Comparing All Four Delta American Express Credit Cards [Personal/Consumer 2021]

If you’re like me, you enjoy seeing side-by-side comparisons of products when trying to decide which is the best for you. I figure this is a great chance for us to look at the major differences and similarities between all four cards.

For people who’ve held at least one of these cards, we’d love to hear your input: which cards you like, ones you didn’t, which benefits were the most useful, and which didn’t really live up to your expectations.

Even if you currently have a Delta credit card, you can apply for one you haven’t already held — and still be eligible for its welcome offer. For example, if you hold the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card but want to pad your SkyMiles account, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card‘s welcome offer could look very tempting (especially considering that card’s annual fee is waived the first year. See rates and fees.).

If you’re thinking of applying for one of the cards — or even just reevaluating your overall credit card strategy — I hope this makes your decision easier.

	Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card	Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card	Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card	Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
Annual Fee	$0 (See Rates and Fees)	$99 (waived the first year; (See Rates and Fees.)	$250 (See Rates and Fees)	$550 (See Rates and Fees)
Foreign Transaction Fees	None.	None.	None.	None.
Current Welcome Offer	See the current offer now!	See the current offer now!	See the current offer now!	See the current offer now!
Total Points Earned Per Dollar Spent On:
Purchases Made Directly with Delta Air Lines	2X	2X	3X	3X
Purchases Made at U.S. Supermarkets	1X	2X	2X	1X
Purchases Made Directly with Hotels	1X	1X	3X	1X
Dining Purchases Worldwide (Including Takeout and Delivery)	2X	2X	2X	1X
All Other Eligible Purchases	1X	1X	1X	1X
Delta Medallion Status Benefits
Earns Bonus Medallion Qualification Miles (MQM) / Status Boosts After Reaching Prescribed Spending Thresholds	No.	No.	Yes. Receive 10,000 bonus MQM when you spend $25,000 on your card during a calendar year. Earn one additional 10,000 bonus MQM if you spend another $25,000 during the same calendar year. (Long story short: spend $50,000 in eligible purchases, get 20,000 bonus MQM.)	Yes. Receive 15,000 bonus MQM each time you spend $30,000 during a calendar year. This is capped at a maximum of 60,000 bonus MQM each year (which would cost $120,000 in eligible expenses).
Ability to Gift Bonus MQM from Delta Amex Spending to Another SkyMiles Member You Designate	No.	No.	No.	Yes.
Spending Counts Toward $25,000 Delta Amex MQD Waiver for Silver, Gold, and Platinum Medallion Status ($250,000 for Diamond Medallion)	Not on its own. Cardholder must otherwise be the primary cardholder of a Delta Platinum (personal or business) or Delta Reserve card (personal or business).	Not on its own. Cardholder must otherwise be the primary cardholder of a Delta Platinum (personal or business) or Delta Reserve card (personal or business).	Yes.	Yes.
Delta Travel Benefits
Main Cabin 1 “Priority” Boarding When Flying in Coach (Even Basic Economy)	No.	Yes.	Yes.	Yes.
Free First Checked Bag for Cardholder and Up to Eight Passengers Flying a Delta-operated and Delta-marketed Itinerary and Traveling on Same PNR/Confirmation Number	No.	Yes.	Yes.	Yes.
20% Statement Credit on Delta In-Flight Purchases (Premium Snacks, Alcoholic Beverages, etc)	Yes.	Yes.	Yes.	Yes.
Cardmember is Eligible to Use Delta’s Pay With Miles Service	Yes.	Yes.	Yes.	Yes.
Access to Delta Sky Clubs When Flying on a Same-Day Delta-marketed or Delta-operated Flight	None.	None.	$39 for primary cardholder. Other guests: $39 per person. Immediate family permitted or two other guests.	Complimentary for primary and paid additional cardholders. Two guest passes each year of card membership. Other guests: $39 per person. Immediate family permitted or two other guests.
Access to American Express Centurion Lounges When Flying on a Same-Day Delta-marketed or Delta-operated Flight PURCHASED WITH AN ELIGIBLE AMERICAN EXPRESS CARD	None.	None.	None.	Complimentary for primary and paid additional cardholders. Two guests may be admitted for $50 per person.
Cardmembership Serves as a Tie-Breaker for Delta Complimentary Upgrades	No.	No.	No.	Yes.
Companion Certificate (“Buy-One, Get-One”) Each Year Upon Card Renewal	No.	No.	Yes, for select Main Cabin fares.	Yes, for select First Class, Comfort+, and Main Cabin fares.
Cardholder is Eligible for Complimentary Upgrades on Delta Air Lines Flights, Regardless of Holding  Any Medallion Status	No.	No.	No.	Yes.
$100 Delta Flight Credit	No.	Yes. Receive a $100 Delta flight credit after spending $10,000 in eligible purchases made with the card year during a calendar year.	No.	No.
Other Benefits and Perks
Up to $100 Statement Credit (Every 4.5 Years) for Global Entry or TSA Pre√ Application Fee	No.	No.	Yes.	Yes.
Cell Phone Protection (Select Replacements and Repairs. Limits and Terms Apply.)	No.	No.	Coverage for a Stolen or damaged Eligible Cellular Wireless Telephone is subject to the terms, conditions, exclusions and limits of liability of this benefit. The maximum liability is $800, per claim, per Eligible Card Account. Each claim is subject to a $50 deductible. Coverage is limited to two (2) claims per Eligible Card Account per 12 month period. • Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. • Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. • Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.	Coverage for a Stolen or damaged Eligible Cellular Wireless Telephone is subject to the terms, conditions, exclusions and limits of liability of this benefit. The maximum liability is $800, per claim, per Eligible Card Account. Each claim is subject to a $50 deductible. Coverage is limited to two (2) claims per Eligible Card Account per 12 month period. • Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. • Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. • Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
Trip Delay Insurance if Entire Roundtrip with Paid with the Card	No.	No.	Up to $300 per Covered Trip that is delayed for more than 12 hours; and 2 claims per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period. • Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. • Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. • Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.	Up to $500 per Covered Trip that is delayed for more than 6 hours; and 2 claims per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company
Trip Cancellation and Interruption Coverage if Entire Roundtrip with Paid with the Card	No.	No.	No.	The maximum benefit amount for Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance is $10,000 per Covered Trip and $20,000 per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period. • Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. • Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. • Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company
Rates & Fees	Learn more here.	Learn more here.	Learn more here.	Learn more here.
	Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card (Terms apply.)	Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card (Terms apply.)	Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card (Terms apply.)	Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (Terms apply.)

