Should you care about Delta SkyMiles award travel?

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If you stick a toe into the world of travel rewards, you’ll quickly learn that there is a lot to learn. There are scores of airline programs, half a dozen major bank programs, and bunch of hotel programs. Even if you’re writing about credit cards and loyalty programs full-time, it’s impossible to pay attention to them all. If you want to make travel rewards useful to you, you should suss out which programs are relevant and warrant your attention, and which you can ignore.

In this series of articles, we’re going to focus on helping you answer two questions for each airline program:

• Is this airline program relevant to you? (Should you care about it?)
• Should you collect points in this airline program directly?

As you evaluate programs and find the one that are relevant to you, you can use our spreadsheet to keep notes. That way, you can build your own reference. Let’s dig into Delta SkyMiles and see if you should pay attention to that program.

Is Delta SkyMiles relevant to you?

The first question you should answer is whether the Delta SkyMiles program is relevant to you. Does the program offer award travel at good rates to the places you want to go? If you live in a Delta hub and always fly on Delta, the answer to this is probably yes. If you live in a market with limited Delta schedule or where Delta flights are frequently more expensive than flights you would book with cash, maybe Delta isn’t relevant.

Perhaps it’s easiest to answer this question by considering the things that Delta SkyMiles is particularly good at.

If the kinds of travel that Delta SkyMiles is useful for matches up with your travel needs, it’s probably a relevant program for you.

Good uses of Delta SkyMiles

Here are the award travel redemptions where Delta SkyMiles shines.

U.S. domestic and international flights on Delta – SkyMiles have relatively predictable value and can be easily used to book travel on Delta. The value varies a bit. You tend to get better value for your SkyMiles when you don’t book to or from a Delta hub and when you book farther in advance. And when you hold a Delta credit card, you get a 15% discount on the miles prices of tickets through Delta’s Take15Off discount.

Speculative bookings on SkyTeam – Through a certain lens, booking a trip with Delta SkyMiles is a better deal than booking with cash. For most airfares, Delta now lets you cancel your reservation and receive what you paid as a travel credit, good for one year after the date you originally booked your ticket. Delta charges no fees for award travel redeposits, so you can cancel any Delta SkyMiles award ticket (other than a basic economy ticket) for no penalty. The upside to canceling a SkyMiles ticket is that you get your cash co-pay refunded and your miles redeposited into your account. Since Delta SkyMiles don’t expire, you don’t have to worry about your travel credit expiring like you would, had you booked a ticket with cash.

Delta flash sales – Delta’s flash sales used to be a common, even monthly, event. Nowadays, these sales are rare, but when they do happen, they can provide opportunities for incredible value. Recently, I was able to score round-trip tickets to Australia on Delta from Minneapolis for 40,000 SkyMiles. Of course, hoarding Delta SkyMiles in the hope that you’ll get some sale in the future is highly speculative.

Short-haul flights on SkyTeam carriers that don’t touch the U.S. – Delta now ties all of its awards to or from North America to the revenue prices of its flights, but partner flights that don’t touch America are priced with a hidden award chart. If you’re hopping between countries on SkyTeam carriers, Delta can sometimes be a good option, particularly in Asia.

Should you collect Delta SkyMiles?

If an airline program provides awards to places you want to go, it might make sense to collect miles in that program. But it might want to simply learn how to use the program and accumulate points elsewhere.

If you can collect enough transferable points in programs that partner with Delta SkyMiles to meet your travel needs, it’s almost always better to do that. You can often earn points faster in transferable programs through credit card welcome bonuses and ongoing spending. And transferable point programs offer much more flexibility than collecting airline miles directly.

Here are the transfer partners of Delta SkyMiles.

Transfer partners

American Express Membership Rewards – You can transfer American Express Membership Rewards to Delta at a rate of 1 Membership Rewards point to 1 SkyMile. Amex charges a fee for the transfer, equivalent to about 60 cents per 1,000 points transferred.

Should you get SkyMiles credit cards?

