Best Airline Credit Cards for Delta Flyers in 2024

Banner image
ByRajiv Baniwal
fact checked icon
Reviewed byLee Huffman
fact checked icon

Updated: March 14, 2024

Advertising & Editorial Disclosure

MoneyGeek is committed to helping everyone find their financial happy place. That's why we partner with best-in-the-industry experts and advertisers to offer a variety of financial services that may benefit you. Although we receive compensation for including advertisements on our site, our editorial team independently ranks and chooses products. Third-party advertisers do not review, approve or endorse our editorial content. The content we publish is accurate when posted, but offers may change over time. Learn more about our editorial policies and expert editorial team.

If you’re a frequent Delta flyer, you might benefit from getting a personal or business Delta credit card from Amex. These cards let you earn SkyMiles, although the miles-per-dollar rate depends on the card you get. All the cards from this category also give you the ability to earn spend-based welcome bonus miles.

Using Amex’s credit cards for Delta flyers outside of the U.S. is ideal, and none of them come with foreign transaction fees. However, you might need to pay an annual fee. For instance, the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card comes with an annual fee of $250.

You also need to pay attention to the airline and airport benefits you stand to enjoy, given that these vary from one Delta credit card to the next.

This article is part of our larger series on
Best Airline Credit Cards

MoneyGeek’s Take: Top 5 Credit Cards for Delta Flyers

Quick Summary

Just how many SkyMiles you stand to earn depends on the card you get and its bonus categories. In addition, the number of bonus miles provided through welcome offers is not the same across all cards. We’ve selected the top Delta credit cards after taking these factors into account, as well as others such as annual fees, airline/airport benefits and APRs. You may scroll further down the page to see what the other good cards from this category have to offer.


  • Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card

    A great miles rewards card with no annual fees


    • up to 2 Miles per $1*Rewards Rate
    • 20.99% – 29.99% VariableAPR
    • $0Annual Fee
    • Good–ExcellentRecommended Credit

  • Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card

    A great card for frequent business travelers who want to enjoy Delta travel perks and pursue elite traveler status


    • 1–3 Miles per $1Rewards Rate
    • 20.99%–29.99% VariableAPR
    • $350Annual Fee
    • Good–ExcellentRecommended Credit

  • Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card

    An excellent card for earning Delta SkyMiles


    • 1–3 Miles per $1Rewards Rate
    • 20.99% – 29.99% VariableAPR
    • $350Annual Fee
    • Good–ExcellentRecommended Credit

  • Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card

    A card that offers generous rewards for business travelers who fly Delta frequently.


    • 1.5–3 Miles per $1Rewards Rate
    • 20.99% – 29.99% VariableAPR
    • $650Annual Fee
    • Good–ExcellentRecommended Credit

  • Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card

    A good travel card with a great rewards program for frequent Delta flyers.


    • 1–3 Miles per $1*Rewards Rate
    • 20.99% – 29.99% VariableAPR
    • $650Annual Fee
    • Good–ExcellentRecommended Credit

Summary of the Best Airline Cards for Delta Flyers

Go through this Delta credit card comparison table to determine how all the cards from this segment fare against each other based on parameters such as who these cards work best for, the credit you need to apply, reward rates and annual fees.

  • Credit Card
    Best For
    Avg. Reward Rate
    Annual Fee
    Credit Needed
  • Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card
    Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card
    A great miles rewards card with no annual fees
    up to 2 Miles per $1*
    $0
  • Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card
    Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card
    A great card for frequent business travelers who want to enjoy Delta travel perks and pursue elite traveler status
    1–3 Miles per $1
    $350
  • Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
    Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
    An excellent card for earning Delta SkyMiles
    1–3 Miles per $1
    $350
  • Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
    Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
    A card that offers generous rewards for business travelers who fly Delta frequently.
    1.5–3 Miles per $1
    $650
  • Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
    Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
    A good travel card with a great rewards program for frequent Delta flyers.
    1–3 Miles per $1*
    $650
  • Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card
    Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card
    Great rewards for Delta loyalists
    1–2 Miles per $1
    $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150
  • Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
    Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
    A great credit card for individuals looking for basic travel perks and more opportunities to earn miles
    1–2 Miles per $1
    0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150
mglogo icon
MONEYGEEK EXPERT TIP

Some Delta credit cards allow you to earn Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQMs) and a spending waiver towards elite status. For big spenders, this can help you reach higher levels of status and benefits quickly. -- Lee Huffman, credit card expert at BaldThoughts.com.

How to Compare Airline Credit Cards & Intro Offers

Given the number of credit cards for Delta flyers from which you get to choose, it’s important that you pay attention to your spending patterns and specific requirements before making a decision.

1

Welcome offer

It’s common for Amex Delta credit cards to come with welcome offers. For example, the Amex Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card lets you earn 90,000 bonus miles and 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) by spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months. With the Amex Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Card, you get to earn 60,000 bonus miles, 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) and a $100 statement credit if you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months.

2

Miles-per-dollar rate

The miles you earn depend on the Delta credit card you get. For instance, the Amex Delta SkyMiles Blue Card offers 2x miles per $1 on dining at restaurants, including takeout and delivery, and on purchases made directly with Delta. All other purchases earn 1x miles per $1. With the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, you earn 3x miles per $1 on purchases made directly with Delta and 1x miles per $1 on all other purchases.

3

Annual fee

Annual fees of the top credit cards for Delta flyers vary significantly. For example, the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Card comes with a $99 annual fee that Amex waives for the first year. On the other hand, the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business Card charges a $550 annual fee.

4

Foreign transaction fee

While the existing credit cards for Delta flyers come with no foreign transaction fees, this aspect might warrant your attention if new cards enter the picture or if there are changes in fee structures.

5

APR

The APR that will apply on your Delta credit card essentially depends on your creditworthiness. However, rewards credit cards usually charge higher APRs than cards without rewards, and the latter might work better for you if you plan to maintain revolving balances in your account.

6

Airline/airport benefits

These basically depend on the annual fee you’re willing to pay. For example, the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card with an annual fee of $550 offers spend-based bonus Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) and Medallion Qualification Dollar (MQD) waivers, complimentary access to Delta Sky Club and The Centurion Lounge, companion certificates, upgrade priority, your first bag checked for free and fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. Amex makes none of these benefits available through its no-annual-fee Delta SkyMiles Blue Card.

7

Other features/perks

Some standard features/benefits you may expect from your Amex Delta credit card include savings on in-flight purchases, purchase protection, extended warranty, fraud protection, as well as access to Global Assist Hotline and American Express Experiences.

Further Reading

About Rajiv Baniwal


Rajiv Baniwal headshot

Rajiv Baniwal is a journalist who has been covering financial topics for over 15 years. Meticulous in his research, he provides accurate and up-to-date information. His expertise includes mortgages, loans, credit cards, insurance and international money transfers.


*Rates, fees or bonuses may vary or include specific stipulations. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting/last updated date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired. We recommend visiting the card issuer’s website for the most up-to-date information available.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions, reviews, analyses and recommendations are the author’s alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. Learn more about our editorial policies and expert editorial team.
Advertiser Disclosure: MoneyGeek has partnered with CardRatings.com and CreditCards.com for our coverage of credit card products. MoneyGeek, CardRatings and CreditCards.com may receive a commission from card issuers. To ensure thorough comparisons and reviews, MoneyGeek features products from both paid partners and unaffiliated card issuers that are not paid partners.