What is the Best Credit Card to Pay for Delta Airfare Purchases?

The Delta Air Lines SkyMiles Medallion® program overhaul is well behind us now, and most of us have a solid understanding of how everything works. We adjusted to life without earning Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQM) and Medallion® Qualification Segments (MQS). Some of our rewards credit card spending habits shifted, too.

Out of all the cards out there, which one should you use when buying your Delta tickets?

My answer today is different than if you’d asked me just a few years ago.

Keep in mind this is my opinion. You may have a completely different take on the issue — and I’d love to hear it! So, after you finish reading this post, please tell us in the below Comments section!

The Best Card for Buying Delta Tickets

If you’re serious about accruing enough Medallion® Qualification Dollars (MQD) for Delta status — and doing it as quickly as possible — then the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card or Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card are your best options. (The former is designed for consumer/personal purchases; the latter, as its name suggests, is for business spending.)

Spending $10 in any eligible purchases on a respective card earns you $1 MQD. For example, a $500 Delta airfare purchase earns you $50 MQD for the credit card spending portion. (The actual flight’s MQD are separate and will post after your trip.) If your goal is to get Delta elite status ASAP, then every MQD matters. You might as well pay with a Delta Reserve card until you reach your status goal for the year. (After that, you’d do well with American Express Platinum Card®, American Express® Gold Card, or Chase Sapphire Reserve®. I’ll explain why in a few minutes.)

Both the Delta Reserve and Delta Reserve Business feature:

• MQD Headstart
  • Cardholders receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars (MQD) each Medallion® Qualification Year per card (limit one per card per card product)
• TakeOff 15
  • Cardholders are entitled to a 15% discount when redeeming SkyMiles for eligible award flights.
• Airport Lounge Access
  • Reserve Card Members receive up to 15 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club. A “Visit” is an entry to one or more Delta Sky Clubs or usage of the Delta Sky Club “Grab and Go” feature at one or more airports for a period of up to 24 hours starting upon the first Delta Sky Club entry or Grab and Go usage, during an Eligible Card Member’s travel on a same-day Delta-marketed or Delta-operated flight. A single Visit permits using Delta Sky Club(s) in multiple airports during the 24-hour period. Once all 15 Visits have been used, Eligible Card Members may purchase additional Delta Sky Club Visits (including Grab and Go) at a per-Visit rate of $50 per person using the Card. To earn an unlimited number of Visits each year, the total eligible purchases on the Card must equal $75,000 or more during a calendar year and each calendar year thereafter. Reserve members also receive four guest passes each year to Delta Sky Clubs. This is a nice perk if you’re traveling with people who don’t have Delta Sky Club access through their own Reserve card or the American Express Platinum cards. After that, up to two guests may be brought in for $50 per person. (Rates and Fees for the Delta Reserve. Rates and Fees for the Delta Reserve Business.)
  • Complimentary entry to American Express Centurion Lounges and Escape Lounges – The Centurion® Studio Partner before a same-day Delta Air Lines-operated or -marketed flight. Your flight must be booked with a U.S.-issued American Express card. (Note: effective July 8, 2026, Centurion Lounge access during a layover requires arriving within five hours of your connecting flight, and any guest must be traveling on your same flight.)
• Upgrade Priority for Medallion® Members
  • Holding a Delta Reserve card serves as a tie-breaker for complimentary Medallion® upgrades.
• Complimentary Upgrades for Non-Medallion® Members
  • Non-elites who hold the Delta Reserve card are eligible for complimentary domestic upgrades (US 50) to Delta One, First Class, and Comfort+ — space-providing, after Medallion® members and their companions have been upgraded.
• Companion Certificate
  • Beginning the second year of holding the card, you’ll receive, upon renewal, a Companion Certificate good for a free (except taxes and fees) companion fare in First Class, Premium Select, Comfort+, or Main Cabin on eligible Delta flights to select destinations. It can also now be applied toward the flight portion of a Delta Vacations package. Read our Companion Certificate guide.
• Delta Travel Perks
  • Free first checked bag for you and up to eight others on your itinerary/reservation. (Maximum nine waivers per reservation.)
  • Free second checked bag on domestic Delta-operated flights (cardholder only)
  • 20% statement credit on purchases made aboard Delta Air Lines flights (on premium food, eligible pre-purchased meals, beverages, headsets, etc.)
  • Zone 5 Boarding
  • Pay with Miles eligibility
• Resy Credits
  • Earn up to $240 each year (up to $20 each month) in statement credits for purchases made with U.S. Resy restaurants.
  • This feature is fantastic!
• Rideshare Credits
  • Earn up to $10 in statement credits each month (up to $120 annually) on U.S. rideshare purchases made with Uber, Lyft, Curb, and Alto. Enrollment is required and terms apply.
• Delta Stays Credit
  • Earn up to $200 (Delta Reserve) or $250 (Delta Reserve Business) in annual statement credits on eligible prepaid Delta Stays bookings on delta.com.
• Global Entry/TSA PreCheck Fee Credit
  • Receive a statement credit for your Global Entry application fee every four years or TSA PreCheck application fee every 4.5 years when paying with your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. Enrollment required. Terms apply.
• Hertz President’s Circle Status
  • Receive complimentary Hertz President’s Circle Status. Enrollment required. (Add your Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Account number to your SkyMiles Account associated with your Reserve, then register at delta.com/mypromos/eligible, and “Enroll in Promotion” at delta.com/hertz.)

