I bought Delta tickets without a rewards type cc - can I get any rewards?

[Jtrey17]

Hello,

I am completely new to credit card rewards. Last month I put $6500 of Delta flights on a non-reward credit card. Is there any way to retroactively get any type of reward points? Also, I booked the trip through Expedia and noticed that I earned about 5,000 points - which seems really low to me-is it? Travel for me will increase in the coming years, any tips or ideas to do this smarter/cheaper are much appreciated! Sorry if this is already posted somewhere on the forum, I looked but didn’t see this exact scenario. Also, I’ll use your referral link if I should apply for a specific card that will reward us both-thank you!!

[JLee]

You won't be able to get credit card rewards, though you may be able to apply a Delta's frequent flyer miles account to your purchase.

My go-to travel rewards card is the Chase Sapphire Reserve.  The annual fee is significant ($450), but is dramatically reduced by the myriad of benefits presented. There's a huge thread on it that was started back when there was a 100k point bonus (it's 50k points now).  Basically, you get a $300 annual travel credit, triple points back on travel and dining, and 1.5x value on point redemption for travel via the Chase travel portal (so your 50k bonus points are worth $750 in travel).

Those are the most significant travel-related bonuses. Others include reimbursement for Global Entry fees, complimentary lounge access (Priority Pass membership), rental car benefits (Chase is the primary insurance for rental cars and you get status/discounts at Avis, National, and Silvercar, and trip cancellation/delay compensation.

If you travel a lot, the fee is worthwhile.  You can also transfer Chase Freedom points (from the rotating 5% cashback categories) to Reserve, effectively giving you 7.5% back for travel from any 5%-category purchase.

Also do some searching into credit card / travel hacking - there are tons of resources out there.

Chase Sapphire Reserve referral link

[geekette]

I doubt you can change your method of payment at this time, but there’s a free online course started by a member here that will give you lots of info on this subject. Then there’s a Facebook group that’s very helpful.

I’ve never booked through Expedia, so I don’t know about their point system. You should get Delta points for the flights, though. Just be sure to give the airline your frequent flyer number before flying.

[GuitarBrian]

You can't go back and add points to a past purchase. You would have to cancel the flights and rebook, paying with a credit card that earns your preferred points/cash back.

For large purchases like $6500... Your best bet is to plan ahead and sign up for a new card. Like the Chase Sapphire Preferred. You get 50,000 points, that you can transfer to various other systems, or use through the intimate rewards portal. What this is worth varies, but I figure ~$600. The minimum spend is 4k. So an effective 15%. There is a referal system, but I would need to send you an email I think.

One thing you can do in the future is book through a cash back portal. Like Ebates or topcashback. My referal links are below, we both earns a few dollars:
http://ebates.com/r/BRIANR759
https://www.topcashback.com/ref/brianroe88

Only if you don't have a minimum spend on going, is it a good idea to look for what card gives the highest points for that airline/category. For example, I have Southwest credit cards, and it gives 2 points per dollar. This is a wash since I also have a Sam's Club card with 3% cash back on all travel and dining... So it depends on if I want the Rapid Rewards (Southwest) or the cash back.

You can use Google to find a list of current sign up bonuses. Doctor or Credit. The points guy....