Is a Delta SkyMiles Credit Card Worth It?

Delta SkyMiles credit cards are likely a good fit for frequent Delta flyers and points enthusiasts eager to book award flights on Delta’s partner airlines, including the SkyTeam alliance. However, depending on your travel and spending habits, there may be better options out there for you. Read on to find out more.

Credit card spending can be your fastest route to earning Delta SkyMiles for award flights. In partnership with American Express, Delta offers seven credit card options designed to boost your SkyMiles-earning potential. Each of the four personal and three business cards comes with its own rewards structure and perks. Here's how they stack up:

Delta SkyMiles personal credit cards

Delta SkyMiles business credit cards

You regularly book award flights with Delta miles

Most Delta SkyMiles cards provide a 15% discount on award travel when booking with miles on Delta flights through delta.com or the Fly Delta app. (All except the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card offer a 15% discount.)

This benefit can earn you significant savings, particularly on expensive international redemptions. For example, with the discount, you can book a 50,000-mile business class award flight for 42,500 miles.

You frequently fly with Delta partners

Miles are redeemable on over 20 airline partners, including Virgin Atlantic, Air France, KLM, LATAM, and Aeromexico.

This makes a Delta card valuable if you fly across the broader SkyTeam alliance and other partner airlines.

You often travel in groups

Most cards provide free first checked bags and priority boarding for the primary cardholder — and up to eight additional passengers traveling on the same reservation. For families or frequent group travelers, these savings can quickly offset the annual fee. Let’s say you book a trip with three other people. That’s $280 saved per round-trip if everyone checks one bag. If nine travelers are booked on your reservation, that’s $630 saved on bags per round-trip. (All except the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card include these bag check offers.)

Four of the Delta cards offer annual companion certificates. These allow you to bring someone along on your flight for just the cost of government-imposed taxes and fees. Cards with companion certificates valid for domestic, Caribbean, or Central American destinations are: Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card.

You regularly pay for bags, food or drinks on Delta

The free checked bag benefit on Delta flights can help you offset the card’s annual fee, even if you're traveling alone. The perk saves up to $70 on a round-trip flight per person.

Additionally, all Delta cards offer a 20% discount on eligible in-flight purchases — including food and drinks — in the form of a statement credit.

The annual fee could be worth it if you check bags on multiple Delta flights per year or regularly buy in-flight meals and drinks.

You want to boost your elite status qualification

Four of the cards offer elite status benefits and Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) head starts:

• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card

• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card

• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card

• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card

Depending on how much you normally spend, these boosts could help you reach Medallion status with moderate flying activity. Here are the offers:

• Reserve Cards provide a $2,500 MQD head start each year, plus 1 MQD per $10 spent. 

• Platinum Cards offer the same $2,500 headstart, plus 1 MQD per $20 spent. 

If you’re a frequent Delta flyer or fall into one of the situations outlined above, a Delta SkyMiles credit card could be a smart fit.

Consider other options if:

• Delta has minimal service from your local airport, or doesn't fly to your preferred destinations.

• You already hold Delta Medallion elite status and receive many card benefits through your membership tier.

• You prefer rewards flexibility across airlines and hotels, rather than being locked into Delta's program.

• You rarely check bags or purchase food and drinks on flights, making these card perks irrelevant.

• You prefer earning cash back or statement credits instead of airline miles that can lose value over time.

• You're a light traveler who flies less than twice per year and won't maximize the card's travel-focused benefits.

In all these cases, you may get more value from flexible travel rewards cards or even cash-back cards that better match your spending patterns and travel habits.