Delta SkyMiles Gold AmEx vs. Top General Travel Cards

If you fly Delta frequently, the airline's card can save you money. If not, a general travel card is better.
Gregory Karp
By Gregory Karp 
Updated
Edited by Erica Corbin

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A big question for many regular Delta Air Lines flyers is whether they should get the carrier's Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card or apply for a general travel credit card that offers more flexibility for redeeming rewards.

So we'll pit the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card (see rates and fees) against both the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, two top general travel cards with similar ongoing annual fees.

The quick answer for those deciding between a co-branded airline card like this one for Delta and a general travel card: If you fly frequently with one airline, you might get more value from an airline card, especially if it lets you avoid checked-bag fees. If you want flexibility in your airline choices, though, a general travel card is the way to go.

How the cards compare
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
NerdWallet Rating
Apply now

on American Express' website

Rates & Fees
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
NerdWallet Rating
Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
NerdWallet Rating
Apply now

on Chase's website

Annual fee
$0 intro for the first year, then $150
$95
$95
Welcome bonus

Earn 40,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Rewards

2 miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases, at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets; and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.

2 miles per dollar spent on purchases, and 5 miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

5 points per dollar spent on travel booked through Chase; 3 points per dollar spent on dining, select streaming services and online grocery purchases; 2 points per dollar spent on all other travel; and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.

Perks

Free first checked bag, priority boarding and 20% off some in-flight purchases.

$100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck.

Points are worth 1.25 cents apiece when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

Horizontal scroll

Terms apply.

Why general travel cards are better for most people

We’ll approach this seemingly backward because it will make more sense to talk first about how you can redeem rewards, then talk about how you earn those rewards in the first place.

Spending rewards

All three cards essentially give you credit toward future travel, either in points or miles. A big differentiator is flexibility.

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card really offers only one good redemption option: Delta flights (or seat upgrades) either with Delta or its partners in the SkyTeam alliance. Miles are worth 1.2 cents a piece according to NerdWallet's valuations.

General travel cards, on the other hand, let you redeem rewards for lots of different types of travel, although in different ways.

  • The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is simpler. Miles can be redeemed for 1 cent apiece on travel purchases.

  • The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers a chance at a higher redemption. In general, this card’s Chase Ultimate Rewards® points are worth 1 cent each. But if you redeem them for travel booked through Chase, the value rises to 1.25 cents apiece.

Earning rewards

You acquire points or miles from the credit cards in two primary ways.

Welcome bonus for new cardholders

The potential bonuses for new customers of the cards can change often. But all three cards give you a lucrative cache of rewards to start with if you spend enough to earn the bonus. It’s worthwhile to try.

The value is typically enough to score at least one free domestic airline ticket.

Ongoing rewards

In the chart above, you can see how two of the cards offer extra rewards for certain types of spending. Here’s a quick evaluation.

If you’ll use the card for most purchases, the most valuable rewards rate goes to the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. That’s because its rate of 2 miles per dollar spent applies to most categories of spending. This is also the simplest card.

Next most valuable is probably the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. It offers the useful bonus categories of restaurants and travel, which earn double points. And if you redeem those points for travel at Chase, that’s a rewards rate of 2.5% in those categories.

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card has maybe the most useful bonus categories for everyday spending because it includes U.S. supermarkets, as well as restaurants worldwide and Delta purchases. However, the rate is just 2 Delta Skymiles per dollar spent in those categories. Terms apply. It lags the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, which doesn’t restrict double points to certain categories of spending.

Conclusion

The general travel cards are better for rewards than the Delta card. But rewards don’t account for all the value a card can offer.

Who might prefer the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card

Checked bags make a big difference

If you're a regular flyer and live in a Delta hub city or travel on Delta the vast majority of the time, the decision might flip the other way. That's because of the perks you get with an airline card, especially free checked bags.

Cardholders get a free first checked bag if they use the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card to pay for the flight as do their companions on the same reservation, up to nine people. Bag fees on Delta usually are $30 each way, so checked bags on one round trip with a family member or friend on the same itinerary would cost $120. Getting that for free makes up for the card's annual fee quickly. Multiply that by several flights a year, and it becomes a huge value, potentially outpacing value from the general travel cards.

Cardholders and companions on the same reservation also get early boarding. That means if you have carry-on luggage, you're more likely to find room in the overhead bin. Of course, you have to decide what value that holds.

Additionally, the card gets you 20% off some in-flight purchases, but that is probably of minor value for most people. Cardholders can also earn a $200 Delta flight credit when they spend $10,000 on the card in one calendar year.

Terms apply.

Which card should you get?

So the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card could be the right choice if you regularly fly from airports in such cities as Atlanta, Minneapolis, Detroit and Cincinnati, where you have few choices other than Delta — and if you value free checked bags and priority boarding. But if you fly mostly from places like Chicago or Dallas, where Delta has a minor presence, or if you seldom check bags, the general travel cards become better choices.


To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, see this page.
Cards for Delta from our Partners
Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card

on Chase's website

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
5.0
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

1x-5x

5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

Points

Intro offer

60,000

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Points
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

on Capital One's website

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
4.7
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

2x-5x

Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.

Miles

Intro offer

75,000

Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

Miles
See more cards for delta

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