American Express and Delta have a major co-brand partnership. What makes these cards so rewarding are the perks you obtain when flying Delta and the ability to earn status through spending.
A few weeks ago, these cards went live with some of the biggest public offers we’ve seen.
In this post I wanted to cover the new perks, the new limited time welcome bonuses being offered, and who should apply for them.
Prepare yourself! There will be a lot of numbers but flying for “free” is worth the read.
THE BASICS
American Express offers 7 different credit cards: the Blue (personal), Gold (personal and business), Platinum (personal and business), and the Reserve (personal and business) and these offers are valid through 1 April 2020.
So let’s start at the beginning and walk through these cards…
AMERICAN EXPRESS DELTA CREDIT CARDS
Blue Delta SkyMiles Amex (Personal Card)
Best Perk: No Annual Fee Card
Annual Fee: $0 …obviously
Welcome Bonus: Delta SkyMiles Blue Amex [READ MORE] is offering 15,000 bonus SkyMiles after spending $1,000 within three months (during the limited time increased bonus).
Card Ideal For: the casual Delta flyer. Personally, I think you can find more value to in obtaining one of the cards that has an annual fee (especially given the bonuses), but some people avoid all cards with annual fees.
Blue Delta Amex Card Perks:
- 2x SkyMiles at restaurants worldwide
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Delta’s ‘Pay With Miles’ feature
Gold Delta SkyMiles Amex (Personal & Business)
Best Perk: Free Checked Bags And Early Boarding
Annual Fee: Both cards have $99 annual fees that are waived for the first 12 months
Welcome Bonus: Both the Delta SkyMiles Gold Personal Amex [READ MORE] and Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Amex [READ MORE] are offering up to 70,000 SkyMiles: 60,000 bonus miles after spending $2,000 within three months and an additional 10,000 bonus miles after your first anniversary of card membership (during the limited time increased bonus).
Card(s) Ideal For: someone who wants some perks on Delta, but doesn’t fly with the airline all the time, and doesn’t want to spend money on the card.
Gold Delta Amex Card (personal) Perks:
- First checked bag free & Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding on Delta flights
- Spend $10,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year and receive a $100 Delta Flight Credit
- 2X on Delta purchases
- 2x on restaurants worldwide
- 2x at U.S. supermarkets
- Receive a 20% savings in the form of a statement credit after you use your Card on eligible Delta in-flight purchases of food, beverages, and audio headsets.
Gold Delta Amex Card (business) Perks:
- Additionally, take $100 off your next Delta flight – 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.
- 2x on purchases made directly with Delta
- 2x on advertising in select media
- 2x on shipping purchases
- 2x on dining at restaurants
- First Checked Bag Free + Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding
Platinum Delta SkyMiles Amex (Personal & Business)
Best Perk: Earn 100,000 Miles And Progress Towards Elite Status
Annual Fee: $250
Welcome Bonus: Both the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Personal Amex [READ MORE] and Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Amex [READ MORE] are offering up to 100,000 SkyMiles: 80,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 within three months & an additional 20,000 bonus miles after your first anniversary of card membership (during the limited time increased bonus).
Card(s) Ideal For: frequent Delta traveler, who values the ability to earn status through credit card spending, as well as a companion certificate as an annual perk
Platinum Delta Amex Card (personal) Perks:
- Earn 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, up to two times per year getting you closer to Medallion Status.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free and Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding on Delta flights
- 3X on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels
- 2X at restaurants and at U.S. supermarkets
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre ✔ once every four years
- Enjoy an exclusive rate of $39 per person per visit to enter the Delta Sky Club for you and up to two guests when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Receive a 20% savings in the form of a statement credit after you use your Card on eligible Delta in-flight purchases of food, beverages, and audio headsets.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
Platinum Delta Amex Card (business) Perks:
- 3x on purchases made directly with Delta
- First Check Bag Free on Delta flights + Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding
- Earn 1.5 miles per dollar on single eligible purchases of $5,000 or more (that’s an extra half point per dollar), up to 50,000 additional miles per year.
- Spend $25,000 in purchases on the Card in a calendar year and earn 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs); spend a total of $50,000 in eligible purchases on the Card in a calendar year and earn an additional 10,000 MQMs. MQMs are used to determine Medallion Status and are different from the miles you earn toward flights
Delta Reserve Amex (Personal & Business)
Perk: The Premium Club Access Card Offers 100,000 Miles – And Centurion Lounge Benefits
Annual Fee: $550 annual fee
Welcome Bonus: Both the Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card [READ MORE] and Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card [READ MORE] are offering up to 100K SkyMiles and up to 20K Medallion Qualifying Miles, as follows: 80,000 bonus miles and 20,000 bonus MQMs after spending $5,000 within three months & an additional 20,000 bonus miles after your first anniversary of card membership (during this limited time increased bonus)
Cards Ideal For: someone who wants lounge access, or who wants to be able to earn the most elite miles towards status through credit card spending
Reserve Delta Amex Card Perks:
- Earn 3x SkyMiles on Delta purchases (personal card)
- Earn 3x SkyMiles on Delta purchases, and 1.5x miles on all purchases after spending $150,000 annually (business card)
- Earn 15,000 bonus MQMs after spending $90,000 and $120,000 in a calendar year (this is in addition to the previous thresholds of $30,000 and $60,000, meaning you can now earn up to 60,000 MQMs per year at a total of four different thresholds)
- Two complimentary Delta SkyClub passes annually (in addition to the membership offered with the card)
- Complimentary Centurion Lounge access when flying Delta same day, though guests will cost $50 each
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre ✔ once every four years
- The card now offers complimentary upgrades for non-elite members (though with very low priority)
Which Card Should You Get?
Whewww, that was a lot! So, there are some things you should consider before applying for one (or more) of these cards.
American Express appears to allow most customers no more than 5 credit cards at a time (charge cards are separate) and you can only apply for 2 credit cards every 90 days. If this is confusing, you will want to READ ABOUT THE BANK RULES.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that the bonuses on each of these cards is “once in a lifetime.” That means you can receive the bonus on each of these cards once (both personal and business), so it’s a good idea to apply when they have increased bonuses. However, Amex seems to drop cards off your list after around 7 years so “lifetime” is a very grey area.
FINAL STAMP
Amex has been overhauling much of their card portfolio, so it’s not surprising to see the Delta Amex cards refreshed as well.
Each card will have a different appeal to each person. It all depends on your spending patterns, and the card benefits that you value most.
Personally, I fall in the middle. The Delta Blue doesn’t offer enough perks but the Delta Reserve(s) are a little out of my league.
Regardless of how you feel, the good news is that the cards have huge new welcome bonuses that coincide with their relaunches.
VIEW ALL THE AMEX DELTA CREDIT CARDS HERE
So which Delta cards appeals to you most? Which card are you going to apply for?
1TattedPassport 