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October 24, 2024: The limited-time welcome offers on the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card have ended. Here’s the current welcome offer available on the Delta Gold card:
Welcome offer: bonus_miles_full Learn more and apply.
(See Rates and Fees)
While this may be the best public offer on this card, we were able to find an even better offer on this card when making a dummy booking at Delta.com.
Here are all of the details on this best ever public welcome offer on the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card.
In this article…
Current public welcome offer: 50,000 SkyMiles after spending $2,000 in 6 months
Here are the details on the current Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card welcome offer.
Annual fee: annual_fees
See Rates and Fees
Best welcome offer online: bonus_miles_full
We’ve sometimes found better welcome offers on this card when making dummy bookings at Delta.com. Read our coverage on the better Delta credit card bonus offers before applying—you might be able to get a better bonus.
This bonus is earned as Delta SkyMiles.
Earn points for your friend: Get the welcome offer through a referral link
American Express offers some cardmembers the ability to refer others to Amex cards and earn points. If you have a friend or a family member with an American Express card and they can generate a referral link, you may be able to get this same welcome bonus and earn some points for your friend.
Most American Express-branded and Delta-branded cards will allow you to refer someone to a Delta credit card and earn points if they are approved. But you won’t be able to refer a friend to a Delta credit card from another co-branded card like a Hilton credit card or Marriott credit card.
You are not allowed to apply through a referral link that you have generated yourself.
Eligibility: Are you eligible to get this welcome offer?
The new cardmember offer on the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card contains American Express lifetime family language, which prohibits you from receiving a bonus on this card if you’ve ever had the same card or a higher-tier personal Delta credit card previously. Specifically, you’re ineligible for the bonus if you have or have ever had any of the following cards:
- Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
However, even if you may have had the Delta Gold card or another one of the above Delta cards before, it is generally safe to apply for a new American Express card. Prior to processing your application, Amex will notify you if you are ineligible for the welcome bonus and give you a chance to withdraw your application.
About the card: More on the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
Annual fee: annual_fees
Foreign transaction fee: foreign_transaction_fee
See Rates and Fees
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is a good choice for an occasional Delta travel without Medallion status. The card offers a free checked bag when traveling on Delta, plus up to a $100 Delta Stays credit.
Welcome offer
Best welcome offer online: bonus_miles_full
We’ve sometimes found better welcome offers on this card when making dummy bookings at Delta.com. Read our coverage on the better Delta credit card bonus offers before applying—you might be able to get a better bonus.
This bonus is earned as Delta SkyMiles.
Rewards
- 2x on Delta purchases made directly with Delta.
- 2x on dining at restaurants, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 2x on groceries at U.S. supermarkets.
- 1x on other purchases.
Rewards are earned as Delta SkyMiles.
Benefits
Delta travel benefits
- $200 Delta flight credit after you spend $10,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year.
- $100 Delta Stays credit.
- TakeOff 15.
- First checked bag free.
- Priority boarding (Zone 5).
- Pay with miles.
- 20% back on in-flight purchases.
Consumer insurance benefits
- Purchase protection.
- Extended warranty.
Travel insurance benefits
- Baggage insurance plan.
- Car rental loss and damage insurance.
- Global Assist® hotline.
Partner benefits and statement credits
- ShopRunner. Enrollment required.
- Amex Offers. Enrollment required.
Terms apply to all benefits.
Maximizing value: Get the most from the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
You’ll get the most value from the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card if you travel on Delta with some frequency and would otherwise pay for checked bags. Here are our tips for getting the most value from the Delta Gold card.
- Book together and share the free checked bag benefit. When you travel with others on the same reservation, up to 8 other people can enjoy your free checked bag benefit when they travel with you.
- Book at least one hotel stay a year through Delta Stays to capture the full value of the $100 Delta Stays credit.
- Spend $10,000 on the card each calendar year and no more. There are better cards that will get you more rewards on general purchases, on airline tickets, at U.S. supermarkets, and on dining. But spending $10,000 on the card in a calendar year will get you a $200 Delta flight credit, making it worthwhile to hit that spending threshold.
About SkyMiles: Value and best uses
With the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, you can earn Delta SkyMiles from both the welcome offer and from using the card for spending.
