The Delta rideshare credit is a benefit of the Platinum- and Reserve-level Delta Air Lines Amex Cards that gives you statement credits when you use select rideshare services.
The credit is advertised as a $120/year rideshare credit, but it is actually a series of (up to) $10 monthly credits. To get the full value of the credit, you’ll need to charge at least $10 of rideshare purchases to your card each month.
Practically, most occasional rideshare users will want to set their Delta card as the default card in their rideshare apps, but there are few tips that I share in this article that help me maximize my use of this credit.
Delta rideshare credit essentials
Generally, earning the Delta rideshare credit is as easy as charging a qualifying rideshare purchase to your card, but there are a few details to note:
You must enroll in the benefit prior to using it. The Delta rideshare credits require enrollment, which can be done on the Amex website or mobile app. Enrollment is only required once per card.
Only “qualifying” rideshare providers count. As of publication, this list included Uber, Lyft, Curb, and Alto, and is subject to change.
Credits reset based on the calendar month. You’ll have from the 1st of the month through the last day of the month to earn your credit. Any unused credits do not roll over—you must use them or lose them.
Which Delta cards offer rideshare credits?
The Delta credit card rideshare credit is available on all variants of the Delta Platinum and Delta Reserve credit cards:
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
All cards offer the same credit amount, $120 per year, meted out as $10 per month.
Credits post within a few days
Although the terms of the rideshare credit benefit state that credits may take up to 8 weeks to post, in practice, I’ve found that my credits have shown up on my account within 2 days. Additionally, the posting date of the credit has always matched the eligible rideshare charge.
Please allow 6 to 8 weeks after an eligible purchase is charged to the enrolled Card Account for statement credit(s) to be posted to the Account. Please call the number on the back of the Card if statement credits have not posted after 8 weeks from the date of purchase.
$120 Rideshare Credit benefit terms
Downsides of using the rideshare credits
There aren’t too many downsides just setting your Delta credit card as your default card to use for rideshare purchases, unless you spend a lot on rideshares each month.
If you’re spending more than about $250 on rideshare purchases during a month, then you’ll do better with a card that earns 5% on rideshare vs the 1 SkyMile per dollar you’ll earn with the personal Delta credit cards.
For most people, that isn’t going to be worth really putting any thought into. Just set your Delta card as the default payment method in your rideshare apps and forget about it.
My experience: How I use the Delta rideshare credits
I hold two Delta credit cards: the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card. Although I don’t use rideshare services every month, when I do, I try to remember to use my card for those rides to capture the value of the rideshare credits.
The Delta cards are the best cards to use for my first and second rideshare rides each month. And then for subsequent rideshares, I’ll use gift cards that I purchased from Office Depot using my Amex Business Gold card.
Typically, I’ll keep both cards as available payment methods in both Uber and Lyft and then I’ll change the payment method to one of the Delta cards on my first and second rideshare rides each month.
Of course, manually changing payment methods is kind of a pain, which is why I value these credits at $0—they don’t factor into my value calculation when I’m figuring out whether to keep my Delta cards.
These benefits might become more useful to in the future as the kids get older—Uber and Lyft both have “teen” accounts, which could be useful for incidental kid transportation in the future, but this is unlikely to change my value calculation on these benefits.
Expert tips: How to get the most out of your Delta rideshare credits
Here are a few tips on getting the most out of your rideshare credits:
- Set it and forget it. For most people, simply setting your Delta credit card as your default card in your rideshare apps and forgetting about will give you the most return on your time. It’s easy to go down a rabbit hole trying to maximize credits like this, but at the end if the day, you’re talking about a maximum of $10 per month.
- Use the credit with a teen account for UberEats. (Might be dead.) Over on Reddit, a few people have figured out that setting your Delta card as your “family payment method” will cause the rideshare credit to be awarded for purchases with Uber Eats. Keep in mind that the terms and conditions explicitly state that Uber Eats purchases do not qualify, so Amex could change this at any time and some sources indicate that this is already dead. (I have not personally tried this.)
- Purchasing Lyft Cash can lock in your credit. Again, Redditers figured out that purchasing Lyft cash has triggered the rideshare credits on Delta cards. The minimum purchase of Lyft cash is $25, so you won’t be getting a free ride, but you can look at this as a 40% discount on your Lyft rides—not bad.
- Change your payment method in Uber to defer charges into future months. Uber lets you change your payment method for one month after your ride. If you’ve used your rideshare credit for the month and you’re taking a trip with Uber, charge your ride to a non-Delta credit card and wait until the next month starts. Then charge your payment method for your previous ride to your Delta credit card and you should get a credit based on the date your new rideshare charge posts.
- Use rideshare creatively. If you’ve got a ridesahre credit that you’re not going to use, there might be ways you can add convenience to your life by using the rideshare. If you’re dropping your car off for service, use your rideshare credit rather than ask someone to give you a ride. Look into an Uber/Lyft teen account to get your kids to activities. Book a cheaper airport hotel without a shuttle, knowing you’ll use your rideshare credit to get to the hotel. There are probably many more creative uses of rideshare that you could take advantage of.
Walkthrough: Using the rideshare benefit
Using the Delta rideshare credit is relatively simple. You simply need to enroll in your card and then set your eligible Delta credit card as the payment method in your preferred ridesharing app. When you make eligible rideshare charges to your card, you’ll receive a credit automatically.
Enrollment required: Enroll in the benefit prior to your ride
The $120 annual rideshare benefit requires enrollment. If you haven’t already enrolled, be sure to enroll before trying to use this benefit Enrollment is a one-time process, but you must enroll for each eligible card you have.
To enroll in the benefit, simply go Amex website and log in to manage your account. Navigate to the Benefits section of the site and look for the benefit panel featuring the $120 rideshare credit. Click on the button to “Enroll Now.” You can also enroll from the Amex mobile app.
Amex states that enrollment may take up to 24 hours to process, so be sure to enroll well before you expect to use your card for ridesharing. There is no downside to enrolling in this benefit, so it’s best to simply enroll now, if you’re a current cardmember or immediately when you receive your card.
Using the credit: Credits post automatically
After enrollment, simply add your eligible Delta credit card as a payment method to an eligible ridesharing app and use it to pay for your Uber, Lyft, or other ridesharing rides. You’ll receive up to a $10 credit automatically if you are enrolled and your charge is an eligible charge.
Multiple cards: Can you use get two ridesharing credits if you have two cards?
If you have multiple Delta credit cards with the ridesharing credit, it is possible to use all of your ridesharing credits, provided you take multiple ridesharing trips and load the cards to your ridesharing apps.
Unfortunately, there’s no good way to automatically use the ridesharing app across multiple credit cards, but here are two tactics you can use to cash in multiple rideshare credits:
- If you use multiple ridesharing apps, you can use a different Delta credit card for each of your ridesharing apps. This method probably simplifies earning multiple ridesharing credits.
- Load all of your Delta credit cards as payment methods to each ridesharing app you use. Make one card your default card, but charge one
YouTube: All about Delta/Amex rideshare credits
Bottom line: Set it and forget it for most
The Delta rideshare credit that you get with the higher-end Delta Amex cards is a set-and-forget benefit for most. Remember to activate your benefit, set your Delta card as you default card in Uber, Lyft, and the other apps if you use them and enjoy the handful of statement credits you’ll get during the year as a small perk of having your card.
