Rewards Plan
Welcome Bonus
Credit Rating
0% Intro
Annual Fee
APR
- Travel Perks
- No Annual Fee
- Basic Rewards
- Not For Everyday Purchases
Rates & Fees / Terms Apply
Rewards Plan
Welcome Bonus
0% Intro
PROS
- Travel Perks
- No Annual Fee
CONS
- Basic Rewards
- Not For Everyday Purchases
APR
20.99%-29.99% Variable
Annual Fee
$0
Balance Transfer Fee
N/A
Credit Requirements
Good - Excellent
The Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express card is designed for people who like to eat out, travel, fly Delta and get rewards for that - without paying an annual fee.
The card offers 2X miles for every dollar spent at restaurants worldwide and Delta purchases and 1X miles for every dollar spent on other eligible purchases, and a welcome bonus of 10,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
This makes it an excellent choice for less frequent flyers and those on a tighter budget. However, if you're a big spender, you may want to shop around for a travel card that can give you much higher benefits that probably covers the annual fee.
- 20% Off In-Flight Purchases
- Insurance for Car Rental Damage and Loss
- American Express Experiences
- Extended Warranty
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- Global Assist Hotline
- Purchase Protection
- Pay with Miles
- No Free Checked Bags
- Not For Frequent Travelers
- No Priority Boarding
- Not For Everyday Spending
In this Review
Benefits
- 20% Off In-Flight Purchases
You will receive a statement credit for 20% off your purchases of food, beverages, and audio headsets on Delta flights.
- Insurance for Car Rental Damage and Loss
If you use your card to reserve and pay for the entire car rental and decline the rental company's collision damage waiver, you'll receive coverage for theft or damage to a rental vehicle in covered territories through your car.
- American Express Experiences
This gives you access to exclusive events and ticket presales.
- Extended Warranty
On eligible purchases, this feature extends the original manufacturer's warranty for an additional year.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
You can use your card in countries other than the United States without incurring any foreign transaction fees.
- Global Assist Hotline
If you are more than 100 miles away from home, you can call the Global Assist Hotline for emergency assistance or coordination service 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This includes legal and medical referrals, assistance with missing luggage, and emergency cash wires.
- Purchase Protection
When you use your card to make a purchase, you will be covered for up to 90 days. You can make a claim if your items are accidentally damaged or stolen during the covered purchase period.
- Pay with Miles
For every 5,000 miles redeemed through the Pay with Miles platform to book Delta flights, you can receive up to $50 off the cost of your flights.
- No Free Checked Bags
Unlike the other American Express travel cards, you don’t get any free checked bags for you or your travel companions, which could end up costing you several hundred dollars on round trip flights.
- Not For Frequent Travelers
If you're a frequent traveler/flyer, you may want to look for other cards.
- No Priority Boarding
One of the perks of an airline card is that you can enjoy preferential treatment at the airport, such as priority boarding. However, this is one of the few Delta cards that does not offer this feature.
- Not For Everyday Spending
Compared to other cards with no annual fee, the amount of rewards for everyday spending is low.
Simulation: How Much Miles You Can Earn?
If you're a frequent traveler, there is no doubt you can leverage your SkyMiles Blue card to get a bunch of miles rewards, in addition to another benefits it offers. But how much exactly can you earn?
In order to understand that, we need to calculate the miles based on the card terms and spend per each category. However, everyone has its own habits, so it's important to adjust the according to your specific category breakdown.
| |
|---|---|
Spend Per Category | Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express |
$10,000 – U.S Supermarkets | 10,000 miles |
$4,000 – Restaurants
| 8,000 miles |
$4,000 – Airline | 8,000 miles |
$3,000 – Hotels | 3,000 miles |
$4,000 – Gas | 4,000 miles |
Total Miles/Points | 33,000 miles |
Estimated Redemption Value (Flights) | 1 mile = ~1.6 cents cent |
Estimated Annual Value | $528 |
How to Maximize The SkyMiles Blue?
There are several things you can do to maximize the value of your Delta SkyMiles:
- Check the Price Calendar: Delta has a price calendar where you can look up the prices and miles for up to five weeks of flights. If you have some flexibility with your travel dates, you will be able to find the best deals. If you can travel a day or two earlier or later, you could save thousands of miles.
- Keep an eye out for flash sales: While Delta has a dynamic pricing system, they are free to have sales at any time. Even if you have no immediate plans to travel, it is worth checking in on a regular basis to see if there are any flash sales.
- Avoid Delta Hubs: While it may seem counterintuitive, flying from a Delta hub can result in a penalty. Delta can take advantage of its loyal customers by charging higher rates from its major hubs. So, if you're not in a rush, consider slightly longer flights that bypass Delta hubs in favor of neighboring airports and other airline hubs.
- Book Round Trips: While a one-way flight may give you more flexibility, it will cost you more SkyMIles. If you book the same flights as one-way trips, you may end up paying significantly more miles.
- Avoid Last Minute Bookings: If you're using SkyMiles, the rates for a flight can skyrocket if you book late, so try to plan ahead and keep an eye out for a better deal.
What Customers Think?
Customers are pleased with how simple it is to qualify for the welcome bonus, which requires only $500 in spending within the first three months.
Negative reviews indicate that some people, despite having a good to excellent credit score, have difficulty qualifying for the card. Fortunately, you can use the American Express website to pre-qualify and avoid having a hard pull on your credit.
Bottom Line: When You Should Consider It?
Here are the main cases you'll want to consider the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express:
- You Don't Want to Pay an Annual Fee: It's unusual to find an airline credit card that doesn't charge an annual fee. While this card may not have a large number of benefits, you won't have to pay an annual fee, so you can start saving right away.
- You Enjoy Eating Out: While most airline cards favor airline purchases, this card allows you to earn the same number of miles per dollar spent at restaurants, including takeout and delivery. Even if you're not a frequent flyer, you can still earn SkyMiles.
- You Want Insurance Protections: Not only does this card provide purchase protection against damage or theft for 90 days after purchase, but you can also benefit from car rental damage and loss insurance by paying for the rental with your card and declining the rental desk collision damage waiver.
Compare The Alternatives
If you're looking for an airline credit card with basic travel rewards, there are some good alternatives:
|
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|
Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card | Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card | |
Annual Fee | $0 | $95 | $95
|
Rewards |
1.5X
1.5 points for every $1 you spend on all purchases everywhere, every time and no expiration on points
|
2X
2X miles per dollar on every purchase, plus 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
|
2X – 5X
5x total points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3x points on dining and online grocery purchases and 2x on other travel purchases. Plus, earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
|
Welcome bonus |
25,000 points
25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening – which can be redeemed for a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases
|
75,000 miles
|
60,000 points
60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
|
Foreign Transaction Fee | 0% | None | 0%
|
Purchase APR | 18.24% – 28.24% Variable APR will apply. A 3% fee (min $0) applies to all balance transfers | 20.99% – 28.99% (Variable)
| 21.24%–28.24% variable APR
|
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