We consider Delta SkyMiles to be worth about 1.14 cents each if you hold a Delta credit card that offers the TakeOff 15 discount. This number is lower than what you’ll see on other sites because we apply a discount factor to account for SkyMiles not being redeemable for cash.
Here are a few things we learned from our analysis of Delta SkyMiles:
- SkyMiles provide consistent value—10,000 Delta SkyMiles can usually get you a ticket on Delta priced around $126-$148.
- Most SkyMiles tickets are priced dynamically—the price of the ticket in miles correlates with the cash price of the same itinerary.
- Delta SkyMiles are easy to use for domestic travel within the U.S. and international travel on Delta.
- Some of the most lucrative uses of Delta SkyMiles can be found during Delta’s SkyMiles flash sales. Occasionally Delta will offer unpublished SkyMiles specials in business class alongside its flash sales.
- It is uncommon to get outsized value from SkyMiles through premium cabin redemptions.
My take: Increased standard bonus, but wait for a better offer
We’ve been tracking the welcome bonus on the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card for this site for several years. Delta and Amex usually increase the offer on this card every few months, and the last limited-time offer ended October 24, 2024.
But there’s something interesting about the regular offer this time around. Delta and Amex are offering 10,000 more points than they previously were, with no increase in spending required to earn the bonus. That’s a positive change. Still, if you don’t have an immediate need for this card, you would do well to wait for the better offer to come back around again.
Of course, be sure to check out our coverage on getting a better offer. You might be able to get a better offer by applying while doing a test booking on Delta.com.
A few notes on applying for American Express credit cards
Here are a few things that you should know about applying for American Express cards.
- Amex will let you know if you’re ineligible for the new cardmember welcome offer when applying. If you don’t qualify for a welcome offer for any reason, American Express will inform you during the application process and let you withdraw your application before they perform a “hard pull” on your credit report. If you withdraw your application, the withdrawn application will have no impact on your credit score.
- No hard pull if they deny you. If Amex denies your credit card application, they usually won’t issue a hard pull on your credit report. This means that your credit score won’t decrease because of the denied application.
- One welcome offer per card per “lifetime”. Most Amex card terms say that you’re ineligible for a welcome offer if you’ve ever had the card before. Some targeted offers do not have this lifetime language. Readers and other blogs have reported that Amex may internally define “lifetime” as 7 years—if it’s been 7 years since you’ve had a card, you might be eligible to get a welcome offer again.
- Some cards allow one welcome offer per card “family”. Some American Express cards, like the personal Platinum card or the Charles Schwab Platinum card have language that prohibits you from earning a welcome bonus if you’ve ever had a card from the same card family before.
- Maximum 5 Amex credit cards and 10 pay-over-time cards. You can have a maximum of 5 American Express credit cards at one time. In addition, you can hold up to 10 American Express pay-over-time cards (like the Platinum, Gold, and Green cards.) These limits are known to occasionally be flexible for some cardmembers, some of the time.
- You might be able to get a better welcome offer than the public offer. American Express offers some customers targeted offers. See our post on how to get the best welcome offers from American Express and try those methods before applying for an American Express card. You might be able to get an elevated welcome offer.
- Check your application status online. You can check the status of your American Express card application online through the Amex website.
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American Express card disclosures
- For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees
- For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees
- For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, please visit this link: See Rates and Fees
Amex Basic Purchase Protection benefit disclosure: When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase with their Eligible Card, Purchase Protection can help protect their Covered Purchases for up to 90 days from the Covered Purchase date if it is stolen or accidentally damaged. The coverage is limited to up to $1,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
Amex Extended Warranty benefit disclosure: When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase to an Eligible Card, Extended Warranty§ can provide up to one extra year added to the Original Manufacturer’s Warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your Card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
Amex Basic Baggage Insurance Plan benefit disclosure: Baggage Insurance Plan coverage can be in effect for Eligible Persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen Baggage during their travel on a Common Carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the entire fare for a Common Carrier Vehicle ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an eligible Account. Coverage can be provided for up to $1,250 for carry-on Baggage and up to $500 for checked Baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the Common Carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus). For New York State residents, there is a $10,000 aggregate maximum limit for all Covered Persons per Covered Trip. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
Amex Basic Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance disclosure: Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible Card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the Commercial Car Rental Company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.
