Our take: The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is a fine option for those not-so-frequent Delta flyers who can benefit from saving on checked bag fees when flying domestic within the United States and want to earn additional SkyMiles with their purchases along with the card’s welcome bonus. In exchange for a modest annual fee, the card comes with Delta-related perks along and a few travel-related protections for when you’re on the road.
Pros
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150.
- Free first checked bag free when flying Delta for up to nine passengers on the same reservation
- Cardholders get 15% off award travel bookings on Delta metal
Cons
- No perks when flying airlines other than Delta
- Has an annual fee after the first year
- Some of the potential credits can be hard to use
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card: Overview
Card type: Airline
If you fly Delta regularly but not enough to earn any kind of elite status with the airline, the best benefit this card will get you is your first checked bag free on every flight you take with them for you and up to 8 other fellow travelers on the same reservation. This alone could help you save hundreds of dollars a year.
The card also offers a 15% off discount on mileage redemptions that could potentially help you stretch the value of your hard-earned miles, plus a few other potentially valuable benefits. You can get up to $100 off a hotel or vacation rental booked through Delta Stays and bigger spenders can get a $200 Delta flight credit after you spend $10,000 in purchases in a year. However, if you’re putting that much on a Delta card, you’d be better off with one of Delta’s more premium cards, like the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card or Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, both of which come with richer benefits, a companion pass and the ability to earn elite status points with every dollar you spend.
Who is the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card good for?
If you are a Delta SkyMiles member but you don’t fly the airline frequently enough to earn elite status in the program, this card may be right for you. It can help you save at least $30 per bag on checked bag fees on every domestic flight within the United States when flying economy class on Delta, so it only takes four flights with the airline to recoup the value of the annual fee after the first year.
Who shouldn’t get Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card?
If you are an avid Delta Air Lines flyer and hold any elite status with the airline, there is very little extra value this card would bring you. You already receive at least one free checked bag starting with Silver status and get priority boarding, so this card wouldn’t add much in the way of perks. There are other, better-fitting cards with other premium benefits in the market.
If you have previously held this card and earned the welcome bonus, do keep in mind that applying for the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card for a second time will most likely result in you not getting your bonus a second time as American Express limits your eligibility to once per lifetime.
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card: How to earn Delta SkyMiles®
Every purchase you charge to this card will help you earn Delta SkyMiles, but some categories earn a higher rate, as follows:
- 2X miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. .
- 2X miles at U.S. supermarkets.
- 2X miles on Delta purchases made directly with the airline.
- 1X mile on all other eligible purchases.
On top of the potential mileage earned every time you swipe your card, new cardmembers can earn a welcome bonus of 70,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, see this page
How to redeem Delta SkyMiles®
The miles you earn through your credit card spend can be redeemed just like those miles you earn when flying. While you can use them to get a multitude of rewards, the most straightforward and valuable redemption is to book award travel.
Delta no longer maintains an award chart and instead, award flights are priced dynamically based on cash price, demand, and seasonality. While this has meant there are more available seats on every flight for you to snag using your miles, it’s also made some redemptions rather pricey.
As a member of the SkyTeam alliance, Delta Air Lines partners with several other airlines. Thanks to that, you can use your miles to book award flights on any of these worldwide partners like Air France and KLM to fly to Europe, Aeromexico or Aerolineas Argentinas to fly to South America, and even Korean Air and Kenya Airways to get to Asia and Africa, respectively.
Other uses for your miles include redeeming them for seat upgrades, pay for additional service fees like change fees and same-day confirmed fees and even get a Delta Sky Club membership.
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card rates and fees
- Annual fee: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150.
- Foreign transaction fee: None.
- Purchase APR: 20.99%–29.99% variable APR
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, see this page
Additional benefits
- First checked bag free, which will help you save at least $30 on each domestic flight within the U.S. when you fly on Delta.
- 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).
- $200 Delta flight credit after you spend $10,000 in purchases in a year.
- $100 Delta Stays credit each year when you use your Delta Gold Card to book prepaid hotels or vacation rentals through Delta Stays.
- 20% savings in the form of a statement credit on eligible Delta in-flight purchases after using your card.
- Baggage insurance plan so you can be protected in the case your bags are lost, damaged or stolen. Coverage protects up to $1,250 for your carry-on bags and up to $500 for checked luggage when the entire fare of your ticket is paid using this card.
- Car rental loss and damage insurance when you use your card to reserve and pay for the entirety of your rental and decline the collision damage waiver provided by the rental agency. This protection provides secondary coverage for your rental for damage or theft, and does not include liability coverage.
Credit cards similar to Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
With so many travel cards to choose from, it can seem overwhelming at first. Delta Air Lines credit cards earn SkyMiles, but unless you’re finding value in the specific fee waivers for baggage, there are a plethora of cards that can offer better value.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card vs. Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
If you’re not committed to Delta but would still like to enjoy some perks when traveling, consider the $95 annual fee Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. The card allows you to earn Ultimate Rewards® points that can be redeemed for cash back, used to book travel, or transferred at a 1:1 ratio to a multitude of airline and hotel programs, or redeemed towards travel booked through Chase at an elevated rate of 1.25 cents per point.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred also earns 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards® (excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 Annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit), 3x points on dining including delivery, as well as 3x points on select streaming services and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs). All other travel purchases earn 2x points per dollar and everything else earns 1x point per dollar.
This card comes with a welcome bonus of 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening (that’s $750 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®).
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card vs. Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
If you want more benefits and are not averse to paying a $350 annual fee, the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card packs enough perks to take the sting off the ownership cost. Card perks include a leg-up on elite status with a $2,500 Medallion Qualification Dollars benefit each Medallion Qualification Year and earning one MQD for every $20 you spend on the card, a $150 Delta Stays Credit for hotels or vacation rentals booked through the Delta Stays site, and up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers.
You’ll also enjoy your first checked bag free when flying Delta as well as the 15% off of award travel redemptions, plus up to $100 credit every 4 years towards your application fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
On top of that, you also earn a companion certificate good for Main Cabin domestic, Caribbean, or Central American roundtrip flights each year after renewal of your card. This can help you save hundreds in travel when you fly with a companion and could easily outweigh the card’s ownership cost.
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, see this page
Is the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card right for you?
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is a solid credit card for those who typically fly Delta but not often enough to qualify for elite status with the airline. The card will help you offset checked bag fees as well as earn SkyMiles with every transaction. When it comes time to redeem your miles, cardmembers enjoy a 15% reduction in the cost of mileage for those sought-after Delta award flights.
Frequently asked questions
Do I get access to the Delta Sky Club with the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card?
- The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express does not come with access to any lounges. If you’re looking for a card that grants you access to any of the Delta Sky Club locations, you may want to consider cards like the Delta SkyMiles Reserve and Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business card, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum or the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business card..
How do I take advantage of my free first checked bag benefit?
- All it takes for Delta to waive your first checked bag fee is booking your ticket using your Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express or any other eligible Delta card. The benefit applies to up to eight additional travel companions on the same reservation for a total of nine passengers.
Do I get 15% off of Delta flights when I buy tickets with my card?
- The 15% off discount only applies when booking award travel on Delta flights using your SkyMiles, but does not apply to cash tickets paid for with your card. To take advantage of the 15% discount, log in to your Delta account and choose “Shop with Miles” to search for flights. The discount will be applied automatically, but it does not cover partner-operated flights or taxes and fees.
Please note that card details are accurate as of the publish date, but are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the issuer. Please contact the card issuer to verify rates, fees, and benefits before applying.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company
