Best Credit Cards For Delta SkyMiles

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Looking for the best credit cards for Delta SkyMiles? Use our calculator to compare and find the perfect card for your travel needs.
Last Updated 2023-05-08 By R.Flowers III

Looking for the best Delta credit card? Delta offers seven co-branded cards that will earn you SkyMiles on everyday purchases, plus a range of additional perks like priority boarding and free checked bags. You can also maximize your SkyMile earnings by taking advantage of transfer partners such as American Express Membership Rewards.

This page covers our top credit card picks for earning Delta SkyMiles, the best and most up-to-date Delta credit card offers, and provides a Delta miles calculator to help you find out which card will earn you the most SkyMiles.

Best Credit Cards For Delta SkyMiles


The Platinum Card® from American Express

Best For Luxury Travel & Lounge Access
  • Earning Rate: Earn 5X points on airfare booked direct or through American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 of these purchases per year) and 5X points on prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel. All other purchases will earn you 1X.
  • Annual Credits: Up to $300 in Equinox credit, up to $240 digital entertainment credit, up to $200 airline fee credit, $200 Uber Cash (up to $15 per month and up to $35 in December), $200 in Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection credit on 2 night minimum bookings, $189 CLEAR® Plus credit, $155 Walmart+ credit (up to $12.95 per month, subject to auto-renew), and up to $100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit ($50 bi-annually).
  • Main Highlights: Global lounge access (Centurion lounges, Delta SkyClub lounges, Airspace lounges, Escape lounges, and Priority Pass lounges), superb purchase insurance, complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott, and up to a $100 statement credit every 4 years for Global Entry or up to $85 statement credit every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck application fee.
  • Transfer Ratio: Every 1,000 Membership Rewards Points converts to 1,000 Delta SkyMiles.
  • Intro Bonus: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
  • Annual Fee: $695. $175 for up to 3 additional Platinum cardholders, then $175 per card for the 4th user onward. (See Rates and Fees)
  • Summary: The card offers thousands of dollars in annual value and while you may not use every single benefits/credit it offers, it's still fairly easy to offset the annual fee. For Delta, yourself and all additional Platinum cardholders will be able to enjoy complimentary Delta SkyClub access which is a fantastic deal (and the main reason I personally hold onto this card).

American Express® Gold Card

Best For Restaurants & U.S. Supermarkets
  • Earning Rate: Earn 4X Membership Rewards points on restaurant purchases worldwide, 4X at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year, then 1X), 3X points on airfare purchased direct or through American Express Travel, and 1X points on all other purchases.
  • Annual Credits: Up to $120 in annual dining credit ($10 per month) and up to $120 in annual Uber Cash ($10 per month).
  • Main Highlights: Book hotels through The Hotel Collection with American Express Travel and receive a $100 hotel credit and room upgrade upon arrival (when available) when booking at least a two consecutive night stay.
  • Transfer Ratio: Every 1,000 Membership Rewards Points converts to 1,000 Delta SkyMiles.
  • Intro Bonus: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months.
  • Annual Fee: $250. (See Rates and Fees)
  • Summary: This is one of the best credit cards for earning travel rewards on restaurant and supermarket purchases. If you plan on transferring your Membership Rewards points to Delta or any of AMEX's other airline and hotel partners, this is a must have.

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card

Best For Frequent Delta Flyers
  • Earning Rate: Earn 3X SkyMiles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels, 2X SkyMiles at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets, and 1X SkyMiles on all other purchases.
  • Main Highlights: Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year you renew your card, first checked bag free, ability to earn Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) and a Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) waiver, and all of the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card benefits.
  • Intro Bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
  • Annual Fee: $250. (See Rates and Fees)
  • Summary: The annual companion certificate and the ability to earn MQMs are the main selling points for this card. The companion certificate pretty much offsets the fee as it is generally worth $250 to $400 depending on the flight. You can also earn 20,000 MQMs per year if you can spend a total of $25,000 on the card (which can be stacked with other Delta credit cards).

