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If you’re in the market for a new Delta SkyMiles credit card, you might have heard about a welcome offer on the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card.
So is this card worth picking up? Let’s take a look at some of its notable perks and who might benefit from them.
Welcome offer
The card welcome offer is currently: "Earn 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months. Terms Apply."
With the holidays coming up, most people will have a few extra expenses. This is a good opportunity to channel all of that spending (groceries, gifts, charitable donations, etc.) to this card. If you plan on going out of town, putting prepaid travel expenses on this card is another way to help meet the minimum spending requirement.
It’s important to note that gift card and cash-equivalent purchases are excluded from earning points or meeting spending requirements to earn the welcome offer. The extent to which American Express is able to track these purchases is unknown, but it’s still something to be aware of.
» Learn more: Best airline credit cards
Category bonuses
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card earns 2 miles per $1 spent on purchases made directly with Delta, at U.S. supermarkets and at restaurants. Delta purchases include flights and vacation packages booked through Delta.com, seat upgrades, in-flight purchases, and SkyClub membership or passes. The card earns 1x mile on all other eligible purchases. Terms apply.
These category bonuses are pretty standard for co-branded airline credit cards; nothing earth-shattering, but still nice to have.
Travel benefits
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card has a couple useful travel perks, including:
A free checked bag on Delta flights, which can save up to $60 on a round-trip flight.
A $100 Delta statement credit after $10,000 purchases per year.
Terms apply.
» Learn more: Delta SkyMiles program: The complete guide
Is this a good offer?
If you’re looking for a big SkyMiles welcome offer, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card may not be the right option for you. Both the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card sometimes feature bigger offers and an annual companion certificate. But those cards also carry higher annual fees, which may be tough to justify if you’re on a budget or not able to take advantage of all the benefits they offer.
In terms of value, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card may be a better choice for budget travelers with the welcome offer and the category bonuses.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2023, including those best for:
Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express
Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
