Is The Delta Amex Worth It

Best Delta Business Credit Cards

You need at least 6,500 Delta miles for a free one-way flight and 9,000 miles for a free round-trip flight on Delta. The exact miles you need for a free Delta flight depend on where you want to go and when. Those minimums apply to flights from Los Angeles to Las Vegas booked months in advance. Delta stopped disclosing its Award Miles Chart, so there are no published minimums and maximums for various routes.

Examples of How Many Delta Miles Are Needed for Free Flights:

• One-way flight from Los Angeles to Las Vegas: 6,500+ award miles
• One-way flight from New York City to Chicago: 7,000+ award miles
• One-way flight from Los Angeles to New York City: 8,000+ award miles.
• One-way flight from New York City to Seattle: 8,500+ award miles
• One-way flight from Miami to Boston: 10,500+ award miles

To get a free flight for the fewest number of Delta miles, you’ll want to book the flight far in advance, and be open to different dates. In many cases, you could pay at least 10,000 miles less for a flight if you’re flexible on your departure date.

There are several good Delta credit card deals available right now. The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card are both offering big bonus miles deals. The Amex Delta Platinum card offers 90,000 miles and 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months .

Compare Delta Skymiles Credit Cards: Rewards

When comparing the three Delta SkyMiles cards, one of the greatest distinguishing factors is the rewards. It’s not surprising that as the cards increase in annual fee, they also offer more significant rewards.

• For example, The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card offers basic rewards on varied spending categories plus some general travel perks, like a free checked bag and priority boarding on Delta.
• The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card tops that with even more rewards on the same spending categories plus the added travel perks of a companion certificate and TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit.
• The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card actually offers the lowest amount of rewards points in varied spending categories but includes and improves on the travel perks of the other two cards, even adding specialty lounge access to its list of benefits.

Here is a breakdown of each cards rewards per spending category:

Review: Is The Delta Skymiles Gold American Express Card The Best Credit Card For You

If you travel on Delta, even occasionally, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is worth considering. Along with a welcome bonus of 70,000 bonus miles after spending $2,000 in purchases in the first 3 months from account opening , cardholders receive perks that can save money and time when they fly Delta including a free first checked bag,;priority boarding, and a 20% discount on inflight purchases.

Read more: The best Delta credit cards

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card has an annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $99 , but it’s worth it even if you only use the benefits a few times a year. The card also earns 2x miles at restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and on Delta purchases, and 1 mile per dollar on everything else and Delta miles never expire.

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The card also comes with shopping protections like extended warranty and purchase protection, and big spenders can more than make up for the annual fee with another perk a $100 Delta flight credit after spending $10,000 on the card in a calendar year.;

Bottom line:;Travelers who want to earn Delta SkyMiles and can use benefits like a free first checked bag and priority boarding on Delta flights should consider the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card. With a moderate annual fee and a solid welcome bonus, it’s worth it even if you only fly the airline occasionally.;

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Delta Skymiles Platinum American Express Card Vs Delta Skymiles Reserve American Express Card

The Platinum version of the Delta SkyMiles card isnt quite as premium as the Delta Reserve Credit Card, but its certainly a step-up from its other siblings.

The Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card is for those who prefer visiting Sky Clubs on their many trips with Delta Air Lines. The card offers Delta Sky Club access to passengers looking for a more comfortable airport experience.

With a $550 annual fee , the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card isnt cheap, but its about what youd pay for a comparable Sky Club membership alone. With the credit card, you also get the additional perks including checked bags and a Companion Certificate each year you renew your card good for eligible flights .

Earn Mqms With The Status Boost Perk

If youre looking to earn some extra MQMs, the Delta Platinum Amexs Status Boost perk can help. Typically, Status Boost allows you to earn 10,000 bonus MQMs after spending $25,000 in a calendar year and another 10,000 MQMs after spending $50,000 in the same year. If you acquire both of these bonuses, youll typically be just 5,000 MQMs short of Silver Medallion status.

However, the Status Boost perk is 25% more lucrative in 2021. Instead of earning 10,000 MQMs at each of these two thresholds, youll earn 12,500 MQMs. So, you can earn a total of 25,000 MQMs after making $50,000 of eligible purchases on your Delta Platinum Amex in 2021. As such, you can snag Silver Medallion status in 2021 without taking a single flight if you spend $50,000 on your card this year. However, this offer ends on Dec. 31.

The other primary benefit offered by the Delta Platinum Amex is an annual companion certificate.

