Well this is an interesting offer and the timing is equally interesting. Take a look at the offer that popped up in my Amex offers tab (when you are logged in to your Amex credit card accounts):
This is interesting on a whole bunch of levels and I am really trying to see if we can detect any kind of pattern that we can look forward to over the next few years from the Delta – Amex joined at the hip relationship. As a side effect of COVID and the massive drop in flying we are going to see a lot of arrogant choices either rolled back or tweaked in some way. Let’s dive in.
First up, to start the year, I very quickly got my 60k Amex boost spending done before the bonus SkyMiles that always used to be included went away. The current new offer (be sure to register before you start to spend) brings that back i.e. you are getting 1.5 Skymiles per dollar spent (when you spend 1k). Plus depending on what you value an MQM at, you are doing a mileage run from home.
Keep in mind all MQMs are rolling over this year so this is a nice way to pad your number for next year (at some point) when we all hope it is again safe to travel.
What else is this offer telling me? A bunch.
Amex is scared. The Delta – Amex partnership is huge for both companies. With business travel all but dead and even 1st class travel nothing to get excited about (oh and there is the bonus you can get COVID along the way), they do not want folks canceling or downgrading their cards to the GOLD Delta Amex cards (notice they are not part of the spend deal – he he)!
Will I be going for this deal? Maybe. I really like the idea of earning both the boost offer for hitting another 30k spend and the bonus MQMs (confirmed btw that you can earn both). I could pay my taxes and for very little cost harvest the MQMs (i.e. the value of the SkyMiles offsets most of the fee to pay taxes).
The one thing we need to be careful with now is the Amex RAT teams are ready to gnaw our legs off if we do any creative spending (even clawing back from closed accounts). They have been less “hungry” shall we say on Delta points vs. other Amex points, but their ravenous appetites have me thinking pause on this one or any offer from Amex.
In September, for a number of years, Amex has come out with big MQM offers for new cards. This offer may be another way to motivate new customers to not just get a card but to then spend big on it in anticipation of travel next year.
What I really hope comes from all of this is a slow rollback of the punishing things Delta and Amex have dreamed up over the past few years like the ¼ million Diamond MQD spend waiver i.e. roll it back to 25k for all levels. Also, it would be great to see the MQM bonus come back if we transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to Delta again.
What do you think of this offer? Are you going for it? – René
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27 Comments
I’m assuming these MQM can’t be gifted right?
@Gaurav – I see nothing saying they can so my guess is no. Only MQMs from Amex Reserve cards can be gifted not Platinum card ones so…
I wonder if this offer stacks with the Amex DL Plat Biz card’s standard 1.5 mi when you spend $5K or more?
@Rick – See post. Confirmed it stacks with the Platinum card 25k yearly bonus spend offer (as well as Reserve 30k offer).
@Rene I think we’re referring to 2 different bonuses. The standard benefit I’m referring to is on the Amex Delta Platinum Biz card: “1.5 Miles‡ Earn more miles on big purchases with 1.5 miles per dollar on single eligible purchases over $5,000 (that’s an extra half mile per dollar), up to 50,000 additional miles per year. If your purchase qualifies for a category that has a higher mileage accelerator, only the higher accelerator will apply (ex. you would earn 3X miles on purchases made directly with Delta and Hotel Stays instead of 1.5X).”
@Rick – Ah you are talking Skymiles not MQMs. This offer should stack on top of any other offers they have going.
Is the offer targeted? I see it for my pkatinum card but not the reserve
I received it only for my DL Platinums — not my Reserves
I am already going to have ample MQMs, not that I am complaining about getting more. What I would value more is a way to earn more MQDs or, even better, to lower the spending waiver for Diamond in 2021, or to carry over the MQD and MQD waiver spending in 2020 to 2021.
I noticed another interesting offer, 2 additional miles per dollar spent on Delta.
What’s also concerning, and I really thank you for writing about this, is that it means by checking for offers once a month is not frequent enough. Had you not written this, I might have missed a lot of MQM earning opportunities.
By the way, I just looked at my Marriott Chase Visa offers, they are really stingy compared with Amex. Unless I am looking in the wrong place, I saw offers, that really weren’t of much use except, possibly, for the Sams Club one.
@Rene – Are you only seeing this offer show up on one of your Delta cards? I have a Personal Delta Reserve and a Business Delta Platinum and am only seeing the offer on the Business Platinum. Thanks!
@Dale R – Per Amex both personal and business Delta Amex Plat and Reserve are both eligible.
I saw mine on both the Reserve and Platinum, both are Personal. Mine were at the top but make sure you click on the More button so you can see all the offers.
I have the Personal and Business Reserve cards and it only showed up as an offer in my Business account. I still cannot find a way to sign up my Personal card.
I found this on the FAQ for Amex Offers: https://www.amexoffers.com/amexoffersfaqs
Can I participate in Amex Offers with more than one American Express Card?
If you manage multiple Cards on your americanexpress.com account, only one of the eligible Cards will be able to take advantage of an offer. You can only add an Amex Offer to an eligible American Express Card once.
I will use the offer. I have regular spending already there and my next quarterly tax installments will feel nice. It’s not a perfect offer but enough for me to keep spending here instead of on my Blue Business Plus card.
Interesting, then what happens if it allows you to add on both?
Because it’s an Amex Offer, you can only add it to one card. Pick the card on which you think you’ll spend more.Apparently, it’s targeted to more than one Delta Amex card.
I did add it to both, before I saw this, that’s why I’m asking.
Barry: I stand corrected! The offer appeared today on one of my personal cards.
I only got an offer on my personal Delta platinum. (which has had limited spend). No offer on my personal Delta reserve.
Same here. Anyone have an explanation??
Is there any way to track the new earned MQMs and the spend for this offer?
Yes — and this isn’t a smart-aleck response, I promise: keep track yourself.
Does anyone know if you need to make a single individual purchase of $1000 or more to get the 500 bonus MQM or its for every $1000 you spend. I’m other words if I have a single transaction of $5000 will I just get 500 bonus MQM or 2500MQM? Anyone actually get their bonus MQM yet?
Every $1000 you spend. I spent ~$750 on one transaction and then ~$350. That triggered the email acknowledging I did it. No miles posted yet.
I added the offer to both my Platinum (personal) and Reserve (business). I spent $1000+ on the Platinum and got an email confirming eligibility, with the MQMs posting a couple days later. I spent $6000+ on the Reserve, with no email and no MQMs yet. I confimed that the offer is showing up as added for both cards.