Delta Amex Cards
Amex offers a lot, and that’s generally a good thing. Where should an individual take that first bite of the Delta, Hilton, or Marriott elephant? I’m talking about that first challenge today, given that I currently see six elevated welcome offers on Delta Amex cards. My wife and I have sworn off Delta Amex cards for the foreseeable future. But those wanting to pick up easy SkyMiles – from frequent flyers to the merely Delta-curious – should probably focus on just a couple options. Today, I’m getting into those two and why.
Two Delta Amex Cards to Consider
Let’s first recap the currently-elevated welcome offers from these two Delta Amex cards. You can see the rundown of all six bonuses in DDG’s article.
Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Amex
- Earn 90k bonus miles after spending $6k on the card in the first 6 months.
- The $150 annual fee is waived the first year.
- This limited time offer ends 2 Apr 2025.
Delta SkyMiles Gold Amex
- Earn 80k bonus miles after spending $3k on the card in your first 6 months.
- The $150 annual fee is waived the first year.
- This limited time offer ends 2 Apr 2025.
My Take on These Two Delta Amex Cards
In my view, the two Gold versions of Delta Amex cards offer the best balance of bonus SkyMiles and simplicity. Let’s start with the business card. If I ever jump back into Delta Amex cards, it would probably be for this one. Indeed, picking up 50% more bonus SkyMiles via this welcome offer is appealing to many. Doing so without any first year annual fee makes it even sweeter. Those who care about Chase’s 5/24 rule (my wife and I don’t) avoid another card putting off those pursuits. Individuals who choose this card pick up a few user-friendly benefits, as well.
The Delta Gold Business Amex unlocks the TakeOff 15 benefit, automatically lowering award rates by 15%. Cardholders also get priority boarding and their first checked bag free. For those okay taking on a bit more complexity, the card comes with a $150 Delta Stays credit; also, a $200 Delta credit comes after $10k calendar year spend. But, in my opinion, this current welcome offer can easily justify pursuing this card without leveraging those last two benefits.
Otherwise, the Delta Gold’s definitely worth considering if one isn’t able or willing to pick up the business version. The personal card’s welcome offer is 10k less, but those 80k bonus SkyMiles require only half the spend compared to the business version. These cardholders similarly pick up the TakeOff 15 and baggage benefits as well as the same $10k big spend bonus. The annual Delta Stays credit comes in a bit less at $100. Still, that may not matter to many cardholders who don’t have plans for that benefit, anyway.
I don’t particularly value Delta Amex card spend categories, as hobbyists can easily do better in most all of them elsewhere. Likewise, be careful opting into such activity to hit the $10k big spend bonuses on either card. But, if it’s your thing, you can consider the everyday earn structure for the Gold Business and Gold cards.
What About Everything Else?
The consumer and business versions of the Delta Platinum and Reserve cards offer a plethora of additional benefits, mostly involving more time, effort, and commitment to Delta loyalty. The elevated offers on these cards are minimal, offering an additional 10k per level requiring more spend at less efficient earn rates. And, perhaps most importantly, prospective cardholders would be substantially paying for benefits of questionable value while earning negligibly-more miles.
New cardholders of either Platinum flavor pay $350 annually, and those taking the Reserve plunge are out $650. Unlike the Gold card versions, none of these elevated offers waive the first-year annual fee.
For those playing the points and miles game in two-player mode, a referral bonus can help make up some of those fees. But one can’t ignore that those same bonuses can be earned on the waived first-year annual fee offers on the Gold cards.
Conclusion
Of course, many have reasons to pursue the more premium Delta Amex cards. But plenty can do perfectly fine with the elevated offers on the Delta Gold cards and be done. While my wife and I aren’t planning to pursue either any time soon, I encourage Delta flyers to consider these Gold cards, especially those playing the game with someone else. Have you picked up any of the Delta Amex cards due to these elevated welcome offers? If so, which, and what drove your selection?
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Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
