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You Can Now Use SkyMiles to Upgrade Your Delta Seat
Darren Murph
Senior Strategist/Writer
Darren holds the Guinness World Record as the planet's most prolific professional blogger, a feat he achieved in 2010. He's a seasoned storyteller, instructor and communicator, working across marketing, editorial and public relations for some of the world's most progressive brands. He's an explorer at heart, having traversed nearly 50 countries and all 50 US states. He's flown over one million miles on Delta alone, and takes pride in facilitating unforgettable excursions using points and miles.
Dec. 07, 2018
•
4 min read
You Can Now Use SkyMiles to Upgrade Your Delta Seat
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Delta CEO Ed Bastian let slip at the end of the airline's Q3 2018 earnings call that buy-ups via SkyMiles were coming, and come they have. In an effort to give passengers even more ways to "burn their miles," as Bastian so aptly stated, Delta flyers (and TPG tipsters) are waking up this morning to a new upgrade option.
Previously, select tickets purchased with cash would trigger upgrade options when sifting through trips in your Delta.com account. Those upgrades were only purchasable via more cash until today.
Of the six upcoming Delta round-trip itineraries in my account right now, five of them are eligible to move from either Main Cabin or Comfort+ into the First Class cabin via cash or SkyMiles — the latter of which wasn't an option yesterday. It's worth noting that the SkyMiles buy-up option doesn't discriminate between paid bookings and award bookings. I have a mix of both coming up, and Delta is more than happy to accept miles or cash on either to upgrade my seat.
The lone holdout is an interesting one, as it's a multi-cabin experience. I purchased a round-trip ticket between New York (LGA) and Dallas (DFW), with the outbound in Main Cabin and the return in First Class. There's no upgrade option at all on that itinerary.
TPG Managing Editor Alberto Riva is flying between New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX) on Christmas Day, and is being offered an upgrade into Delta One for $853.93 or 79,900 miles.
While it feels as if Delta is still working out a couple of IT kinks, I've seen no indication that this will be purposefully limited. Per Bastian's prior comments, Delta wants to make it as easy as possible to part ways with SkyMiles. TPG has reached out to Delta for confirmation and will update this article when we receive a response.
So, is this actually a good deal? In a word, no. In a few words, not at all. What's glaringly obvious across all of the offers I've seen, including my own, is that each buy-up offer is pegged to roughly 1 cent per SkyMile. This is in alignment with other new areas where Delta is allowing you to use SkyMiles as cash, including premium alcohol in Sky Clubs.
With Delta's fixed award chart but a distant memory, it is also becoming increasingly difficult to find outsized value from SkyMiles when looking to book award tickets on Delta.com. With dynamic pricing in effect, Delta is moving ever closer to pricing award tickets at a level that aligns with the "1 cent per SkyMile" approach.
The only notable silver lining is Delta's rash of award sales, which do surface some pretty stellar deals. This news also comes just a day after Delta began surfacing Basic Economy tickets while searching for SkyMiles awards.
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As shown above, I'm not seeing these mileage-based buy-up offers live in the Fly Delta app just yet (only cash), but it was mentioned on the aforesaid earnings call that it's coming in Q1 2019.
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Best for dining at restaurants
TPG Editor‘s Rating
Go to reviewCard Rating is based on the opinion of TPG‘s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
Rewards Rate
| 4X | 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. |
| 4X | 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. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.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.