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Reminder: Delta SkyMiles Membership Bonus Offer Up to 40,000 Miles

Jan. 24, 2013
5 min read
Delta New Member 40k
Reminder: Delta SkyMiles Membership Bonus Offer Up to 40,000 Miles
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Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express

We've gotten a lot of new readers over the past few months, so I wanted to write a quick basics post for beginners that is also a good reminder for those of you who have been on the site for a while now about a lucrative Delta promotion that's a great opportunity to rake in thousands of bonus Delta SkyMiles.

Basically, if you are new to SkyMiles (you can create a new account here) you can get up to 40,000 bonus SkyMiles for completing a number of actions, similar to the US Airways Grand Slam promotion. You must register for the promo here within 30 days of creating your SkyMiles account, so don't forget!

Key Details: "To qualify for this offer, members must maintain a valid email address and remain opted in to receive (via email) Fare Sales and Last Minute Deals, your SkyMiles Statement, Delta Partner Offers, SkyMiles Promotions, and Travel & SkyMiles Info. Email preferences may be updated by going to delta.com/profile. Qualifying activities must take place after enrollment and be completed within 12 months from enrollment date. Activity prior to enrollment will not qualify for bonus miles."

Create a new account and register for the promo to earn up to 40,000 bonus miles.

Low Hanging Fruit: 30,000 Miles

1. 15,000 miles: You get up to 15,000 SkyMiles for taking round-trip Delta flights. 5,000 bonus miles on your first Delta flight and an additional 2,500 bonus miles for each of your next four subsequent round-trip flights.

2. 5,000 miles: When you redeem 10,000 miles on anything - flights, hotels, cars, etc. - and you get 5,000 miles back, essentially a 50% rebate.

3. 5,000 miles: When you do things like like transferring hotel points into SkyMiles (note: a stay at a hotel with miles credited to Delta such as with Hilton HHonors Double Dipping counts the same as transferring in points from that partner) or buying/transferring miles, you get 500 bonus miles per partner or transaction up to a total of 5,000 bonus miles. The buying/transferring miles transactions are usually pretty expensive, though, so I'd focus on hotel transfers if you've got a few hotel stays coming up, or transferring points from Amex Membership Rewards or even earning miles through Delta's dining program (Plus there's a 1,500 mile bonus for new SkyMiles dining members), which all count.

Just for reference, Delta's hotel partners include: A Club (Accor), Choice, Club Carlson, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, Priority Club, Melisa, Starwood (Platinum members can transfer as few as 1 point to 1 SkyMile), Taj, Wyndham.

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Earn 500 miles (up to 5,000 total) every time you dine out at a participating dining rewards restaurant.

4. 5,000 miles: In addition to the current offer of 30,000 bonus miles toward award travel when you sign up for the Gold Delta American Express card and spend $500 on the card in the first three months from account opening, new SkyMiles members who sign up for the promo and get the card will earn an additional 5,000 bonus miles. The $95 annual fee is waived the first year.

More Expensive: 10,000 Miles

To earn those final 10,000 SkyMiles, you have to join the Delta Skyclub with a 1 or 3-year membership, which will cost you $450 or $1,215 respectively (since you will be a new member, you won't be getting any discounts from Medallion status) plus a $50 initiation fee.

You get 10,000 bonus miles for a new SkyClub membership, though it's expensive.

Although some of the actions required to earn the full bonus amounts are expensive (SkyClub membership) or time-consuming (racking up roundtrip flights) than others, there are plenty of easy ways to earn thousands of bonus miles through this promotion.

This promo is for new members only, so if you have an existing account, it won't work, unfortunately. However if you might have had a SkyMiles account in the past but you haven't been active for a while, you could try creating a new one from scratch and seeing if that works, though I'm not sure if Delta will be able to match up addresses or other personal information on their back end. If you're a new SkyMiles member, though, there's no reason not to sign up for this one and it doesn't look targeted.

TPG featured card

Best for dining at restaurants
TPG Editor‘s Rating
4 / 5
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Apply for American Express® Gold Card
at American Express's secure site

Rewards

1 - 4X points

Intro offer

As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

Annual Fee

$325

Recommended Credit

Excellent to Good

Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.
Apply for American Express® Gold Card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
Best for dining at restaurants
TPG Editor‘s Rating
4 / 5
Go to review

Rewards Rate

4XEarn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
4XEarn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
3XEarn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
2XEarn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
1XEarn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • Intro Offer

    As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.
  • Annual Fee

    $325
  • Recommended Credit

    Excellent to Good

Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.