It’s currently possible to earn up to 60,000 SkyMiles, or even more if you’re eligible for a small business card with the suite of Delta SkyMiles credit cards.
From the *delta skymiles gold* to the top-tier *delta skymiles reserve*, these aren’t the biggest Delta bonuses we’ve seen, but they can still provide a good opportunity to earn SkyMiles.
Aside from a few recent deals, SkyMiles don’t go nearly as far as they did just a year or so ago – Delta has eliminated many sweet spots to get value from their program, so piling up SkyMiles shouldn’t be a top priority for many travelers.
Still, it could make sense for loyal Delta flyers to add one of these cards to their wallet mainly to get some excellent ongoing benefits: A free checked bag on every Delta flight, an annual companion certificate, and Delta Sky Club access, to name a few. Throwing in 60,000 SkyMiles or more is just a bonus – and those miles will go further with the 15% discount on award tickets you get thanks to Delta’s new TakeOff 15 benefit.
Just remember: Credit cards are serious business. No amount of SkyMiles is worth digging yourself into credit card debt. If you can’t afford to immediately pay off the $2,000-$6,000 you need to spend in the first few months to earn these bonuses, it’s simply not worth it.
Already got a Delta credit card in your wallet? You can apply for a different Delta card and still earn another bonus!
Read on for more details on each of the current Delta credit card offers and everything you need to know to take advantage of them.
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
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- Check your first bag free on every Delta flight – savings of at least $60 on each round-trip flight, per person.
- Priority boarding (even with a basic economy ticket)
- Earn 2x SkyMiles per dollar spent at both restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets
- Earn 2x SkyMiles per dollar on eligible Delta purchases and 1x mile for all other eligible purchases.
- Earn a $100 Delta flight credit towards future travel if you spend $10,000 on the card in a calendar year.
- Get 15% off SkyMiles award tickets with TakeOff 15 when booking on delta.com or through the Fly Delta app
- Get 20% off in-flight purchases such as food & drinks in the form of a statement credit
- No foreign transaction fees
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year (then $99 per year). See rates & fees.
Learn more about the card_name
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
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- Check your first bag free on every Delta flight, savings of at least $60 on each round-trip flight, per person.
- Priority boarding (even with a basic economy ticket)
- Get a domestic main cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon card renewal – one of this card’s best benefits!
- Earn 2x SkyMiles per dollar spent at both restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 3x SkyMiles per dollar spent on eligible Delta purchases, and at hotels.
- Get up to a $100 credit to cover the cost for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck once every four years. You can use this benefit every four years for Global Entry and every 4.5 years with TSA PreCheck®
- Get 15% off SkyMiles award tickets with TakeOff 15 when booking on delta.com or through the Fly Delta app
- Get 20% off in-flight purchases such as food & drinks in the form of a statement credit
- Get into the Delta Sky Club when you’re flying Delta by paying $50 (and bring up to two guests for $50 each)
- No foreign transaction fees
- $250 annual fee. See rates & fees.
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Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
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- Check your first bag free on every Delta flight – savings of at least $60 on each round-trip flight, per person.
- Priority boarding (even with a basic economy ticket)
- Complimentary Delta Sky Club access when you are flying Delta. You’ll also get two, one-time guest passes each year to the Delta Sky Club.
- Complimentary access to the American Express Centurion Lounges when you are flying Delta on a ticket purchased with your Reserve card. You can also bring up to two guests in with you for a fee of $50 each.
- Get a domestic main cabin or first-class round-trip companion certificate each year upon card renewal.
- Earn 3x SkyMiles per dollar spent on Delta purchases.
- Get up to a $100 credit to cover the cost for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck once every four years. You receive this benefit every four years for Global Entry and every 4 1/2 years with TSA PreCheck®
- Complimentary space-available upgrades, even for non-Medallion members: A great way to improve your upgrade chances.
- Get 15% off SkyMiles award tickets with TakeOff 15 when booking on delta.com or through the Fly Delta app
- Enjoy 20% off in-flight purchases such as food & drinks in the form of a statement credit.
- No foreign transaction fees
- $550 annual fee. See rates & fees.
