Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card Review: Perfect for Delta Fans
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card Review: Perfect for Delta Fans
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is a good card — it makes it easy to earn miles in everyday spending categories and comes with valuable perks like a free checked bag.
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Quick facts
More details
Rates & fees
- Credit needed: 660 - 850
- Welcome offer: Earn 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Earning rate: Earn 2X Miles on Delta purchases, at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets. Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Annual fee: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99.
- Airline benefits: First checked bag free on Delta flights, priority boarding, 20% back on in-flight purchases and other perks
- Terms apply
Quick facts
- Credit needed: 660 - 850
- Welcome offer: Earn 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Earning rate: Earn 2X Miles on Delta purchases, at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets. Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Annual fee: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99.
- Airline benefits: First checked bag free on Delta flights, priority boarding, 20% back on in-flight purchases and other perks
- Terms apply
More details
- Earn 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Enjoy a $0 introductory Annual Fee for the first year, then $99.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 2X Miles on Delta purchases, at U.S. Supermarkets and at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- $100 Delta Flight Credit: After you spend $10,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, receive a Credit to use toward future travel.
- Want even more flexibility? Take up to $50 off the cost of your flight for every 5,000 miles you redeem with Pay with Miles when you book on delta.com.
- Receive a 20% savings in the form of a statement credit on eligible Delta in-flight purchases after using your Card.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- With Send & Split®, you can send money and split your Card purchases with any other Venmo or PayPal user, directly from the Amex App. Enroll today.
- Terms Apply.
Rates & fees
- Intro Purchase APR: N/A
- Regular Purchase APR: 20.74%-29.74% Variable
- Intro BT APR: N/A
- Regular BT APR: N/A
- Annual Fee: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99.
- Foreign Transaction Fee: None
- Balance Transfer Fee: N/A
- See rates and fees
For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, please click here
Pros
Cons
Is the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card worth it?
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card could be well worth its annual fee if you fly with Delta even once a year.
After all, this card comes with a free checked bag on Delta flights for the cardholder and up to eight guests on the same reservation. If you are a family of four traveling, this benefit can be worth up to $240 for a round-trip flight.
When you consider the generous welcome offer and the fact you earn 2x miles on U.S supermarket purchases and dining in addition to Delta purchases, this card can make sense for almost anyone who flies with the airline.
Welcome offer
Cardholders can Earn 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
This generous welcome offer is comparable to what many other airline credit cards are offering right now.
How easy are Delta SkyMiles to redeem? Read more below.
What it's worth: Because Delta SkyMiles are worth approximately 1.5 cents each, the welcome offer on this card is worth up to $600 in airfare.
Who's eligible to earn this offer? American Express has a "once per lifetime" rule that limits who can earn welcome offers on their cards. This rule states that if you’ve earned an offer on this card before, you are ineligible to earn it again.
American Express also says in the fine print that the card issuer "may also consider the number of American Express Cards you have opened and closed as well as other factors in making a decision on your welcome offer eligibility."
Earn 2X miles on Delta purchases, restaurants and U.S. supermarkets
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card offers a good return on common purchases, but you can travel farther with a general card like the American Express® Gold Card.
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card's earning rate is decent, though not nearly as good as you can get with some flexible travel credit cards. The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card offers bonus miles on purchases made with Delta Air Lines, as well as in a few everyday spending categories.
Specifically, cardholders Earn 2X Miles on Delta purchases, at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets. Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
The graph below shows how this earning rate compares to several other top card options. You'll see that the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is outperformed by many general travel cards — this includes the American Express® Gold Card, whose points are more flexible and therefore more valuable. Note that American Express Membership Rewards points can be transferred to your Delta SkyMiles account.
Average rewards earned per $1 spent
To come up with these figures, we estimated an earning rate for the average consumer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor data, then we multiplied that by the value of each card’s points or miles.
What are Delta Gold miles worth?
While the value of miles earned in the Delta SkyMiles program can vary depending on how you redeem them, our internal analysis shows that each mile is worth approximately 1.3 cents for main cabin round-trip itineraries. However, frequent flyers may get more value when they redeem their miles for Business or First class flights.
