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:
- Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
Current Welcome Offers For The Delta Personal Cards
Here are the current welcome offers for the Delta personal cards:
Delta Gold Card
- Earn 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months. Terms Apply
- Enjoy a $0 introductory Annual Fee for the first year, then $99 every year thereafter. (Rates & Fees)
Delta Platinum Card
- Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months. Terms Apply
- The card has a $250 annual fee. (Rates & Fees)
Delta Reserve Card
- Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new card in your first 6 months. Terms Apply
- The Delta Reserve card has a $550 annual fee. (Rates & 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.
Delta Gold Card
- 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
Delta Platinum Card
- 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
Delta Reserve Card
- 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.
Delta Gold Card 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 - 20% back as a statement credit for Delta in-flight purchases
- Main Cabin 1 priority boarding
- No foreign transaction fees (Rates & Fees)
Delta Platinum Card Benefits
- The ability to earn 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles towards elite status after you spend $25,000 through December 31, 2023, up to twice a year
- Effective January 1, 2024, this benefit will no longer be available, and there will be a new way to earn toward Medallion Status with the Card. Learn more at delta.com/skymilesprogramchanges.
- Delta Sky Club access ($50 per person per visit)
- Effective January 1, 2024, this benefit will no longer be available
- A companion certificate for main cabin round-trip each year upon card renewal (plus taxes and fees of up to $80)
- 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
- No foreign transaction fees (Rates & Fees)
Delta Reserve Card Benefits
- The ability to earn 15,000 Medallion Qualification Miles towards elite status after you spend $30,000 through December 31, 2023, up to 4 times a year
- Effective January 1, 2024, this benefit will no longer be available, and there will be a new way to earn toward Medallion Status with the Card. Learn more at delta.com/skymilesprogramchanges.
- Complimentary access to Amex Centurion Lounges when your Delta flight is purchased with the Reserve card.
- Complimentary Delta Sky Club access when traveling on a Delta flight
- Effective February 1, 2025, cardholders will receive 10 visits per year. To earn an unlimited number of visits each year starting on February 1, 2025, cardholders must spend $75,000 or more each calendar year.
- Two one-time Sky Club guest passes annually
- 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
- A companion certificate for a domestic first class, Delta comfort+ or main cabin round-trip each year upon card renewal (plus taxes and fees of up to $80)
- 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
- No foreign transaction fees (Rates & Fees)
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.
Delta Gold Card
The Delta Gold card is quite basic, but the first checked bag free alone can compensate the $99 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.
Delta Platinum Card
The Delta Platinum card will no longer offer paid Sky Club access as of January 1, 2024, making the card less appealing to those who didn't want to commit to the more expensive Delta Reserve card. 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.
Delta Reserve Card
Recent changes to the Delta Reserve card's benefits have curtailed the card's value. Complimentary Sky Club access being limited to 10 visits per year is a drastic change for a card that has an annual fee of $550. 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 Delta Platinum card and Delta Reserve card each offer the opportunity to earn MQMs towards elite status. 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 rates and fees of the Delta Gold Card please visit here
- For rates and fees of the Delta Platinum Card please visit here
- For rates and fees of the Delta Reserve Card please visit here
