Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
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A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Best for Delta frequent flyers
- Annual Fee:
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99
- Purchase Intro APR:
- N/A
- Regular APR:
- 17.24%-26.24% Variable
Bankrate Rating
Partner offer
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card: Details and benefits
For the card’s $99 annual fee (waived for the first year), you can earn two miles for every dollar spent on eligible purchases directly with Delta and two miles for every dollar spent at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets and one mile on everything else, plus check your first bag free on Delta flights and Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding.
SkyMiles members already earn five miles per $1 spent on Delta flight tickets, which, combined with this card’s 2x miles on direct Delta purchases totals 7 miles per dollar that you spend buying tickets for Delta flights. If you qualify for Medallion Status with Delta, you can earn even more—up to 11 miles per $1 spend as a Diamond member.
New cardholders can also earn up to 70,000 bonus miles: 60,000 miles after spending $2,000 within the first three months of card membership and earn an additional 10,000 bonus miles after your first anniversary of card membership (offer expires 4/1/20).
Advantages
- Earn two miles for every $1 spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta and one mile for every $1 spent on everything else
- First checked bag free on eligible flights and Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding
- Additional American Express benefits like extended warranties, return protections and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees)
Disadvantages
- $99 annual fee (waived for the first year of membership)
- No automatic higher loyalty program tier or other priority perks that come with some other co-branded airline cards
- Most beneficial for frequent Delta customers
Is the Delta SkyMiles Gold card worth it for you?
Those who fly Delta often but who may not be jet-setting every week will likely be the ones to benefit most from this card.
American Express does offer three more co-branded personal cards with Delta—the no annual fee Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card and the more premium Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card.
If you travel very frequently, the Platinum or Reserve may be more suited to your needs, but most travelers will likely find the Delta Gold card can add value to travel purchases without the premium price tags.
If you’re not a frequent Delta flyer, you may fare better with a general travel card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card. With cards like these, you can redeem points/miles with a variety of airlines instead of being restricted to a single partner.
Audit your travel habits and the benefits that you’re looking for to determine which type of travel credit card can best serve your needs.
Get the most value from the Delta SkyMiles Gold card
Maximizing the Gold Delta card’s value is twofold: first, you’ll need to fly with Delta relatively frequently and second, you should take full advantage of the card’s benefits while on those flights.
If you’re considering this card because you’re a frequent Delta customer anyway, neither of these should be a problem, as they’re the main perks of the Gold Delta card. But if you don’t see yourself booking with Delta at least a few times each year, you may want to consider another airline credit card or a more general travel rewards card.
How much are the Gold Delta SkyMiles credit card rewards worth?
The Gold Delta card’s welcome bonus of 60,000 miles after spending $2,000 within the first three months of membership is easily obtainable and, considering Bankrate’s estimated average value of each mile between 1.7 and 5.5 cents, could net at least one round trip domestic flight.
The ability to earn seven miles (at least, depending on your Medallion Status) per $1 spent on direct Delta purchases can also quickly add up. In order to justify the Gold Delta card’s $99 annual fee after the first year, though, you should consider whether you can earn more than that amount worth of SkyMiles each year using the card.
The Delta Gold card’s other benefits do drive its value up as well. Aside from its mileage-earning potential, the card’s additional rewards, like priority boarding and free checked baggage, can easily make up the cost of its annual fee, as long as you take advantage of them. Plus, if you travel internationally, you can enjoy no foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees).
Delta charges up to $30 for your first checked bag on most flights, meaning it would only take two round-trip flights to make up the card’s annual fee in baggage costs saved if you check your bags regularly. If you’re traveling with friends or family, your fee waiver can apply to them as well as long as they’re on your same flight reservation. You’re allowed a maximum of nine waivers per reservation.
And if you prefer carry-ons, having access to Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding means you’re nearly guaranteed overhead bin space, saving you from having to check bags at the gate on crowded flights.
How to redeem rewards
Miles can be redeemed for Delta travel and more than 30 airline partners, including AeroMexico, Air France, Virgin Atlantic and more.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, please click here.