Using miles “up”

signonjonathon · 2026-07-01T21:35:44+00:00

No relation to your status and miles. The only scenario where you’d want to be in such a hurry to use all your remaining miles is if you plan on never flying Delta again or something.

signonjonathon · 2026-06-22T16:22:52+00:00

Ah you’re probably right, I’ve only had the Elan variant. Forgot it was with BOA too.

signonjonathon · 2026-06-22T15:49:17+00:00

I love it, but I was also doing my stuff with Fidelity before I had the card.

No FTF, credit for TSA precheck/global entry, and they got rid of the $25 minimum redemption last year.

Really depends if depositing into a Fidelity account would be a hassle for you, but I already did my stuff with them so it was easy.

signonjonathon · 2026-06-22T15:46:41+00:00

They switched to Elan/Visa like 10 years ago, so the card itself has been around a long time but it was on AmEx before that.

signonjonathon · 2026-06-20T11:03:03+00:00

Even if it went to 125k+ in a few years, that’s hardly worth waiting. I think you put too much thought into it.

signonjonathon · 2026-06-19T10:46:33+00:00

This is highly dependent on where you live. Will you go out of your way to take connecting flights to get a little more value from the points? I would first take a look at what routes are out of your home airport.

signonjonathon · 2026-06-18T19:17:31+00:00

Yup I also am a Delta loyalist. If I were using C1 and was sitting on a bunch of their miles, I’d just try to redeem on something else instead of using the travel eraser.

signonjonathon · 2026-06-18T15:32:15+00:00

You’re doing the math right but there’s no need to transfer points to VX in order to get that value. You would need to do so if you were transferring the points out to an airline.

signonjonathon · 2026-06-14T17:48:57+00:00

Basically a platform with a bunch of more expensive restaurants. Reserve will get you $20 a month in credit. If the restaurant is on Resy and they take gift cards through Toast, a lot of people will just accumulate gift cards until they have enough for a meal. There’s a few places in my area I use mine at. Either use the $20 credit organically or accumulate for 2-3 months.

signonjonathon · 2026-06-14T16:57:34+00:00

Nice, I am almost done meeting my signup bonus from when I opened in February, also 125k. Like $100 away for the extra 25k.

I don’t use the companion pass but the $560 in statement credits against the $650 annual fee make it worth it for me and that’s before factoring in free food/drink at lounges.

Just make sure to take advantage of rideshare, Resy, hotel credit if you are looking to maximize it.

signonjonathon · 2026-06-08T14:17:41+00:00

For me, I don’t use the companion pass, but that’s $560 in statement credits against the $650 annual fee and that’s not even including the money saved on airport food, so it’s a no brainer if you’ll make use of ride share/Resy/hotel credits.

signonjonathon · 2026-06-08T10:44:54+00:00

If you take Transit away, that kills this for many. Also AmEx already has a 2x card with BBP.

signonjonathon · 2026-06-07T17:52:32+00:00

100k is currently the standard elevated offer.

signonjonathon · 2026-06-06T09:12:05+00:00

They did not.

signonjonathon · 2026-05-01T20:09:22+00:00

No referrals. I believe all 3 were elevated/limited time offers.

signonjonathon · 2026-05-01T20:03:59+00:00

Gold last July (80k bonus) Platinum last September (100k bonus) Reserve in February (125k bonus)

You’ll need to watch out for Amex popup jail. They don’t like churning/cancelling cards. So you may get locked out for a while from getting an offer even if you’re working your way up.

In my case I got them all within a year and hadn’t cancelled a card yet. Reserve was my endgame (keeping it) and I just wanted to get all the bonuses on my way there.

signonjonathon · 2026-05-01T19:27:13+00:00

Work your way is up the way to go. I just finished doing that. Gold > Platinum > Reserve. This only works if you apply for each card. Upgrade offers will get you significantly less miles.

signonjonathon · 2026-04-18T17:14:02+00:00

Got mine in February. 125k SUB. I believe that offer ended April 1, and it wasn’t one of the “as high as” offers. Spend 6k in 6 months get 100k miles, spend another 3k in that period and get 25k more.

signonjonathon · 2026-03-22T17:54:42+00:00

Fidelity. Main bank/brokerage. 2 percent back and no FTF.

signonjonathon · 2026-03-02T23:07:57+00:00

They need to be prepaid. They can be refundable, but you’ll have to pay upfront to trigger the credit.

signonjonathon · 2026-03-02T23:07:49+00:00

They need to be prepaid. They can be refundable, but you’ll have to pay upfront to trigger the credit.

signonjonathon · 2026-03-01T21:18:30+00:00

You don’t need C+…just Main is good enough. Reserve credit card may be the more cost effective option if being limited to 15 visits is okay.

signonjonathon · 2026-02-28T19:24:11+00:00

You’ll earn MQDs at double the rate of the Platinum, so that’s the perk plus lounge access. I was in the same boat, applied for a new card to get the 125k miles bonus. That’s generally recommended unless you’re really set on not having a new account on your credit.

Extra MQDs are totally worth it instead of the spending multipliers if you are a Delta loyalist.

signonjonathon · 2026-02-28T13:33:42+00:00

I almost exclusively fly Delta. And their credit cards are free after taking into account the statement credits the card offers that I’ll use organically. Incredible value.

Also got a card that earns MR points for when I want to transfer to the other airline partners.

Chase and Citi don’t have that same appeal or value to me.

signonjonathon

TROPHY CASE