Learn more about the card_name
What About Delta Business Cards?
Got a small business? Even if you don’t know it, you might just be eligible. And you’re in luck: There are a few thousand more SkyMiles on the table with these offers.
Already got the personal version of one of these cards? You could still earn the bonus on one of these small business cards, too.
And don’t forget: These business cards also qualify for the new TakeOff 15 benefit, giving you a 15% discount when redeeming SkyMiles for Delta-operated award flights.
Read more: Are You Eligible to Open a Small Business Credit Card? Everything You Need to Know
Should You Upgrade Your Existing Delta Credit Card?
If you already hold a Delta SkyMiles Gold or Platinum Card, does it make sense to upgrade your card to the next tier? The short answer is … almost always no.
Delta and American Express constantly push cardholders to upgrade. But upgrading your current Delta card is typically not a smart move, as it will make you ineligible to earn the welcome offers these cards have.
With American Express, you can simply apply outright for a new account to earn the huge SkyMiles bonus and then close out an older account after you are approved. That’s because American Express lets you earn a welcome bonus on all of their credit cards once per lifetime.
For example, you can apply for the card_name even if you’ve already got the card_name in your wallet. If you take the upgrade offer, you’d make yourself ineligible for the big SkyMiles welcome offer bonus.
We have seen some compelling upgrade offers in the past, with a combination of some bonus miles with a statement credit to upgrade from the Gold to the Platinum card – or Platinum to Reserve. Still, it’s almost always a much better deal to apply for a new card outright.
Read more: Already Had a Delta SkyMiles Credit Card: Can You Still Get Another Bonus?
Who Are These Offers Right For?
Really, it’s not about the SkyMiles. If earning miles is your goal, there are far better options than opening (and repeatedly swiping) a co-branded Delta card.
That means these offers are really best for Delta fans and frequent flyers that can make the most of the additional travel benefits.
Getting a free checked bag on every Delta flight – a savings of at least $60 on each roundtrip – can go a long way to offset the card’s annual fee. The math works out even better if you’re flying with family or a travel companion, as free bags extend to up to eight other passengers booked on the same reservation.
With the Platinum and Reserve cards, you’ll also get an annual companion ticket. Exactly what you get with that companion ticket depends on which card you’ve got:
- The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card‘s companion certificate is good for one main cabin roundtrip fare in the continental U.S.
- The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card‘s companion ticket can also be used for Comfort Plus and domestic first-class airfare.
With either companion ticket, you essentially get a once-a-year BOGO ticket for flights within the mainland U.S. after your first full year with the Platinum or the Reserve card. The value of the companion ticket on the Delta Platinum Card can be huge, easily offsetting the card’s $250 annual fee.
Read more: How to Maximize the Companion Ticket on Your Delta Platinum Card
With the Delta Reserve card, one of the top-selling points is that it gets you into Delta Sky Clubs when flying Delta. You’ll also get two one-time passes to the Sky Club so that you can also bring along a friend or family member when they’re traveling with you.
Delta Sky Clubs aren’t the only lounge you’ll have access to with the Reserve Card, though. You’ll also get complimentary access to the American Express Centurion Lounges when you are flying Delta on a ticket purchased with your Reserve card. At these lounges, you can also bring up to two guests with you for a fee of $50 each.
Deciding whether the Gold, Platinum, or Reserve Card is right for you can be a tough call. Do the math on the benefits and decide which one makes the most sense for your wallet.
After that, earning a bigger SkyMiles bonus is just a sweetener.
While all airlines raise award rates from time to time, Delta has gone further than any other airline, which means these SkyMiles don’t go nearly as far as they once did. And the airline has taken an unmistakable turn with its loyalty program over the last several months.
Frequent Delta SkyMiles flash sales – with deeply discounted rates to fly to Europe and elsewhere – have largely disappeared. Once-or-twice yearly deals to book Delta One business class to Europe or Asia at reasonable rates have vanished as well. And now you’re likely to find Delta basic economy fares no matter where you’re traveling with SkyMiles as those pesky fares have spread to almost every route worldwide.