Youll receive this perk each year after your account renewal. The Delta companion certificate is valid for round-trip, main cabin domestic travel booked in fare classes L, U, T, X or V. All youll need to pay for the companion ticket is taxes and fees. If you use this certificate for expensive flights, you can easily cover most of the cards annual fee.

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$100 Delta Flight Credit

Each and every year you hold the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, youll receive a $100 flight credit after you spend $10,000 throughout the year. This credit can be applied towards any Delta flight.

The annual fee on the Delta Gold card is $0 for the first year, and then only $99 each year after that , so you can offset the cost of holding the card with this benefit alone. As long as you can spend $10,000 on the card in a calendar year, this is an easy way to save on Delta flights.

The $100 certificate is good for a full 12 months after you earn it.

Best Delta Credit Cards For 2021

CNN Underscored reviews financial products such as credit cards and bank accounts based on their overall value, but does not review all financial companies or all available financial offers. We may receive compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as , and this compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

Delta Air Lines has been a popular choice for travelers in recent years. The carrier has been widely revered for its best-in-class seatback entertainment screens , ample power ports on most jets and Wi-Fi on the majority of its flights.

So if you’re a longtime Delta loyalist or you’re considering flying the airline more often as travel returns, it’s worth understanding which Delta credit cards will serve you best as you fly, especially since there are seven Delta credit cards available. Even better, for a limited time through Nov. 10, 2021, many of these cards have record-high welcome bonuses. Here’s our list of the best Delta credit cards of 2021.

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Please Note: The Offers Mentioned Below Are Subject To Change At Any Time And May Not Be Available

If youre looking for the best benefits a credit card can provide to travelers who frequently fly Delta, you may assume the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card will be best, since it is the premier cobranded Delta consumer card. However, some readers and TPG staff believe The Platinum Card® from American Express is the best card for Delta flyers. Today well dive in to see which of these two cards is the best card for you.

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Here’s What You Should Know About The Amex Delta Platinum Mqm Offer:

• In addition to the Amex Delta Platinum90,000 miles and 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months , you can earn: 10,000 MQMs for spending $25,000 in a year and another 10,000 for spending $50,000. You’ll also get an extra 2,500 MQMs for reaching each spending threshold in 2021.
• You can also earn MQMs by flying Delta.
• MQSs are Medallion Qualifying Segments. They reward you for flying frequently rather than for flying far.
• MQDs are Medallion Qualifying Dollars. Medallion Qualifying Dollars are what you spend on Delta flights, aside from taxes.
• You need 25,000 MQMs or 30 MQSs and $3,000 MQDs to reach the lowest Medallion status, Silver.
• You can get the MQD requirement waived by spending $25,000 with your Amex Delta Platinum in a calendar year. This waiver does not include Diamond Medallion Status, for which the spending threshold is $250,000.
• You earn Medallion status for the upcoming year, and your MQMs reset to zero at the end of each year.
• Any MQMs between tiers that you have earned at the end of the year will roll over into the next year and count towards earning Medallion Status in the subsequent year. Moreover, all MQMs earned in 2021 will count towards 2022 Medallion status.

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How To Earn Delta Air Lines Skymiles

There are several ways to earn Delta SkyMiles. This includes flying with Delta Air Lines or its partners, using the Delta SkyMiles shopping portal or the Delta SkyMiles dining program, and even taking Lyft rides. You can also earn a good chunk of Delta miles by using co-branded credit cards, which well dive into below.

Critical Travel Insurance Benefits For International Trips

Cancellation Benefits

Every comprehensive travel insurance policy will cover cancellation of a trip because of issues that were completely unexpected. Things like death, serious illness, jury duty etc.

The next level of cover included in the insurance rate that we are offered will add Cancel for Work Reasons protection. The best policies support us if we get made redundant after only a year of service with an employer. The worst need us to have been an employee for three continuous years. Additional protection on the best plans will also help us if our employer cancels our vacation. Many weaker trip insurance plans have no such work vacation cancellation protection, so beware.

Finally, for those of us who have truly chaotic lives, it is great to be able to Cancel for Any Reason at all and get a refund. There are very few of these policies available, but we ensure that they are made available to our customers. We really like the additional benefit that they bring to a customer.

Travel Medical Insurance

So, how much travel medical insurance cover would we recommend?

At least $100k. Now, granted, that may seem a lot, but serious accidents or illnesses requiring specialist health care when overseas gets very expensive. Daily rates of $3k to $4k are not uncommon. So, $100k of Travel Medical Insurance is where we would begin to feel comfortable. There is no logic whatsoever in saving a few dollars and taking less cover.

