Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card review: Earn miles on broad categories with no annual fee the first year

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The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is a great airline card for someone who flies with Delta a few times per year. With benefits such as the first checked bag free and a $200 Delta Flight Credit to use toward future travel, after you spend $10,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year, can easily make the card worth holding onto for years if you’re a consistent Delta flyer.

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card comes with several great benefits for Delta flyers, including:

• First checked bag free on Delta flights for you and up to eight companions
• TakeOff 15: Get 15% off the miles price when you book Delta award flights through Delta.com and the Delta app. This does not apply to partner flights or taxes and fees.
• $200 Delta Flight Credit after you spend $10,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year
• 20% back on eligible in-flight purchases of food and beverages (as a statement credit)
• Priority Boarding on Delta flights
• Up to $100 in Delta Stays credit (as a statement credit) when you book prepaid hotels or vacation rentals through Delta Stays

You can also benefit from travel and shopping coverages, including:

* Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

Earning Delta SkyMiles

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card earns Delta SkyMiles at the following rates:

• 2X miles on Delta purchases made directly with Delta
• 2X miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.
• 2X miles at U.S. supermarkets
• All other eligible purchases earn 1X miles

Redeeming Delta SkyMiles

You can redeem Delta SkyMiles in many different ways, including:

• Award flights with Delta and its partner airlines
• Seat upgrades
• Purchase a Delta SkyClub lounge membership
• Book a Delta vacation package
• Purchase a magazine subscription
• Purchase a Delta gift card

Each of these redemptions may be tempting, but booking an award flight typically provides the highest value. Delta doesn’t have an award chart, so the price varies depending on the day and time you want to travel. However, it’s not uncommon to find domestic economy flights for around 10,000 miles one-way.

As a Delta cardholder, you can also take advantage of the Pay with Miles feature, which allows you to purchase Delta flights with your miles at a rate of one cent per mile (5,000 miles minimum). So when you’re using miles for award travel, be sure you’re getting more value than one cent per mile.

There are no hard and fast rules to redeeming your SkyMiles, but it is in your best interest to use them for the highest value possible. Delta often has flash sales to destinations in the U.S. and around the globe, which can increase the value of your miles.

The card has a $150 annual fee*, but it has an intro $0 fee for the first year. It does not have any foreign transaction fees*.

However, the card has a high variable APR of 20.49% to 29.49%* for purchases. If you want to avoid interest in the first year, consider a credit card with a 0% introductory APR offer.

The late payment and returned payment fees can be up to $40.

*See rates and fees

The Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card is a great card for someone who enjoys flying with Delta. But, is it the best Delta SkyMiles card for you? We analyzed two other Delta SkyMiles cards to see how they match up with one another.

Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card vs. Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card

The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card is a great airline card for Delta flyers who fly a bit more frequently and are interested in earning Delta SkyMiles Medallion status.

With the Delta Platinum card, you’ll earn more miles on Delta purchases and have access to a bigger welcome bonus. On top of that, every year when you renew your card, you will be awarded a companion certificate. This is essentially a buy-one-get-one free round-trip ticket for you and a travel buddy. It’s good for a main cabin ticket on domestic, Caribbean, or Central American round-trip flights to select destinations each year after renewal of your card (taxes and fees apply).

This card also comes with more statement credits than the Delta Gold card. You can receive a statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry, up to $120 in rideshare statement credit* every year (up to $10 per month for U.S. rideshare purchases), up to $120 in Resy statement credit* (up to $10 per month for eligible U.S. Resy restaurant purchases) and up to $150 in Delta Stays statement credit for prepaid hotels and vacation rentals you book through Delta Stays. *Enrollment required

This card also helps you boost your elite status progress with two features. Every Medallion Qualification Year, you’ll receive $2,500 Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs), and you’ll earn one MQD for every $20 in purchases you make with your card.

The benefits are much more robust, but the Delta Platinum card has higher a $350 annual fee (see rates and fees).

Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card vs. Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card

The Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card is a simple airline card with few frills, but it has no annual fee (see rates and fees).

You will earn 2X miles at restaurants worldwide and purchases made directly with Delta. All other purchases will earn 1X miles. The card comes with a modest welcome offer of 10,000 Delta SkyMiles after spending $1,000 in the first six months of card membership.

When deciding between these two cards, it comes down to how much you spend and fly with Delta. The Delta Blue card costs less but it lacks perks such as the 15% award flight discount and free checked bags. If the Gold card’s benefits outweigh the annual fee (see rates and fees) for you, then it’s likely the better pick between the two.

Compare CDs

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is great for someone who flies with Delta semi-regularly. It offers a solid intro bonus and ongoing useful ongoing benefits. However, if you almost exclusively fly Delta, you may prefer a card with luxury features, such as access to airport lounges or elite status boosts.

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*The Companion Ticket requires payment of the government-imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for round-trip domestic flights and no more than $250 for round-trip international flights (both for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.

For rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card, click here.

For rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, click here.

For rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, click here.

For rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, click here.