Plus, you’re eligible for trip interruption, trip delay, trip cancellation, and lost luggage benefits when you pay your entire airfare with your eligible Reserve card. (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.)

Both cards carry annual fees of $650. (Rates and fees for the Delta Reserve Business. Rates and fees for the Delta Reserve Amex.)

Between the $2,500 MQD bonus and MQD earnings for spending, serious Delta flyers really should have either the personal or business Delta Reserve.

• Learn here how to apply for the Delta Reserve Amex
• Learn here how to apply for the Delta Reserve Business Amex

Other Good Options

Both the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card earn $1 MQD for every $20 in spending. (They also feature the $2,500 MQD Headstart, a Companion Certificate, Delta travel perks, and other features.) But the MQD earnings are literally half as good as their Reserve counterparts.

If you don’t need to chase Medallion® status, I like the Amex Platinum Card for Delta purchases because it earns 5X Membership Rewards points for each dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with airlines or through Amex Travel (on up to $500,000 in those purchases each calendar year). The Reserve Cards earn only 3X SkyMiles. So, you actually earn more bonus points through the Amex Platinum Card. I much prefer Membership Rewards points to SkyMiles because I can transfer them to a number of hotel and airline partners.

Another good option: the Chase Sapphire Reserve®* because it earns 4X Chase points on flights booked directly with airlines (and 8X on travel booked through Chase Travel), after you’ve used the card’s $300 annual travel credit. Plus, you can get trip interruption, trip delay, trip cancellation, and lost luggage benefits when paying just a portion of your airfare on the card (reimbursable up to the amount you charged). That’s good for when paying with eCredits, gift cards, etc.

The American Express® Gold Card earns 3X points on flight purchases made directly through airlines or AmexTravel.com. The card’s refresh makes it a tasty product for people who love dining and traveling.

The American Express® Green Card earns 3X points on eligible travel purchases (including flights). All information about the Amex Green Card was collected independently by Eye of the Flyer. It was not provided or reviewed by the card issuer.

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card* earns 3X Chase points on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases each account anniversary year across the categories of travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable and phone services, and advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines.

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express awards 5X points on airfare purchases made directly through Amex Travel (not the airline itself). If you’re OK with that, the Amex Business Platinum is a great choice — especially because of its 35% Pay With Points Rebate you always see me write about.

Final Approach

For serious Delta flyers wanting Medallion® status, it’s worth using a Delta Reserve or Delta Reserve Business for Delta purchases because each card earns $1 MQD for every $10 in eligible spending. Plus, they each have the $2,500 MQD Headstarts.

After that, I really like the Amex Platinum Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve®, with the Amex Gold, Amex Green, and Ink Preferred also solid options.

Do you agree with my opinions or not? Please share your thoughts with us in the Comments section!

For rates and fees of the American Express Platinum Card®, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Green Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, please visit this link.
*All information about this card was collected independently by Eye of the Flyer. It was neither provided by nor reviewed by the card issuer.