There's a 55K Offer for the Platinum Delta SkyMiles Business AMEX available. This is better than the 45K Offer for the Delta SkyMiles Card that you can get through CardMatch, but the Delta Business AMEX does have a $150 annual fee that is not waived the first year. Here are the details of each offer, then let's run the numbers and compare them:
Platinum Delta SkyMiles Business American Express – 55,000 SkyMiles
- 25K SkyMiles after first purchase (5000 count as MQMs)
- 30K additional SkyMiles after spending $5000 within the first 3 months (15,000 count as MQMs)
- 2X miles on Delta purchases
- 1X miles on all other purchases
- $150 annual fee is NOT waived the first year
- Spend $25,000 in a calendar year to earn 10,000 MQMs and 10,000 bonus miles
- Spend $50,000 in the same calendar year to earn an additional 10,000 MQMs and an additional 10,000 bonus miles
- Note that your are NOT eligible for this offer if you have had this card or any other Delta business card within the past 12 months
- Offer expires 7/7/13
Gold Delta SkyMiles American Express – 45,000 SkyMiles (via CardMatch)
- 25K SkyMiles after first purchase
- 20K additional SkyMiles after spending $5000 within the first 6 months
- 2X miles on Delta purchases
- 1X miles on all other purchases
- $0 fee the first year, then $95 annual fee
So Which is the Better Offer?
If you do value Delta miles and can meet the $10,000 minimum spend for the two cards, you could apply for both, to earn 100,000 Delta SkyMiles. If you only plan to apply for one card and need the MQMs, then it makes sense to apply for the Delta Business AMEX.
But if you don't need the MQMs and or the extra 10,000 Delta SkyMiles, I'd say the Delta Gold AMEX is the better deal, since it waives the first year annual fee and the Delta Business AMEX doesn't. An extra 10,000 Delta SkyMiles is only worth $100 in my book, at 1 cent per mile, and the $150 fee exceeds that. But ultimately, it all depends on how you value SkyMiles, whether you're close to redeeming for an award, your spend patterns, etc.
FAQ
Am I Eligible for the 55K Delta Business AMEX Offer?
You are unless you've had another Delta Business card within the past 12 months. Per the terms:
“Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have had this product or any other Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card account within the last 12 months”
Weren't There 70K Delta Credit Card Offers Before?
Awhile back, yes–there used to be a 70,000 Delta SkyMile bonus offer, but now the best public offers are usually 30,000 SkyMiles. So unless you get a higher targeted offer, this 55K offer for the Delta Business AMEX or 45K offer for the Delta Gold AMEX are about as good as it gets for credit cards.
Other Ways to Earn Delta SkyMiles?
Apart from (gasp) flying Delta, you could also earn up to 50,000 Delta Skymiles with a Fidelity brokerage account. You could also transfer AMEX Membership Rewards points 1:1 to Delta SkyMiles, or transfer SPG points to Delta with a 25% transfer bonus if you transfer in increments of 20,000 points = 25,000 miles. That said, I personally wouldn't use my Membership Rewards points or SPG points this way, because I don't value Delta miles nearly as highly as either of these points currencies.
How Much is a Delta SkyMile Worth?
Glad you asked! Check out my post, How Much is a Mile Worth: Value of a Delta SkyMile
So Are Delta SkyMiles Really Worth so Little to Earn the Nickname “SkyPesos”?
In my view, yes (I don't even bother earning any Delta SkyMiles, either with credit cards or by flying them), but you can ask others who earn and burn plenty of SkyMiles. As with a lot of things, reasonable people can disagree on this one. But here are some of the reasons I personally don't bother with them:
- No international first class awards on partners
- A one way award costs the same as a roundtrip (not half the cost, as with United MileagePlus, American AAdvantage, and most other frequent flyer programs)
- SkyTeam partners less aspirational than for Star Alliance and Oneworld
- Very tough to add on positioning flights on Delta at the low saver level–be prepared to get yourself to the international gateway with a paid ticket or an award ticket using other miles
This is why I haven't included the 55K Delta Business AMEX and 45K Delta Gold AMEX offers on my Best Travel Credit Cards page–the miles just aren't worth that much, and the $5000 spend required to get the full bonus is pretty high given how little I value these miles.
What Are the Best Awards Available with Delta SkyMiles?
Ben had a good summary of some of the best SkyMiles awards, and also check out Top Tips for Using Delta SkyMiles for Asia Award Tickets
Related Posts
How Much is a Mile Worth: Value of a Delta SkyMile
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