Great Card If
- You travel often
- You regularly fly Delta
- You do not want to pay for checked bags
Don’t Get If
- You don’t travel often or don’t fly with Delta
- You want a card that earns transferable rewards
- You want a card with no annual fee
Delta Gold Card — Is It Worth It?
The Delta Gold card is an excellent option for travelers who regularly fly with Delta and can make use of the card’s perks and benefits.
If you’re looking to earn more Delta SkyMiles and enjoy benefits such as free checked bags, priority boarding, and discounts on inflight purchases including food, then the Delta Gold card would be a worthwhile addition to your wallet.
Delta Gold Card Top Benefits
Free Checked Bags
With your Delta Gold card, you’ll receive your first checked bag free for you and up to 8 travel companions. Given that checked bags can start at $30 per direction, this benefit alone can save you $30 to $270 per flight depending on the number of people flying with you.
Priority Boarding
Thanks to your Delta Gold card, you and up to 8 traveling companions will receive Main Cabin 1 priority boarding. So even if you’ve purchased a Basic Economy ticket, you’ll be able to board with other Main Cabin 1 passengers, instead of last.
Discount on Inflight Purchases
Cardholders receive 20% off in the form of a statement credit on inflight purchases of food, alcoholic beverages, and audio headsets. So if you regularly purchase food and beverages for yourself when you fly, the savings here can really add up.
Keep in mind that the 20% discount does not apply to other inflight purchases such as Wi-Fi.
Hot Tip: You do not need to pay with your Delta Gold card to receive the checked baggage and priority boarding benefit, but you will need to pay with your card to receive the 20% savings on inflight purchases.
Best Ways To Earn and Redeem Your Delta SkyMiles
While the Delta Gold card offers multiple bonus categories to help you earn more Delta SkyMiles, there are many other great ways to earn lots of Delta SkyMiles, including the shopping portal and dining program.
Once you’ve built up a nice stash of Delta SkyMiles, next comes deciding how to redeem them! Read our dedicated guide that breaks down some of our favorite ways to use Delta SkyMiles.
Alternative Card to the Delta Gold Card
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Perhaps one of the most popular travel rewards cards on the market, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers benefits including 5x points per $1 on purchases through Chase Travel, 3x points per $1 on dining, online grocery purchases, and select streaming services, along with 2x points per $1 spent on all other travel purchases. It also has no foreign transaction fees and flexible redemption options (including the Chase transfer partners).
For a very reasonable annual fee, you’ll be able to start earning Chase Ultimate Reward points, one of the most valuable loyalty currencies available. Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed for incredible value through its select transfer partners.
We’ve also compared the Delta Gold card to these popular cards:
The information regarding the Centurion® Card from American Express was independently collected by Upgraded Points and was not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.
9 comments
graham rumbellow
November 02, 2019
I have an Amex Delta Gold Skymiles card.
Can you confirm that this card, if I use it to pay for car rental in England next August(2020) for 27 days, will insure it at no charge to me as long as I decline the rental company CDW offer?
Jarrod West
November 03, 2019
Hi Graham,
That is what the terms state on the Amex Gold card. But to clarify, we do not represent American Express, so for further information about this card benefit, you should contact them directly.
AG
May 04, 2022
How can I contact American Express by phone? I applied for a card and wanted my card number to purchase flights.
Jarrod West
May 04, 2022
Hi AG,
You can call the customer service number at 1-(800)-528-4800.
Nina B
January 07, 2020
I had applied for Delta American Express card online and spoke with a representative after applying because I wanted to make sure I got the $200 credit for signing up. The rep. stayed on the phone with me for a while and stated the only way to get the $200 credit was to make a purchase of $1,000 or more. So, I made another flight reservation and she assured me it would show up on my statement. Only to find out I was scammed! I could not believe it. I called American Express several times and they were supposed to listen to the call but they never did. I was told they were sorry but they could not do anything. PLEASE HELP!!! DELTA I WANT TO CONTINUE TO FLY WITH YOU BUT UNFORTUNATELY IT WON’T BE WITH THE SKYMILES CARD :(.
Christine Krzyszton
January 07, 2020
Sorry for your experience, Nina. It sounds like you must have missed the deadline for making your minimum spending requirement and if that is what happened, there is usually nothing that can be done. This is a good reminder for others to note the date one is approved for a card as welcome bonuses are commonly earned by meeting the minimum spending requirement within the first 3 months after card approval. Thank you for sharing your unfortunate experience.
Xinwei Wang
January 12, 2020
I applied for the gold card when I purchased my ticket because of the travel benefits. After I completed the purchase, I called Delta to confirm the number of bags. I was told by a very nice lady from Delta that as a gold credit card member, for me, the first bag was free plus two free for an international flight, total of free bags checked in free 50 lb. I had shopped a lot, purchased gifts for relatives and friends overseas, I promised them to bring what they wanted, I sent them pictures of what I bought for them. I have three bags filled up, ready to go. Just to make sure, Today, I called Delta to reconfirm what I heard and I wrote down. What shocked me was the agent on the Delta line told me I could have only two free checked bags and a very small carry on. I paid $200 for the additional bag. I don’t know what to do with the items I bought and feel awful to tell friends and relatives oversea that I cannot take what I bought with me. What a shame.
Jarrod West
January 13, 2020
Hi Xinwei,
I’m sorry to hear that the phone agent communicated incorrect information to you. It seems there may have been a mix up in communication. Just so you know for certain going forward, the Gold Delta Skymiles card offers 1 free checked bag, in addition to the 1 free checked bag you receive for an international flight.
Carla Braaten Schossow
February 07, 2022
I am so disappointed. In 2020 I applied for an American Express Gold Card and it was issued. My travel plans fell apart due to Covid so I canceled it. I do not believe any miles were ever issued to me at that time and I just thought it was as if I had not applied. I do have another American Express blue card that I have used for 15 years. Now fast forward to 2021 and I was making a Delta reservation for a trip and they enticed me with the 75000 miles for applying for the card which I did. No one told me that I was not going to get the miles. The card was issued and in December I still did not see miles. I call and today I finally was told that they will not be giving me any miles. They obviously do not appreciate existing customers, the customer service was terrible and I am done with them. What a rip!
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