AMEX Delta Gold Credit Card: Best-Ever Offer of 80,000 Miles + $250 Statement Credit; No Annual Fee in Year 1

Delta Gold now has the highest-ever offer of up to 80,000 bonus miles + $250, which is probably the best offer in its history. The cash portion is a fixed statement credit, while the miles portion requires you to submit an application, and you won’t know how much of the welcome bonus you’ll get until the very last step. If you’re not accepted, it won’t affect your credit score, so feel free to give it a try. Besides, since the first year’s annual fee is waived anyway, you can hold onto it for a year and see how it goes. Then downgrade or close it later — there’s basically no cost.

• Apply here

If you want to figure out which Delta card is the best fit, check out our comparison article:

• [It’s here!] Limited-time welcome bonuses on six AMEX Delta co-branded cards — which one should you choose?

This offer is really good, so I added it to the rankings:

• U.S. credit card welcome bonus rankings (personal cards) [updated monthly]

AMEX Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card Overview

Highlights

• New $100 hotel booking credit: You need to use this card on delta.com/stays, Delta’s own travel website.
• New $200 Delta Credit: This is a large-spending bonus. You need to spend $10,000 on this card in a calendar year. It used to be a $100 bonus.
• [New] TakeOff 15 benefit: Use this card to book Delta-operated award tickets and you can get 15% off. Benefit details
• Large-spending bonus: Spend $10,000 each year and get an extra $100 Delta voucher, which can be used toward airfare.
• Delta flight benefits: When flying Delta, you can enjoy priority boarding, one free checked bag, 20% off in-flight purchases, and lounge discounts.
• Authorized user bonus: Add an authorized user for this card through a specific link (authorized user basics), and if that authorized user spends $500 within three months, you can get an extra 2,500 miles.Link for 2,500 bonus miles for authorized users (you can see this offer after logging in and verifying)

AMEX card benefits

• AMEX Offers: Amazon $20 back on $20; Walmart $5 off $15; phone bill $10 off $75. Generous AMEX often sends cardholders great offers that let you earn cash back while spending. Read the following articles carefully, and making $100 a year from one card is no problem: AMEX Offers explained, Latest roundup of good AMEX Offers, 2013-2016 AMEX Offer roundup
• Free ShopRunner membership: Enjoy free two-day shipping at many online stores. For details, see the official website
• Extended warranty: Items purchased in full with an AMEX card automatically get one extra year of manufacturer warranty
• Free credit score: AMEX provides an Experian credit score every month. See which free credit score is best

Drawbacks

• This card only earns 1x Delta miles on everyday spending, so the earning rate is too slow, and you still have to pay the $95 annual fee. If you really want to earn Delta miles, the no-annual-fee AMEX EveryDay Card (1.2x-2.4x) or the annual-fee EveryDay Preferred Card (1.5x-4.5x) would be better.

Delta SkyMiles Overview:

• Value: The miles are worth about 1.4 cents each, mainly because the award chart changes frequently, so redemptions are not as stable as airline miles like AA or UA.
• Redemptions: At minimum, 35,000 miles can redeem for a one-way U.S.-China ticket, 5,500 miles for a one-way domestic U.S. ticket, 7,500 miles for a one-way domestic China ticket, and 80,000 miles for business class from the U.S. to Australia. A great tool for short-haul flights within the U.S., especially for friends on the West Coast and in the Northeast.
• More: For mileage accumulation and redemption tips, see Delta SkyMiles Overview 1; Overview 2; Overview 3

My take

I still haven’t applied for this card because I have a large stash of Membership Rewards, which can be transferred to Delta miles at a 1:1 ratio. Also, Delta’s award chart isn’t especially stable, and the number of miles required can swing up and down, which is pretty exhausting. Fuel surcharges are also relatively high. That said, if you can use Delta miles well, it can be very satisfying. For example, Delta miles can be used for SkyTeam partner tickets, and redeeming China Eastern flights for my parents’ round trips between China and the U.S. is actually pretty good. After all, it’s their home-country airline, so there’s no language barrier when dealing with it. Delta’s great domestic U.S. redemption deals are also much better value than AA or UA. Another point: Delta’s international flight meals, service, and business-class quality are all noticeably better than AA and UA. So if you need Delta miles, or if you fly Delta often and want free checked bags and priority boarding, this card is worth considering.

If you’re not sure which Delta card to apply for, see:

• In-depth analysis of the changes to the six AMEX Delta co-branded credit cards (higher welcome bonuses, higher annual fees, added credits, stronger CP, and MQD)

Apply

Important: Delta family cards now have same-product application restrictions. If you’ve already applied for the higher-annual-fee Platinum or Reserve cards, you won’t get a welcome bonus if you apply for this card.

• Introduction to AMEX same-product credit card restrictions [2023.9 update: Delta and Platinum family cards now have restrictions too!]

This card is a Delta co-branded credit card. When applying, you need to enter your own Delta account number (if you don’t have one, one will be assigned automatically). It’s still a good idea to register for a Delta membership on the official website first.

• AMEX official application status check link
• For the same AMEX credit card, the public welcome bonus is generally available only once (once-per-lifetime restriction)
• You can call the reconsideration line (800-528-4800, 877-399-3083, 866-314-0237) to speed up credit card approval or request a review of a denied application.
• AMEX limits you to 4 credit cards and 10 charge cards total.
• You can apply for a total of two AMEX credit cards every 90 days, excluding charge cards.
• After you submit your application, a pop-up may appear telling you that you are not eligible for the welcome bonus. In that case, it is usually best not to continue with the application (detailed analysis)
• More about applying for AMEX credit cards

Application link