| Card Details and Application Link |
|---|
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card  40K miles 40K miles after $2K spend in first 6 months. Terms apply. (Rates & Fees) Click here to learn how to apply No Annual Fee First Year, Then $99 Recent better offer: 70K after $2K spending in first 3 months [Expired 3/30/23] FM Mini Review: Priority boarding, and free checked bag make this a reasonably good option for Delta flyers who do not have elite status. However, those who can make use of an annual companion certificate would do better with the Delta Platinum card. Card Type: Amex Credit Card Earning rate: 2X Delta ⚬ 2x restaurants worldwide ⚬ 2x US supermarkets Big spend bonus: $100 Delta flight credit after $10K in purchases in a calendar year Noteworthy perks: 15% off when using miles to book an award flight (Delta metal only) ⚬ Priority boarding and first checked bag free on Delta flights. Terms and limitations apply. (Rates & Fees) |
Here’s everything you need to know about the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card…
Overview
Application Tips
Should you apply?
Many cards are worth getting for the welcome bonus alone. That’s often the case with this card. Welcome bonuses of 60,000 miles or more are common. If the welcome bonus is lower than that, I recommend waiting. This card is also worth considering if you plan to fly Delta and check bags more than once or twice a year. If so, the card’s free checked bag feature may quickly pay for itself. Here is the current Delta Gold offer:
| Card Details and Application Link |
|---|
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card 40K miles 40K miles after $2K spend in first 6 months. Terms apply. (Rates & Fees) Click here to learn how to apply No Annual Fee First Year, Then $99 Recent better offer: 70K after $2K spending in first 3 months [Expired 3/30/23] FM Mini Review: Priority boarding, and free checked bag make this a reasonably good option for Delta flyers who do not have elite status. However, those who can make use of an annual companion certificate would do better with the Delta Platinum card. Card Type: Amex Credit Card Earning rate: 2X Delta ⚬ 2x restaurants worldwide ⚬ 2x US supermarkets Big spend bonus: $100 Delta flight credit after $10K in purchases in a calendar year Noteworthy perks: 15% off when using miles to book an award flight (Delta metal only) ⚬ Priority boarding and first checked bag free on Delta flights. Terms and limitations apply. (Rates & Fees) |
You may instead (or also) be interested in the Delta Gold Business card:
| Card Offer |
|---|
If you’re a regular Delta flyer you may do even better with a Delta Platinum card. The Delta Platinum cards have a higher annual fee, but they include an annual main-cabin companion ticket that can be valuable, plus they add the ability to earn elite status through spend. See: Delta Platinum complete guide.
| Card Offer |
|---|
If you’re also interested in SkyClub access and other high-end perks, an ultra-premium Delta Reserve card might be the best fit for you. See: Delta Reserve complete guide.
| Card Offer |
|---|
![](http://cdn.nextinsure.com/imaging/opt/0877ce67-755f-4abc-a129-c9b5e47a3a58.jpg?w=300" alt="Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card" />){kind=small}
Are you eligible?
In most cases with Amex, if you’ve had the same card before, you can’t get a welcome bonus when signing up. Consider, though, that each variation of Delta card is considered a different product. Over time, it’s possible for you to earn the welcome bonus on all of the following cards since each one is a separate product:
| Card Offer Mini |
|---|
Here are additional Amex application tips:
Amex Application Tips
Check application status here. |
How to meet minimum spend requirements
Eligible purchases to meet the Threshold Amount do NOT include fees or interest charges, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, purchases of gift cards, person-to-person payments, or purchases of other cash equivalents.That said, many techniques for meeting minimum spend are perfectly fine. Here are some techniques that are safe for meeting Amex minimum spend requirements (click each link for more information):
Perks
Travel Perks
- 15% off award bookings: Cardholders get 15% off the mileage price of an award ticket when the entire itinerary is on Delta or Delta Connection.
- $100 Flight Credit: Spend $10,000 in purchases in a calendar year and receive a $100 Delta Flight Credit. Credit is valid for one year from the date issued. The credit is only valid for payment of tickets, including fare, surcharge and government-imposed taxes and fees imposed on the air transportation. It is not valid for other types of fees (including bag fees, change fees, upgrades or other ancillary purchases or fees with Delta)
- Priority boarding
- First checked bag free.
- 20% Back on In-Flight Purchases
- No foreign transaction fees
Travel Protections
- Baggage Insurance: Up to $500 per person for checked luggage, and up to $1,250 per person for carry-ons. Must pay transportation in full with your card to be covered. Details here.
- Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance: Secondary car rental insurance. Must pay for rental in-full with card. Details here.
