The Perfect Combo for Lazy but Flexible Travelers
At Lazypoints, we are not the type of credit nerds that love the thrill of the hunt for a good redemption. Getting great deals in our inbox is more our speed. Having now had Thrifty Traveler and a Delta co-branded Amex card for a few years, I am satisfied that it is an excellent option for those with the flexibility to pounce on the outstanding deals TT regularly sends out, especially on deals bookable with Delta Skymiles. If you live near a major airport, chances are that a Thrifty Traveler subscription and an American Express card combination could easily net you a free flight every year, at least as long as you monitor your inbox. Read on for details.
Thrifty Traveler deals
I’m definitely a convert to Thrifty Traveler, if for no other reason than their outstanding Skymiles deals (so good, in fact, that I’m finding it difficult to actually spend down my balance). The service costs $99 per year, and the price locks in forever once you subscribe. You can save $20 off your first year with our referral link, and there’s a 100-day money back guarantee.
We took advantage of one of those deals last year, and they haven’t stopped pouring in. In the past few months it has been a deluge:
October 11th: Taipei from most major West Coast cities (plus Denver) for 30,000 miles.
October 8th: 11 European destinations from dozens of US airports for 36-38,000 miles.
October 8th: Brisbane, Australia from dozens of US airports for 56-60,000 miles.
September 25th: Taipei from dozens of US airports for 54,000 miles.
August 27th: 12 European destinations from dozens of US airports for 34-44,000 miles.
August 27th: Tokyo from dozens of US airports for 40-50,000 miles.
August 19th: Taipei from dozens of US airports for 70,000 miles.
July 18th: 9 European destinations from dozens of US airports for 36-39k.
The listed deals are basic economy base fares, all round-trip, most were for travel in the October to March window, and most could be upgraded to main cabin tickets—which, unlike basic economy, are fully refundable—for 10-18k miles more.
Delta credit cards
Those deals start to look even better with one of Delta’s co-branded Amex cards: the Gold, Platinum, and Reserve. Each of those cards comes with a 15% discount on award flights, the first checked bag free when flying Delta for the cardholder and up to 8 traveling companions on the same reservation (unlike some other airline cards, this is not limited to domestic flights), priority boarding, 20% off in-flight purchases, and no foreign transaction fees.
With the 15% discount on award tickets, the prices of those flights above would be: 30k 26k, 38k 32k, 60k 51k , 54k 46k, 44k 37k, 50k 42k, 70k 59k, and 39k 33k. (Note that the discount only applies to redemptions flown entirely on Delta, not partners, although this was the case for all of the examples mentioned here.)
For the casual Delta flyer who just wants to take some free trips with their points, both the Gold and Platinum cards are excellent. However, the Gold card waives its annual fee for the first year, and will allow you to get a bonus if you later upgrade to the Platinum; per Amex’s current terms, those who start with the Platinum may not be able to get a bonus with the Gold later. At time of publication, the welcome offer is 80k points on the Gold and 90k on the Platinum, both all-time highs. Check the offer history at the time you apply to make sure you’re getting a good deal.
Delta Gold card
The Delta Gold card has a $150 annual fee, but it is waived for the first year. It comes with a $100 credit to use towards Delta Stays (Expedia with a Delta hat on) and also offers a $200 Delta flight credit after spending $10,000 on the card in a calendar year. It earns double points on Delta purchases, dining, and at US supermarkets.
Delta Platinum card
Delta’s Platinum Amex card has a $350 annual fee, but comes with numerous offsets and perks. The offsets are a $150 credit toward Delta Stays, $10 monthly statement credits on rideshare, $10 monthly credits to use at Resy restaurants, a main cabin companion ticket on renewal (limited to domestic, Caribbean, and Central American destinations), and a statement credit for Global Entry every four years. The perks are complimentary upgrades (based on availability), Hertz President’s circle status, and boosts toward elite status. The card earns 3x points on Delta and hotel purchases and 2x at restaurants and US supermarkets.
Amex cards
If you really want to make sure you have enough points to jump on Delta Award sales, consider picking up an Amex card that earns Membership Rewards, which can be transferred to Delta at a 1:1 ratio. The Amex Gold card earns 4x on dining and supermarkets (on up to $50k and $25k in spending, respectively) and 3x on flights. It has a $350 fee but offers $424 in statement credits, so it could be a no-net-fee card for some people. The Green Card earns 3x on restaurants, travel, and transit. It has a $150 annual fee with no real offset, although it does include a $199 statement credit for Clear.
Some lazy scenarios
Let’s say someone signs up for Thrifty Traveler alerts, applies for the Delta Gold, and keeps it as the only card in their wallet. They spend $2000 per month on the card, $500 of that at restaurants. They are are flexible enough to book non-refundable international flights a few months in advance when they get TT alert emails.
Thrifty Traveler costs $99 per year, and the Delta card costs $150, for a total of $250 per year. However, the Delta card comes with a $100 credit to use towards hotel stays, and by spending over $10,000 on the card, it comes with a $200 Delta flight credit, so the net cost could be negative $50. In the first year, though, the cost is $170 lower (-$220) because of the $20 first-year discount on TT via our referral link and the waived first-year annual fee on the credit card.
With the 80k welcome bonus on the Delta Gold alone, this person could likely book two tickets to Europe or Asia. And each year, their spending would be good for another 26k Delta points, just about enough for a basic economy flight to Europe each year, especially if boosted with some extra points from Starbucks, Airbnb, dining out, and shopping online.
And thanks to Thrifty Traveler, they wouldn’t have to worry about searching for deals—they could just wait until a good opportunity arrived in their inbox. (Of course, if they were a little more frugal and a little less lazy, they could dig around Delta’s website for half an hour every week or so; you can usually find a solid deal all on your own and save the $100 per year.)
If this person liked to eat out a bit more, they could add the Amex Gold. Let’s say they spend $1,000 per month eating out, and put that on the Amex Gold, and $1,000 per month on other tings, and put that on the Delta Gold card. They would earn 48,000 points from the Gold card, 12,000 miles from the Delta card, for a total of 60,000 Skymiles, easily enough for one main cabin trip to Europe and possibly enough for two basic economy tickets.
Conclusion
If you just want to carry one or two cards and not sweat the details, Delta offers outstanding flash sales that make it easy to get good value from your Amex points or Skymiles, especially if you have a Delta credit card. Thrifty Traveler makes it easy to catch these deals while they’re hot. With the combo, you could just about break even on fees and get a free flight to Europe every year even without any points-maximizing strategies to speak of. It depends on where you live and if we continue to see these deals going forward, of course, but the Delta/Amex/Thrifty Traveler connection might be the best way to get overseas with points without much effort.