Delta SkyMiles Gold AmEx Review: Worth the Fee for Delta Fans
Earn 2 miles per dollar on Delta purchases, at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets, and 1 mile per dollar on everything else. Free checked bags add value.
Our Take
5.0
The bottom line: A solid, cost-effective card for those who fly Delta frequently, or those who could choose to do so.
Full Review
Best Airline Credit Card
on American Express's website
on American Express's website
Annual Fee
$0 intro for the first year, then $99
Regular APR
15.74% - 24.74% Variable APR
Intro APR
N/A
Recommended Credit Score
Quick FactsView rates and fees
Pros & Cons
Pros
Free checked bag
Priority boarding
Miles don't expire
Cons
Has annual fee
Best for frequent Delta Air Lines flyers only
American Express isn’t accepted as widely as Visa or Mastercard internationally
Compare to Other Cards
Annual Fee$0 intro for the first year, then $99 | Annual Fee$0 | Annual Fee$250 |
Intro APRN/A | Intro APRN/A | Intro APRN/A |
Recommended Credit Score |
Recommended Credit Score |
Recommended Credit Score |
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Full Review
For travelers who regularly fly Delta Air Lines, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card hits all the right notes for an annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $99: It features a decent welcome offer, free checked bags and priority boarding. And as of Jan. 30, 2020, it added two more bonus categories, making it a better card for certain everyday purchases.
The card no longer offers access to Delta Sky Club lounges — previously, you were able to use it to purchase a single-visit pass for $29 — but its other perks still make it a keeper for many Delta fans. The free checked-bag benefit, for example, can easily offset the annual fee for those who travel with luggage.
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card: Basics
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, please visit this page.
Card type: Airline.
Annual fee: $0 intro for the first year, then $99. (Starting Jan. 30, 2020: $99.)
Bonus offer: Earn 35,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Terms Apply.
Rewards:
2 miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases, at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets.
1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.
Terms apply.
NerdWallet values Delta miles at 0.9 cent 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 0.9 cent or more in value from your Delta miles.
Benefits:
First checked bag is free for you and up to 8 other passengers traveling on the same reservation.
Priority boarding.
20% savings on eligible in-flight purchases.
$100 Delta flight credit, good for future travel, after you spend $10,000 in eligible purchases in a calendar year.
Terms apply.
Why you should get the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
A welcome offer, plus a bonus for big spending
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card starts off with a nice welcome offer: Earn 35,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Terms Apply. That could be enough to cover your next flight.
You’ll also get an extra $100 Delta flight credit after spending $10,000 in a calendar year. Terms apply. If you’re using this card for big travel purchases or everyday spending, that could be a relatively easy bar to clear.
Good ongoing rewards
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card earns 2 miles per dollar spent at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets, in addition to the 2 miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases. Terms apply. This gives you a reason to use the card for more than just airfare and free checked bags.
Free checked bags
Instead of just offering a first free checked bag for one or two travelers on your itinerary, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card gives you baggage waivers on the first checked bag for up to nine people on your reservation. That's enough waivers to cover the whole family from "The Brady Bunch," including Alice.
Priority boarding
With this card, you'll also get to board with the Main Cabin 1 boarding group, which gets you early access to that coveted overhead bin space. If you always board with a rolling suitcase or large carry-on, this is a nice perk. But it doesn’t mean you’ll be the first to step on the plane. You’ll still board after a handful of other groups, including first class and Delta Comfort+ travelers and flyers with certain types of elite status.
How it compares with other Delta cards
In the family of Delta cards, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is the mass-market option. It offers richer benefits than its $0-annual-fee counterpart, the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card. But you get fewer benefits than you would with the more premium cards, which are the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. For more analysis about how these cards stack up, read NerdWallet’s comparison of Delta credit cards.
Here’s a quick look at what these cards offer:
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Why you should choose a different card
No lounge access
If you want a card that helps you get into airport lounges, go with another card. The Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card could be a good match. It comes with up to $100 in airline incidental credit for purchases (enough to cover the annual fee), including day passes to lounges among other travel expenses, and offers up to a $100 reimbursement for a Global Entry or TSA Precheck application. It earns a respectable 2 points per dollar spent on travel and dining purchases, and 1.5 points for every dollar spent on all other purchases. Its airline incidental credit won't get you into Delta Sky Club lounges, but it could help you cover the cost of a couple of day passes to other airport lounges.
Annual fee
Aside from Delta’s $0-annual-fee option — the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card — you might also want to look into no-annual-fee general travel cards, which offer more versatile points.
The Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card could be a good match, for example. It comes with solid ongoing rewards of 3 points per dollar spent on eating out and ordering in, travel, gas stations, rideshares, transit and popular streaming services, and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. Points are worth 1 cent each when redeemed for travel, cash or gift cards. It also comes with a good sign-up bonus and an introductory 0% APR offer.
No help in reaching elite status
Some airline cards make it a bit easier to reach elite status through spending. Not the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card.
You need a certain number of Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQMs, measured in distance and fare class) or Medallion Qualifying Segments (MQSs, measured in flights you take) as well as Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs, measured in dollars spent on personal Delta flights) to gain membership into the next awards tier. While the bonus miles you earn on this card can be redeemed for free flights, they won't get you closer to elite status.
If you want a card that offers a way to get closer to elite status, consider the two higher-end Delta cards in AmEx’s collection, which do just that.
Is the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card right for you?
This card isn’t the right match if you’re looking for lounge access, a pathway to elite status or cards without annual fees. But if you want to earn miles with Delta and can make good use of the card’s priority boarding or free checked bags perks, it’s a valuable choice.
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, please visit this page.
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, please visit this page.
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, please visit this page.
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card, please visit this page.
on American Express's website