Delta Gold Card Review 2023

Our experts answer readers' credit card questions and write unbiased product reviews (here's how we assess credit cards). In some cases, we receive a commission from our partners; however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card gets you perks that can save you money and time when you fly Delta — including a free first checked bag, priority boarding, and a 20% discount on inflight purchases. It's these perks and a modest annual fee that put it on our list of the best airline credit cards as the top card for Delta flyers.

Delta Gold Card Review: Is It the Best Credit Card for You?

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is currently offering a welcome bonus of Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card.

What's more, the card includes a benefit called TakeOff 15, which gives cardholders a 15% discount on award travel booked on Delta flights. That can translate into significant savings if you're someone who redeems Delta miles frequently.

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card has an annual fee of Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, 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.

In addition, the card also comes with shopping benefits 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. 

This isn't the only Delta credit card issued by Amex — there are seven in total, ranging from the no-annual-fee Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card to the premium Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card which comes with Delta Sky Club lounge access and a Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card annual fee. But for the average Delta flyer, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card offers the best balance between travel benefits and a moderate annual fee.

That said, if you want the ability to earn Delta miles but don't want to be locked into a single program, you should also consider cards that earn Amex points, like the American Express® Gold Card or The Platinum Card® from American Express . Delta is an American Express Membership Rewards transfer partner, along with over a dozen other airline and hotel programs — so you'll have the flexibility to use your points for lots of other redemptions.

See our picks for the best credit cards »

We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Delta Gold Card Rewards

Amex Delta Gold Card welcome bonus offer

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is currently offering Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card. That's worth about Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card - Featured Reward Value in travel, based on Insider's points and miles valuations.

How to earn miles with the Delta Gold Card

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card has a straightforward earning structure. Cardholders earn:

• 2 miles per dollar on purchases made directly with Delta (including airfare, upgrades, miles, seat selection, Delta Sky Club membership, and inflight purchases of food, alcoholic beverages, and audio headsets on Delta-operated flights)
• 2 miles per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (excluding superstores and warehouse clubs)
• 2 miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide (excluding bars, nightclubs, cafeterias, and convenience stores)
• 1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases

How to use miles from the Delta Gold Card

Based on Insider's points and miles valuations, Delta SkyMiles are worth 1.1 cents each, on average, so if you're getting that rate or better when you compare the cost of your award flight to that of a paid ticket, you're getting a good deal.

You can redeem Delta miles for flights on Delta and its SkyTeam alliance and non-alliance partners, including Air France, KLM, and Virgin Atlantic. Delta no longer publishes an award chart, so the number of points required for an award ticket varies depending on demand, paid ticket price, and season. 

The airline occasionally offers flash sales with award tickets priced as low as 2,000 miles one-way for domestic flights and as little as 9,000 miles for international routes. Delta SkyMiles deals aren't usually announced in advance, so it's worth checking frequently to see if the route or destination you want is on sale.

One perk offered to all Amex Delta cardholders is the ability to use miles to offset the cost of a paid ticket. The Delta Pay With Miles program allows members to redeem at a rate of 1 cent per mile in 5,000-mile increments, so 5,000 miles is worth $50 off the cost of a paid ticket. This is handy if you don't have enough miles for an award or want to stretch your miles by combining them with cash.

If you don't want to redeem SkyMiles for flights, there are other options, but you'll typically get a relatively poor value:

• Seat selection and upgrades
• Delta Sky Club lounge memberships
• Certain Delta fees (like ticket changes and award ticket redeposit fees)
• Gift cards
• Magazines
• Tour vouchers
• Charity donations
• Delta Vacations packages
• Premium drinks in Delta Sky Club lounges
• Delta SkyMiles Experiences 

Because Delta miles don't expire, there's no pressure to redeem them if you're not ready to travel yet.

Delta Gold Card Benefits and Features

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card offers a wide variety of benefits when you fly Delta or use the card for travel and shopping.

Free first checked bag

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card members and up to eight companions on the same reservation receive a free first checked bag. Because Delta normally charges $30 each way for the first checked bag, this perk can be worth much more than the annual fee even if you only fly Delta a couple of times a year.

Families, in particular, can get a huge value — four people with a checked bag each on a round-trip itinerary would normally incur fees of $240 for their luggage.

Priority boarding

Cardholders and up to eight companions on the same reservation receive Main Cabin 1 priority boarding on Delta flights — even when flying Basic Economy — which means you'll have more time to get settled into your seat and find room in the overhead bins for your carry-on bag.

The Main Cabin 1 group boards after passengers flying in premium cabins and most elite members, but before other economy class travelers or those flying in basic economy.  

TakeOff 15 discount

The card's new TakeOff 15 benefit is cleverly named as it's suggestive of what it entails. Primary cardholders receive a 15% discount on Delta award flight prices as long as their card is linked to their SkyMiles account.