American Express® Green Card

Best For Travel & Dining
  • Earning Rate: Earn 3X Membership Rewards points on travel, transit, and at restaurants, and 1X on all other purchases.
  • Annual Credits: Up to $189 in CLEAR credit and up to $100 in LoungeBuddy credit.
  • Transfer Ratio: 1,000 Membership Rewards Points = 1,000 Asia Miles.
  • Intro Bonus: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Plus, earn 20% back on eligible travel and transit purchases made during your first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $200 back in the form of a statement credit.
  • Annual Fee: $150.
  • Summary: The Green Card lives in the shadows of The Platinum Card and the American Express Gold Card. It's a great option if you frequently travel and spend across it's three featured categories.

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card

Best For Saving On Checked Bags
  • Earning Rate: Earn 2X SkyMiles on Delta purchases, at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets. All other purchases earn 1X SkyMiles.
  • Annual Credits: Annual $100 flight credit after spending $10K.
  • Main Highlights: First checked bag free for yourself and up to 8 others on the same reservation, priority boarding in Main Cabin 1, save 15% on award travel on Delta-operated flights, and access to Delta's Pay with Miles.
  • Intro Bonus: Earn 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
  • Annual Fee: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99. (See Rates and Fees)
  • Summary: In my opinion, this card is for the free checked bag benefit. This benefit alone can save you (and those traveling with you) hundreds of dollars per year if you normally pay for bags as it typically costs $30 to check a bag per person, per direction meaning that you'll save $60 per person round-trip. It actually saved me and my family $650 the first year I had the card.

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card

Best For Frequent Delta Business Flyers
  • Earning Rate: Earn 3X miles on purchases made directly with Delta and at hotels and 1X on other purchases. Earn 1.5 miles per dollar on single eligible purchases of $5,000 or more (that’s an extra half mile per dollar), up to 50,000 additional miles per year.
  • Main Highlights: Domestic Main Cabin-round-trip companion certificate each year you renew your card, first checked bag free, ability to earn Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) and a Medallion Qualification Dollar (MQDs) waiver through spending.
  • Intro Bonus: Welcome Offer: Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles after spending $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months of Card Membership.
  • Annual Fee: $250. (See Rates and Fees)
  • Summary: Same selling point as the consumer/personal version. Valuable companion pass that can easily get you a few hundred in value depending on the flight. You can also earn up to 20,000 MQMs per year which is great if you're aiming for Delta Medallion status.

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

Best For Small Business
  • Earning Rate: Earn 2X Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 in annual purchases, then 1X for the remainder of the year.
  • Main Highlights: The 2X points at no annual fee.
  • Intro Bonus: Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership.
  • Annual Fee: $0. (See Rates and Fees)
  • Summary: The Blue Business Plus is the best credit card for small businesses but it is also the best credit card for miscellaneous purchases. You can pair this card with any business or personal Membership Rewards credit card to make sure you're always earning at least 2X points on your purchases which is the equivalent to earning 2X SkyMiles on all purchases.

Delta Credit Card Offers

Need to boost your Delta SkyMiles balance? This tool outputs the 10 best Delta credit card offers currently available. This table is updated automatically whenever our partner offers change, so you will always find the most up-to-date bonuses listed.

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Delta SkyMiles Calculator

Use the Delta SkyMiles Calculator to find out which credit cards will earn you the most Delta SkyMiles based on your spend.

Results will be sorted by net return which is the average value of the rewards earned, plus annual credits, and minus annual fees. You'll want to take into consideration the benefits a card offers as well on top of the estimated value calculated.

Results will consist of top-rated credit cards that either earn Delta SkyMiles directly or earn rewards that can be transferred directly to the Delta SkyMiles program.

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These estimates are to help guide you towards making the best decision when it comes to picking up a rewards credit card. They should be used for illustrative purposes only.

You can click on the estimated earnings to see the calculations or click on the card to learn more and apply for the card through our partners.

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