Off Topic: Heads-Up on a Great AmEx Deal

Hey guys,

A quick, out-of-subject note from me (David). It is from way out in left field. But it is a good enough deal that I decided to post it.

Unsponsored endorsement: the Delta SkyMiles® AmEx Gold card has been my main travel/business card for the past six years, and I have been quite happy with it. Here's why:


The Upside

First, you get the standard gold-level suite of protections, rental car insurance, etc.

Second, you get a Delta frequent flyer mile for every dollar you spend, and two miles for each dollar you spend with Delta.

Third, those miles add up—and are surprisingly easy and flexible to use. (That has been the best surprise of all.) On its website, Delta prices all of its flights in dollars or miles. And I regularly find domestic flights in the ~25,000 mile range for round trips.

Fourth, the card gives you free bag check privileges on Delta flights, which is especially nice when you buy the super-saver, sub-economy fares that wouldn't otherwise include free bags. This card + sub-economy fares is my favorite hack. Plus, because of the card you board earlier when there is still overhead space available.

Fifth, when you fly Delta, even on the super-cheap fare classes, your Gold Card allows you to do a SkyLounge buy-in for $29. Trust me, if you have a long layover that price is totally worth it for the peace and quiet, included food and open bar.

Finally, they offer some other stuff, like the ability to purchase tickets in advance of the general public for big shows, etc. But that's not really a draw for me.


The Downside

The Gold Card version costs $95/year.

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I'm generally pretty skeptical about these arrangements. But having used it for six years it has worked out much better than I thought it would, which is why I have kept renewing.

I actually came in on a deal like this, and found the bonus miles to actually be worth well more than the annual fee. And then it went well enough on an ongoing basis so that I have stuck around.

So when I saw their latest refer-a-friend deal, I thought it was good enough to pass along even though this is something I normally don't talk about.


Here's the Deal

• If you sign up—and if you spend $2,000 within the first three months—you get a bonus of 60,000 Delta frequent flyer miles.

• If you make a Delta tix purchase within the first three months, you also get a $50 statement credit.

• Hypothetical: if you happened to be planning to buy Delta tickets within the next three months, that'd be a pretty good triple bonus: 60k miles (if you spent a total of $2k, all-in, in the first three months, plus you'd get 2 more miles per Delta dollar spent, plus the $50 statement credit.


Just the 60k bonus frequent flyer miles is enough for a roundtrip or two to many US domestic destinations. You can check the prices in miles on any Delta trip on their site.

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All-in, that is a great bonus package for a $95 annual fee card. Which, BTW, you do not have to renew. (I wasn't planning on renewing. Then I realized that for me it was a great deal.

Disclosure: If you do sign up and meet the minimum spend, I will also get a miles bonus (15k miles). The most I can possibly earn is 55k miles. Which is to say, less than any single one of you would earn.

But I am passing it along because a) I use and very much like the benefits of the card, and b) it's a good deal for those of you who sign up if you plan to hit the $2k level within three months. And if I do max out at 55k FF miles, Susan and I will likely use them to go out and visit our daughter in California.

This is only good through July. And they have specific rules about how I can do this. So if you are interested, hit me up via Twitter, here, and I'll DM you the coded link there, as they require me to.


That's it! Thanks for reading.

-David