[EXPIRED] Gold Delta Amex 70,000 SM & $100 Statement credit
Sep 19, 2012, 12:15 am
#331
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,763
First, this guy Charles was telling me how I got ripped off by getting 75K miles for what I consider nothing. He then spun it into I wasn't getting enough value for my miles, trying to tell me I paid $5k bucks for the miles.
2nd, I live between MN and the Tampa area and only have a need for the MSP/TPA route. The flights are for my kids actuallly as I live 7 months in FL and 5 in MN so I drive down
You fly around the world, me, I'll sit on my ocean or lake front deck and relax.
I have managed to get 10 free flights ( for family) per year for the past 7 years, with Northwest and Continental gone it's getting harder. I usually use 25K miles on United and American as I book early. The only thing better about Delta is it's direct flight. If you know a way to get flights from MSP/TPA for less than 25 K R/T I am all ears. I have got flights on Delta for 25K R/T but they are few and far between these days especially during the peak season in Florida
As I said using a dollar amount was a bad example, I should have said where can I get 75K miles for spending 5k ( that I would spend anyway) anywhere else
2nd, I live between MN and the Tampa area and only have a need for the MSP/TPA route. The flights are for my kids actuallly as I live 7 months in FL and 5 in MN so I drive down
You fly around the world, me, I'll sit on my ocean or lake front deck and relax.
I have managed to get 10 free flights ( for family) per year for the past 7 years, with Northwest and Continental gone it's getting harder. I usually use 25K miles on United and American as I book early. The only thing better about Delta is it's direct flight. If you know a way to get flights from MSP/TPA for less than 25 K R/T I am all ears. I have got flights on Delta for 25K R/T but they are few and far between these days especially during the peak season in Florida
As I said using a dollar amount was a bad example, I should have said where can I get 75K miles for spending 5k ( that I would spend anyway) anywhere else
If you ask me, my idea of cumulating miles is NOT for a free domestic r/t - such I would just buy it if I need to. My miles are used as a travel experience enhancer, not a substitute for basic travel expenses which I can easily pay with cash. However I should not pay with cash on a $12K First Class trip to SE Asia, or a $15K First Class trip to Australia, etc etc - but with the miles we have, we can do that and only need to pay a few hundreds in taxes... The choice is so obvious that I (and many here) automatically assume others would be this way... Naturally it is not - there are folks here their goal is to minimize their cash outlay for BASIC travels - nothing wrong with that if that is your goal - but you should do it with AA or UA, especially UA, rather than DL - for DL is notoriously BAD in having low-level domestic award space. I think this is what Charles is trying to get it across.
Sep 19, 2012, 12:23 am
#332
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 6,607
You are at a DL fortress hub that is one of the reasons you have a hard time to do your MSP-TPA flight.
If you ask me, my idea of cumulating miles is NOT for a free domestic r/t - such I would just buy it if I need to. My miles are used as a travel experience enhancer, not a substitute for basic travel expenses which I can easily pay with cash. However I should not pay with cash on a $12K First Class trip to SE Asia, or a $15K First Class trip to Australia, etc etc - but with the miles we have, we can do that and only need to pay a few hundreds in taxes... The choice is so obvious that I (and many here) automatically assume others would be this way... Naturally it is not - there are folks here their goal is to minimize their cash outlay for BASIC travels - nothing wrong with that if that is your goal - but you should do it with AA or UA, especially UA, rather than DL - for DL is notoriously BAD in having low-level domestic award space. I think this is what Charles is trying to get it across.
If you ask me, my idea of cumulating miles is NOT for a free domestic r/t - such I would just buy it if I need to. My miles are used as a travel experience enhancer, not a substitute for basic travel expenses which I can easily pay with cash. However I should not pay with cash on a $12K First Class trip to SE Asia, or a $15K First Class trip to Australia, etc etc - but with the miles we have, we can do that and only need to pay a few hundreds in taxes... The choice is so obvious that I (and many here) automatically assume others would be this way... Naturally it is not - there are folks here their goal is to minimize their cash outlay for BASIC travels - nothing wrong with that if that is your goal - but you should do it with AA or UA, especially UA, rather than DL - for DL is notoriously BAD in having low-level domestic award space. I think this is what Charles is trying to get it across.
I give my kids enough, saving $4k a year or so by doing nothing other than making purchases I would make anyway is good enough for me.
I do use UA and AA has upped it's award flights (MSP/TPA ) to 50K 330 days out. They used to be 25K all day long. Maybe as it gets closer they are dropping the miles but I am not sure.
The Delta miles are free so it's not a big deal, yes I usually have to use more but there are only so many airlines and I NEVER pay for or fly apaid flight so my miles are all signup bonuses and everyday spends. Never even did the mint
One of my kids go to school in Chicago and I had to use 40K ORD/TPA. Remember it's spring break when they come down.
