Transfer Amex Points to Reach Delta Elite Status

American Express issues cards linked to its own Membership Rewards program, as well as the credit cards affiliated with Delta’s SkyMiles program. Which explains both the special relationship American Express enjoys with Delta, and the especially generous terms of this promotion for converting Membership Rewards points into Delta miles.

Offer Details

Through May 31, Delta SkyMiles members will earn a 50 percent bonus when transferring American Express Membership Rewards points into their accounts, plus 25,000 Medallion elite-qualifying miles for transferring 50,000 or more points.

The offer is only available to SkyMiles members who have never before made a transfer from Membership Rewards.

Membership Rewards points transfer 1:1 for Delta miles. As always, there’s a fee for transfers: $0.0006 per point, with a maximum fee of $99. So the fee to transfer 50,000 points—enough to earn the elite-mile bonus—would be $30.

Registration is required.

Deal or No Deal

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If you’re a Delta partisan with Membership Rewards points to burn, the opportunity to add to your account balance at an accelerated rate shouldn’t be missed. And if you have enough Membership Rewards points to qualify for the elite bonus as well, that would make a good deal a great one.

The question for non-partisans concerns the value of Delta miles, which turns largely on the availability of awards. I still hear complaints about the lack of award seats in the lowest of Delta’s three award tiers. While such anecdotal reports fall short of hard evidence of a systemic problem, the element of uncertainty does call into question the value of miles earned in Delta’s program.

Reader Reality Check

Got Membership Rewards points? Want Delta miles?

More generally, how successful have you been in redeeming Delta miles for awards?

This article originally appeared on FrequentFlier.com.