Earn up to 70,000 bonus miles with these Delta credit cards

It’s no secret that the best way to save on your next vacation is to have a stash of frequent flyer miles on hand. And if you’re looking to stock up on Delta SkyMiles, with their current credit card offers you can earn up to 70,000 bonus SkyMiles. While we’ve seen better offers in the past, this will still allow you to earn a decent chunk of miles at once. And despite Delta making some massive adjustments to their credit cards around lounge access and earning status, if earning miles is your mail goal, with these welcome offers, you’ll be on your way to traveling in no time.

The credit cards will also help you stretch your miles even further as both new and existing card holders get a 15% discount when using miles to book award travel on Delta. This relatively new “TakeOff 15” benefit means that if you book a Delta flight that costs 100,000 miles, it’ll only cost you 85,000 miles as a Delta credit card member.

“TakeOff 15” is available on all Delta personal and business credit cards except for the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card. Keep in mind that the 15% discount is only for the mileage portion of the cost — it doesn’t include any taxes or fees — and for Delta-operated flights, not partner-operated flights.

Delta credit card welcome offers

If you’re interested in getting some of the best bonus offers as well as 15% off every Delta flight you book with miles, now’s a great time to get a Delta credit card. Here are the current welcome offers for the Delta personal credit cards (we’ll discuss the business card offers below).

Delta uses a dynamic pricing scheme for its award flights instead of a fixed award chart, so you can expect to get a fairly consistent value for your miles. Frequent flyer website The Points Guy values Delta SkyMiles at 1.2 cents apiece, making these increased bonuses worth between $120 and $720.

Which Delta credit card should you choose?

While all these cards are geared toward Delta flyers, the best Delta credit card for you depends on your spending habits and how frequently you plan to fly with the airline.

If you’re looking to earn SkyMiles on everyday spend and aren’t interested in the new “TakeOff 15” perk, then the Delta SkyMiles Blue Amex card is for you. It earns 2 miles for every dollar you spend on eligible Delta purchases and at restaurants worldwide, and 1 mile per dollar on everything else. It also features a 20% discount on in-flight purchases, access to Delta’s Pay With Miles program, no foreign transaction fees and no annual fee (see rates and fees).

Click here to earn Delta miles with no annual fee with the Delta Blue Amex card.

However, if you plan to fly Delta occasionally — even once per year — and you don’t mind paying an annual fee, you could get more value from the Delta SkyMiles Gold Amex. The card has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then a $99 annual fee thereafter (see rates and fees)

Aside from a larger welcome bonus, the Delta Gold Amex comes with more perks, including your first checked bag free when flying Delta (which normally costs $30 to $60 for economy passengers), priority boarding, a $100 Delta flight credit after you spend $10,000 in eligible purchases on your card in a calendar year and the new “TakeOff 15” discount feature.

In addition to earning 2 miles per dollar at U.S. supermarkets, Delta Gold Amex card members earn 2 miles for each dollar spent at restaurants, including takeout and delivery, as well as 2 miles per dollar on eligible Delta purchases.

Save money with the Delta Gold Amex card with a free checked bag when flying Delta.

Premium Delta credit card options

If Delta is your carrier of choice and you fly with them multiple times per year, it might make more sense to go with one of Delta’s more premium credit cards. Although the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Amex carries a $250 annual fee (see rates and fees) and the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Amex comes with a $550 fee (see rates and fees), both are loaded with elite-like benefits and shortcuts to earning elite status to go along with them.

The Delta Platinum Amex has many of the same perks as the Gold version, such as a free checked bag on Delta flights and priority boarding. You’ll also earn 3 miles for every dollar you spend at hotels and on eligible Delta purchases, as well as the same 2 miles per dollar at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets.

The card also comes with a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck fee credit worth up to $100 every four years (or four and a half years for TSA PreCheck) and a domestic main cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your card.

For those chasing Silver, Gold or Platinum elite status, the Delta Platinum Amex waives Delta’s Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQD) requirement when you spend $25,000 on the card in a calendar year, which could be useful since Delta recently raised MQD thresholds for most status tiers.

Plus, flyers who are chasing Delta elite status in 2023 can take advantage of the card’s Status Boost feature. When you spend $25,000 on the Delta Platinum Amex, you’ll earn 10,000 bonus MQMs toward elite status, up to two times per year. However, effective Jan. 1, 2024, this benefit will no longer be available.

Earn Delta elite status faster with the Delta Platinum Amex card.

Meanwhile, the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Amex comes with even more benefits, such as complimentary access to Delta Sky Clubs and American Express Centurion Lounges when you’re flying on a Delta flight. The card also gives non-elites access to space-available complimentary upgrades on Delta flights and provides an annual domestic companion certificate.

However, this companion certificate isn’t limited to just a main cabin fare. It can also be used for domestic First Class and Comfort+ bookings.

