Gold Delta Skymiles Credit Card Review
Gold Delta Skymiles Credit Card ReviewAmerican Express is the sole provider of Delta co-branded credit cards. They offer four versions of Delta co-branded cards: Blue, Gold, Platinum, and Reserve. Today we are going to review the Gold Delta Skymiles card which is the lower end premium card.
Current Welcome Bonus vs Historical High
The current welcome bonus is:
- 60,000 Delta Skymiles after spending $3,000 within the first 4 months of card membership
$50 statement credit after any Delta purchase- The $95 annual fee is waived for the first year
The best public offer for the card has been 60,000 miles and it comes around often but there has been targeted offers for up to 75,000 Delta Skymiles.
CLICK HERE to compare this card and other airline rewards credit cards.
Bonus Restrictions
Note that American Express currently has a “one bonus, per product, per lifetime” policy. You are only eligible for this bonus if you have not had this card before.
American Express does sometimes have targeted offers with no once per lifetime language. Reports say people are able to get the bonus a second time when using these offers.
Earning Structure
The American Express Gold Delta Skymiles card comes with the following earning structure:
- 2X miles on purchases directly with Delta
- 1X miles on all other purchases
Cardmember Perks
The Gold Delta Skymiles card from American Express comes with the following cardmember perks:
- First checked bag free
- Fee waiver also available for passengers traveling in the same reservation as the Basic Card Member
- Maximum nine waivers per reservation
- Priority boarding
- No foreign transaction fees
- Discounted Delta lounge access ($29 vs $50)
- 20% savings on purchases made in flight
- You can pay with miles (Skymiles redeemed at 1 cent a piece towards your cash flight)
- Access to Amex Offers
CLICK HERE to compare this card and other airline rewards credit cards.
Fees
The Gold Delta Skymiles card comes with a $95 annual fee which IS waived the first year.
Welcome Bonus Value – $375 for 30K offer, $750 for 60K offer
Delta Skymiles are valued at 1.25 cents a piece giving 60,000 miles at a value of $750. Since the annual fee is waived the first year you would get the entire $750 in value.
This calculation does not include the $50 statement credit after making a Delta purchase that you sometimes receive as a part of the offer. Purchasing a gift card from Delta or a $3 can of Pringles on board will trigger the full $50 credit. Paying the taxes on an award redemption should also trigger the credit. Make sure to take that into account for your calculations as well if it is a part of the offer.
Summary
The American Express Delta Gold Skymiles credit card comes with a very lucrative welcome bonus. The waived annual fee the first year increases the value even more.
The Gold Delta Skymiles card does come with a few perks but nothing extraordinary. Priority boarding and free checked bags are probably the two best perks for people without Delta status. Allowing up to 9 people on the cardmember’s reservation to get a free checked bag could lead to massive savings for larger families.
The earning structure is weak, much like the Delta Platinum Skymiles credit card. The Gold Delta Skymiles card doesn’t offer any type of spending bonus like the Platinum version does. It makes putting everyday spend on the card pretty much out of the question.
CLICK HERE to compare this card and other airline rewards credit cards.
Long Term Keep or Cancel
This card is not a long term keeper for most. The one instance where keeping the card makes sense is if you use the free checked baggage perk often. If you have a large family and check bags then this could save you $50 per person, per roundtrip. That adds up quickly with a family or 4, 5, or 6.
Outside of that perk the spending structure and the other card perks don’t offset the annual fee in any meaningful way. You would be better off downgrading to the Delta Skymiles Blue credit card which offers a better earning structure and comes with no annual fee.
Conclusion
The American Express Gold Delta Skymiles credit card offers an above average welcome bonus and a few decent perks while waiving the annual fee the first year. The earning structure is poor and that will limit people from putting everyday spend on this card.
The priority boarding and free checked bag perks are decent. The free bag perk could represent a huge savings for some.
If you are able to use Delta Skymiles then this is a card that everyone should consider. You can test it out for free the first year and then make a decision on if the value outweighs the annual fee going into year two. Delta Skymiles also have no expiration date which limits your risk some. Although there is always a good chance of a devaluation when you are discussing airline miles, especially Delta. These are all things to consider when making your decision.
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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.
I like the card. The discounts on the AMEX login more than saved us the $95 fee for my wife and I.
This card isn’t a long term keeper for me. Don’t cancel the card within the first 12 months though. AMEX has added new terms to there credit card offers. They state “If we in our sole discretion determine that you have engaged in abuse, misuse, or gaming in connection with the welcome bonus offer in any way or that you intend to do so (for example, if you applied for one or more cards to obtain a welcome bonus offer (s) that we did not intend for you; if you cancel or downgrade your account within 12 months after acquiring it; or if you cancel or return purchases you made to meet the Threshold Amount), we may not credit the welcome bonus to, we may freeze the welcome bonus credited to, or we may take away the welcome bonus from your account. We may also cancel this Card account and other Card accounts you may have with us.”