Bamboo2701

Good morning - I am new to the site and have a couple of questions that I hope you can help me with.

I will be applying for an AMEX Delta Miles card to accumulate miles for a trip to Hawaii. I am also signed up for various hotel "reward cards". I have been having my stay points go to Delta for miles.

If I use my AMEX Delta card to charge the cost of the room will I get:

One (1) point per mile for the cost AND the points (mileage) for staying at the hotel?

Like last weekend we stayed at a Comfort Inn and got 250 Sky Miles. If the room were $100 would we get a total of 350 miles?

Thank You

Bamboo

andyandy

Yes, you will.

Bamboo2701

Thanks :-)

mia

Welcome to Flyertalk.

In view of Delta's dismal award availability I cannot see a good reason to choose a card which earns only Skymiles. If you were to apply instead for the American Express Premier Rewards Gold card, discussed in these threads:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...gold-card.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...-purchase.html

...you would earn points convertible to Skymiles, but with the flexibility to convert to many other airline programs, plus you would earn more than one point per dollar when spending on airfare, groceries and gasoline and a bonus if your annual spending exceeds $30,000.

bez7

Isn't the annual fee high for that card?

One thing to not overlook is that the Platinum Skymiles card also receives a free companion ticket with every renewal, so that pays for the annual fee. For someone who lives at a Delta hub it's a no-brainer to hold.

Now if they'd just throw some bonus points at me for remaining a loyal cardholder...13 years and counting now and not one bonus mile. And no nice bonus to sign up for the card back then...

dabears

Make sure you save a copy of their offer. AMEX is very slippery when it comes to awarding the promotional miles in their offers, they will use any excuse possible to deny your points.

CALlegacy

Delta/AMEX reneged on various pieces of the bonus miles and/or companion tickets on my account and on a relative's account (sample 2 of 2). In my case a promised repair of the problem also failed. Combined with the devaluation of Skymiles generally, almost any reward card choice is better than this one.

monkeshine

Hello and greetings! If you fly a lot or are interested in status with Delta or want access to their Sky Clubs (formerly Crown Room) you might consider the Amex Reserve. They may not give it to you without some history with them, but it does all the same things regarding points, but also gives you (at the current promotion) 10,000 MQMs when you pay the first bill, and chance to earn 15,000 more MQM if you spend $30,000 on it, and another 15k for the next $30,000 for a total of 40,000 MQM. 50,000 MQM is Gold which makes you Delta Skyteam Elite which means pre-boarding, priority luggage retrieval, priority security lines and other perks.

This only matters if you want or need the status, as in, you fly a lot or you spend a lot and want to save miles for free trips.

The Reserve card does cost $450 a year, though, so that is why it is only worth it for the people who can really use and want the benefits that come with it.

monkeshine

FWIW, I've never had any issue with AMEX not delivering on the promised benefits. I just got my MQM's deposited - without having to ask. I received my companion certificate earlier this year as well, it was just deposited to my Delta account.

People should know they can now check their coupons online - go to delta.com -> skymiles -> my account then click on the e-credits tab and you will see a list of all your flight coupons, if you have any.

It is true that skymiles is very diluted/inflated because of all the programs which is why it is very important that IF you choose to fly Delta that you absolutely do everything you can to accrue the miles available to you and that you can reasonably acheive. This doesn't mean spending more than you can afford of course, but it does mean using the right mix of tools to spend them as cheaply as possible and earn them as dearly as possible.

There are certainly easier programs out there from other airlines and credit cards. If you prefer Southwest airlines then use their program to the max. If you prefer United use their programs to the max. I have chosen Delta for these past two years and have little regrets, but I do spent a lot for business and fly a lot so I appreciate the perks of using the lounge, using miles and certs for upgrades (of flying first class (business elite class) etc.

Good luck!

11yaa

Keep in mind the Delta Amex will lock you into earning Skymiles only. And with devaluation, don't expect Hawaii seats to be available at the lowest miles tier all the time. The lowest tier is more of an exception. Do check with other members for a random sampling of award ticket availability before locking yourself into Delta. Otherwise going for the generic Membership Rewards with the ability to fly any airline might be a better option.

jtrue28

I can speak to the availability of award trips to Hawaii. We have used our miles 5 years in a row for FC awards to a mixture of HNL/OGG/LIH/KOA. I agree low tier awards are hard to come by, but they can be had if you are very flexible and can plan way in advance.

Living in a DL market makes it an obvious choice for us, but if your market lends itself to other carriers (Continental has the best metal to Hawaii), you may find other cards that would be better suited to your travel needs.

Good luck and YMMV!