Which Card Offers the Best Benefits?

This is sort of subjective.

If you’re like me and enjoy airport club lounges, companion certificates, and shots at sitting in business class, then the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card is the way to go.

People who aren’t into chasing status and just want to save a few bucks are fine with — at most — the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card. In fact, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is an even better option for some leisure travelers.

Here’s an example of someone who could benefit from a Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card. One of my family members is a widowed mother with grown children who live in a Delta hub city.

She probably racks up 7,500 MQM each year — and doesn’t give a lick about Medallion status. (I don’t think she even knows what an MQM is.) She’s perfectly fine with a window seat in Main Cabin.

She doesn’t need a Companion Certificate and couldn’t care less about lounge access. She puts most of her spending on the Blue Cash Everyday®® Card from American Express because it has no annual fee and she prefers cashback over SkyMiles. (See rates and fees.)

What she does love, though, is the free first checked bag perk — which saves her around $100 a year (after the Delta Gold Card’s $99 annual fee). When she plays the Basic Economy lottery, she likes the Main Cabin 1 boarding that helps her get on the plane before she normally would. And the 20% statement credit on her in-flight wine and Flight Fuel purchases is pretty nice, too.

So for her, paying annual fees on the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card or Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card would be a complete waste of money.

But if you know you’ll use a card’s Companion Certificate, value lounge access, and crave MQM, then the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card are good options for you.

Which Card Earns the Most SkyMiles?

Well, sure as heck not the Reserve card. And that’s very disappointing. There’s really not a lot of incentive for me to keep using my Reserve card once I meet my MQM and MQD spend goals. It goes back in my wallet until the next year. One would think Amex and Delta would want people to spend more money on their cards. But, hey.

The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card are the best options for earning SkyMiles on everyday purchases such as dining and at U.S. supermarkets (2X). And the Platinum gets you 3X at hotels, which is fine (though most of us carry co-branded hotel credit cards).

Once you reach your minimum spend requirement on a Delta Amex, most of your everyday spending is better off on an American Express® Membership Rewards® card. (Those points can then be transferred over to your Delta SkyMiles account.)

For example, the American Express® Gold Card offers 4X on U.S. supermarket purchases (up to $25,000 each calendar year) and 4X on dining worldwide. The American Express® Green Card gives you 3X on travel, transit, and dining purchases.

Keep in mind Delta has a reputation for devaluing its program —  especially when it comes to partner award trips. That being said, these mega bonus point offers can be great for Medallions with Upgrade Certificates. They can turn Main Cabin redemptions into Delta One experiences. René used his GUCs on a SkyMiles ticket.

Not Eligible for Dining Statement Credits and Bonus Delta Points Amex Offers

Earlier this year, American Express added statement credits for dining purchases made on select co-branded credit cards — including the Delta Amexes. The cards were also eligible for Amex Offers that boosted points earnings to 5X on Delta purchases.

However, those offers are open only to “eligible Delta SkyMiles…American Express Card Members as of January 1, 2021.” So if you’re approved for a new Delta card since then, you won’t receive those promotions. (Sorry. We’re just the messenger.)

Final Approach

These big welcome offers are a great opportunity to score more SkyMiles on a new Delta Amex card. But YSMV (Your SkyMileage May Vary) depending on your budget, spending habits, travel goals, and which benefits you prize. So analyze the chart above and decide which card is best for you.

Your Questions, Comments, and Advice

Have a question about the Delta cards? Please ask us in the below Comments section. And if you’re a Delta Amex veteran, please consider sharing your thoughts about which card(s) worked best for you and why. Or if you had a bad experience or think people should know something that may not seem obvious, please contribute those thoughts, too!

 

To see the rates and fees for the American Express cards featured above, please visit the following links:

• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (See Rates and Fees)
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card (See Rates and Fees)
• Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card (See Rates and Fees)
• American Express® Gold Card (See Rates and Fees)
• American Express® Green Card (See Rates and Fees)