This amounts to nice little savings for folks who use Delta miles, but there are some restrictions — most notably, authorized users aren't eligible for the benefit, and the discount only applies to Delta and Delta Connection-operated flights, not partners.

$100 Delta flight credit

If you spend $10,000 or more on eligible purchases in a calendar year on your Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, you'll receive a $100 Delta flight credit. This credit is valid toward Delta flight purchases or the flight portion of a Delta Vacations package, but you can't use it for ancillary fees like checked bags or change fees.

20% back on inflight purchases

When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card to pay for inflight purchases like drinks, food, or audio headsets on Delta flights, you'll receive 20% back in the form of a statement credit.

Car rental insurance

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card offers secondary car rental insurance when you use the card to pay for your rental in full and decline the rental company's collision damage waiver. Coverage is for theft or damage only (not liability) and some rentals, vehicle types, and countries are excluded, so be sure to read the terms.

Purchase protection

When you pay for an eligible item with your Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, you can be covered for loss or damage up to 90 days from the date of purchase, up to a maximum of $1,000 per occurrence, and $50,000 per year.

Extended warranty

Cardholders can also get an extended warranty on eligible items when they use their Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card to pay — up to one additional year added to eligible US manufacturer's warranties of five years or less.

Baggage insurance

Using a credit card with travel insurance can save the day when things go sideways. When you pay for a covered trip with your Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, you can be covered for baggage loss or damage, up to $500 per person for checked bags and $1,250 per person for carry-on luggage. There are exclusions for high-risk items and some states have different limits, so check the terms and conditions for specific details.

Global Assist Hotline

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card comes with a little-known perk that can be a lifesaver if you have an emergency while you're away from home. Cardholders get access to Amex's Global Assist Hotline, which can help arrange things like passport replacement, medical referrals, and translation services. The service itself is complimentary, but you're responsible for any third-party costs.

Amex Offers

Like other American Express cards, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card includes targeted discounts and bonus rewards at participating merchants through Amex Offers**. This can be a great way to save money on purchases you'd make anyway.

Delta Gold Card Annual Fee and Other Costs

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card annual fee is Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, and there are no foreign transaction fees to worry about, so it's a good card to use for international purchases. Keep in mind the card charges a Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card - Regular APR APR on any balance you carry.

As with most other cards, there are fees for other activities, including:

• Cash advance fee
• Late payment fee
• Returned payment fee

How the Delta Gold Card Compares

Amex Delta Gold Card vs other Delta credit cards

Amex Delta Gold Card vs other airline credit cards

Delta Gold Card Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Who is eligible for the Delta SkyMiles Gold card?

Amex has a one bonus, per card, per lifetime rule across all of its products, including the Delta SkyMiles credit cards. That means if you've already earned the bonus on the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, you won't be eligible to earn it again. 

However, each Delta card is considered a different product, so if you've had other Delta cards, like the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card or Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, you could still qualify for the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card.

What credit score do you need for the Amex Delta Gold card?

To be eligible for the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, you'll typically need a credit score in the good to excellent range, which means a FICO score of at least 670.

If I cancel my Delta Gold credit card, will I lose my miles?

If you've had your card open for at least a year and decide the benefits aren't worth it for you, you won't lose your miles if you decide to cancel. Your miles are kept in your Delta frequent flyer account, not your Amex account.

However, canceling a card before you've had it for a year may result in having your welcome bonus offer clawed back, so it's not a good idea to close a card until your first 12 months is up.

Do I need to pay for my ticket with the Delta Gold card to get a free checked bag?

You don't need to use your Delta credit card to pay for your flight to get perks like a free checked bag or priority boarding. As long as the primary cardholder's Delta SkyMiles number is included on the reservation, you'll receive these benefits.

Keep in mind only the primary cardholder (not authorized users) qualifies to get a free checked bag and priority boarding. That said, if authorized users are traveling on the same reservation as the primary cardholder, they'll receive these benefits — they extend to up to eight companions on the same reservation.

Is the Gold or Platinum Delta SkyMiles card better?

The best Delta card for you depends on how often you fly Delta and if you can use all the perks that come with each card. For occasional Delta flyers, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is usually the best choice.

However, if you fly Delta more often and can use benefits like an annual Delta companion certificate and Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit, it could be worth paying the higher annual fee on the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card . Here's our comparison of the Delta Gold vs. Delta Platinum to help you decide.

Methodology: How We Reviewed the Delta Gold Card

We compared the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card to other Delta and airline credit cards and evaluated several factors, including:

• Simplicity — Is it easy to navigate the card's earning and redeeming structure? Are there numerous options for redeeming rewards?
• Earning potential — Does the card come with bonus categories that are useful to different types of travelers? Are any of the categories capped at a maximum amount of spending?
• Annual fee — If the card has an annual fee, is it worth it for the benefits and rewards you receive? 
• Benefits — Are the card's perks, especially day-of-travel/airline-specific benefits, competitive with similar cards?

For a closer look at Insider's methodology, read about how we rate credit cards.