Delta SkyMiles Gold Credit Card Review: Is It Worth It?

There are many credit cards that earn Delta miles to choose from, so how do you decide if the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is right for you? Read this review before you apply.

Is the $150 annual fee ($0 intro annual fee for the first year) worth it? In this Delta credit card review, we'll examine:

• Why We Like the Card
  
• Why You Might Look Elsewhere
  
• How It Compares

Airline Credit Cards

Many airline credit cards let you earn miles.

But besides just earning miles, you want benefits too. Benefits that can save you time and money.

That's where an airline-branded credit card can come in handy.

With the Delta SkyMiles Gold, you can check your first bag free on Delta flights. That is a savings of up to $280 per round trip for a family of four.

Plus, you can settle in sooner with Zone 5 Priority Boarding.

But are these benefits worth the annual fee? Read on. We'll cover the pros and cons of the Delta SkyMiles Gold Credit Card below to help you decide.

Did you know: There are 3 different Delta credit cards. The Gold has an annual fee of $150 ($0 intro annual fee for the first year) , while the Delta Platinum and Delta Reserve credit card have a $350 and $650 annual fee respectively. Unless you are a big spender, we generally recommend you consider the Delta Gold first.

Hot Deal! Earn Bonus Miles Offers

American Express is currently offering a bonus miles promotion. Here is how it works:

The spending threshold is relatively straightforward to meet. And it'll give you a head start to racking up miles. Remember, domestic roundtrip award tickets start at 20,000 miles (plus taxes and fees).

Related: 23 Ways to Help Meet Minimum Spending Requirement

How to Use Miles

When you make a purchase with the Delta SkyMiles Gold card, you earn miles on your account. Earn 2X Miles on Delta purchases, at U.S. Supermarkets and at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.

You can redeem a round trip domestic flight for as little as 20,000 miles (plus taxes and fees).

Besides redeeming miles for award travel, you can redeem miles for upgrades (e.g., upgrading from Main Cabin, aka Economy, to Delta One, First or Business Class).

Airline Partners: Want to go somewhere Delta doesn't take you? You can use your miles to book a flight on a SkyTeam partner and other SkyMiles partners. This include airlines such as:

• Compass
  
• Endeavor Air
  
• ExpressJet
  
• Gojet
  
• Shuttle America
  
• SkyWest
  
• Aeroflot
  
• Aerolineas Argentinas
  
• Aeromexico
  
• AirEuropa
  
• Air France
  
• Air Tahiti Nui
  
• Alaska Airlines
  
• Alitalia
  
• China Airlines
  
• China Eastern
  
• China Southern
  
• Czech Airlines
  
• Garuda Indonesia
  
• GOL
  
• Great Lakes
  
• Hawaiian Airlines (limited to inter-Hawaiian Islands itineraries)
  
• Kenya Airways
  
• KLM Royal Dutch
  
• Korean Air
  
• Middle East Airlines
  
• Saudia
  
• Tarom
  
• Vietnam Airlines
  
• Virgin Atlantic
  
• Virgin Australia
  
• Xiamen

Travel Benefits

© Jimmy Baikovicius (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Flickr

Flyers: The Delta SkyMiles Gold card lets you enjoy a number of perks while traveling with Delta. This is where the real money saving comes in.

• For starters, you'll get to check your first bag for free on Delta flights. This bonus applies for up to 9 travelers on your reservation, which is a significant amount of savings. For a family of 4, that is a potential savings of $280 round trip. Even if you only travel with one other person, the savings on the checked bags will help justify the annual fee.

• When you book a Delta flight with this card, you also automatically receive Zone 5 Priority Boarding for your flight, even if you don't have status with Delta. This can be useful on packed flights, especially with many passengers looking for space for carry-on bags.

• You get a 20% savings on eligible in-flight items when you use this card. This includes beverages, food, and movies/shows/video games accessed via Delta's seatback in-flight entertainment system during your Delta-operated flight. This savings does not apply to other in-flight purchases such as Wi-Fi. You'll receive the savings as a statement credit 6-8 weeks after the transaction is posted to your account.

• And lastly, there are no foreign transaction fees , which is a money saver when you use this card when traveling internationally (most credit cards charge a 3% fee).

Downsides of This Card

There are a few reasons the Delta SkyMiles Gold card may not be the way to go:

• You don't fly Delta: If Delta is not your favorite airline or the flights you take rarely involve the airline (or partners), you're not going to get much out of the perks. The checked baggage benefit is only for Delta flights. You may want a more general travel credit card.

  If you tend to fly American Airlines, take a look at American Airlines credit card instead.

  If you tend to fly United Airlines, take a look at the Chase Sapphire Preferred® credit card instead, which allows you to transfer points (in the form of Chase Ultimate Rewards) to United miles. Read our in-depth review.

