Beatdown of epic proportions
Remember that 80s band Devo? Maybe not, but bear with me. They wore red “energy dome” hats and sang songs like “Whip It.” Anyway, Devo stood for ‘de-evolution.’ And while I hum a song or two, I’m beginning to think Delta stands for ‘de-value-lution.’
Yes, it’s happened again. A few recent changes have plunged SkyMiles-related cards into an even worse place than before.
So, just in case you needed to be reminded of our thinking, we thought we’d present our air-tight case for going with Amex cards instead of SkyMiles cards. Because that’s what we do.
Delta: Bottom of the Pops
The charts below are sobering. They show the Delta partner costs, before and after the miles devaluation. For a range of U.S.-to-Europe routes, you’d have to fork out another 90,000 SkyMiles, a 60% increase.
Compare Delta Partner Old and New Award Costs to Europe
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Now take a peek-a-boo at this chart. It compares those lofty SkyMiles prices for the same flights with Amex points, which also partners with those airlines. New York-Rome on Alitalia is just 80,000 miles versus 240,000 SkyMiles. A 3X difference.
Compare Delta's New Partner Cost and Amex Points to Europe
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Those charts are reason enough to use Amex cards over SkyMiles cards, especially for Europe-bound travelers. But there’s more.
A Few More Reasons to Skip SkyMiles Cards
and Play Amex Cards Instead
- Delta doesn’t offer access to First Class seats to Asia. The best you can get is Business Class. So, its SkyTeam partners (Korean and China Eastern) reciprocate by not allowing Delta members to access their First Class. All Nippon, Cathay Pacific, and Singapore have a First Class cabin and partner with Amex.
- Hoping to fly to Europe in First Class? Try again. Delta doesn’t offer a First Class redemption, only Business Class. On the other hand, British Airways, Emirates, and Singapore all have a First Class cabin to Europe, and are Amex points partners.
- With American Express Membership Rewards, you can transfer points to miles with 19 airlines — plus access those airlines’ partners.
- Amex Rewards often runs transfer bonus promotions, frequently offering up to a 40% bonus with British Airways, Iberia, and Virgin Atlantic. The Delta co-branded credit card doesn’t offer bonus deals remotely like that.
- Delta’s co-branded cards won’t multiply your earnings like other cards will. Get 5X (American Express Platinum card) points for airline tickets and hotels or 4X (American Express Gold card) points for dining or supermarkets, for example.
- Buying power. If you buy miles via Delta directly, you’re limited to 60,000 per year at a cost of 3.5¢. You can buy up to 500,000 Amex points at a cost of 2.5¢ and then transfer those points to any of its partner’s miles.
- Unlike Delta, most Amex partners publish an award chart or calculator online, so you can budget properly or determine where you even stand.
- Air France opens bookings for award travel 361 days out, but Delta opens bookings for award travel 331 days out. That’s a Delta disconnect.
- Loyalty-free travelers — those not shackled to one loyalty program — have the flexibility to shop around and fly the cheapest airline. Right now, that’s not Delta in just about every market.
- Exotic destinations. Are you dreaming of going to Australia or New Zealand in comfort? You rarely can with Delta miles because the airline is so stingy to the South Pacific. Even partner Virgin Australia rarely has any free premium award space using Delta miles.
FCF’s Non-Disclaimer Disclaimer
Just a reassuring note that FCF receives nothing from credit card providers. No kickbacks. No cash under the table. Our perspective is 100% independent and researched by our in-house team. There are thousands upon thousands of credit card articles online, which will advise you to go out and get 10, 20, or 30 cards because they’re paid up to $300 each time you sign up for one on their site from the banks issuing these cards. They make thousands of dollars on you per year.
As they say, if you aren’t paying for the product, you are the product.