Purchase Protections
Earn Miles
There are few ways to earn Delta SkyMiles with this card:
Welcome Bonus
Obviously, if eligible, you can earn miles by successfully signing up for this card and meeting the minimum spend requirements:
| Card Details and Application Link |
|---|
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card 40K miles 40K miles after $2K spend in first 6 months. Terms apply. (Rates & Fees) Click here to learn how to apply No Annual Fee First Year, Then $99 Recent better offer: 70K after $2K spending in first 3 months [Expired 3/30/23] FM Mini Review: Priority boarding, and free checked bag make this a reasonably good option for Delta flyers who do not have elite status. However, those who can make use of an annual companion certificate would do better with the Delta Platinum card. Card Type: Amex Credit Card Earning rate: 2X Delta ⚬ 2x restaurants worldwide ⚬ 2x US supermarkets Big spend bonus: $100 Delta flight credit after $10K in purchases in a calendar year Noteworthy perks: 15% off when using miles to book an award flight (Delta metal only) ⚬ Priority boarding and first checked bag free on Delta flights. Terms and limitations apply. (Rates & Fees) |
You may instead (or also) be interested in the Delta Gold Business card:
| Card Offer |
|---|
Refer Friends
The refer-a-friend offer shown above for the Delta Platinum card was in effect when this post was first written. Offers can and do change over time. Consider this only an example of the type of offer you may find.
By logging into your American Express account, you should be able to find an offer to earn miles when referring friends. It's often the case, but not always, that your friends can get bigger bonuses through your referral link than through a public offer.
Note that your friends can use your referral link to apply for any Delta card. They are not limited to the one that you have. For example, a friend can use your Delta Gold or Delta Platinum friend-link to apply for the Delta Reserve card. Similarly, a Delta Reserve referral link can be used to apply for the Delta Gold or Delta Platinum card. Regardless of which Delta card they apply for, you will earn a referral bonus if they are approved.
Bonus Spend
It’s always possible to earn additional miles by using the card within it’s bonus categories. Note that the consumer and business cards offer slightly different bonuses. The consumer card offers 2X at U.S. Supermarkets whereas the business card offers 2X for U.S. advertising purchases in select media. Both offer 2X for dining and Delta spend:
| Card Info Name and Earning Rate (no offer) |
|---|
Redeem Miles
You don’t need a Delta credit card to redeem Delta miles for award flights, but there are a couple of features that require having a Delta credit card: 15% discount and Pay with miles…
TakeOff 15 (15% Discount on Award Flights)
Delta offers a 15% award discount to members who have a Delta Gold, Delta Platinum, or Delta Reserve card. This discount is called “TakeOff 15.” Discounts do not apply to itineraries that include partner flights, but otherwise they are applied across the board.
We did some research to see whether Delta simply increased award prices for those without credit cards, but found instead that this is a true discount. Award prices relative to cash prices were pretty consistent before and after this feature was introduced and so we concluded that the 15% discount is real. See: No catch -- Delta’s 15% discount is real.
Pay with Miles
Delta's "Pay with Miles" feature is limited to primary cardholders of any Delta card (Blue, Gold, Platinum, or Reserve). This feature lets you pay for cash tickets in part or in full with Delta SkyMiles at a value of 1 cent per mile. You must pay in increments of 5,000 miles. Every 5,000 miles you apply decreases the ticket cost by $50. In other words, each mile is worth exactly 1 penny with this feature.
No miles earned: Flights that are paid for in this way earn full MQMs (Medallion Qualifying Dollars) and MQSs (Medallion Qualifying Segments). However, only the portion paid in cash earns redeemable SkyMiles and MQDs (Medallion Qualifying Dollars). The latter two issues reduce the value of the Pay with Miles feature.
Tip: Unless the full ticket amount is an exact multiple of $50, I recommend stopping short of paying the whole fare with miles since you'll get lower value from the last 5,000 miles. For example, if you want to use this feature and your ticket costs $228, I recommend paying 20,000 miles to decrease the cash cost to $28. Otherwise you would have to pay another 5,000 miles for that last $28 (which is a poor value).
Keep, cancel, or product change?
If you regularly make good use of the card’s free checked bags or the 15% award discount, then the card can be well worth keeping for either or both of these features. If that doesn’t apply to you, then when the second year annual fee comes due you’re probably better off cancelling or upgrading to a Delta Platinum or Reserve card (if you value the perks with those cards). Many other cards offer much better earnings on spend. See: Best cards for everyday spend.
Related Cards
Here’s a full list of Delta branded cards available in the United States:
| Card Name w Details & Review (no offer) |
|---|
Hubs and I both used your link to apply for the Delta Skymiles Gold card and both times got a pop-up stating that we were not eligible for the bonus; neither of us have ever held the card before. Are you seeing this issue across the board?
No, not across the board, but it’s no uncommon either. You might have better luck starting with a clean browser and searching for the Delta Gold card and see if you get a good offer to come up. For some reason that approach sometimes seems to get past the popup
[…] American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles […]
The link for the Delta gold card isn’t working! Please advise!
Thanks for the comment. I will fix that right now.
This link is fixed. Thanks again!
Referral link for Gold card not working…any tips?
Fixed, thanks! The current offer is set to expire today I believe — thanks for commenting.
Today (7/19/19) I got a better offer in the mail–70k miles after $2k spend in 90 days. Waived first year annual fee. It was a targeted mailer from what I could tell. Just passing along the info.
[…] new offers came out for the Gold Delta Skymiles, Platinum Delta SkyMiles, and Delta Reserve consumer credit cards. Today, we’re seeing […]
[…] Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card (personal) […]
[…] #10: Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express […]