Go for The Gold and Travel for Free : American Express Delta Sky Miles
Written: Apr 15 '03
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Pros: Great benefits, double airlines miles at a lot of places.
Cons: It costs $85 a year.
The Bottom Line: If you travel, this is a must have. It is worth $85. You will get that back quickly in miles.
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| jo.com's Full Review: American Express Gold |
I have a Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card which took a bit of work to get. I wanted to share the benefits of this credit card as well as how I got it.
Some background:
My husband has a Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card in his name and I am an added name to it. I have my own account number on my Platinum Card but I technically don’t “own” it and didn’t have to pay for it. I would have done this all online (and will review the site at some point) but I was in Florida when my husband suggested I call American Express (I don’t have a computer in Florida.) and get my own card. He wanted me to get the 10,000 frequent flyer miles, which is worth the $85 it costs annually for the card.
What does this card offer?
~ After receiving my initial 10,000 miles upon approval I now get double miles at certain stores. It is important to know which ones those are if you don’t always use your American Express. They are supermarkets, gas stations, drugstores, Delta Airlines, home improvement stores such as Home Depot, the Post Office, stores such as CVS and when I pay my cell phone bill. So every month I get two miles for every dollar I charge at one of those places. If I charge my root canal, I will get one mile, but not double miles.
If you travel, this is a fantastic deal. If you don’t you may not want to spend the $85 a year.
~There are many online conveniences such as being able to check my account summary and pay my bill.
~My Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card guarantees a reservation at the hotel where I have booked a room.
~If my suitcase is delayed for 6 hours or more, I can get reimbursed up to $200 for replacement items if I have used my card to book my airline tickets on Delta.
~American Express has what they call their Global Assist Hotline which gives me 24-hour medical and legal referrals worldwide. For example if I am traveling overseas and need a lawyer I can call collect.
~I can get Travelers Checks and foreign currencies that I need for my trip delivered to my door.
~I can enroll through Gold Delta SkyMiles and get cash from over 500,000 ATMs worldwide 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with my credit card.
~As my husband did with me by adding me to his platinum card, I did that with my daughters so I know they always have a credit card they can use. They always have used debit cards and I feel more secure knowing they can charge something if they need to. Adding other family members is free.
~The Purchase Protection Plan covers me for anything I lose up to $1000 if I paid for it with my credit card and something happens to the item (like it is stolen) for 90 days.
~Some merchandise at some stores is eligible for a free extended warranty for up to 1 year.
Please note, some of the above have clauses to them and it is important to read the fine lines before you assume anything.
Customer Service:
Customer Service representatives are available toll-free, every day, 24 hours a day. In fact it was a weekend when I called from Florida. A very nice representative took my information and said she could do a quick credit check and approve me right then and there. I was concerned because I do not work full time but she said that wasn’t going to be a problem. The whole process took about 10 minutes and she got information that I wasn’t approved. She had no idea why and when I asked her if it was my lack of income she said it definitely wasn’t because of the way she put the information on the application, she was sure that wasn’t the issue. She suggested that I not call back until I got the letter that would tell me why I was denied.
About a week later I got a very simple letter that I was denied the Gold Delta SkyMiles Card because of lack of credit. I called the number on my Platinum card since there was no phone number on the letter. In fact it said to dispute this, write to them and an address was given. I don’t work that way, at least the first time around so I called.
I spoke to another very nice person who looked up my account and told me that my credit check came back with nothing on it. I told her that I co-owned a house and car. She said that those purchases don’t count toward credit. I was appalled and expressed my frustration. I reminded her that this was not a free card. That I was paying $85 to get this card.
I told her that I had credit cards in my name (The fact I was on my husband’s Platinum card didn’t count either but I have store credit cards,), that I worked for over 10 years, that I wasn’t homeless and that I was really exasperated. She suggested that either I request my own credit check or that she would request another one. She told me that sometimes mistakes happen but it would take a few days. If you read EverythingYou’ve Ever Wanted To Know About Me especially #4, you will know that I don’t give up.
As I usually do, I was very nice at first, explaining the above and reiterating it a few times. I then told her that I have a habit of writing about negative experiences and that we could do this very nicely or we could go down the nasty road. I told her that was her choice to make. Within 30 seconds a new credit report arrived on her desk with credit showing for me and I was approved for my card.
When I received it I called to activate it and again was greeted very nicely by a woman who told me about all the benefits to which I was entitled and if I had any questions to call.
My final thoughts:
If you travel, I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t have a SkyMiles Account. There are different types and the right one for you will depend on what you need out of the card. We charge everything we can on American Express and rarely if ever pay for an airline ticket. There is a limit of $100,000 of eligible spending with my Gold card. I also get bonuses such as 5 free subscriptions to magazines recently.
Feel free to leave a question or comment if you have one. I do hope to review the Platinum card and the Web Site so keep tuned.
Recommended:
Yes
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