If you’re decided that Delta Air Lines is relevant to you and you want to collect Delta SkyMiles directly, there are a handful of ways to increase your SkyMiles balance. You can fly the airline, you can engage with the airline’s shopping and hotel partners, you can order a whole lot of Starbucks, or you can get one of Delta’s seven co-branded credit cards.

The fastest way to earn a bunch of SkyMiles to use on your next vacation is by applying for new Delta SkyMiles credit cards with welcome bonuses. Here’s our top advice about Delta SkyMiles credit cards.

Wait for elevated welcome bonuses. If you want to earn Delta SkyMiles by applying for a new credit card, it’s usually best to look at the cards when Delta and American Express run limited-time elevated welcome offers. These increased welcome offers come around frequently. If the cards don’t offer elevated welcome offers, waiting around a few months can mean earning more miles when you do apply for the cards.

Choose the right card for you. The Delta credit cards come with different levels of benefits and different price points. If you’re only an occasional Delta flyer, you probably want the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card for a free checked bag and its relatively low annual fee, a $0 introductory fee in the first year, then $99. (See Rates and Fees; terms apply) If you are certain that you’ll take a trip or two with a companion, look at the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card because you’ll get a companion ticket starting in your second year of card membership when you renew your card. If you fly Delta frequently and want lounge access, look at the $550/year (See Rates and Fees; terms apply) Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. And remember that you can pick up both the business and personal variants of each card.

Delta Air Lines credit cards

Here’s an overview of all of the credit cards offered by Delta Air Lines and American Express. For complete details on all of the cards, including the cards’ earning rates, see our overview of all Delta credit cards.

Delta personal credit cards

Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card

Terms and conditions apply to all benefits.

Not all airlines offer a no annual fee card option, but Delta does. The Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card is Delta’s airline credit card with $0 annual fee. (See Rates and Fees; terms apply) And it’s pretty basic. The only real benefit is that you get a 20% discount on in-flight purchases. The card earns 2 miles per dollar on Delta Air Lines purchases, plus 1 mile per dollar on other eligible purchases and has no foreign transaction fee. (See Rates and Fees; terms apply)

In most cases, you can do better by putting your spending on a 2% cash back credit card.

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card

Terms and conditions apply to all benefits.

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is Delta’s entry-level card. It offers a free first checked bag for you and up to 8 traveling companions on the same itinerary. The card also features 20% back on in-flight purchases and no foreign transaction fees. The Delta Gold card has a $0 introductory fee for the first year, then $99. (See Rates and Fees; terms apply)

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card earns 2 miles per dollar on purchases made directly with Delta, at restaurants worldwide, and at U.S. supermarkets. It earns 1 mile per dollar spent on other eligible purchases.

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card

Terms and conditions apply to all benefits.

The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card is the card you want if you’re pursuing Delta Air Lines Medallion status. You can earn up to 10,000 Medallion Qualifying Miles each year through status boosts when you spend $25,000 on the card in a calendar year. Additionally, the card offers a MQD waiver when you spend $25,000 on the card (or $250,000 for Diamond status.)

The card also comes with a domestic Main Cabin companion certificate and SkyClub access available for $50 per person, per visit. The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card carries an annual fee of $250. (See Rates and Fees; terms apply)

The SkyMiles Platinum card earns 3 miles per dollar on purchases with Delta and at hotels. It also earn 2 miles per dollar for restaurant spending and 2 miles per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets. The card earns 1 mile per dollar on other eligible purchases.

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card

Terms and conditions apply to all benefits.

If you want access to the SkyClub when traveling on Delta, look to the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. The card offers complimentary Delta Sky Club access to the primary cardholder when traveling on Delta, plus two one-time guest passes for companions annually. (*Effective 2/1/25, Reserve Card Members will receive 15 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club; to earn an unlimited number of Visits each year starting on 2/1/25, the total eligible purchases on the Card must equal $75,000 or more between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24, and each calendar year thereafter.) The card carries a $550 annual fee. (See Rates and Fees; terms apply)

The Reserve offers an annual companion certificate that can be used for U.S. domestic flights in first class or main cabin.

