If you have a business or personal Delta SkyMiles Gold, Platinum or Reserve credit card, you can now spend 15% fewer miles on eligible flight bookings.
American Express and Delta announced this new discount, called TakeOff 15, this week, along with new welcome offers for customers who open a card by March 29. TakeOff 15 and a new welcome offer are available on all of the American Express Delta SkyMiles cards except the no-annual-fee Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card.
What Are the New Delta SkyMiles Credit Card Welcome Offers?
Each card comes with a welcome offer that is at least 25,000 miles higher than its previous iteration. Most of the spending requirements to unlock bonus miles are $1,000 higher, and the Platinum and Reserve card offers no longer feature Medallion Qualification Miles, which customers can use to help them access more benefits in the Delta SkyMiles loyalty program.
- Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card: 70,000 miles for cardholders who spend at least $2,000 in their first six months with the card. This is a 30,000-mile increase over the previous offer, with the same spending requirement.
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card: 90,000 miles for cardholders who spend at least $4,000 in their first six months with a card. This is a 40,000-mile increase over the previous offer, which also came with 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles and only required $3,000 to unlock.
- Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card: 90,000 miles for spending at least $6,000 in your first six months with the card. This is a 40,000-mile increase over the previous offer, which also came with 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles and only required $5,000 to unlock.
- Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card: 75,000 miles for spending at least $3,000 in the first three months with the card. This is a 25,000-mile increase over the previous offer, which only required $2,000 to unlock.
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express Card: 95,000 miles for spending at least $4,000 in the first three months with a card. This is a 35,000-mile increase over the previous offer, which also came with 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles and only required $3,000 to unlock.
- Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card: 100,000 miles for spending at least $6,000 in the first three months with the card. This is a 40,000-mile increase over the previous offer, which also came with 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles and only required $4,000 to unlock.
How Can You Get 15% Off Flights With Your Delta SkyMiles American Express Card?
TakeOff 15 gives cardholders a 15% discount on the miles cost of eligible award travel. Say you want to book a round-trip flight from Las Vegas to New York for 32,500 miles (the lowest-calculated fare for such a trip as of July 2022, according to U.S. News booking searches). With a 15% discount on miles, you could pay 27,625 points – a 4,875-mile discount.
But there is fine print to consider, so be sure to review your card’s terms and conditions. For example, the flights must be operated by Delta or one of Delta’s regional airlines. That means you won’t get a discount if you redeem your miles to fly with Aeromexico, Air France or another of Delta’s partner airlines.
You’ll also need to book your flight on Delta’s website or through the FlyDelta app, and you won’t get the discount when you use Pay with Miles, the feature that lets you reduce the dollar cost of a ticket in increments of $50, or 5,000 miles.
Should You Open a Delta SkyMiles American Express Card?
If you are a frequent flyer with Delta, the TakeOff 15 feature and updated welcome offers make now a solid time to open a card. U.S. News ranks Delta SkyMiles the second-best airline rewards program and named the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card the best airline credit card of 2023, so you can feel confident in your decision.
If you want to try out a co-branded Delta credit card without paying an annual fee, you can still consider the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card, though this card does not offer TakeOff 15 and the welcome offer is significantly lower. Or keep in mind that the Gold card offers a $0 introductory annual fee for your first year with the card.
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