Redeeming miles
You can get a good value with your Delta SkyMiles, especially on international First Class and Business fares.
The Delta SkyMiles program doesn't have an award chart, so it can be difficult to gauge how many miles you'll need for the flight you want to book. Generally speaking, though, you can usually find round-trip domestic awards starting at around 15,000 miles, and round-trip international flights starting at around 60,000 miles. These estimates are for economy, and you'll need to have considerably more miles to book a premium cabin award, and especially Delta One.
You should also be aware that the lowest fare available may be Basic Economy, and that you'll get fewer benefits with this type of award. For example, Basic Economy flights assign your seat at check-in, and you'll be the last to board the plane. With that in mind, it's usually best to spend a few more miles for a Main Cabin award if you want a better flight experience.
To decide if an award fare is worth it, check out the average values of miles by fare class listed below. Generally speaking, you should try to get the average per-mile value for each award you book or better.
Value of Delta SkyMiles
Domestic
International
Round Trip Main Cabin | Round Trip First/Business | One Way Main Cabin | One Way First/Business | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hub to Hub | 1.0 cents | 0.7 cents | 1.2 cents | 1.3 cents |
| Hub to Non-Hub | 1.2 cents | 1.5 cents | 1.3 cents | 1.5 cents |
| Non-Hub to Non-Hub | 1.3 cents | 1.3 cents | 0.9 cents | 1.4 cents |
Domestic
Round Trip Main Cabin | Round Trip First/Business | One Way Main Cabin | One Way First/Business | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hub to Hub | 1.0 cents | 0.7 cents | 1.2 cents | 1.3 cents |
| Hub to Non-Hub | 1.2 cents | 1.5 cents | 1.3 cents | 1.5 cents |
| Non-Hub to Non-Hub | 1.3 cents | 1.3 cents | 0.9 cents | 1.4 cents |
International
Round Trip Main Cabin | Round Trip First/Business | One Way Main Cabin | One Way First/Business | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hub to Hub | 1.5 cents | 4.0 cents | 4.2 cents | 5.9 cents |
| Hub to Non-Hub | 1.6 cents | 3.2 cents | 2.4 cents | 3.7 cents |
| Non-Hub to Non-Hub | 1.3 cents | 1.9 cents | 3.7 cents | 3.4 cents |
What credit score do you need for the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card?
You'll need 660 - 850 credit (a credit score of at least 660) to qualify for the card.
Other Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card benefits
While the miles you earn with Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card are worth pursuing, this card comes with a few more perks that add to its value.
Cardholders with the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card get a first checked bag free on Delta flights. This perk applies to up to nine people total on the card member's reservation.
This card doesn't charge foreign transaction fees when you use it for purchases outside the United States.
Cardholders become eligible for a $100 Delta flight credit toward future travel after they spend $10,000 on purchases within a calendar year.
Cardmembers and up to eight other passengers on the same reservation are eligible for Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding on Delta flights.
Use your card to pay for in-flight purchases of food, beverages and audio headsets, and you'll get 20% back on those purchases in the form of a statement credit.
Cardholders become eligible for secondary auto rental coverage on eligible rentals when they pay with their credit card.
Members are eligible to add additional warranty coverage for eligible purchases.
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card also comes with purchase protection against damage or theft of eligible purchases made with the card.
For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, please click here
Drawbacks
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is a middle-tier airline credit card, which means you’ll miss out on some perks you could otherwise get if you were willing to pay a higher annual fee.
Here are the main downsides to consider as you compare Delta credit cards:
- No way to earn bonus elite miles toward Delta status: The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card let you earn Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) through credit card spending, but you don't get the chance to earn elite miles toward Delta status with the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card.
- No airport lounge access: The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card lets cardholders enter Delta lounges for a $39 fee, while the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card comes with Delta Sky Club membership. However, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card doesn't let you enter Delta lounges — even if you were willing to pay.
How does the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card compare to other cards?
