Delta Personal Cards Review & Comparison

Amex offers 3 premium co-branded Delta SkyMiles personal credit cards. Yes, we are ignoring the no fee option that is only good as a downgrade card for this exercise. Each of these three cards have different benefits and earning structures. What they have in common is that they should all generally appeal to Delta frequent fliers. In our Delta Personal cards review & comparison we will be talking about the welcome offer, earning structure, benefits and our thoughts for the following cards:

• Quidget_DLgold
• Quidget_DLplat
• Quidget_DLreserve

Current Welcome Offers For The Delta Personal Cards

Here are the current welcome offers for the Delta personal cards:

Quidget_DLgold

• Quidget_DLGold_Bonus Terms Apply.
• annual_fees See Rates and Fees

Quidget_DLplat

• Quidget_DLplat_Bonus Terms Apply.
• The card has a annual_fees annual fee. See Rates and Fees

Quidget_DLreserve

• Quidget_DLreserve_Bonus Terms Apply.
• The Delta Reserve card has a annual_fees annual fee. See Rates and Fees

Amex Application Rules

If you choose to apply, remember that Amex typically will not approve you for more than two Amex credit cards during a 90-day period. They also have a limit of 5 credit cards per person, of which this is one. There is also a 10 card limit on the colored Membership Rewards earning cards (of which this is not one of).

Amex also has a once per lifetime welcome offer rule on each card. This is more like every 5 – 7 years in reality though, and not actually your lifetime. That timeline is based off of when you last held a card, not when you last earned a welcome offer on the product though. If you are ineligible for the welcome offer for any reason American Express will usually let you know that with a pop-up before the application is processed. You can cancel the application at this time with no hard pull.

Delta Personal Cards Review & Comparison: Earning Structure

Each of the personal Delta cards earns bonus miles per dollar on different categories. As mentioned below, cardholders are typically better off spending on other cards instead of on the Delta cards, despite the multiple bonus categories.

Quidget_DLgold

• 2x Delta Skymiles per dollar in the following categories
  • U.S. supermarkets
  • Restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.
  • Purchases made directly with Delta
• 1x Delta Skymiles per dollar on all other eligible purchases

Quidget_DLplat

• 3x Delta Skymiles per dollar in the following categories
  • 3x on purchases made directly with Delta
  • 3x on purchases made directly with hotels
• 2x Delta Skymiles per dollar in the following cateogories
  • 2x at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.
  • 2x at U.S. supermarkets
• 1x Delta Skymiles per dollar on all other eligible purchases

Quidget_DLreserve

• 3x Delta Skymiles per dollar on Delta flights
• 1x Delta Skymiles per dollar on all other eligible purchases

Delta Personal Card Benefits

Benefits and perks vary among each of the 3 Delta cards. As expected, benefits range depending on each card's annual fee. The cards have some benefits in common, but not all.

Quidget_DLgold Benefits

• First checked bag free
• 15% off when using miles to book award travel on Delta flights through delta.com or the Delta app (discount does not apply to partner-operated flights or taxes and fees)
• $50 off the cost of your ticket for every 5,000 miles you redeem with Pay with Miles when you
  book on delta.com
• Up to $100 Delta Stays Credit
• 20% back as a statement credit for Delta in-flight purchases
• $200 Delta flight credit after spending $10,000 within a calendar year
• Main Cabin 1 priority boarding

Quidget_DLplat Benefits

• MQD Headstart: get $2,500 Medallion(R) Qualification Dollars each year.
  • Plus, earn $1 Medallion(R) Qualification Dollar for each $20 of purchases made on your card
• Up to $10 per month in Resy credit for a maximum of $120 per year (enrollment required)
• Up to $10 per month in rideshare credit for a maximum of $120 per year (enrollment required)
  • Needs to be paid for with the credit card, not an account credit
• Up to $150 annual credit for Delta Stays
• Receive a Companion Certificate on Main Cabin domestic, Caribbean, or Central American roundtrip flights to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card.
  • The Companion Ticket requires payment of the taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights and no more than $250 for roundtrip international flights (both for itineraries with up to four flight segments).
    • Baggage charges and other restrictions apply.
    • See terms and conditions for details.
• First checked bag free
• 15% off when using miles to book award travel on Delta flights through delta.com or the Delta app (discount does not apply to partner-operated flights or taxes and fees)
• $50 off the cost of your ticket for every 5,000 miles you redeem with Pay with Miles when you
  book on delta.com
• 20% back as a statement credit for Delta in-flight purchases
• Main Cabin 1 priority boarding
• Hertz Five Star(R) Status (enrollment required)

