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【2020.1 Update 2】The refreshed card designs are now available to apply for, and the personal and business card bonuses are very good. They are basically all-time highs or near all-time highs. Application deadline: April 1, 2020. Note: this is only a refresh. If you've had the card before, you won't be eligible for the welcome bonus. Delta also sent out a round of targeted offers (no lifetime restriction, can bypass the pop-up, but can't get around the 5-card limit); see section 1.8 of this article for details. Except for the no-annual-fee card, all others have an additional anniversary bonus after one year of card membership; see section 1.9 for analysis.

New Delta credit cards

Let's start with the personal cards:

Delta SkyMiles® Blue Card

  • Delta SkyMiles® Blue Card application link
  • Spend $1,000 within three months, earn 15,000 miles, no annual fee. This is an all-time high offer, and the foreign transaction fee has been eliminated, with an improved earn rate as well.

Delta SkyMiles® Gold Card

  • Delta SkyMiles® Gold Card application link
  • Spend $2,000 within three months, earn 60,000 miles, get another 10,000 after one year of card membership, 70,000 total; annual fee $99, waived for the first year. This offer is not an all-time high, but it's still pretty good.

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Card

  • Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Card application link
  • Spend $3,000 within three months, earn 80,000 miles, get another 20,000 after one year of card membership, 100,000 total; annual fee $250, not waived for the first year. If you ignore MQM, the 100,000-mile bonus portion is an all-time high.

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Card

  • Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Card application link
  • Spend $5,000 within three months, earn 80,000 miles and 20,000 MQM, get another 20,000 after one year of card membership, 100,000 total; annual fee $550, not waived for the first year. The MQM offer is an all-time high, and the 100,000-mile bonus is also an all-time high.

Next are the business cards:

Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business Card

  • Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business Card application link
  • Spend $2,000 within three months, earn 60,000 miles, get another 10,000 after one year of card membership, 70,000 total; annual fee $99, waived for the first year. This offer is not an all-time high, but it's still pretty good.

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business Card

  • Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business Card application link
  • Spend $3,000 within three months, earn 80,000 miles, get another 20,000 after one year of card membership, 100,000 total; annual fee $250, not waived for the first year. If you ignore MQM, the 100,000-mile bonus portion is an all-time high.

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business Card

  • Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business Card application link
  • Spend $5,000 within three months, earn 80,000 miles and 20,000 MQM, get another 20,000 after one year of card membership, 100,000 total; annual fee $550, not waived for the first year. The MQM offer is an all-time high, and the 100,000-mile bonus is also an all-time high.

Delta official targeted offer checker

Delta's website also has targeted offers (which can bypass the pop-up and the lifetime restriction). I was targeted too (because I've held a Delta credit card before), but I don't have an available slot to apply.

The right side of the application page looks like this:

About Additional Anniversary Bonus Miles

We can see that, except for the no-annual-fee version, the other cards have an additional bonus after one year of card membership. The Terms state that it will be awarded 8-12 weeks after the annual fee for the second year is paid:

The additional Bonus Miles

The additional Bonus Miles will be credited to your account as a one-time bonus 8-12 weeks after the first anniversary date of the Card account. If we in our sole discretion determine that you have engaged in abuse, misuse, or gaming in connection with the offer in any way or that you intend to do so (for example, if you applied for one or more cards to obtain a welcome offer (s) that we did not intend for you; if you cancel or downgrade your account within 12 months after acquiring it; or if you cancel or return purchases you made to meet the Threshold Amount), we may not credit the additional bonus miles to your account. We may also cancel this Card account and other Card accounts you may have with us. Additional Card Members on your account are not eligible for this offer. To receive the additional Bonus Miles, your Card account must not be canceled or past due at the time of fulfillment. Limit of one bonus after the first anniversary of your Card Membership.


The latter part is actually copied directly from the welcome bonus Terms, so it isn't written very clearly and doesn't explicitly say that it applies to the additional bonus terms. At the moment, I don't know whether AMEX would impose penalties in the future, such as pop-ups on future applications, if you downgrade after receiving the second-year anniversary bonus (and get a prorated annual-fee refund).

【2020.1 Update】You can now request a metal card in your account! Mine is a Delta Platinum, under account service->replace card->request metal card. If you need one, I recommend requesting the metal card as soon as possible, because they may run out of materials in a few days. If you want to apply for this card, act fast — the annual fee is about to go up. Apply now to lock in the old annual fee and enjoy the new benefits tomorrow.

【Jan. 2020 Update】On January 30, AMEX will be making changes to the benefits on six Delta cards, with the main change being higher annual fees across the board. If you need one, you can apply for the old version in the next few days so that after the benefits update, you can enjoy the new benefits while paying the old annual fee. Also, the personal card design has now leaked, and it kind of looks like a Delta membership card.