The SkyMiles Reserve card earns 3 miles per dollar on purchases with Delta Air Lines, and 1 mile per dollar on other eligible purchases.

Delta business credit cards

Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card

Terms and conditions apply to all benefits.

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card is the business variant of Delta’s entry-level card. The card gets you a first checked bag free for Delta flights booked with you card, plus access to Delta’s Take15Off benefit. The card has a $0 introductory fee for the first year, then $99. (See Rates and Fees)

The card earns 2 miles per dollar on purchases made directly with Delta, at restaurants worldwide, and on U.S. Shipping and U.S. Advertising in select media. The card earns 1 mile per dollar spent on other purchases.

In addition to the checked bag benefit, the card offers a $100 Delta Flight Credit after you spend $10,000 in purchases in a calendar year. The card also features 20% back on in-flight purchases and has no foreign transaction fees.

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card

Terms and conditions apply to all benefits.

If you’re a small business owner pursuing Delta Medallion status, the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card is the card you want. Through December 2023, you can earn up to 20,000 Medallion Qualifying Miles each year through status boosts, plus you can earn a Medallion Qualifying Dollar waiver with spending on the card. (Effective 1/1/24, this benefit will no longer be available, and there will be a new way to earn toward Medallion Status with the Card. Learn more at delta.com/skymilesprogramchanges.) The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card carries an annual fee of $250. (See Rates and Fees)

The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card earns 3 miles per dollar on purchases with Delta and at hotels. It also earn 1.5 miles per dollar on single eligible purchases of $5,000 or more, subject to a 50,000 mile cap per year. The card earns 1 mile per dollar spent on other eligible purchases.

The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card comes loaded with benefits useful if you’re flying Delta frequently. The card offers a domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal, plus access to Delta SkyClubs at a per-visit rate of $50 per person. (Effective 1/1/24, this benefit will no longer be available.) The card offers a first checked bag free benefit and fee credits for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card

Terms and conditions apply to all benefits.

Small business owners desiring SkyClub access should pick up the SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card. The card offers complimentary Delta Sky Club access to the primary cardholder when traveling on Delta, plus two one-time guest passes for companions annually. The card carries a $550 annual fee. (See Rates and Fees)

The SkyMiles Business Reserve card earns 3 miles per dollar on eligible purchases with Delta Air Lines. It is particularly rewarding for large spenders; after you spend $150,000 on your card in a calendar year, you earn 1.5 miles per dollar spent on eligible purchases for the rest of the year. The card earns 1 mile per dollar on other eligible purchases.

The SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card offers an annual companion certificate that can be used for U.S. domestic flights in first class or main cabin.

A few notes on applying for American Express credit cards

• If you have ever gotten a welcome bonus for the same American Express card before, you are usually ineligible for the bonus. Some targeted offers do not have the lifetime language in them, meaning you can get a welcome bonus if you’ve had the card before. Anecdotally, you may be able to get a welcome bonus again on a product that you have not had for seven years.
• Some American Express cards, like the personal Platinum card or the Charles Schwab Platinum card have language that prohibits you from earning a welcome bonus if you’ve ever had a card from the same card family before.
• American Express will inform you during the application process if you are ineligible to earn a welcome bonus.
• You can have a maximum of five American Express credit cards at one time. In addition, you can hold up to 10 American Express charge cards (like the Platinum, Gold, and Green cards.) These limits are known to occasionally be flexible for some cardmembers, some of the time.
• American Express offers some customers targeted offers. See our post on how to get the best welcome offers from American Express and try those methods before applying for an American Express card. You might be able to get an elevated welcome bonus.
• You can check the status of your American Express card application online through the Amex website.

Rates and fees for Delta Air Lines credit cards

• For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees; terms apply
• For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees; terms apply
• For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees; terms apply
• For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees; terms apply
• For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees
• For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees
• For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees

Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.