Frequent Miler's latest team challenge, Million Mile Madness, is almost done! The last two weeks Greg, Nick, and Stephen competed to earn 1 Million SAS miles by flying 15 airlines. But who completed the challenge with the most Speed, Affordability, and Style?
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Once again, Delta is offering all-time best welcome bonuses for their Gold, Platinum, and Reserve cards. At the time of this writing, most of these offers include $50 or $100 statement credits after using the card for any Delta purchase. Here are the current best offers (note that you may be targeted for an even better offer):
| Card Offer |
|---|
80K miles ⓘ Affiliate 80k after $10K spend in first 6 months. Terms apply. (Rates & Fees)$650 Annual Fee |
70K Miles ⓘ Affiliate Earn 70K miles after $5K spend in first 6 months. Terms apply. (Rates & Fees)$650 Annual Fee |
70K miles ⓘ Affiliate 70K after $6K spend in first 6 months. Terms and limitations apply. (Rates & Fees)$350 Annual Fee |
60K miles ⓘ Affiliate 60K miles after $3K spend in 6 months. Terms apply. (Rates & Fees)$350 Annual Fee |
60k miles ⓘ Affiliate 60K after $4K spend in first 6 months. Terms and limitations apply. (Rates & Fees)$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 |
50K miles ⓘ Affiliate 50K miles after $2K spend in first 6 months. Terms apply. (Rates & Fees)$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 |
![](http://cdn.nextinsure.com/imaging/opt/47dd49f9-d80b-4251-aa8e-2fbf313e6402.jpg?w=300" alt="Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card" />)
If you’ve ever had one of these cards before (at least within the last 7 years or so), then you can’t get the welcome bonus now. But, you can get a welcome bonus if you apply for a different Delta card. Each card shown above is considered a different product. Click into each one for more details about the card.
Earning the statement credits
Any direct Delta purchase made within the first 3 months of card ownership should trigger the promised statement credit.
You do not need to spend the full $50 or $100 in order to earn the full statement credit. If you find a way to spend $1 directly with Delta, you’ll earn the full statement credit.
Here are Delta spend options for triggering the credits:
On board a Delta Flight
- Buy those cheap $2 headphones (hint: you may be able to pay for them even if they don’t have them on board!)
- Buy a drink or snack
In the airport
- Pay to check a bag
- Buy a Delta SkyClub single visit pass
- If in the SkyClub, buy a premium drink
At home
- Purchase a Delta ticket.
- Book a Delta award flight and pay the TSA fees with your Delta card.
- Purchase a Delta ticket and pay with miles (every 5,000 miles = $50 off the ticket price), but use the credit card to pay the last bit that is less than $50.
- With an already booked flight, pay for an add-on such as a premium seat, miles boost, etc.
Buy a Delta egift card (here). Minimum purchase: $50. Gift cards never expire, but do note that you can’t use them within 72 hours of purchase (e.g. wait 3 days before using them).
Note 2/3/2020: Multiple readers have reported that this no longer works.
Other ideas?
Please comment below if you have other suggestions for triggering the statement credits. I’ll update this page as we learn more. Thanks!
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I bought a $50 eGift Card and the credit did not post. The rep I chatted with said a gift card is not an eligible Delta purchase. The language he used mentioned prepaids which sounds like purchases counting towards the bonus miles. Thoughts?
Same thing happened to me, purchased $50 gift card but did not receive credit. I did it from my ipad though and hesitant to try another time on the desktop site. The transaction is labeled as Delta GC not Delta Airlines Atlanta.
Thanks Allan and Tim. I’ve updated the post to say that gift card purchases no longer work. I’m sorry about that.
I wonder why the Business Reserve with its $450 annual fee is the only card that does not have a statement credit attached to it.
That is strange, especially since the consumer version has a $100 credit.
Just confirming – the only way to know for sure if I’ve had one before is secure chat?
I don’t think even that is 100% right. In most cases, the Amex app should pop up a warning saying that you’re not eligible for the welcome bonus if you’ve had the card before. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always work either.
[…] It’s worth noting that the new Delta offers require making a Delta purchase in three months rather than four. A safe bet is to buy a $50 Delta e-gift card to ensure getting the statement credit. For additional ideas, see: Earn Delta statement credits without flying Delta. […]
Interesting. Just got an offer for 70K miles, 10K MQM, and 70K Skybonus points. I don’t see the “one per lifetime” language so assuming this is a targeted offer. Cancelled the Delta Bus Plat about 4 years ago. Have you heard anyone else getting this offer?
Yes, a number of people got that targeted offer. I’d go for it if I had it.
@Zach
But that offer has the once a life time bonus restriction while the current 60K offer has some targeted offers that are without the restriction so the lucky recipients of said targeted offer would still get the bonus even though they have had the same card before.
Go through the process of booking a flight on delta.com. Before you checkout you’ll be presented with a Gold card offer for 50k points and a $150 statement credit.
Are the extra 10k points worth $150 to you? Maybe for some they are. I’ve seen some cheap fares redeeming pesos.
Thanks for posting about the Raise Website, I have a $70 Delta eGift Card I have been wanting to use for a while but Delta states if I pay with a GC for part or all of my ticket and traveling with my wife as a companion on the reservation we would not be eligible for upgrades… what a jip.