Delta Credit Card Changes

AMEX announced that starting January 30, 2020, it will be changing the benefits on its Delta co-branded credit cards, and it will also increase the annual fees on some cards. If you apply before January 30, the old annual fee will still apply.

Delta Blue Changes

Overall, these changes are pretty good. There is now 2x on restaurant spending worldwide, and the foreign transaction fee has been removed, so it can basically be treated as a no-annual-fee travel card. It also makes a pretty good downgrade option for other Delta cards.

Delta Gold Changes

The annual fee went up by $4. Earn rates for restaurants and supermarkets were increased, spending $10,000 now gets you a $100 flight credit, and the MQM waiver was removed. Overall, the changes are not very big, though the MQM waiver may still matter quite a bit to some people. Personally, I think for restaurants and dining, just holding an AMEX Gold is enough; it also earns 3x and can transfer to Delta at 1:1.

Delta Platinum Changes

The annual fee went up by $55. The newly added 3x on Delta purchases and hotel purchases, and 2x on restaurants and supermarkets, doesn’t seem very meaningful. It also adds the ubiquitous Global Entry TSA Pre credit, while removing the 10,000-mile portion of the big-spending bonus, which is a huge devaluation. Personally, I think this is a very bad change and turns it into a card with no clear identity.

Delta Reserve Changes

The annual fee increased by $100. But it now adds Delta Sky Club Guest Pass and Centurion Lounge access, which seems pretty useful. Free seat upgrades are also nice. The 15,000 miles from big spending were cut, which is a pretty big devaluation. Personally, I think the direction of the Reserve card changes is still right, with adjustments aimed at premium users.

Business Version Changes

  • Delta Business Gold changes: same as the personal version
  • Delta Business Platinum changes: after spending over $5,000, earn 1.5x Delta miles. I think the usefulness is relatively low. The rest is the same as the personal version.
  • Delta Business Reserve changes: after $150,000 in spending, all spending earns 1.5x. I think the usefulness is extremely low. The rest is the same as the personal version.

About this Record-High Bonus

  • Personal version deadline: January 29, 2020
  • Business version deadline: October 30, 2019

These six cards are all AMEX and Delta co-branded airline credit cards, and they all offer perks such as priority boarding, free checked bags, Delta 2x miles, and more. The current welcome bonuses are also very close, all in the 60,000-80,000 range, which makes them among the higher welcome bonuses for airline co-branded cards. For most people, choosing one card to keep is enough; for credit card enthusiasts, it becomes a one-at-a-time race, and they only feel satisfied after churning them all.

Today, let’s compare these cards in a question-and-answer format. The main differences are listed below:

  • AMEX Delta Gold Skymile (welcome bonus 60,000 + $50; annual fee $95, first year waived)
  • AMEX Delta Platinum (welcome bonus 70,000 + $100 + 5,000 MQM; annual fee $195, not waived the first year; one companion certificate every year; spend $25,000 to get an extra 10,000 miles + 10,000 MQM)
  • AMEX Delta Reserve (welcome bonus 70,000 + 10,000 MQM; annual fee $450, not waived the first year; one companion certificate every year; spend $30,000 to get an extra 15,000 miles + 15,000 MQM, can be done twice; access to Delta lounges)
  • AMEX Delta Gold Business (welcome bonus 70,000 + $50; annual fee $95, first year waived)
  • AMEX Delta Platinum Business (welcome bonus 80,000 + $100 + 5,000 MQM; annual fee $195, not waived the first year; one companion certificate every year; spend $25,000 to get an extra 10,000 miles + 10,000 MQM)
  • AMEX Delta Reserve Business (welcome bonus 80,000 + 10,000 MQM; annual fee $450, not waived the first year; one companion certificate every year; spend $30,000 to get an extra 15,000 miles + 15,000 MQM, can be done twice; access to Delta lounges)

How much is the welcome bonus worth?

Since the personal and business versions of Delta Gold have exactly the same welcome offer, and the personal and business versions of Delta Platinum are also exactly the same, we’ll base the discussion on the personal versions of the Delta cards.

Cash Bonus ($50/$100)

The personal and business versions of Delta Gold and Delta Platinum, as well as Delta Reserve, all offer a statement credit of $50/$100 after making one Delta purchase. This credit can be triggered by any single Delta purchase of any amount, for example: buying Delta tickets, checking bags, Delta in-flight shopping, paying taxes and fees on Delta award tickets, or buying Delta gift cards. This cash bonus should be very easy to get, and is basically real $50/$100.

