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August 18, 2026 | View Online
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‘Tis a week of contrasts.
I’m currently in Singapore, one of the most expensive countries on the planet, to see a show with Jess and hang out a bit in a lovely hotel. But on Wednesday night, I’ll be crossing the border back to Malaysia by land, and grabbing the a slow diesel train through the jungle for a few days.
May need to write Friday’s early as I can’t image the internet situation will be phenomenal in the middle of a rainforest.
Let’s get to the points:
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I indulge your Delta obsession
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See these bonuses in action
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Best photos from the eclipse
Cheers,
Steven
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| CARD OF THE WEEK
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Delta One Way Or Another
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Spectacular title, and if you don’t appreciate it, you can go look elsewhere.
Look, a lot of you are obsessed with Delta. It’s fair sometimes. Delta One is really good. But the over reliance on it and “Delta or nothing” attitude from a lot of people who only fly twice a year is likely losing you money.
Regardless, I’ll indulge you. But I’ll also show you why you might not want to open that Delta card if you fancy flying in Delta One without losing every SkyMile you’ve earned.
So let’s start with the big one. Delta One.
Here’s a Delta One flight from Boston to Barcelona for 115,000 SkyMiles plus $6. It costs $1,649 in cash, granting you 1.4 cents per SkyMile. It’s not terrible by Delta’s standards, but not wonderful either.
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Here’s the exact same flight booked on Air France/KLM Flying Blue for 67,500 miles and $33, granting you 2.39 cents per mile.
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See what I mean about putting your faith in SkyMiles?
It’s a regular occurrence to find the same Delta flight for considerably less miles than on the Delta search portal, making it a fair argument that if you only fly Delta once or twice a year, but only want to fly them, you probably shouldn’t open a Delta card. You can get far better value by opening a card like this, which allows you to transfer to Flying Blue, Virgin, and Delta, and pick the best option based on your situation.
So when is it a good time to use Delta SkyMiles?
I love them for US domestic and shorter North American flights. 4,300 SkyMiles for Seattle to Sacramento isn’t bad at all and grabs you 1.6 cents per SkyMile, or a Toronto to Nashville flight for 6,600 SkyMiles getting you 2.4 cents per mile is excellent. You’ll find good rates on international routes sometimes, too, but again, those cash rates are much better and often worth opting for like the Edinburgh flight below. The longer flights are generally hit and miss.
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I do strongly recommend checking out the SkyMiles Award Deals page. That’s a guaranteed treasure trove of solid deals. The only catch being that it kinda removes your independence. You need to follow the points — which isn’t necessarily a bad thing,
Here are some examples of round trips from Charlotte on the SkyDeals page.
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If you are fancying a Delta card in your wallet (for the perks, the bonus, or other reasons) check out my list of the best co-branded cards right here.
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| JOIN 1440
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Start Your Day Smarter
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Be the smartest person in the room by reading 1440, where 4.5 million Americans find their daily, fact-based news fix.
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It's completely free and devoid of bias or political influence, ensuring you get the facts straight.
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| TRANSFER BONUS ROUNDUP
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How To Use Some Of This Month's Best Bonuses
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I’ve already given you most of these, but there’s some new ones on there, and I want to highlight some solid ways to use them.
Chase Ultimate Rewards to Air Canada Aeroplan – 20%
First up, Chase’s solid bonus to Aeroplan. Anytime you see one to Aeroplan, pay attention. Its award chart is brilliant, so you can grab some excellent business class and economy seats, like the examples below.
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Amex Membership Rewards to Avios (British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus) - 30%
People get a little lost with Avios, but there’s a lot of value to find in there, and with a 30% bonus, you can take major advantage.
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Citi ThankYou Rewards to Turkish Miles&Smiles - 40%
40% is big. Really big. And Istanbul is utterly incredible. That bonus could grab you a flight like the one below — yes, that’s business class for 47,000 miles from Seattle to Istanbul.
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