The card earns 3 miles for every dollar you spend on eligible Delta purchases and 1 mile for every dollar you spend on everything else. And with the Delta Reserve Amex, the Status Boost feature is even better — you’ll earn 15,000 MQMs for every $30,000 spent on the card, up to four times per calendar year, but again, will no longer be available starting Jan. 1, 2024.

Similar to the Delta Platinum card, you’ll receive a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit of up to $100.

Access the Amex Centurion Lounge when flying Delta using the Delta Reserve Amex card.

Delta credit cards for business owners

If you own a business, you might want to consider getting one of the Delta business credit cards. These cards come with slightly different perks and higher bonuses than the personal cards. Here’s a look at the welcome offers currently available on the three Delta business cards.

Similar to the personal version, the Delta Gold Business Amex comes with a free checked bag and priority boarding on Delta flights, a 20% discount on eligible in-flight purchases, access to Delta’s Pay with Miles program, up to $100 in Delta flight credit after you spend $10,000 in eligible purchases on your card in a calendar year, the new “TakeOff 15” discount and no foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees).

In addition to earning 2 miles for each dollar spent on eligible Delta purchases and at restaurants (including takeout and delivery). The Delta Gold Business Amex earns the same 2 miles per dollar on U.S. shipping purchases and U.S. purchases for advertising in select media, but effective 1/1/2024, you’ll be capped at earning the bonus points on the first $50,000 in eligible purchases per category, per year. Like the personal version, the business version has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99 thereafter (see rates and fees).

Earn Delta miles for your small business with the Delta Gold Business Amex card.

The Delta Platinum Business Amex also has perks and benefits that are similar to its personal card counterpart, including the same bonus categories, the same free checked bag and priority boarding on Delta flights, the same ability to earn bonus MQMs with Status Boost (through the end of 2023), the same Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit and the same $250 annual fee (see rates and fees).

However, the business version also earns 1.5 miles per dollar on single eligible purchases of $5,000 or more, which is an extra half point per dollar, up to 50,000 additional miles per year.

Get Delta elite status faster for yourself or your employees with the Delta Platinum Business Amex.

Similarly, the Delta Reserve Business Amex matches the high-end travel perks of the personal Delta Reserve card, including complimentary access to Delta Sky Clubs and American Express Centurion Lounges when you’re flying on a Delta flight and up to four Status Boosts. However, effective Jan. 1, 2024, Status Boost will no longer be available and there will be a new way to earn Medallion Status with the card. Additionally, lounge access is changing as well. Effective Feb. 1, 2025, you’ll only receive 10 visits per year to the Delta Sky Club. To receive unlimited visits, you’ll need to spend $75,000 or more in eligible purchases on the card between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2024 and every calendar year thereafter.

You’ll also get the same access to complimentary upgrades for non-elites, an annual companion certificate that can be used for first-class travel each year upon renewal of your card, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit, 3 miles for every dollar you spend on eligible Delta purchases and a $550 annual fee (see rates and fees).

But the business version of the Delta Reserve card also has another feature: After you spend $150,000 on your card in a calendar year, you’ll earn 1.5 miles per dollar on all your eligible purchases for the rest of the year, except eligible Delta purchases, which continue to earn 3 miles per dollar.

Fly in first class with complimentary upgrades when you have the Delta Reserve Business Amex.

How do the Delta credit cards stack up to our benchmark card?

All four personal and three business Delta credit cards top CNN Underscored’s benchmark credit card, the Citi Double Cash Card®, on several of our criteria. They offer welcome bonuses, bonus categories and travel benefits, and they don’t charge foreign transaction fees. If you’re a regular Delta flyer, you’ll likely find value in at least one if not all of these areas.

On the flip side, aside from the Delta Blue Amex, all the Delta cards have annual fees either right off the bat or after the first year, which our benchmark card doesn’t. And since Delta SkyMiles are worth 1.2 cents apiece, according to The Points Guy, the Citi Double Cash card’s 2% return — 1% when you make a purchase, and another 1% when you pay it off — often beats the Delta cards when it comes to everyday spending. You can read more about our methodology and our benchmark credit card concept here.

For people who think they’ll utilize the Delta travel benefits on these cards, or who regularly spend a lot of money in one or more of the bonus categories, the pros of these cards likely make the annual fees worth the cost. But if you don’t find yourself on a Delta flight very often, you might want to choose a card that aligns better with your needs. In that case, check out our guide to the best credit cards for other options.

Bank a stash of Delta SkyMiles with these credit card bonuses

If you’re looking to add another card to your wallet, now’s a great time to consider any of Delta’s personal and business credit cards. These cards will get you a jump start on that much needed vacation — plus a 15% discount when redeeming your miles for Delta flights.

For Delta personal credit cards:
Learn more about the Delta SkyMiles Blue Amex.
Learn more about the Delta SkyMiles Gold Amex.
Learn more about the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Amex.
Learn more about the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Amex.

For Delta business credit cards:
Learn more about the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Amex.
Learn more about the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Amex.
Learn more about the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business Amex.

For more credit card info, read CNN Underscored’s guide to the best travel credit cards currently available.

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