Why It’s a Bad Deal—Except in One Instance
Everyone is talking about the latest transfer points promotion between American Express Membership Rewards and Delta: A 50% mileage bonus and free elite status if you transfer 100,000 miles (available only for first-time transfers), which nets you 25,000 Medallion Qualification Miles.The free elite status sure sounds tempting, and in fact, I almost fell for this pitch. But when something sounds too good to be true, there’s a reason, oftentimes. With this promotion, it is the first-time transfer restriction which raises the question: Why would Delta offer 25,000 elite qualifying miles?
The carrot is intended to catch non-Delta-elite cardholders, who plan their trips around convenience and value, not an elite program, and it’s also intended to entice elites with other airlines to defect. Either way, it’s a bad deal, for most.
No Deal
Elite with another airline? Why would you give up the focus on your current status for 100,000 miles, even if you get a 50,000-mile bonus? It’s a high price to pay to get free bags and land on the bottom rung of a long elite upgrade ladder. If it is free bags you want from Delta, then get Delta’s SkyMiles Gold card. First-year membership is free, and Delta gives you 25,000 bonus miles and free baggage.Already a Delta elite? If you have an American Express Membership Rewards account, this promotion only works if you’re transferring miles to Delta for the first time. Which is probably not the case.
Maybe you’re an international First Class traveler? A 100,000-point transfer yields 150,000 Delta miles, which is usually more than enough to redeem a First Class award ticket. However, Delta’s mileage-redemption awards only offer Business Class because Delta doesn’t have a First Class cabin. Not what you want.
Deal
The only person who should go for this promotion is a current Delta elite who wants to move up in status—Silver to Gold, for example—and who doesn’t have an AmEx Membership Rewards account already, so they can get the first time transfer bonus. If this is you: First, get an AmEx Membership Rewards account, then buy the 100,000 points (AmEx members can buy up to 500,000 annually), next sign up for the promotion (registration required), and then transfer 100,000 miles to Delta, which yields you 150,000 Delta miles—at a cost of about 1.7¢ per mile, $2,500 (plus taxes and fees) for 150,000 miles—and 25,000 MQM (which are hard to come by). A good value if your travel life must revolve around Delta.Moving up to Gold would give you access to upgrades on award tickets for travel within the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, and some destinations in Central and South America, based on availability. You would also receive SkyTeam lounge access, 100% mileage bonus, and your upgrade window would increase to 72 hours.