If the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is on your radar, it can help to compare it to similar cards that let you earn rewards for Delta flights or other travel.
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Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card vs. Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
Verdict: Better elite status and airline benefits, plus a higher earning rate
The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card offers a more generous welcome offer than the Gold version, and you’ll also get the chance to earn Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) toward Delta Medallion status through credit card spending alone. The card also awards a certificate each year for a companion to travel with you on a round-trip fare for just the cost of taxes and fees. The value of this companion fare alone could recoup the card's annual fee.
The Amex Delta Platinum also offers a different rewards rate that has the potential to suit your needs better: Cardholders Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
On the downside, a higher annual fee of $250 applies.
For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, please click here
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card vs. Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
Verdict: The best option for Delta SkyClub lounge access
The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card charges a $550 annual fee, but it comes with Delta Sky Club membership included. Considering the retail cost of this membership is at least $545 per year, this card can provide excellent value if you planned to buy membership anyway.
This card lets members earn elite qualifying miles through credit card spending alone, and they can also receive a free checked bag on Delta flights, priority boarding, upgrade priority and a fee credit toward Global Entry or TSA Precheck membership, among other perks.
However, in addition to the high annual fee, another downside is this card's earning rate: Cardholders earn only 3x miles per dollar on Delta purchases and 1x miles on other spending.
For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, please click here
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card vs. American Express® Gold Card
Verdict: More flexibility in how you can use your rewards
The American Express® Gold Card lets you earn rewards at a fast rate — plus, you can use them for a variety of travel purchases, rather than tying you to a single airline. Cardholders Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X), and 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com. Terms apply.
Rewards earned with this card belong in the American Express Membership Rewards program, so your points can be redeemed for travel, gift cards, merchandise and more. You can also transfer your points to an array of Amex transfer partners, including Delta.
For rates and fees of American Express® Gold Card, please click here
Should you apply for the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card?
If you want some basic frequent flyer perks and the chance to earn Delta SkyMiles without paying more than $100 per year, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card could be an excellent fit. After all, this card doesn't charge an annual fee the first year, so you have a full 12 months to try out all of its benefits.
With that being said, there are other Delta credit cards available for consideration, as well as airline credit cards from other frequent flyer programs. You can also consider travel credit cards that let you earn flexible points you can use for travel in more than one way. Make sure to compare all the best options out there before you decide.
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card FAQs
Does the Amex Delta Gold offer priority boarding?
Cardholders get Main Cabin 1 boarding when they fly with Delta. This benefit applies to up to nine travelers on the same itinerary.
Is the Amex Delta Gold metal?
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is not a metal credit card.
Can I upgrade my Delta Gold to Platinum?
American Express may allow you to upgrade your Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card to the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card , but you'll have to call them to inquire. (Note that you can apply for the Platinum version of the card separately.)
Can I get into Delta Sky Club with the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card?
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card doesn't offer any access to Delta Sky Clubs.
What is the credit limit on the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card ?
American Express doesn't disclose the available credit limits for this card.
Does the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card card offer a companion certificate?
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card doesn't offer an annual companion certificate. However, both the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card do.
Does the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card give you Sky Club access?
No. However, the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card lets you enter Sky Clubs for a per-visit fee of $39, and the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card comes with Delta Sky Club membership.
How do I log into my Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card account?
You can log in to your credit card account at AmericanExpress.com.
When is it recommended to downgrade the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card?
If you rarely use your Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card but want to keep earning Delta SkyMiles, you can consider downgrading to the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card. This card offers fewer perks and benefits, but you’ll get to earn Delta SkyMiles.
For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, please click here
For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, please click here
For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, please click here
For rates and fees of American Express® Gold Card, please click here
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
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Example of how we calculate the rewards rates: When redeemed for travel through Ultimate Rewards, Chase Sapphire Preferred points are worth $0.0125 each. The card awards 2 points on travel and dining and 1 point on everything else. Therefore, we say the card has a 2.5% rewards rate on dining and travel (2 x $0.0125) and a 1.25% rewards rate on everything else (1 x $0.0125).