For $1M in yearly spending take a look at a Membership Rewards card.

However, if you wanted to stick to Delta, you could also earn Delta Gold Medallion status by running 60k on the Reserve card (30k MQM) and then downgrading to the platinum card where you would earn 20k MQM for spending 50k.

Take a strong look at the Starwood card as you can transfer to many MANY more airines via Starwood rather than via AMEX Membership rewards.

Membership Rewards don't go to AA

ax --> spg --> aa

US Bank FlexPerks hands down.

Where Dullta needs you to spend 40,000 miles, you spend only 20,000 FlexPoints. It's all revenue tickets, so you earn miles.

For flights it's about 2 cents per point.

You can also take it out as cash at 1 cent per point, or get it as Amazon and tons of other gift cards for your staff.

US Bank FlexPerks is by far the best business rewards credit card out there.

Plus, it's a Visa, not AmEx, so it has superior customer service AmEx and far greater acceptance and is actually useful as a card.

www.flexperks.com

Like i siad when u posted this in the Amex forum, id say the centurion card is probably my best choice, u get DL gold, SPG gold, and HHonors Diamond. the fee is high but the perks outweigh it.

A thought:
Since the OP does little travel, including little family travel, it's not clear to me that miles are the best value.

The fidelity amex would give 2% cash ($20,000/year). That buys a darn nice family vacation once a year.

Or perhaps spread the spending. Some of it on a mileage earning card for the airline tickets (where the OP is already used to getting value). And then the rest in cash for the harder to cover on the grown expenses?

Just a thought.

Why would anyone do that? It makes much more sense to get the SPG AMEX itself if you want to transfer to American; otherwise you waste points on the bad transfer from MR to SPG points.

I also don't understand how the OP believes that SPG doesn't have nice vacation hotels. There are several Hawaiian hotels, including a St. Regis, Caribbean hotels, Bora Bora, various European and Asian hotels. I'm just wondering where he wishes to take his vacations.

This thread may help
 

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/other...l#post15825651
or perhaps this one
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...l#post15815427
The best answers may be here.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...l#post15810179

Wow I didn't realize it was a 3:1 conversion MR --> SPG.

I don't like Wells Fargo but this card is pretty good
 

https://businesscard.wellsfargorewards.com/ip-wf/

$25,000 in spend for up to $500 economy ticket anywhere in North America. Only a Saturday stay required.

I've booked at least 12 tickets this way over the years, the people are VERY nice to work with when booking the tickets. If you find your own routing/preference on Kayak you just tell them, they find it, and book it.

Most other bank cards I've seen $25000 spend for $250 ticket max.

Do not fall for the Centurion card unless you a looking for wallet jewelry.
If you do, get the personal one if you can. I use to get some nice gift certificates for high-end stores. But, for the most part, they went away as did the benefits.

Spread your spend out over multiple cards. With rewards, you will want to have options.

Travelocity Amex gives 10% back on travel and 2% on the rest.

30k spend on SPG gets you Gold. They would get a lot more of my spend if I could get to Platinum. 750k transfer to AA gets you Lifetime Gold 1.5M gets you Lifetime Platinum. 30+ airline transfer with a 25% bonus.

40k spend on Hilton Surpass gets you to top tier Diamond. You also get Priority Pass.

Push for Platinum status with DL so your award flights can be changed or canceled without a fee. With a 50k Amex Membership rewards transfer and a DL Platinum and Reserve Amex, you will be Platinum. After you reach the MQM and mile bonuses, you will need to switch to anther card. The DL reserve card pays a 50% mile bonus at 30k and 60k spend but nothing after that. No other major airline card is as good at earning bonuses ans status.

Diners card for those that don't take Amex.

I am not a big fan of Amex membership rewards but with the recent DL MQM bonuses, I will keep some. Transfer bonuses can be good at times.

You could be top level with Ritz Carlton/Marriott but the points per dollar for spent is just not worth it.

With Southwest, 110k spend will get you a free companion pass for a year and you get to keep the points.

Hyatt Visa comes with Platinum but no help to get to Diamond, so I would pass.

Wait for bonuses for using a card or making a transfer.

Have you checked out the AARP unlimited 5% cash back for 6 months?

http://www.aarpcreditcard.com/Default?CELL=66J9

That's $50,000 on 1million is spending, and I'm sure if you show Chase you have assets/income they'll give you a generous credit line.

5% is pretty unbeatable, especially with limited travel. After 6 months go for one of the other cards recommended.

Big fan of the US Bank Flexperks card.

The best part is that there's no redemption fees. So at 6 am I'm able to book a ticket for that evening. There's also a credit you get when you buy something onboard (food, baggage fees, etc.). It was helpful having this card when I changed from NW back to UA. The points built up didn't go to waste. I could just start redeeming them on UA.

Woah... That is a great deal. Do you have to be aarp to get this?

My 2nd choice is 2% cash back cc (i.e. fidelity etc.) $20k
My 3rd choice is >1M MR point using Platinum AmEx - great benefits for $450
(convert 1M -> 1.3M AA during promo)
(convert 1M -> 1.5M DL current promo, but only worth $15k, so 2nd choice is better)
4th choice is 1M SPG -> 1.25M AA.

Thread Alert
 

For a better response to this discussion, the new home for this thread is now the MilesBuzz! forum because of the search for elite benefits via credit card spend, as this thread is not primarily pertaining to Delta Air Lines or the SkyMiles frequent flier loyalty program.

Regards,

Canarsie
Co-Moderator, Delta SkyMiles forum