10 Benefits of Delta Air Lines Credit Cards

Delta Air Lines offers four credit cards for consumers, with annual fees ranging from $0 to $650. Issued by American Express, the cards come with a host of benefits worth considering if you’re a frequent — or even infrequent — Delta customer. They range from core features you would expect on any airline card to “nice-to-have” perks and protections. And the higher the annual fee, the more benefits you'll get.

The four cards:

» MORE: Which Delta Air Lines credit card should you get?

Frequent-flyer miles

1. Spending rewards

All four cards earn miles in Delta's frequent-flyer program, known as Delta SkyMiles. Here's a comparison chart:

Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card (Annual fee: $0.)	2 miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta and at restaurants worldwide plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. 1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases. No foreign transaction fees. Terms apply (see rates and fees).
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card (Annual fee: $0 intro for the first year, then $150.)	2 miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta, at restaurants worldwide plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets. 1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases. No foreign transaction fees. First checked bag free. Priority boarding. $200 Delta flight credit (when you spend $10,000 in purchases in a calendar year). $100 Delta stays credit toward prepaid hotels or vacations through Delta. 15% off when using miles to book award travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Terms apply (see rates and fees).
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card (Annual fee: $350.)	3 miles per dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta, and on eligible hotel purchases. 2 miles per dollar at restaurants plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets. 1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases. No foreign transaction fees. First checked bag free. Priority boarding. Companion certificate (main cabin). Fee credit for TSA Precheck or Global Entry, once every four years. 15% off when using miles to book award travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. $150 Delta stays credit toward prepaid hotels or vacations through Delta. $120 Resy credit when you enroll, up to $10 each month. $120 rideshare credit when you enroll, up to $10 each month. Terms apply (see rates and fees).
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (Annual fee: $650.)	3 miles per dollar on eligible purchases made directly with Delta. 1 mile per dollar on other eligible purchases. No foreign transaction fees. First checked bag free. Priority boarding. Companion certificate (first class, Delta Comfort+ or main cabin). Complimentary Delta Sky Club access for you, plus four one-time guest passes annually. (15 visits annually as of Feb. 1, 2025.) Fee Credit for TSA Precheck or Global Entry, once every four years. 15% off when using miles to book award travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. $240 Resy credit when you enroll, up to $20 each month. $200 Delta stays credit toward prepaid hotels or vacations through Delta. $120 rideshare credit when you enroll, up to $10 each month. Terms apply (see rates and fees).

*Effective 2/1/25, Reserve Card Members will receive 15 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club. To earn an unlimited number of visits each year, the total eligible purchases on the card must equal $75,000 or more the previous year. To earn unlimited visits in 2025, you’ll need to spend this amount between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24.

» MORE: NerdWallet’s best airline credit cards

2. New-cardholder bonuses

Each card gives new cardholders the opportunity to earn a bonus by meeting a spending requirement in the first few months. In general, the higher the fee, the bigger the bonus:

Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card: Earn 10,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months. Terms Apply.
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card: Earn 50,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $2,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card: Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card: Earn 70,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $5,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

🤓Nerdy Tip

NerdWallet values Delta miles at 1.2 cents each. This is a baseline value, drawn from real-world data on hundreds of economy routes, not a maximized value. In other words, you should aim for award redemptions that offer 1.2 cents or more in value from your Delta miles.

» MORE: Complete card details for the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card

» MORE: Complete card details for the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card

Airport perks

Free checked bags, early boarding privileges, access to Delta's airport lounges and TSA PreCheck or Global Entry can make your trip a lot more pleasant. The benefits you receive will vary depending on which Delta card you hold.

3. Free checked bags

Annual-fee cards: The first checked bag is free for you and up to eight other people traveling on your reservation also get a free bag. (Terms apply.) This can be a big money-saver, since a single checked bag would otherwise cost $70 round trip.
No-annual-fee card: No free checked bags.

» Learn more: The guide to Delta’s ‘Bags on Time’ guarantee

4. Early boarding

Annual-fee cards: You'll get to board the plane early — before general boarding begins — to get settled and claim space in the overhead bins for your carry-on, a perk many travelers prize.
No-annual-fee card: No early boarding privileges.

» MORE: American Express card benefits you may not know you have

5. Lounge access

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card: Cardholders receive 15 complimentary visits per year to Delta Sky Clubs when flying on Delta-operated flights (or for $50 if traveling on a partner airline) and also receive four one-time guest passes each calendar year. After 15 visits, cardholders may purchase Delta SkyClub access for $50 per visit. Spending $75,000 on the card in a calendar year unlocks unlimited visits for the remainder of that year and the following year. Terms apply.
Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card: No SkyClub access.

» MORE: How to choose an airline credit card

6. TSA PreCheck or Global Entry

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card: Receive one statement credit every four years to cover the application fee for Global Entry, and every four and a half years for TSA Pre Check.
Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card: No TSA PreCheck or Global Entry benefit.

» MORE: TSA PreCheck vs. Global Entry: Which is better?

Deals in the air

7. In-flight savings

All Delta cards offer the same 20% statement credit for such in-flight purchases as food and alcoholic beverages on Delta-operated flights. In-flight wireless Internet access is excluded. Terms apply.

» MORE: NerdWallet review of the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card

» MORE: NerdWallet review of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card

Progress toward elite status

8. MQD

"Medallion Qualifying Dollars", or MQDs, are dollars spent on Delta flights, partners and on a Delta credit card, and are required in order to earn elite status.

The two priciest Delta cards allow cardholders to earn some MQDs automatically. Both cards offer an MQD head start of $2,500 MQD's each qualification year. Plus, spending on the cards earns the following MQD boosts:

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card: Earn 1 MQD for every $20 in purchases made on the card in a calendar year.
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card: Earn 1 MQD for every $10 in purchases made on the card in a calendar year.

🤓Nerdy Tip

Effective 1/1/24, Status Boost 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.

Read about the benefits of other popular credit cards

Travel perks and protections

9. No foreign transaction fees

Many credit cards charge a fee on purchases outside the U.S. These four Delta cards don't.

» MORE: NerdWallet’s best no foreign transaction fee credit cards

10. Insurance and assistance

Because these are airline cards, their travel-protection benefits are notable. Most come from the American Express network, instead of being exclusive to these cards. They include:

Baggage insurance.
Car rental loss and damage insurance.
Travel accident insurance.
Roadside assistance.
Global assist hotline.

More about these cards

Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card: Complete card details | NerdWallet review
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card: Complete card details | NerdWallet review
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card: Complete card details | NerdWallet review
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card: Complete card details | NerdWallet review

To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, see this page.