Which Is the Best Delta Credit Card Offer?

Among the consumer credit cards Delta Air Lines offers through American Express, the premium Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card features the largest welcome bonus and most benefits, including access to Delta Sky Club lounges. It comes with an annual fee of $650, see rates and fees) and a big welcome bonus: 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. NerdWallet values Delta miles at 1.2 cents each, making that welcome offer worth $840.

Its business counterpart, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card (annual fee: $650, see rates and fees ), also offers a large welcome bonus: Earn 80,000 Bonus Miles after spending $10,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply. Based on NerdWallet's valuations, that welcome offer is worth $960.

Here’s a look at how the Delta credit cards stack up.

A closer look at Delta's credit card offers

A card's welcome offer and annual fee tell you what kind of value you can get from a card right off the bat. But the ongoing benefits — especially the valuable perks that come on the more-premium cards — paint a more complete picture. A premium card could be worth the higher annual fees for some frequent Delta flyers.

Bonus miles on Delta purchases

The Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card and theDelta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card earn 2 miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases.

You can get a bit more with the higher-end cards: TheDelta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card earn 3 miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases.

» Learn more: The best airline credit cards right now

Free checked bags

All co-branded Delta cards, with the exception of the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card, offer free checked bags to the primary cardholders as well as up to eight other passengers traveling on the same reservation.

You don’t have to pay for your ticket with the SkyMiles card. As long as the card is linked to your SkyMiles number, you’re eligible for the benefit.

Terms apply.

Delta Companion Certificate

TheDelta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, theDelta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and their business counterparts all provide a valuable perk that can help offset their annual fees: a companion certificate.

The certificate allows you to bring one companion with you on a Delta-operated round-trip flight within the U.S. and to Mexico, the Caribbean or Central America for free (you just have to pay taxes and fees):

• Every year you renew the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card or the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, you receive a companion certificate valid for a trip in the main cabin, or economy.

• Every year you renew the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card or the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, you receive a companion certificate valid for the main cabin, Comfort Plus or first class.

Terms apply.

Medallion Qualifying Dollar earnings through card spend

Both the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card also offer ways to earn Medallion status — which can help you qualify for free upgrades, drink vouchers and other benefits — through card spend. Status is earned through Medallion Qualifying Dollars, or MQDs:

• Earn 1 MQD per $20 spent when using the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card or the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card.

• Earn 1 MQD per $10 spent when using the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card or the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card.

Terms apply.

All four of these cards also give you 2,500 MQDs at the beginning of each calendar year, taking you halfway to Silver status (which requires $5,000 MQDs). Terms apply.

Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit

Apply for either Global Entry or TSA PreCheck to save time in airport lines and receive up to $120 application fee credit back when you pay with the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, theDelta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card or the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card.

Terms apply.

» Learn more: How to get TSA PreCheck for free

Airport lounge access

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card members receive complimentary Sky Club membership, which means they can access a Delta airport lounge any time they fly the airline. They also get access to The Centurion Lounge with a Delta boarding pass. Four guest passes per year are included for travel companions (then guests can tag along for $50 each after that).

Individual Sky Club membership costs $695, which is more expensive than the credit card’s annual fee.

Starting in 2025, access will change. Platinum and Reserve card members will receive 10 and 15 days, respectively, of Delta Sky Club access. Each “day” will include all visits to Sky Clubs within a 24-hour period after check in. This allows flyers with connecting flights and layovers to use a Sky Club within a 24-hour period to only count as one “day” of visits

Once the days are used up, a per-person guest fee of $50 will apply. Cardholders who spend more than $75,000 a year will receive unlimited access to Delta Sky Clubs for the remainder of the current Medallion year and the following year. Spend tracking for the $75,000 begins on Jan. 1 of each year.

Cell phone protection coverage

The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, theDelta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card all offer cell phone coverage against theft or damage of your device when you pay your cell phone bill with your card. Enrollment required. Terms apply.

Perks that are the same across cards

All Delta cardholders have access to these benefits:

• In-flight purchases discount: Use any Delta card to pay for an in-flight snack, beverage or Wi-Fi and receive 20% back as a statement credit.

• No foreign transaction fees: Some credit cards impose a 3% foreign transaction fee for purchases made outside the U.S.; Delta SkyMiles cards don’t.

Terms apply.

Photo courtesy of Delta Air Lines.