Miles Bonus (60,000/70,000/80,000 = $780/$910/$1,040)

In Points Value Analysis, we value Delta miles at 1.3 cents per point, which means 10,000 Delta miles = $130. The main reasons are:

  • Delta miles can be used for SkyTeam award tickets. Within the U.S., you can book DL-operated flights; for U.S.-China routes, you can book flights operated by DL, Korean Air, China Southern, and China Eastern.
  • For domestic U.S. tickets, DL is still relatively good value. U.S.-China flights often use a variable award chart, which can require a very large number of miles, especially in business and first class.
  • Delta miles can be used to directly buy DL tickets at a value of 1 cent each, so the floor value is at least 1 cent.
  • Delta also frequently releases discounted redemptions for specific routes.

Personally, I think that if you focus on domestic U.S. flights or economy class on U.S.-China routes, Delta miles are no worse than AA/UA. Award pricing is quite dynamic, so it’s hard to give an exact valuation. I also randomly checked flights between the U.S. and China as well as within the U.S. to give everyone a sense of Delta miles’ value.

Within the U.S., I searched award tickets for NYC-LAX on April 11, and the lowest nonstop price was $173.

The miles required are 13,500 + $5. So the value works out to ($173 - $5) / 13,500 = 1.24 cent/point, not far from our estimated 1.3c. Business class and first class come out to about the same value, but for flights within the U.S., people generally still focus on economy.

For U.S.-China flights, we also checked international itineraries for NYC-PVG, for round-trip travel from June 12 to July 18.

The corresponding award ticket starts at 70,000 miles, but with $424 in taxes and fees (operated by MU, China Eastern). So the miles value comes out to around 1.5 cent/point. If you price one-way awards, the value is even higher. As for first class, the miles value would be higher still, but I doubt anyone would redeem 360,000 miles round-trip for that.

So based on this random sample, assigning Delta miles a value of 1.3 cent/point is still fairly reasonable. Besides redeeming for award tickets directly, if you hold a Delta co-branded card, another advantage is that you can use Delta miles to offset airfare directly. The value for direct offset is fixed at 1 cent/point, meaning 10,000 miles can offset $100. If you can’t find an award seat, this direct offset method also makes it easy to use up your miles. That does not work for AA and UA, where non-Saver award tickets cost twice as much as Saver awards, so the redemption value is probably only around 0.7c.

MQM status miles

Delta Gold does not offer status miles, while Delta Platinum and the business and personal versions of Deserve offer 10,000 status miles. Status miles cannot be used to book tickets; they can only be used for elite status qualification and requalification. The lowest Delta elite tier is Silver, which requires 25,000 status miles. If you fly Delta a few times plus the 10,000 status miles from Platinum, it’s easy to reach Silver and enjoy elite benefits. I’ll analyze the status miles in more detail below.

Summary

Considering that Delta Gold waives the annual fee in the first year, while Delta Platinum does not waive the $195 first-year annual fee, the value of the sign-up bonuses if you hold the card for only one year is summarized below (with Delta miles valued at 1.3c/p):

I did not include status miles here, because they are extremely valuable for people who can use them, and completely worthless for people who can’t.

About status miles (MQM)

If you are not already a Delta elite member, 10,000 MQM can help you reach elite status faster. Some people who applied late in the year complained that those 10,000 MQM disappeared quickly; that’s because the MQM earned by people who completed the sign-up bonus last year were tied to the previous year, so they reset at the end of that year. If you apply now, however, these MQM are valid for almost half a year (they reset at the end of 2019), giving you more time to chase Delta elite status. In addition, the MQM earned from business cards and personal cards can be combined into one Delta account.

Delta elite benefits are as follows (lower-tier benefits are automatically included in higher tiers and will not be repeated):

  • Silver member (requires 25,000 MQM): Complimentary domestic upgrade (confirmed within 24h before departure), free Comfort+ seat selection on domestic flights 24h before departure (for you and your companion), Priority Check-in, Priority boarding, and 7 miles/$ on Delta ticket purchases.
  • Gold member (requires 50,000 MQM): Complimentary domestic upgrade (confirmed within 72h before departure), free Comfort+ seat selection on domestic flights 72h before departure (for you and your companion), free Same-Day Confirmed change, free Same-Day Standby, Priority security, priority baggage handling, SkyTeam lounge access, and 8 miles/$ on Delta ticket purchases. Hertz rental Five Star membership.
  • Platinum member (requires 75,000 MQM): Complimentary domestic upgrade (confirmed within 120h before departure), free Comfort+ seat selection after booking on domestic flights (for you and your companion), 9 miles/$ on Delta ticket purchases, and no fees for award ticket changes or cancellations.

