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Offers described in this article are no longer available, so this page is out of date. For current offers, see NerdWallet's reviews of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card.
The following Delta Air Lines credit cards issued by American Express are getting new terms as of Feb. 1, 2024, that will make them more expensive to hold:
Beyond that cost, some of the cards’ features and benefits are also changing.
What to expect
The three Delta credit cards will maintain their ongoing reward structures and many of their perks, including complimentary checked bags (for the primary cardholder and up to eight passengers on the reservation); priority boarding; and 20% savings on eligible in-flight purchases. All of the cards will also continue to skip foreign transaction fees. Terms apply.
But here's what will be different for each card:
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
An increased annual fee: The annual fee is changing from $99 to $150 after the first year.
A different welcome offer: Earn 70,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new card in your first six months of card membership. This is an increase from the previous welcome offer that provided 40,000 bonus miles after spending $2,000 in purchases on the new card within the first six months.
Enhanced credits: Get a $200 Delta flight credit — up from $100 — when you spend $10,000 with the card in a calendar year. There’s also an annual credit of $100 for Delta Stays that can be used to book a prepaid hotel stay or vacation rental through delta.com.
Terms apply.
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
An increased annual fee: The annual fee is rising to $350 from $250.
A different welcome offer: Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new card in your first six months of card membership. It's a larger offer compared with the previous 50,000 bonus miles earned after spending $3,000 in purchases with the new card in the first six months.
Medallion Status opportunities: Get closer to earning Medallion Status with MQD Headstart, which offers $2,500 MQDs each Medallion qualification year. The new MQD Boost also inches you closer to status when you make purchases with the card. You’ll earn $1 MQD for every $20 on eligible purchases.
An enhanced companion certificate: The companion certificate on one main cabin round trip for someone traveling on the same itinerary as you will now expand to include round trip flights to Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, Caribbean or Central America. Previously, it was available only for trips to the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
New perks: If you’re not a Medallion member, you’ll be added to the Complimentary Upgrade list after Delta SkyMiles Medallion members and Reserve Card members. The list includes upgrades to Delta One, First Class and Delta Comfort+ seats. You’ll also get Hertz Five Star Status, which makes you eligible for upgrades (if available), points and more.
More credits: Get a $120 credit to use at Resy restaurants (up to $10 per month) and a $120 credit for U.S. rideshare purchases (up to $10 per month) when you enroll. There's also an annual credit of $150 for Delta Stays that can be applied to prepaid hotel and vacation rental stays booked through delta.com.
Terms apply.
The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card will maintain its credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees. Terms apply.
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
An increased annual fee: The annual fee is increasing to $650 from $550.
A different welcome offer: Earn 100,000 bonus miles after you spend $6,000 in purchases on your new card in your first six months of card membership. Previously, you earned 60,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 in purchases with the new card in the first six months.
Medallion Status opportunities: MQD Headstart offers $2,500 MQDs each Medallion Year and MQD Boost provides an additional $1 for every $10 in eligible purchases.
An enhanced companion certificate: The companion certificate for someone traveling on the same itinerary on one First Class, Delta Comfort+ or Main Cabin round-trip flight will expand to include round-trip flights to Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, the Caribbean or Central America.
New perks: If you’re not a Medallion member, you’ll be eligible for upgrades to Delta One, First Class or Delta Comfort+ seats after Delta SkyMiles Medallion members. You’ll also get Hertz President’s Circle Status, which gets you upgrades, elevated points, a broad selection of rentals and more.
More credits: Cardholders will get a $240 credit to use at Resy restaurants (up to $20 per month) and a $120 rideshare credit with select U.S. providers (up to $10 per month) when you enroll. Cardholders will also get an annual $200 Delta Stays credit to be used for prepaid hotel and vacation rental stays booked through delta.com.
Terms apply.
The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card will continue offering a credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees. Terms apply.
What it means for cardholders
These changes take place after Delta recently limited lounge access for cardholders and made changes to the SkyMiles program.
If you opened an account before Feb. 1, 2024, the new annual fees will go into effect at your next renewal date on or after May 1, 2024. Before then, you'll have to consider whether your card is still a good fit.
With the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, carefully weigh the value of those Resy and rideshare credits that are issued in small monthly increments. If you don’t already spend in these categories every month, they won't be of much use. With the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, consider whether you spend enough to make use of the flight credit or check bags frequently to make up the annual cost.
If you fly Delta often and can make efficient use of any of these three cards' benefits to offset the annual cost and snag savings, you'll get a decent deal.
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