How can anyone say anything free is a bad deal ? Read up some posts, Charles says we are getting ripped off by spending the $5K for the miles, no idea how he comes to that conclusion and he made his first post before I responded to him about the 80K for 2 domestic R/T
Of course he talks in riddles and sounds like he may be drunk so who knows what he is really saying, lol
Last edited by flyer4512; Sep 19, 2012 at 12:38 am
Sep 19, 2012, 1:10 am
#333
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: LAS
Programs: DL PM, UA PS, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 4,904
MSP-ORD-TPA = 12K one-way
MSP-MIA-TPA = 14.5K one-way
MSP-DFW-TPA = 15K one-way
Better than 40K rt with Delta. And BA partners with AMEX MR and Chase UR. The former currently has a 40% bonus to BA, so even the most expensive RT would be <22K AMEX points. The latter also partners with UA, which has much better low-level space than Delta domestically. If you built up Chase UR points, you'd have access to UA, US, and AA low-level domestic space with UA and BA.
The Delta miles are free so it's not a big deal,
Delta is fine in some cases when you're really not flexible with dates and you don't mind paying 40K rt for 1000 miles each way in coach. But you shouldn't delude yourself into thinking these are free miles.
Last edited by amolkold; Sep 19, 2012 at 1:24 am
Sep 19, 2012, 4:19 am
#334
Join Date: May 2009
Location: South Park, CO
Programs: Tegridy Elite
Posts: 5,678
I noticed other people said that, after they got approved for this card, it now says "Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Cardmember" under their name when they log into their SkyMiles account. My wife and I just got approved for this card last night, and so I just checked our SkyMiles accounts and it seems that my wife's account says "Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Cardmember", but my account does not. Should I be worried?
Neither of us previously had a SkyMiles account, so we both created one right before applying for this AMEX card. We did all of this within minutes of each other. We're also both first-time AMEX cardholders. So it seems strange that there would be a difference like this between our two SkyMiles accounts. Anyone have any thoughts on why this is the case?
Neither of us previously had a SkyMiles account, so we both created one right before applying for this AMEX card. We did all of this within minutes of each other. We're also both first-time AMEX cardholders. So it seems strange that there would be a difference like this between our two SkyMiles accounts. Anyone have any thoughts on why this is the case?
(Apologies for an on-topic post
back to your regularly-scheduled flame wars...)
Sep 19, 2012, 4:49 am
#335
Join Date: May 2008
Location: BOS/SIN
Programs: SQ
Posts: 2,704
I just noticed they also fly to GUM and seasonally to ROR from NRT.
Sep 19, 2012, 6:08 am
#336
Join Date: Aug 2011
Programs: many
Posts: 1,437
Let others feel they are getting free flights, regardless what kind of opportunity cost they have incurred, or what kind of extra value (A LOT) they left on the table...Understood, what he wants to spend his money on is his perogative. I'm very glad for the guy who is getting to go to Tampa. Hope he has a great trip. ^
Sep 19, 2012, 6:14 am
#337
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: DTW
Programs: Hhonors Diamond, IHG Platinum
Posts: 435
I for one do not intend to spend anywhere near that amount to get them and I don't think anyone else here does either. If we pay our cell bill, buy our groceries, fill our gas tanks and then top off the spend through strategies such as free-after-rebate and fully reimbursed activities, how can the miles be a negative?
Sep 19, 2012, 8:35 am
#340
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Orlando, FL, USA
Posts: 2,398
Wife and I each got approval day before yesterday and it stated we'd get the cards in 7-10 days. Today we both got emails from DL congratulating us and saying "you should have already received your card" and providing links to AMEX to register the cards online and begin spending. Seems DL is getting a little ahead of themselves. At least thats perhaps better than their usual "behind themselves and everybody else" mode. Oh, well.
Sep 19, 2012, 8:54 am
#342
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 240
The trick through the derived link and changing names and Frequent Flyer number may no longer work (Delta probably fixed that loop hole with the influx of apps from here). But I suppose you could try the booking the refundable ticket route and see if the 70K offer still pops up in case they are still running the targetted promotion.
Sep 19, 2012, 9:03 am
#343
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 240
I can win in this competition easily, because I am located in China. I can fly PEK-NRT-SPN for 25k miles and 40$ taxes with a day in NRT if I want. Considering the flights to NRT are basically always 400$, and all the other ST flights force you to pay YQ, I think I've found a bargain. TPE, MNL, HKG work too, just have to transit NRT.
75k miles is 3 of these trips, which isn't bad at all.
75k miles is 3 of these trips, which isn't bad at all.
Last edited by TorontoSingh; Sep 19, 2012 at 9:11 am
Sep 19, 2012, 9:05 am
#344
Join Date: May 2011
Location: BKK
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,088
Can we stop the nonsense argument about whether the 70K is worth it or not and focus on how the heck we can meet the 5K spend and the $100 statement credit? Ideas anyone?
Sep 19, 2012, 9:14 am
#345
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Here
Programs: DL GM, BA Silver, SPG Gold, HHonors Gold, PC Plat, Hyatt Gold, Accor Plat
Posts: 101