Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card Review 2024

• Introducing the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
• Quick Facts
• What Is the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card Best For?
• Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Credit Card Rewards
• Other Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card Benefits
• Fine Print
• How the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Credit Card Stacks Up
• Is the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Credit Card For You?
• Methodology

American Express offers several credit cards in partnership with Delta SkyMiles. The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is a passable airline credit card for the occasional Delta traveler. Still, it doesn’t have much going on in terms of benefits beyond getting your first checked bag free and priority boarding when flying with Delta. However, those benefits are redundant if you have status with Delta.

The Delta Gold card shines with its rewards structure of 2 miles per dollar on Delta purchases, at U.S. supermarkets and at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and 1 mile per dollar on other eligible purchases. This stands apart from other mid-tier airline cards and allows even occasional travelers to earn miles more quickly.

Overall, the Delta Gold card is probably not your best option for everyday spending, but if you spend at least $10,000 with your Gold Delta Card in a calendar year, you’ll earn a $200 Delta flight credit toward your next trip.

• Welcome bonus: Earn 40,000 bonus miles after spending $2,000 in purchases in the first 6 months of card membership
• Earn 2 miles per dollar on Delta purchases, at U.S. supermarkets and at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and 1 mile per dollar on other eligible purchases
• Earn a $200 Delta flight credit after spending $10,000 in a calendar year.
• Receive an annual $100 Delta Stays credit.
• Save 20% on in-flight Delta purchases when you use your card. Savings are issued as a statement credit.
• TakeOff 15 feature discounts award travel by 15% on Delta flights.
• Check the first bag for free when you fly Delta for up to nine travelers on the same reservation.
• $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150

This card is best for those Delta flyers who do not hold status with the airline and would like to avoid paying checked bag fees for themselves and their traveling companions. The card is the most rewarding when used with Delta or for groceries and dining as it earns 2 miles per dollar spent on all these purchases. The card will be even more valuable for those who can put at least $10,000 of annual spending on the card as that unlocks a $200 Delta Flight credit.

Earning Rewards

This card offers a welcome bonus of 40,000 bonus miles after spending $2,000 in purchases in the first 6 months of card membership.

Spending earns at the following rates: 2 miles per dollar on Delta purchases, at U.S. supermarkets and at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and 1 mile per dollar on other eligible purchases.

Redeeming Rewards

You can redeem SkyMiles by going to Delta.com and logging in to your account. Delta’s region-based frequent flyer program has removed award charts from its website and switched to dynamic pricing, which makes it more difficult to redeem SkyMiles and know that you’re getting good value.

Dynamic pricing means that Delta’s redemption rates aren’t fixed and fluctuate based on demand, cash price and season. More seats might be available to book with miles, but sometimes rates get exorbitant.

The TakeOff 15% benefit helps you get more value from your SkyMiles as it lowers the price of Delta flight awards by 15%. And if you can take advantage of one of the SkyMiles Award Deals promotions that Delta runs from time to time, you can redeem even fewer miles than usual toward award flights to places such as Hawaii, Central America, Japan and even Australia.

Delta is a SkyTeam alliance partner, and its miles can be used to book available seats on flights operated by other SkyTeam carriers, including Aerolíneas Argentinas, Aeroméxico, Air Europa, Air France, China Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Czech Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, ITA Airways, Kenya Airways, KLM, Korean Air, Middle East Airlines, Saudia, TAROM, Vietnam Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and XiamenAir.

Other redemption ideas include the Pay with Miles option and covering a Delta Sky Club membership fee, but both options yield just 1 cent per mile in value and aren’t recommended.

Rewards Potential

To determine the rewards potential of the Delta Gold card, we look at the bonus categories and calculate what an average household might spend in those areas. Forbes Advisor uses data from various government agencies to determine baseline income and spending averages across different categories. The 70th percentile of wage-earning households bring in $118,438 annually and have $39,337 in annual spending that can reasonably be charged to credit cards. Here is a breakdown of how many points our sample family could expect to earn with this card.

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card earns 2 miles per dollar on Delta purchases, at U.S. supermarkets and at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and 1 mile per dollar on other eligible purchases.

