Delta Amex send new limited-time card offers sky high

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Delta and American Express are relaunching their co-branded credit cards with new rewards and travel perks, but higher annual fees for consumers and business owners. All seven cards debuted with a new look and feel on Jan. 30, 2020, with select cards offering welcome bonuses of up to 100,000 miles through April 1, 2020. And for the first time ever, the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum and Reserve American Express Cards are being made from metal.

It’s the first limited-time offer featuring all seven cards (four consumer and three business) from Delta and Amex. For the Platinum and Reserve cards, it’s their best offer yet.

“The completely reimagined cards are tailored to what our customers told us is most important to them,” said Sandeep Dube, CEO of Delta Vacations and senior vice president of customer engagement and loyalty. “We are excited to bring years of planning and in-depth research to life with new benefits focused on more ways to earn miles, get to status faster and make travel easier.”

The relaunch comes after Delta and American Express conducted more than a year of research. According to Henry Harteveldt, president of Atmosphere Research and a travel industry analyst, cards account for 18% of Delta’s gross revenue so it stands to reason that customer satisfaction would be a top priority for the airline.

“What this [figure] shows is the value that Delta and American Express have put into their co-branded credit card products and program,” said Harteveldt.

The partnership between Delta and American Express is expected to reach $4.4 billion in 2020 in total contributions and grow to nearly $7 billion by 2023.

New rewards, travel perks and higher annual fees

Plans for the card relaunch were first announced in September 2019, featuring a variety of new benefits to meet the needs of every type of traveler, reward them with more miles and get them to status faster. Existing cardholders automatically received these benefits as of Jan. 30, 2020.

The annual fees on select cards increased by up to $100, but Delta and American Express say there are now more ways to earn miles faster. Here’s a breakdown of the cards’ new benefits and annual fees:

Card New Annual Fee New Benefits Limited-Time Welcome Offer
$0 (See Rates & Fees)
  • Earn 2x miles at restaurants worldwide (not just in the U.S.)
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Access to Pay With Miles (which lets you use miles to book Delta flights while also earning redeemable miles on said flights)
  • Terms Apply
  • 15,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Offer Expires 4/1/2020.
  • Terms Apply.
$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99 (See Rates & Fees)
  • Earn 2x miles at U.S. supermarkets and at restaurants (new bonus categories)
  • Get a $100 Delta flight credit after you spend $10,000 on the card in a calendar year
  • No longer get discounted Delta Sky Club access for $29 per visit
  • No longer get the Medallion Qualification Dollar waiver for Delta elite status
  • Terms Apply
  • Earn 60,000 miles after you spend $2,000 in the first three months
  • Earn an additional 10,000 miles after your first anniversary of card membership. Offer Expires 4/1/2020.
  • Terms Apply
$250 See Rates & Fees
  • Earn 3x miles at hotels and on Delta purchases
  • Earn 2x miles at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets
  • Get up to $100 toward the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
  • Delta Sky Club access will cost $39 per person per visit
  • Terms Apply
  • Earn 80,000 miles after you spend $3,000 in the first three months
  • Earn additional 20,000 miles after first anniversary of opening card account. Offer Expires 4/1/2020.
  • Earn 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, up to two times per year
  • Get a $100 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase in the first three months
  • Terms Apply
$550 See Rates & Fees
  • Earn 3x miles on Delta purchases
  • Two Delta Sky Club one-time guest passes each year
  • Access to Centurion® Lounges and Delta SkyClubs®
  • Access to complimentary upgrades for travelers without Delta elite status
  • Up to $100 credit for Global Entry and TSA Pre✓ ® application fee
  • Earn 15,000 MQMs after spending $30,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year, up to four times per year
  • Terms Apply
  • Earn 80,000 miles and 20,000 MQMs after you spend $5,000 in the first three months
  • Earn additional 20,000 miles after first anniversary of opening card account. Offer Expires 4/1/2020.
  • Terms Apply
$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99 (See Rates & Fees)
  • Earn 2x miles on U.S. shipping purchases and U.S. advertising in select media purchases, and at restaurants
  • Get a $100 Delta flight credit after you spend $10,000 on the card in a year
  • Terms Apply
  • Earn 60,000 miles after you spend $2,000 in the first three months
  • Earn additional 10,000 miles after first anniversary of opening card account
  • Terms Apply
$250 (See Rates & Fees)
  • Earn 3x miles made directly at hotels and on Delta purchases
  • Earn 1.5x miles per dollar on single eligible purchases of $5,000 or more (up to 50,000 additional miles). Earn 1 Mile on every eligible dollar spent on other purchases
  • Up to $100 toward the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
  • Delta Sky Club access will cost $39 per visit
  • Terms Apply
  • Earn 80,000 miles after you spend $3,000 in the first three months
  • Earn additional 20,000 miles after first anniversary of opening card account. Offer expires 4/1/20.
  • Terms Apply
$550 (See Rates & Fees)
  • Earn 3x miles on eligible Delta purchases
  • Earn 1.5x miles on all purchases after $150,000 in spending per calendar year
  • Two Delta Sky Club one-time guest passes
  • Access to Centurion® Lounges and Delta SkyClubs®
  • Up to $100 credit for Global Entry and TSA Pre✓ ® application fee
  • Access to complimentary upgrades for travelers without Delta elite status
  • Earn 15,000 MQMs after spending $30,000 in purchases on your new Card in a calendar year, up to four times per year
  • Terms Apply
  • Earn 80,000 miles and 20,000 MQMs after you spend $5,000 in the first three months
  • Earn additional 20,000 miles after first anniversary of opening card account
  • Terms Apply