Emergency Medical Evacuation / Emergency Evacuation

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Delta Reserve Amex Bonus: 80k Miles + 20k Mqms

Through November 10, 2021, the Delta Reserve Card is;offering a limited time welcome bonus;of 80,000 SkyMiles plus 20,000 Medallion Qualifying Miles after spending $5,000 within the first three months. This is among the best bonuses weve seen on the card, especially as far as the elite status booster goes.

Card Eligibility

The welcome bonus on the card is once in a lifetime, so its not available to you if you currently have the card, or if youve had the card in the past. However, you can get each version of the Delta Amex, so you are eligible for the Reserve if youve only had the Gold or Platinum before, or if youve had any of the business versions of the cards.

Is The Card For You

The;Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card delivers some useful benefits for a regular Delta flyer. If make use of the companion ticket perk, you can break even with the cards annual fee. But if youre seeking greater flexibility with your earnings, or you want even more elite perks, consider a different card.

To view rates and fees for Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, please click here.

To view rates and fees for American Express® Gold Card, please visitthis page.;

To view rates and fees for Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, please click here.

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Delta Platinum Amex Bonus: 90000 Skymiles + 10000 Mqms

Through November 10, 2021, the Platinum Delta SkyMiles Card is;offering a limited time welcome bonus;of 90,000 SkyMiles plus 10,000 Medallion Qualifying Miles after spending $3,000 within the first three months.

Thats a huge bonus, and those 90,000 SkyMiles can be redeemed for a minimum of $900 worth of airfare on Delta, which is a huge bonus. On top of that, the 10,000 bonus MQMs can get you closer to status.

Card Eligibility

The welcome bonus on the card is once in a lifetime, so its not available to you if you currently have the card, or if youve had the card in the past. However, note that you can get each flavor of the Delta Amex card, so you are eligible for this card if youve had the Gold or Reserve, or if youve had any of the business versions of the card.

You can read more about Amexs general application restrictions here.

Best Delta Companion Certificate: Delta Skymiles Reserve Amex

If youre a Delta fanatic and want to maximize your Delta experience, youll ideally want a credit card that adds a layer of luxury to your trip by granting Delta Sky Club lounge access, as well as enhancing the journey in other ways. With a $550 annual fee , the Delta Reserve Amex packs an impressive set of Delta-focused perks.

The Delta Reserve Amex currently comes with a limited time 80,000 bonus miles and 20,000 Medallion Qualification Miles after you spend $5,000 in purchases on the card in the first three months after you op en the account. This makes the bonus miles worth $880 in travel according to The Points Guy, in addition to thebonus MQMs, if youre aiming for Delta elite status.

After your first renewal of the card, youll gain access to a lucrative annual companion certificate. This is essentially a buy-one-get-one for any domestic first class, Comfort+ or Main Cabin ticket to anywhere in the lower 48 US states. If you use this benefit on what would otherwise be an expensive round-trip ticket, you can get enough value from this perk alone to make the annual cost of the card worth it.

But the top reason to hold the Delta Reserve Amex is lounge access. This credit card includes an Individual membership to Deltas global network of Sky Club lounge locations, which serve as an oasis with food, seating, fast Wi-Fi and cleaner restrooms than what youll find in the general terminal area.

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Who Is This Card For

As with any travel credit card, the main question you need to ask yourself is: Will I get more value from the cards benefits than the cost of its annual fee?

In terms of the Delta Gold Amex, specifically, youll want to ensure that you are maximizing perks such as free checked bags and inflight purchase discounts to add up to $99 or more in value each year. Even if you only fly the airline a few times a year, that shouldnt be hard to do, though.

Assuming you typically fly coach and dont have Medallion elite status with the airline, Delta charges $30 for the first checked bag on domestic flights each way. If you take two round-trips per year, your work is done. However, this cards checked bag benefit extends to as many as eight companions on your reservation. So, this perk works well whether you travel solo, travel as a couple or travel with your extended family.

Even if you always travel with only a carry-on, you may still benefit from having the Delta Gold Amexs priority boarding perk so you can secure some overhead space for your bag. That holds true when traveling on a basic economy ticket, too.

That said, if you tend to travel alone or with a partner and already have Delta Medallion elite status that provides your first checked bag free and priority boarding, you likely wont get much from the Delta Gold Amex. Otherwise, if you want Delta Sky Club access or need a slight elite status boost, you should probably focus on one of the higher-end Delta cards instead.