American Express Membership Rewards - Amex Platinum vs SkyMiles Platinum vs SkyMiles Gold vs Amex Platinum

Sorry for that slighly confusing headline (can't edit it.)


I'm trying to decide which card to use the rest of this year.

I have: an Amex Gold I use heavily.
a SkyMiles Gold that sits in a drawer.

Like many people, I've gotten the upgrade offer w/ 5000 base miles, and have considered taking it. Doing 20K in a year will be tough for me, but not inconceivable.

I'm trying to figure out: what's the best deal? I'd love to get Centurion one day, which made me think of upgrading my regular Amex to Platinum. Wonder what my odds would be.

But the base miles are attractive, too, which makes SkyMiles Platinum attractive.

One thing's for sure: a dormant SkyMiles Gold card is silly. I should use it, upgrade it or toss it.

I travel primarily for leisure, and live for great deals rather than dripping luxury (unless, of course, I can get it at a great price.)

[This message has been edited by BostonGuy (edited 03-08-2002).]

You'll need to have significant charges made to your Amex account to be considered for Centurion and only doing, at least, 20K per year in charges is too low within their requirements. According to Amex CS, you'll need to have a spending minimum of $150K per yr. and some FT members have received the card without meeting this requirement, but I, too, want to get this card and was told to meet the requirement of $150K first.. It's too much money for me, as I only charge $4k per month.

Anyway, I recommend you to cancel both gold cards and upgrade to DL Skymiles Platinum. Look at the pros and cons about all the cards..

Gold - no signup bonus miles or double miles. If you're only accumulating DL Skymiles, then this card is not the best for you.
Gold Delta CC- no bonus miles for signing up, double miles.
Platinum- like gold and no benefits for someone who uses Delta only
Plat. Delta- 15K for signing up, 10K base miles if you spend 25K and double miles.
So for an extra $50 you're going to receive 10K bonus miles and 15K base miles, not a bad deal IMO. Good luck !




[This message has been edited by eperaltaotero (edited 03-08-2002).]

Can I do that?

Can I cancel my SkyMiles Gold and get an all new SkyMiles Platinum?

Wonder what sort of time lag would be necessary.

That would give me more signup miles - 15,000, but they'd all be bonus, rather than the 5,000 base I would get for upgrading from SkyMiles Gold. Am I right?

Yes, you can cancel your current gold card and upgrade to DL Platinum. Unfortunately, they will have to run another credit check and it does take a few weeks to receive the card. That sucks !

I suggest you to call Amex first, it's important to inform them about your interest for the DL Platinum card and how can you get the approval for this new card with a high credit limit. Since you currently have two Amex cards, your chances to get a high credit limit on the new card will be hard unless you cancel one card and inform them about your intention.
Oh, you get as a signup bonus 15K miles.
10K bonus miles and 5K base miles after your first purchase..
http://www66.americanexpress.com/cards/Fmacfservlet?csi=36/20/b/3/0/066224139939/20/n&from=0

This thread has been very informative but unfortunately I was too late on reading this :( . I had just upgraded my Delta gold to a Platinum 2 months ago however does anyone know if the 5K MQM bonus appears right away (meaning within a month or 2) or do I have to wait for renewal??? I thought it was a signon upgrade bonus. I know there's that 10K MQM bonus for spending that 25k but I'm concerned about the promised 5K at the moment. Thanks in advance for any advice.

[QUOTE=BostonGuy]Can I do that?

Can I cancel my SkyMiles Gold and get an all new SkyMiles Platinum?

Yes for $125/year


Wonder what sort of time lag would be necessary.

None, just call 1-800-430-1000 & do it. You will be platinum with your gold card. Then in 2 week the platinum car arries for you to phone to activate & shred the gold. Anniversary date for spending $25K will be a year from today. But being gold, you already got a total of 10K bonus miles, that leave 5K to get when you turn platinum. A total of 15K - not 15K all over again.

[QUOTE=BostonGuy]Can I do that?

Can I cancel my SkyMiles Gold and get an all new SkyMiles Platinum?

Yes for $125/year


Wonder what sort of time lag would be necessary.

None, just call 1-800-430-1000 & do it. You will be platinum with your gold card. Then in 2 week the platinum car arries for you to phone to activate & shred the gold. Anniversary date for spending $25K will be a year from today. But being gold, you already got a total of 10K bonus miles, that leave 5K to get when you turn platinum. A total of 15K - not 15K all over again.

Also, please note the annual fees for plat is $135 vs $85 for gold.
and In plat there is free companion certificate at tend of year.. (may not be that useful for all - worth checking it out)

Today, I had my plat up for renewal, Since I dont spend $25K on this card and Free companion tkt (too restrictive) I decided to save $50 in memberfees by going back to Delta Gold. When I called the CS, they wanted to keep me and they offered me $25 cash or 4K miles, I tool the 4K miles and decided to stay. Hope fully its worth $50 extra I am paying.

Sorry to raise my hand here, but don't you need to be a Platinum charge cardmember to even be considered for Centurion (Platinum cardmember tenure + the annual spend threshold across all Amex accounts)?

If you travel frequently, especially on DL / CO / NW, then consider upgrading your Gold charge card to the Platinum Charge card - the club lounge access alone pays for the membership fee of $395 (plus the complimentary Hertz #1 Club Gold, Starwood Gold Membership, etc).

The Delta Skymiles card is a neat credit card, but at the core, it is still an Optima account (with the Skymiles benefit)....with the APR in the teens.

This thread has been very informative but unfortunately I was too late on reading this :( . I had just upgraded my Delta gold to a Platinum 2 months ago however does anyone know if the 5K MQM bonus appears right away (meaning within a month or 2) or do I have to wait for renewal??? I thought it was a signon upgrade bonus. I know there's that 10K MQM bonus for spending that 25k but I'm concerned about the promised 5K at the moment. Thanks in advance for any advice.
In June of 2003 I "upgraded" from the Gold DL Amex Skymiles card to the Platinum Skymiles card and I am still waiting for my 5000 MQM (medallion qualification miles). According to the 5 letters I have received from AMEX, each time they try to transfer these over to DL, they get rejected. ["Our records indicate that 5000 Upgrade First Use Medallion miles posted to your Skymiles account on [date] however due to a system issue they have not transferred to your Skymiles account number. We are currently working to solve this problem." Since each letter over a nine month period has a different date (starting back in September of 2003) I just placed the word "[date]" in the appropriate place.]
I am now owed additionally 10000 MQM--will I ever see these?