“We are so thrilled to launch a major redesign of our Delta SkyMiles® American Express Cards that give our Card Members new ways to earn more rewards, an enhanced travel experience and greater value,” said Eva Reda, executive vice president of global consumer partnerships, at American Express.

Here are important things to take into account if you’re debating whether the higher annual fees on select cards are worth it:

  • How often you fly Delta: Earning miles for Delta purchases means you’ll be saving on travel down the road.
  • The first bag is free on flights: Having your first bag checked in for free is a sweet perk if you anticipate traveling a lot this year. If you regularly check in your bag while traveling, then the annual fee on select Delta Amex cards might be worth it.
  • Traveling abroad frequently. You can avoid unnecessary foreign transaction fees while shopping abroad with any of the Delta Amex cards.
  • Hitting the spending requirement. If you know you can meet the minimum spending requirement for any of the welcome offers, then it’ll be worth it to earn thousands of miles as a frequent flyer.

The new welcome bonuses are not available to cardholders who have or have had current or prior versions of the card they apply for. Additionally, the welcome bonus is not available to cardholders who apply for the SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card and have had any of the consumer cards open in the past 90 days. The welcome bonuses available across Delta Amex cards can be found here.

The bottom line

The Delta Amex cards can magnify your SkyMiles account and give you solid travel perks if you regularly travel with Delta. But, even infrequent Delta flyers can get value from the lower-tier Delta Amex cards like the or the , which both come with a promising welcome bonus and basic travel benefits.

Since 2013, Delta has received some backlash for periodically devaluing its frequent flyer currency and no longer publishing its award chart, according to Joe Brancatelli, founder of JoeSentMe, a website for business travelers.

“I don’t find the Amex deals particularly compelling because the Delta SkyMiles program has been so ridiculously devalued,” Brancatelli said. “So lots of points in a program where points are becoming nearly worthless isn’t a particularly great offer.”

On the bright side, there are other ways to get value out of the program as well, as Delta regularly offers a stream of flash sales on award flights and solid redemption options in domestic economy. If you have flexibility in your travel plans, your accumulated SkyMiles could come in handy during any of the airline’s flash sales.

Delta’s President Glen W. Hauenstein has been outspoken about adding better benefits to the cards down the road and potentially expanding the Delta Amex portfolio.

“The new and richer rewards will continue to increase customer benefits and drive future card acquisitions,” Hauenstein said during Delta’s 2019 fourth-quarter earnings call.

For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card, please click here. For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, please click here. For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, please click here. For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, please click here. For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card, please click here. For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, please click here. For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, please click here.

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