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card Rewards Potential
Category	Earning Rate	Estimated Annual Spend	Estimated Annual Earnings
Delta airfare	2X	$770	1,540
Groceries and dining	2X	$11,865	23,730
All other purchases	1X	$26,702	26,702
			Total: 51,972 Delta SkyMiles

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• Free first checked bag. One free checked bag for the primary cardholder and up to eight additional travelers booked on the same Delta reservation. This perk saves you $30 per bag per direction.
• Priority boarding. The primary cardholder and up to eight additional travelers on the same reservation can board with the Main Cabin 1 group.
• TakeOff 15% benefit. Cardholders receive a 15% discount on Delta flight award redemptions.
• $200 flight credit. Cardholders have an opportunity to earn a $200 Delta flight credit after spending $10,000 on the card in a calendar year.
• $100 Delta Stays credit. Earn an annual statement credit of up to $100 for prepaid hotels and vacation rentals booked through Delta Stays.
• 20% statement credit on in-flight purchases. If you pay for something, such as a meal, premium beverage or entertainment during your Delta flight with your Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, you’ll receive 20% back.

Interest Rates

• Regular APR: 20.99%-29.99% Variable
• Purchase intro APR: N/A
• Balance transfer intro APR: N/A

Fees

• Annual fee: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150
• Balance transfer fee: N/A
• Foreign purchase transaction fee: None

Terms apply, see rates & fees.

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card vs. Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card

It’s true that the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card comes with a higher $350 annual fee (terms apply, see rates & fees), but it also comes with more benefits.

For starters, the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card members benefit from a Companion Certificate each year upon card renewal that is good for a round-trip Main Cabin domestic, Caribbean or Central American Delta flight in for a plus one. The ticket itself is complimentary, but you’re still responsible for taxes and fees associated with the flight. If the original flight costs more than $350, you can justify the annual fee using the Companion Certificate every year. The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card also comes with the TakeOff 15 benefit.

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card vs. Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card

The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (terms apply, see rates & fees) is for true Delta loyalists. The card’s annual fee is steep at $650 but includes complimentary access to the Centurion Lounge and Delta Sky Club when booking Delta flights with the card through January 2025. That’s less than what you’d pay for a Sky Club membership alone. Members will receive 15 visits per year and can earn unlimited visits when card spending reaches $75,000 in a calendar year.

You get all the perks of the SkyMiles Gold card, including checked bags and the TakeOff 15 benefit. Plus, you’ll receive a Companion Certificate valid for eligible flights each year you renew your card. The certificate is good for one round-trip flight in first class, Comfort+ or Main Cabin domestic, Caribbean, or Central American destinations when you pay taxes and fees. The card also comes loaded with an annual $240 Resy credit (up to $20 monthly) towards purchases at U.S. Resy restaurants, as well as $120 in rideshare credits (up to $10 monthly) when using your card to pay for select ride providers.

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card vs. American Express® Green Card*

If you’re just becoming familiar with credit card points and miles, a flexible bank card may be more suitable. Instead of being tied to a single rewards program, why not have more say in how you redeem your rewards?

The American Express® Green Card* earns Membership Rewards points, which can be transferred to over a dozen airline and hotel programs, including Delta SkyMiles and another SkyTeam partner, Air France/KLM Flying Blue. This gives you two routes for booking Delta award flights. While availability won’t change, one airline will likely offer a lower price than the other, depending on the route booked.

Points earned with the Amex Green Card can also be used to book flights directly through American Express Travel at a rate of around 1 cent per point.

For the same annual fee of $150, the American Express® Green Card* also comes with a CLEAR® Plus statement credit, up to $189 annually and up to $100 in LoungeBuddy statement credit. The card also earns 3 points per dollar on travel and transit including flights, hotels, taxis, rideshare services, trains, parking and more, 3 points per dollar on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and 1 point per dollar on other purchases. Not only will you earn rewards faster, you’ll have more options for redeeming them.

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is best for occasional travelers who prefer Delta Air Lines but don’t fly enough to earn status. It offers benefits for those who like to check bags or even those who don’t—with Priority Boarding, it’s easier to find space in the overhead bins by not boarding last. For those who make regular Delta SkyMiles redemptions for Delta flights, the TakeOff 15 award discount feature could make this card worth holding for that reason alone.

Forbes Advisor considers a variety of criteria when assigning credit cards a rating. Cards are graded based on numerous factors, including:

• Annual fees
• Welcome bonus offers
• Ongoing earning rates
• Value of individual points or miles
• Included travel or merchant credits
• Additional cardholder benefits

Card features we expect cardholders to use the most often are weighted more heavily in our ratings. Altogether, the factors came together to provide a star rating for each individual card.

Read more: How Forbes Advisor Rates Credit Cards

To view rates and fees for Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card please visit this page.