Quidget_DLreserve Benefits

• Complimentary access to Amex Centurion Lounges when your Delta flight is purchased with the Reserve card.
• MQD Headstart: get $2,500 Medallion(R) Qualification Dollars each year.
  • Plus, earn 1 MQD per $10 in card spend.
• Enjoy complimentary access to the Delta Sky Club(R) when traveling on a same-day Delta-marketed or Delta-operated flight.
  • Starting 2/1/25 cardmembers will get 15 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club
    • You must spend $75,000 on your card each calendar year to earn unlimited visits.
      • This starts from 1/1/24 to 12/31/24 and then each year from then on
• 4 Delta Sky Club one-time guest passes each year. The cost is $50 per person, per visit after that.
• First checked bag free
• 15% off when using miles to book award travel on Delta flights through delta.com or the Delta app (discount does not apply to partner-operated flights or taxes and fees)
• Upgrade priority over other Medallion members within the same Medallion level and fare class
  • You are also placed on the upgrade list even if you have no elite status.
    • Ticket must be purchased on or after February 1, 2024 to be eligible to receive a complimentary upgrade.
• Companion Certificate for First Class, Delta Comfort+(R), or Main Cabin domestic, Caribbean, or Central American roundtrip flights to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card.
  • The pass requires payment of the taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights and no more than $250 for roundtrip international flights (both for itineraries with up to four flight segments).
    • Baggage charges and other restrictions apply.
    • See terms and conditions for details.
• Up to $20 per month in Resy credit for a maximum of $240 per year (enrollment required)
• Up to $10 per month in annual rideshare credit for a maximum of $120 per year (enrollment required)
  • Needs to be paid for with the credit card, not an account credit
• Up to $200 annual credit for Delta Stays
• TSA Precheck ($85) or Global Entry ($100) fee statement credit every 4.5 years
• 20% back as a statement credit for Delta in-flight purchases
• Main Cabin 1 priority boarding
• Hertz President's Circle Status (enrollment required)

ToP Analysis

Each of the Delta personal cards offer plenty of perks to cover their annual fees. Let's take a look at each card individually.

Quidget_DLgold

The Delta Gold card is quite basic, but the first checked bag free alone can compensate the moderate annual fee if you check bags often enough. Delta charges $30 for a first checked bag. Main Cabin 1 priority boarding is also a nice benefit for a basic airline card. This perk has you board with Delta Silver Medallion members and elite members from other SkyTeam partner airlines, and ahead of main cabin passengers.

Quidget_DLplat

The earning structure is the best of the three cards, with useful bonus earning categories, but that is not enough to justify this card's higher annual fee over that of the Delta Gold card. However, if you can use the companion certificate each year it should mostly offset the annual fee. If you can use the monthly credits that should help as well.

Quidget_DLreserve

Recent changes to the Delta Reserve card's benefits have curtailed the card's value. Complimentary Sky Club access being limited to 15 visits per year is a drastic change for a card that has a huge annual fee. Meanwhile, the upgrade priority over other elite members within the same level and fare class is a creative perk that rewards you not just for holding the card, but for having status with Delta.

Comparison Of All Three Cards

There is little sense for Delta flyers to hold all three cards. The Delta Platinum and Delta Reserve cards each offer all of the benefits of the Delta Gold card.

As for spending, cardholders will generally do better by using a different credit card instead of the Delta cards. Outside of chasing status it makes more sense to put your spend elsewhere. Even Membership Rewards earning cards, which transfer to Delta, offer better earning in every bonus category listed above.

Delta Personal Cards Review & Comparison: ToP Thoughts

Amex's Delta personal cards offer solid benefits for Delta loyalists. The Quidget_DLplat and Quidget_DLreserve each offer a MQM headstart boost that may interest some. Beyond MQM spending, though, none of the Delta cards deserve much spend, as Amex's MR-earning cards generally have better earn rates.

Bottom line: the Delta personal cards can be keeper cards for frequent Delta flyers who value the cards' benefits. 

What do you think of Amex's co-branded Delta personal cards? Come share your thoughts in our Facebook group!

• For the Quidget_DLgold, See Rates and Fees
• For the Quidget_DLplat, See Rates and Fees
• For the Quidget_DLreserve, See Rates and Fees

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