• The annual fee: The annual fee is competitive for an airline travel card, but it is an expense you should consider before signing up.

How It Compares

If you are interested in MQMs, here is how the Delta Gold compares with the Delta Platinum:

If you value luxury travel perks:
The Platinum Card from American Express: Does a $695 annual fee scare you? For some travelers, the Platinum Card might be worth considering. Instead of the Delta SkyMiles Gold first checked bag free, you get a $200 airline fee credit to cover up to $200 a year in checked baggage fees and more at one selected qualifying airline. Enrollment required. You also get Global Lounge Collection, which allows you to access 5 airport lounge networks (including Delta Sky Club lounges).

But there's more: Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. Plus, you get complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status (enrollment required).

Here is how the American Express Platinum and Delta Gold look side-by-side:

	Delta SkyMiles Gold	American Express Platinum
Annual Fee	$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150	$695 annual fee
Airline Deal	Earn 50,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $2,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
Bonus Deal		Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
Travel
Airline	Earn 2X Miles on Delta purchases, at U.S. Supermarkets and at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.	Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
Bonus Airline Rewards	$200 Delta Flight Credit: After you spend $10,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can receive a $200 Delta Flight Credit to use toward future travel.
Hotel		Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
Points		1 point for virtually every dollar spent.
Airline Status	Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Receive Zone 5 Priority Boarding on Delta flights; board early, stow your carry-on bag and settle in sooner.	$200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card®. Enrollment required Complimentary access to 5 airport lounge networks including The Centurion® lounge network, The International American Express lounges, Delta Sky Club® lounges, Priority Pass™ Select, and Airspace Lounge. Enrollment required for Priority Pass Select.
Hotel Status		$200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay. Enroll for complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status. Enroll for complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Status.
Airline Transfer Partners		Airline transfer partners include Delta, Hawaiian Airlines, Aeromexico, Air Canada, Air France, Emirates, Cathay Pacific (Asia Miles), Virgin Atlantic, Singapore Airlines, Etihad, Alitalia, All Nippon Airways and more.
Delta SkyMiles Gold: Pricing information including interest rates, benefits and fees was obtained on December 19, 2024 from published websites and is believed to be accurate, but not guaranteed. American Express Platinum: Pricing information including interest rates, benefits and fees was obtained on December 19, 2024 from published websites and is believed to be accurate, but not guaranteed. Disclaimer: The information for the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card and The Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected independently by CreditDonkey. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Do you own a business?:
Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Credit Card: Small business owners may prefer the business version of the Delta SkyMiles Gold. The two cards are similar in terms of annual fee and rewards structure. You still get to check your first bag for free on Delta flights and priority boarding.

If you're looking for a no annual fee option:
Delta SkyMiles Blue has no annual fee .

Which Delta Card is Best for You? Questions to Consider

It's hard choosing the credit card that is right for you. If you're having trouble deciding, here are some questions to ask yourself:

How often do you fly Delta?
If you're a strong fan of Delta, then it's nice to get some perks for your loyalty. You only need to fly with Delta roundtrip just two times a year (or once a year with a companion), and check in a bag, to justify the $150 annual fee on the Delta SkyMiles Gold card. If you fly very often on Delta every year, you may even want to consider the Platinum or Reserve versions of the card.

Do you fly other airlines as well?
If you're not a die-hard fan and usually buy flights based on price, you probably want a card that gives you more flexibility. In this case, look for general travel reward cards that let you transfer points to a variety of airline partners.

AMEX Membership Rewards lets you transfer to Delta and a ton of other airlines. Just keep in mind that by gaining flexibility, you'll lose perks like free checked bag and priority boarding.

How much do you value luxury travel perks?
It's nice to get perks such as free checked bags on Delta flights (those fees add up!) and priority boarding. If you like flying Delta and enjoy these basic perks, you'll like the Delta SkyMiles Gold card. If you want luxury perks, we recommend that you go with the American Express Platinum Card, as it lets you into 5 lounge networks (including Delta Sky Club) along with other perks we cover in our in-depth Platinum review.

How much do you spend on your credit card?
The reward rate isn't high with the Delta SkyMiles Gold card, but the real value is in the free checked bag on Delta flights perk. So you don't need to be a big spender to get value out of using this card. However, if you are a big credit card spender, you may want to look at the Platinum or Reserve versions of this card.

Bottom Line: Is the $150 Annual Fee Worth It?

© Sarah_Ackerman (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr

To recap, here's what to know when considering the Delta SkyMiles Gold:

In our opinion, the Delta SkyMiles Gold is a good credit card for someone who often flies with Delta Air Lines (or partners). The rewards rate with Delta cards isn't too high, but the real money savings come in the travel benefits you receive. For even occasional Delta flyers, getting that first checked bag free on Delta flights is a potential huge money saver. Remember, as with all credit card offers, terms and limitations apply.