    Choose one benefit (including 4 U.S. domestic upgrade certificates, 20,000 Delta miles, gifting Silver status to one person, one Global Entry Voucher, or a $200 gift card). SPG hotel priority check-in, late checkout, in-room high-speed internet, and suite upgrades. Hertz rental President’s Circle membership.

  • Diamond member (requires 125,000 MQM): Complimentary domestic upgrade (confirmed more than 120h before departure), 11 miles/$ on Delta ticket purchases, and choose three benefits (including 8 U.S. domestic upgrade certificates, or 4 international upgrade certificates, or 2 international upgrade certificates + 4 U.S. domestic upgrade certificates, 25,000 Delta miles, gifting Gold status to one person, two Global Entry Vouchers, a $200 gift card, or Delta Sky Club membership).

For example, Delta Platinum gives you 10,000 MQM + 10,000 Delta miles for every calendar year you spend $25,000, and another 10,000 MQM + 10,000 Delta miles when you spend $50,000. That means your first $50,000 in spending can yield up to 1.4 miles/$. If you open the card this year and spend $25,000, you’ll get 20,000 MQM, which makes it easy to reach Silver after a domestic vacation (free upgrades, Comfort+, and more). And because that $25,000 threshold is based on the calendar year, if you open the card now, your sign-up spending counts toward that $25,000 spend. If you are a heavy spender/MS user and can spend $50,000, you can get 140,000 Delta miles + 30,000 MQM, automatically reach Silver, and a trip back home plus one vacation can easily get you to Gold, with benefits like free Same-Day flight changes. Among the five major North American airlines (UA, AA, DL, AS, AC), Delta is the only one whose credit card offers status miles. In this respect, Delta credit cards are quite generous.

Is it worth keeping long term?

Let’s break it down by scenario:

  • If you don’t usually fly Delta, or if you apply for the card purely for the miles, then none of these four cards are worth keeping long term. The personal version could probably be downgraded to the no-annual-fee Blue Delta credit card
  • If you take a few trips a year, can choose Delta flights, and usually travel with a companion, then go for the personal or business version of Delta Platinum. You can use Delta Platinum’s annual companion certificate, essentially buy one ticket and get one free, and the savings should exceed the annual fee.
  • If you live in a Delta hub city, or can make good use of Delta miles when traveling, and your annual spending is relatively high, then choose Delta Platinum. You can take advantage of the big-spend bonus that gives you 10,000 Delta miles + 10,000 MQM for every $25,000 spent each year. It’s a fast way to accumulate Delta miles and MQM for requalification.

Personally, I think you should either keep Delta Platinum or downgrade everything to the no-annual-fee Blue Delta credit card

Which should you choose, personal or business?

If you don't have a green card, I still recommend avoiding business credit cards. If you're eligible to apply, I think the business versions of Gold and Platinum are better. Here's why:

  • Business credit cards do not appear on your personal credit report, which means they won't affect the five-card count under Chase 5/24. New cards, spending, and payments also won't affect your personal credit score or credit history.
  • Business versions of AMEX cards come with additional perks, such as AMEX Open Savings and better AMEX Offers

If you need to apply for a business version of a credit card, I recommend reading the article below first:

Which Should You Choose: Delta Gold or Platinum?

As analyzed before, if you won't make use of Medallion qualifying miles and don't want to keep the card long term, choose Delta Gold, earn the welcome bonus, then downgrade or close the card. In other cases, choose Delta Platinum, then downgrade or close it in the second year, or keep it long term.

Application Links

Personal cards

  • Delta SkyMiles® Blue Card (spend $1,000 within three months, earn 15,000 bonus miles, no annual fee)
  • Delta SkyMiles® Gold Card (spend $2,000 within three months, earn 60,000 bonus miles, an additional 10,000 after holding the card for one year, 70,000 total; annual fee $99, waived for the first year)
  • Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Card (spend $3,000 within three months, earn 80,000 bonus miles, an additional 20,000 after holding the card for one year, 100,000 total; annual fee $250, not waived for the first year)
  • Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Card (spend $5,000 within three months, earn 80,000 bonus miles and 20,000 MQM, an additional 20,000 after holding the card for one year, 100,000 total; annual fee $550, not waived for the first year)

Business cards

  • Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business Card (spend $2,000 within three months, earn 60,000 bonus miles, an additional 10,000 after holding the card for one year, 70,000 total; annual fee $99, waived for the first year)
  • Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business Card (spend $3,000 within three months, earn 80,000 bonus miles, an additional 20,000 after holding the card for one year, 100,000 total; annual fee $250, not waived for the first year)
  • Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business Card (spend $5,000 within three months, earn 80,000 bonus miles and 20,000 MQM, an additional 20,000 after holding the card for one year, 100,000 total; annual fee $550, not waived for the first year)