American Express has released limited time offers on their portfolio of Delta credit cards through 3/29/23:
Welcome bonus and card highlights
Consumer cards:
- Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
- Earn 70,000 bonus miles after spending $2,000 in the first 6 months of card membership.
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $99.
- After you spend $10,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you will earn a $100 Delta Flight Credit to use toward future travel.
- Earn 2 Miles on every dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta, on every dollar spent on eligible U.S. purchases for groceries, and on every eligible dollar spent on dining at restaurants.
- For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, please visit here.
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in the first 6 months of card membership.
- If you spend $25,000 in a calendar year you’ll receive 10,000 Medallion Qualifying Miles. If you spend $50,000 in a calendar year you’ll receive another 10,000 Medallion Qualifying Miles.
- Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit.
- Earn 3 Miles on every dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta.
- Earn 2 Miles on every dollar spent on every dollar spent on eligible U.S. purchases for groceries, and on every eligible dollar spent on dining at restaurants.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card.
- $800 of Cell phone protection when previous month’s cell phone bill is paid on card.
- $250 annual fee.
- For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, please visit here.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $6,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months.
- Earn 15,000 Medallion Qualifying Miles with every $30,000 spent, up to 60,000 Medallion Qualifying Miles.
- Upgrade priority for elite members.
- Access for non-elites to get complimentary upgrades on Delta domestic flights.
- Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit.
- Earn 3 Miles on every dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta.
- This card includes a Domestic annual Companion Certificate that is valid for a round-trip First Class, Delta Comfort or Main Cabin Companion ticket.
- Complimentary Delta Sky Club® Access and complimentary access to The Centurion Lounge when flying on a same-day Delta-marketed or Delta-operated flight. You’ll also receive two Delta Sky Club One-Time Guest Passes each year.
- $800 of Cell phone protection when previous month’s cell phone bill is paid on card.
- $550 annual fee.
- For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, please visit here.
Business cards:
- Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express:
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months of card membership.
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $99.
- After you spend $10,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you will earn a $100 Delta Flight Credit to use toward future travel.
- Earn 2 Miles on every dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta, on every dollar spent on eligible U.S. purchases for advertising in select media, on every dollar spent on eligible U.S. shipping purchases, and on every eligible dollar spent on dining at restaurants.
- For rates and fees of the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express, please visit here.
- Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express:
- Earn 95,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of card membership.
- If you spend $25,000 in a calendar year you’ll receive 10,000 Medallion Qualifying Miles. If you spend $50,000 in a calendar year you’ll receive another 10,000 Medallion Qualifying Miles.
- Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit.
- Earn 3 Miles on every dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta and on every eligible dollar spent on purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 1.5 miles per dollar on single eligible purchases of $5,000 or more, up to 50,000 additional miles per year. 1 Mile on every eligible dollar spent on other purchases.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card.
- $800 of Cell phone protection when previous month’s cell phone bill is paid on card.
- $250 annual fee.
- For rates and fees of the Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express, please visit here.
- Delta Reserve for Business Credit Card:
- Earn 100,000 bonus miles after you spend $6,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months.
- Earn 15,000 Medallion Qualifying Miles with every $30,000 spent, up to 60,000 Medallion Qualifying Miles.
- Upgrade priority for elite members.
- Access for non-elites to get complimentary upgrades on Delta domestic flights.
- Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit.
- Earn 3 Miles on every dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta.
- After you spend $150,000 on your Card in a calendar year, you earn 1.5 Miles per dollar on eligible purchases the rest of the year. Eligible purchases after spending $150,000 do not include Delta purchases.
- This card includes a Domestic annual Companion Certificate that is valid for a round-trip First Class, Delta Comfort or Main Cabin Companion ticket.
- Complimentary Delta Sky Club® Access and complimentary access to The Centurion Lounge when flying on a same-day Delta-marketed or Delta-operated flight. You’ll also receive two Delta Sky Club One-Time Guest Passes each year.
- $800 of Cell phone protection when previous month’s cell phone bill is paid on card.
- $550 annual fee.
- For rates and fees of the Delta Reserve for Business Credit Card, please visit here.
