FINAL DAY Best-Ever 70,000 Mile Signup Bonus for Delta Amex

Credit cards are huge business, offers are as rich or at least expensive for the banks to offer as ever before, and issuers need to compete for your attention.

I’m not sure how long the expensive customer acquisition strategies will prove sustainable but we’re seeing a bonus arms race largely because of intense competition for customers and the economic models that suggest how important each new customer is.

In the long term I think airlines are going to have to increase the value of miles to attract customers, not just bump bonuses.

In the meantime though American Express is offering signup bonuses up to 70,000 SkyMiles which I believe is only the second time I’ve seen a public Delta offer go that high. These offers end tomorrow so if you want to jump on them, act now.

  • Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card has a limited-time signup bonus 50,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases within 3 months and a $50 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase with the new card within your first 3 months. You’ll also earn an additional 10,000 bonus miles after you spend an additional $1,000 with the card within your first 6 months. This offer will end November 8, 2017. The card has a $0 annual fee the first year and is then $95.

    The strongest value proposition for the card is that people who fly Delta but not enough to earn elite status receive some of the key benefits of that status just for being a cardholder, specifically priority boarding (which helps avoid having to gate check carryon bags) and first checked bag free on every Delta flight ( a savings of up to $200 per round trip for a family of four, so can more than pay for the annual fee after year one with just a single trip).

  • Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express has a limited-time signup bonus 70,000 miles and 10,000 elite qualifying miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases within 3 months and a $100 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase with the new card within your first 3 months. This offer will end November 8, 2017.

  • Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card has a limited time offer where you can earn 50,000 bonus miles after $2,000 spend on purchases on your new card in the first 3 months and a $50 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase with the card in your first 3 months. In addition you can earn an additional 10,000 bonus miles after making an additional $1,000 in purchases within your first 6 months. This offer will expire November 8, 2017. The card has a $0 annual fee the first year and is then $95.

    The card comes with priority boarding. It has no foreign transaction fees. And you get a statement credit back for 20% of in-flight purchases on Delta.

  • Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card has a limited-time signup bonus of 70,000 redeemable miles and 10,000 elite qualifying miles after $4000 in spend on purchases on the new card within your first 3 months. Plus you’ll earn a $100 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase with the new card within your first 3 months. This offer will end November 8, 2017.

    The strongest value proposition for the card is that people who fly Delta but not enough to earn elite status receive some of the key benefits of that status just for being a cardholder, specifically priority boarding (which helps avoid having to gate check carryon bags) and first checked bag free on every Delta flight. And you get a statement credit back for 20% of in-flight purchases on Delta.

Should you get the Platinum or Gold card? I argue the Gold offers better value because of the $0 annual fee the first year. I value Delta miles at 1.1 cents apiece, but you can value incremental miles and Delta statement credits based on your own use patterns.

I also like the business products from American Express best if only because they aren’t going to count towards the 5 new cards in the prior 24 months that Chase limits you to when signing up for many Chase cards.

Regardless the card you should get is the one you haven’t had before. Delta miles clearly aren’t my favorite currency, but I don’t walk away from large numbers of miles that are easy and inexpensive.

American Express generally limits you to one signup bonus per card product in a lifetime (for as long as they remember you having the card). You should sign up for their cards when they’ve got the best bonus, which is now. If you’ve had one of these before, consider getting the other. And if you’ve had each of these, consider one of their small business cards which are offering a similar promotion.

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