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.
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Frequent-flyer miles
1. Miles earned on spending
Purchases on all four cards earn miles in Delta's frequent-flyer program, known as Delta SkyMiles. Purchases made directly with the airline earn extra miles. Depending on the card, other categories may also earn bonus miles. Here's a comparison:
Annual fee
- $0
- $0 intro for the first year, then $150
- $350
- $650
Rewards
• 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.
• Terms apply (see rates and fees).
• 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.
• Terms apply (see rates and fees).
• 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
• Terms apply (see rates and fees).
• 3 miles per dollar on eligible purchases made directly with Delta.
• 1 mile per dollar on other eligible purchases.
• Terms apply (see rates and fees).
Learn more
2. Miles from new cardholder bonus offers
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 70,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 20,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $2,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 07/15/2026. Terms Apply.
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card: Earn 80,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $4,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 20,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $2,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 07/15/2026. Terms Apply.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card: Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 07/15/2026. 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. Airport perks
3. Free checked bags
- Annual-fee cards: The cardholder gets two free checked bags on domestic flights and one free bag on other flights. Up to eight other people traveling on their reservation also get one free bag. (Terms apply.) This can be a big money-saver, since a single checked bag would otherwise cost $90 round trip.
- No-annual-fee card: No free checked bags.
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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.
5. Lounge access
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card: Cardholders receive 15 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. Cardholders also get access to American Express' Centurion Lounges when flying Delta. Terms apply.
- Other cards: No lounge access.
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.
Other benefits
- No foreign transaction fees.
- First checked bag free for you and up to eight companions. Second checked bag free for you on domestic flights.
- 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.
- $120 rideshare credit when you enroll, up to $10 each month.
- 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).
- No foreign transaction fees.
- First checked bag free for you and up to eight companions. Second checked bag free for you on domestic flights.
- Priority boarding.
- Companion certificate (main cabin).
- Fee credit for TSA Precheck or Global Entry.
- 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).
- No foreign transaction fees.
- First checked bag free for you and up to eight companions. Second checked bag free for you on domestic flights.
- Priority boarding.
- Companion certificate (first class, Delta Comfort+ or main cabin).
- Complimentary Delta Sky Club access for you (15 visits annually), plus four one-time guest passes annually.*
- Fee Credit for TSA Precheck or Global Entry.
- 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).
Learn more
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.
Progress toward elite status
8. MQDs
"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® Reserve American Express Card: Earn 1 MQD for every $10 in purchases made on the card in a calendar year.
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card: Earn 1 MQD for every $20 in purchases made on the card in a calendar year.
- Other cards: No MQD earning.
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.
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. Eligibility and benefit levels vary by card. See americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details.
Read about the benefits of other popular credit cards
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.
