American Express and Delta Offer Advances on Travel Miles

You’ve heard of Buy Now, Pay Later? Some American Express-Delta cardmembers have the option to Fly Now, Earn Later.

The Fly Now, Earn Later feature lets you use travel miles you haven’t yet earned, effectively giving you an advance on travel rewards. It’s available to holders of select co-branded American Express-Delta credit cards, such as the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card.

How does it work?

To see how many Fly Now, Earn Later miles you may have available, follow these steps:

• Log in to your American Express account
• Click Benefits
• Click Request Fly Now, Pay Later

Borrowing miles with Fly Now, Earn later will leave you with a balance. You’ll have a 6-month window to pay back the borrowed miles. If you still have an outstanding balance at the end of 6 months, it will cost you 2.5 cents per mile.

Luckily, you will continue to earn miles as you use your card for purchases made directly with Delta and other eligible purchases.

When and how to use it

For example, say you’ve planned a big (and expensive) overseas trip. You’re looking for ways to cut costs, but you don’t have quite enough miles on your American Express-Delta card to qualify for a free flight. Borrowing miles with Fly Now, Earn Later can get you over the threshold.

However, be sure to apply miles to your Fly Now, Earn Later balance over the next 6 months to avoid that 2.5-cent per mile charge. Whether it’s dollars or travel miles, always pay back what you borrow.