Michelle_DeltaSkyMiles

Hello Everybody,

We noticed that there have been several questions regarding Pay with Miles on this thread. Just to clarify, Pay with Miles is not going away.

Also, Mileage boost is only going away for Options, Classic and Gold cards (Platinum and Reserve cards are unaffected).

Thanks,
Michelle

Michelle, SkyMiles | Delta Social Ambassador
Connect with us at Twitter.com/Delta & Facebook.com/Delta

StayingHomeIsBetter

People are looking for you, over here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...le-change.html

... or, perhaps Jeff could stop by.

jamesteroh

Well in a couple weeks they are going to be basically charging people who pay for inflight items like drinks and food, etc, additional who don't use a delta Am Ex. Effective 9/1, a lot of the Delta Am Ex cards are going to give you 20% off if you use the card in flight (I think it covers all inflight purchases except the gogo internet). So if you buy a $7 drink and use a visa you will be charged $7, but it will only be $5.40 on your Delta Am Ex.

Seeing I always get a HOOU coupon for a free drink or snack box with my boarding pass if I am not upgraded and have plenty of other coupons that came with my medallian packs, and can get more from the skybonus program if I ever need them, drinks and snack boxes aren't an issue. But if I don't get upgraded on a long flight, that benefit will be nice if I want to buy a wrap or the fruit and cheese plate.

jamesteroh

Do many elites actually even use the pay with miles???? It makes more sense to me to buy a $100 gift card with 11K miles from the skymile to pay and use that for $100 of the flight than to use 10K miles. While the Am Ex gift card i s costing you a few more miles, you will still manage to get the MQM's for the flight you are taking, as opposed to no miles if you use pay with miles. You will also stand a better chance at an upgrade as well on the ticket.

johngalt

As they were selling the Gold DL Amex on a flight last week, I think they said the annual fee is waived the first year and then a voucher sent in years after that to cover the fee. That beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.

jamesteroh

They had a promo out recently where they were waiving the fee for the first year (which I think they have always done) and giving out 4 or 5 one-day skyclub passes. The SC's are already overcrowded as it is.

I don't mind the free bags since it isn't diluting our benefits at all and may speed up boarding since it will encourage some people to check bags instead of wasting boarding time trying to find bin space. The 20% off on onbaord purchases with the delta card will benefit all skymiles members.

But it is a diluation of my sky club membership when the clubs are crowded now and they are just give out five passes to someone for getting their credit card. And if allowing AM Ex card holders to board in zone 2 is unfair to the FO's who fly delta a lot for the benefit of boarding in zone two. The cardhodlers whould board AFTER FO's. And if you get a lazy gate agent that decides to board zones 1 and 2 at the same time (I have seen it happen twice this year, once the flight was delayed 3 hours and they were trying to board ASAP and another time was a lazy GA), it is going make boarding a real pain for the elites who show loyality to Delta.

iamhereandthere

I do for cheap tickets to MCO. That doesn't earn me many miles so I'd rather PWM especially if the actual cost < an award in miles.

It's very difficult to purchase a fare using multiple Amex gifts cards. Did that once, have to go to airport, blablabla.

Have you had a better experience with Amex gift cards?

MR_MAMA

You might want to call Amex about this, they have told me this twice

jamesteroh

I have ordered Am Ex gift cards before but have never tried using them for the actual airfare (earlier this year I thought about doing pay with miles for a kind of expensive trip, but decided to pay for the airfare instead since I needed the MQMs and also for a better shot at the upgrade, and ordered the gift cards and used those to pay for the hotel with no problem). I didn't realize that you couldn't use multiple credit cards on delta.com. Seeing that is the case, then paybymiles would make a lot of sense in your case if you don't need the MQMs and if it's a short flight.

I wish Delta would give you some miles if you use cash for part of the Fare like NW used to. I would be more likely to use pay with miles if they did.

iamhereandthere

Yep. I don't use PWM on anything long, but only 1500 MQMs...based on CPM, DCA-MCO is no loss. I'd rather do a MR to the west coast, much better CPM.

I still have a couple of Amex cards I ordered...haven't decided where to spend them! But yes, gift cards are hard. I'm not sure if you can use them online, I suppose if the total fare is <$100. Even at the airport...I think using a single gift card is hard. The system doesn't seem to be like a retail register where you can say "charge $100" and swipe. They were like "we don't know how much is on it." That's not really the question, the issue is not authorizing the full purchase amount of the ticket.

Let's just say purchasing 2 tickets $228 each took well over an hour. 4 Amex cards gone...happily. But that took way too long, and required a visit to the airport.

iamhereandthere

Yep. I don't use PWM on anything long, but only 1500 MQMs...based on CPM, DCA-MCO is no loss. I'd rather do a MR to the west coast, much better CPM.

I still have a couple of Amex cards I ordered...haven't decided where to spend them! But yes, gift cards are hard. I'm not sure if you can use them online, I suppose if the total fare is <$100. Even at the airport...I think using a single gift card is hard. The system doesn't seem to be like a retail register where you can say "charge $100" and swipe. They were like "we don't know how much is on it." That's not really the question, the issue is not authorizing the full purchase amount of the ticket.

Let's just say purchasing 2 tickets $228 each took well over an hour. 4 Amex cards gone...happily. But that took way too long, and required a visit to the airport.

ewalker3

Correction:

I forgot that I have my original Delta AMEX card o've had since the mid 1990s when it first came out and that I haven't used in ages because I have the Platinum Delta Amex!.. That is the account they were referring to (I checked my account #s just now).. Close call. I am glad the MQM boost is staying for the platinum holders. I just got my 10K boost this week!

I never knew you could get the MQM boost with the standard Delta AMEX card


Ed

mnredfox

The fleecing on the cards have begun. When does the Amex diamond card come out?

jamesteroh

If they eliminated thge MQM boost with the Platnium Am Ex, there really would be no reason to have it. The only real advantage I see to the over the gold am ex is the MQM mileage boost. If they elimianted that or for some reason I couldn't get the minimum spend requirement on the card, there is no way I would keep it for $150 a year.

jamesteroh

Would that trump the Am Ex Onyx?