Comparison Chart
Here is a current breakdown on Delta card benefits:
| Delta Blue | Delta Gold | Delta Platinum | Delta Reserve | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Fee | None | $0 Intro annual fee, then $99 | $250 | $550 |
| Annual Fee for additional users | None | None | None | $175 |
| Miles per dollar on Delta purchases | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 15% off Delta award flights. purchases. | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 20% back on in-flight purchases. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Miles per dollar on worldwide restaurant purchases | 2 | 2 | Consumer card: 2
Business card: 1 |
1 |
| Miles per dollar on US Supermarket purchases | 1 | Consumer card: 2
Business card: 1 |
Consumer card: 2
Business card: 1 |
1 |
| Miles per dollar on hotels | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Miles per dollar on eligible $5,000+ purchases | 1 | 1 | Consumer card: 1
Business card: 1.5, up to 50K bonus miles/year. |
1 |
| Miles per dollar on US shipping and advertising purchases | 1 | Consumer card: 1
Business card: 2 |
1 | 1 |
| Miles per dollar after $150K in annual purchases | 1 | 1 | 1 | Consumer card: 1
Business card: 1.5 |
| First checked bag fee waiver and priority boarding | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Return protection | No | No | No | $300/item, up to $1,000/year. |
| Purchase protection | 90 days theft or damage coverage, up to $1K. | 90 days theft or damage coverage, up to $1K. | 90 days theft or damage coverage, up to $1K. | 90 days loss, theft, or damage coverage, up to $1K. |
| Extended warranty | 1 year | 1 year | 1 year | 1 year |
| Car Rental CDW Insurance | Secondary | Secondary | Secondary | Secondary |
| Global Entry/Pre-Check credit | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Delta Sky Club Access | No | No | No | Yes, for primary and secondary cardholders |
| Purchase Delta Sky Club Day Pass | No | No | $50/person | $50/person |
| Cell phone protection | No | No | $800 of Cell phone protection when previous month’s cell phone bill is paid on card. | $800 of Cell phone protection when previous month’s cell phone bill is paid on card. |
| Baggage insurance | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Trip Delay Insurance | No | No | $300 trip delay insurance coverage on 12+ hour delays | $500 trip delay insurance coverage on 6+ hour delays |
| Trip Cancellation Insurance | No | No | No | $10K coverage |
| Status boost | No | No | 10K MQMs for spending $25K and $50K. | 15K MQMs for spending $30K, $60K, $90K, and $120K. |
| Annual companion certificate | No | No | Main cabin only. | Any cabin |
| Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQD) waiver | No | No | Waived with $25K annual spend for Silver, Gold, or Platinum and $250K for Diamond | Waived with $25K annual spend for Silver, Gold, or Platinum and $250K for Diamond |
| Centurion Lounge Access | No | No | No | Available for primary and secondary cardholders for Delta flights booked on an AMEX. Bring up to 2 guests for $50 each. |
| Escape Lounge Access | No | No | No | Available for primary and secondary cardholders for Delta flights booked on an AMEX. Bring guests for $30 each. |
| Upgrade Priority for elite members | No | No | No | Yes |
| Complimentary Upgrade Access for non-elites | No | No | No | Available on domestic flights. |
| Annual Delta Sky Club guest passes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Gift MQMs | No | No | No | Yes |
| Foreign Transaction Fees | None | None | None | None |
Benefits offered on all Delta Gold, Platinum, and Reserve cards
- A free checked bag for the primary cardholder and up to 8 companions on the same reservation. You do not need to book tickets on your Delta card for this benefit, you only need to have your Skymiles number in the reservation. That allows you to buy airfare on a card that offers more points per dollar on airfare.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Offer Zone 1 Priority Boarding on Delta flights for the primary cardholder and up to 8 companions on the same reservation so that you won’t have to gate-check your carry-ons.
- Offer free priority boarding along with a free carry-on and checked bag even on a Basic Economy fare. That can equal major savings on domestic and international basic economy deals.
- Offer a 20% savings in the form of a statement credit on eligible pre-purchased meals, in-flight purchases of food, alcoholic beverages and audio headsets, and movies, shows and video games accessed via Delta’s seatback in-flight entertainment system, on Delta-operated flights.
- Offer free additional cardholders (up to 99 per account). Additional cardholders are each eligible for American promotions like AMEX Offers.
New: 15% Off Delta Awards
Delta Gold, Platinum, and Reserve cardholders now save 15% off Delta award tickets. This is advertised as a new permanent benefit of being a cardholder.
The discount will apply automatically when logged into a Skymiles account that is the primary holder of one of those cards. It’s valid in any class on all Delta flights worldwide, but not for partner airline redemptions.
Spend Threshold
If you need a little help to meet the threshold, you can pay your federal taxes for a 1.85% fee). If you overpay your taxes you can request a refund or apply it to your next year’s taxes.
My local natural gas company allows me to prepay up to $1,000 per transaction on a credit card for a $1.65 flat fee. That’s a great way to earn miles and help meet a spend threshold. My electricity supplier allows me to pay with a credit card for free as long as I am enrolled in autopay.
American Express benefits
The cards carry American Express’ awesome top-notch protections that are light-years better than any other banks. Most other banks always look for a way to get out, but that’s not the case with American Express.
Benefits include warranty coverage, dispute resolution, car rental insurance worldwide-including in Israel, purchase protection, and more. The Reserve card also comes with lost item and return protection.
AMEX cards offer free Shoprunner membership for 2nd day free shipping and returns from dozens of stores.
See this post to see just how amazing some of the AMEX protections can be.
Best Uses Of Delta Miles
Delta doesn’t publish award charts anymore as they feel than an uneducated customer is their best customer. That’s beyond frustrating.
They don’t charge a close-in award fee, but it can be tough to find saver award space available within 3 weeks.
However there are still plenty of good uses of Delta miles. Plus, Delta miles never expire.
Delta has also lowered the cost of some domestic saver awards from a flat 12.5K to as low as 4.5K, depending on the route.
They frequently run flash sales. I flew to Amsterdam for just 49K Delta miles each way in Delta Suites:
You can read the Amsterdam trip report and my thoughts on Delta A350 suites here.
If you actually want to collect Delta miles you’ll do better spending on the The Blue Business℠ Plus Credit Card from American Express which earns 2 points per dollar everywhere. Plus you can transfer those points to other airlines or Delta on demand as you need them. That way you aren’t subject to Delta’s devaluations, but can transfer in miles for a redemption when it makes the most sense.
But having a Delta card in your sock drawer will mean you’ll get free checked bags, 15% off awards, and more benefits.
The MQM bonuses can make it worth spending on the Delta Platinum/Reserve cards if you can hit the spend threshold bonuses and want to earn elite status.
Additionally if you are gunning for Delta medallion status, then spending $25,000 on Delta Platinum/Reserve cards will waive the requirement to spend a minimum amount on Delta flights to earn that status ($3,000 for Silver, $6,000 for Gold, or $9,000 for Platinum if you don’t spend $25K in a year across all of your Delta cards). You’ll need to spend $250K on Delta Platinum/Reserve cards waive the requirement to spend a minimum amount on Delta flights to earn Diamond status.
Which of the Delta AMEX cards will you apply for?
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