The most recently limited-time welcome offers on the Delta cards ended on April 1st.
But since then, Delta has launched their “as high as” offers on the personal cards, meaning that they advertise a high number, but the number they offer you during the application process may be lower. If you get offered the advertised number, this can be a decent deal (though not as good as the recent limited-time offers) but we’re no fans of this practice.
Here are the best public offers on Delta Air Lines credit cards:
Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card
Earn 10,000 bonus miles after you make $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
This bonus is earned as Delta SkyMiles®.
Annual fee: $0
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
AS HIGH AS 80,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
This bonus is earned as Delta SkyMiles.
This offer is the best offer we can link to directly, but you might find a better offer when making a booking at Delta.com.
Annual fee: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150.
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
AS HIGH AS 90,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
This bonus is earned as Delta SkyMiles®.
Annual fee: $350
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
AS HIGH AS 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
This bonus is earned as Delta SkyMiles®.
Annual fee: $650
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card
Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
This bonus is earned as Delta SkyMiles®.
Annual fee: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150.
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card
Earn 70,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
This bonus is earned as Delta SkyMiles®.
Annual fee: $350
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
Earn 80,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $12,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
This bonus is earned as Delta SkyMiles®.
Annual fee: $650
My take: I hate the “as high as” offers
Aaron Hurd
Executive Editor of Cards and Points
Okay, let’s start with the good… the “as high as” offers are larger numbers than the previous business-as-usual offers. And if you can get these offers, great. Objectively you’re better off than you would be if you went for one of the previous “regular” offers.
But I don’t like this practice at all. I’ll be blunt about my opinion here: This is bad for consumers and should be regulated away.
First, I think that this practice is dishonest. Sure, Amex and Delta put “AS HIGH AS” in the marketing text, but they likely know that people will click through to sign up for a credit card thinking that they’re going to get offered that number. And they’re hoping that some number of people will accept a lesser offer. That’s a classic bait and switch.
But this also makes it more difficult to make informed decisions about which financial products you’re using. If you’re only given the information about costs at the last minute, you’re less able to weigh the value of these offers against the alternatives.
It’s certainly fair for Amex to want to avoid people who habitually sign up for credit cards, get the bonus, cancel, and then reapply a few months later to get another bonus. But the language in the terms and conditions that says you won’t earn a bonus if you’ve ever had the card before solves for this.
Of course, I’ll continue to cover Delta offers because they’re of interest to my audience, but these offers aren’t likely to end up on my list of the best credit card offers because, frankly, I don’t feel good about promoting a welcome bonus when Amex only gives the advertised amount of points to some people some of the time.
Are you eligible to earn a Delta SkyMiles credit card bonus?
When it comes to the SkyMiles credit cards, the personal and business credit cards have different bonus eligibility rules.
On the personal side, you are ineligible for the bonus if you’ve ever had the same card or a higher-tier personal Delta credit card before. For example, if you’ve held the Delta Gold card before, you wouldn’t be eligible for a bonus on the personal Blue or Gold cards, but you may be eligible for a bonus on the personal Delta Platinum and Delta Reserve cards.
Here’s what the terms on the personal cards say:
You may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer if you have or have had this Card, the Delta SkyMiles® Options Credit Card, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card or previous versions of these Cards. You also may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer based on various factors, such as your history with credit card balance transfers, your history as an American Express Card Member, the number of credit cards that you have opened and closed and other factors. If you are not eligible for a welcome offer, we will notify you prior to processing your application so you have the option to withdraw your application.
Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card offer terms
On the business side, only your current or previous card membership with the exact same product impacts your bonus eligibility. For example, if you previously had only the Delta Business Platinum card, you could get a bonus on either the Delta Business Gold card or the Delta Business Reserve card.
Here are the terms that you’ll find with the offers on the business cards.
You may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer if you have or have had this Card or previous versions of this Card. You also may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer based on various factors, such as your history with credit card balance transfers, your history as an American Express Card Member, the number of credit cards that you have opened and closed and other factors. If you are not eligible for a welcome offer, we will notify you prior to processing your application so you have the option to withdraw your application.
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card offer terms
Both the business and personal cards include terms that essentially say that Amex can also exclude you from earning a bonus for any reason if it wants you, but Amex will tell you during your application if you’re ineligible for the bonus.
That said, even if you’re unsure if you’re eligible for a bonus, there’s little harm in starting your application. If you’re not eligible for a bonus, you’ll be able to withdraw your application with no impact to your credit.
Finally, anecdotally, Amex seems to “forget” that you’ve had a card after about 7 years, so you might be eligible even if you’ve had a Delta credit card in the distant past.
More on the Delta credit cards
If you’re a frequent Delta flyer, it probably makes sense to hold at least one Delta credit card, but which one is right for you will depend on your situation. Check out our article comparing all of the Delta credit cards for more to find the best card to keep long-term.