Not sure if you are eligible to earn a bonus? See our post on the American Express Apply with Confidence Tool, which will give you the heads up if you’ll be approved for an American Express card with a welcome bonus before the bank actually pulls your credit score.
Bottom Line
If you often fly with Delta, having a SkyMiles credit card gets you a free checked bag and priority boarding on every Delta flight. Those perks alone put these credit cards on many loyal Delta flyers’ radars. Other great perks like Sky Club access and companion certificates are even better.
SkyMiles don’t go nearly as far as they once did, so opening a new credit card just for the sake of earning these miles may not be a wise move. But if you’ve got your eyes on a Delta card, these are the best offers currently available.
Is there a downside for you and your spouse to open up 2 separate accounts for the bonus miles? Other than the annual fee? Or is it not allowed….
It’s most certainly allowed. As long as you can be responsible with the line of credit, there isn’t a downside. Double your mileage 😎
Is there a way to check whether or not you’ve received a bonus in the past? I thought I recall seeing comments on previous posts that if you apply for the card, there is a screen at some point that tells you if you are ineligible. Is that true?
Hey Paul. If you apply and are not eligible to receive the welcome bonus, American Express will give you a pop-up warning before you submit the application and give you a chance to cancel it. If you don’t receive that pop-up, you are good to go!
I’ve heard conflicting reports on if new cardmembers are eligible for the restaurant credits or if it was only for existing folks. Any way to confirm? It’s a slam dunk to apply for the Delta Platinum if that’s the case.
Hey Andre, I’ve heard that as well. It’s possible this might not be available to new card members as you mentioned. I’ll confirm when we know more.
I have the Gold card & my husband is an “additional card holder”. Can he apply for his own card (gold) & still get the bonus?
He absolutely can!
If I already have existing sky miles do those also cancel out July 28, or is this just referring to the new promotional miles? Thanks.
On July 28, the current bonus offers on the credit cards will be ending. Any Skymiles you earn are yours to keep and SkyMiles never expire.
Two questions…. can you transfer a balance from a different card to go towards the $2000 spending requirement and do the balances have to paid off every month?
Hi Janet,
Most cards do allow a balance transfer option. however, the balance transfer will not count towards the minimum spending requirement to earn the welcome bonus points.
The Platinum and Gold card are both offering an introductory 0% APR period for the first 12 months, so for the first year, there will not be a penalty for carrying a balance from month to month. However, after the first year, the APR % is very high, and paying interest on the unpaid debt will likely wipe out any benefit you will get from the miles. We don’t recommend it.
If I have 25,000 miles on my Gold card and end up closing it after I get approved for the platinum card, can I get those miles transferred to the Platinum card plus the 90,000 bonus miles?
As long as the cards are associated with the same SkyMiles number, you won’t need to transfer anything. They will all pool into the same account.
Current platinum member 4/2021. I want to open a platinum business card. Will this make me ineligible for the new limited-time 90,000-SkyMiles bonus or will the business be treated as a separate entity so I can take advantage of this promotion.
Hi Kimberly. You are absolutely eligible for the business version. They are two separate products.
Buyer beware. The Delta Amex Reserve card will charge you $175 per add’l card ANNUALLY. Doesn’t say that anywhere until you read the comprehensive agreement (about four levels deep into the application process).
I just got approved for the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card, even though I currently have the Delta SkyMiles Gold. Choosing to apply anew for 90,000 miles + 10,000 MQM’s over a paltry 15,000 mile upgrade offer on my Delta Gold is a no-brainer. When the annual fee on the Gold comes around again, it’ll be on the chopping block. I will say that the upgrade option is appealing to people who don’t want the hassle of having to cancel one card to get another (if they’ve hit the max of 5 cards), but for me it was well worth my time, and not much of a bother.
I have never held the Gold card, but just got “you are not eligible for this sign up bonus”. That seems weird to me – is there a specific reason that would happen?
The same thing happened to me. I have held the free blue card for many years and after reading this newsletter I went online and applied for a new gold card. I too received the notice that I was not eligible for the upgrade bonus. My only option was to upgrade, receive 20,000 miles and the $95 annual fee would be billed immediately.