will see, last year, some folks got targeted with a sweet spend offer (my guess is it was sent to those, like me, who already had maxed out the two spend bonuses for the year). Those targeted had a chance to, without getting yet another card, in a matter of weeks spend up to a third bonus level. But you can not request a spend challenge / offer like this.
Thus for many now is the time to act on either the increased Platinum or Reserve card offers – it is just so much simpler than taking a long mileage run. The MQMs will count on this year and even rollover if you are over the top (assuming you have reached whatever elite level and MQD spend or are MQD exempt). Also keep in mind any spend to reach bonus levels must post before 31DEC this year to count on this year.
If in December this year Delta again offers MQMs for sale at “bat crazy” prices and you did not jump on the current offer you will be kicking yourself. That is, unless you are a Delta $DAL shareholder and you simply like donating thousands of dollars to the company to get your needed points! 😉 – René
PS – Last chance today to WIN a 25x use Gogo pass HERE!
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.
Easy non-dilemma for those of us who have exhausted all the DL AmEx signups… except for the exciting, prestigious new Blue card. 😉
Hello Rene! I have a question as it relates to getting the MQM bonus points for spend. I have a Delta Plat AMEX. I am working towards the $25K min spend to get the 10K MQM bonus. My statement ends on the 18th of each month and I understand that one usually does not get the bonus awarded until a few days afterwards. I will be reaching the spend but not till after the Dec 18 statement. I know I will still get the bonus because it will happen prior to Dec 31 but after the 18 statement. This bonus 10K would get me to Platinum status. My question is if I don’t get the bonus awarded until the Jan 18, 2018 statement since I did not achieve the spend until after Dec 18, 2017 statement- will I still be able to use that 10K MQM for 2017 to achieve Platiunum status? Sorry so long.
@W Horne – See: http://renespoints.boardingarea.com/2017/08/09/rookie-wednesday-definitive-guide-gifting-sending-delta-amex-card-mqms-others-bonus-point-spend-answers/
Sad for those of us who have had the platinum card so long that delta wasn’t offering bonuses to sign up then but can’t sign up now because we already have the card.
Thanks Rene!
So, just for clarity, in @W Horne’s case (I have a similar situation), spend that occurs after the statement close date between Dec 18 and Dec 31 can still in fact count toward earning the bonus MQMs in 2017, even though the statement (and presumably the MQMs) would appear after the statement closed on Jan 18? Thank you!
@Philip – Any spend that POSTS ie post on Amex statement before 31DEC counts on the current year. Any spend that posts on or After 1JAN counts on the next year. The purchase date does not matter. The MQM bonus will count on the year you spent money and count on THAT year even if the statement say closes on 18JAN.