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The Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card is the entry-level co-branded card from Amex and Delta. It comes with a respectable welcome bonus and a $0 annual fee (Rates & Fees).
While this card isn't a heavy hitter when it comes to some of the perks and benefits associated with more premium Delta cards, it is still a decent option when you take into account that it charges no annual fee.
Is this card worth holding when you consider the benefits it lacks compared to other Delta credit cards? Let's take a look.
- Earn 10,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- No Annual Fee.
- Earn 2X Miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- Earn 2X Miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases, and 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay with Miles: take up to $50 off the cost of your flight for every 5,000 miles you redeem with Pay with Miles when you book on delta.com.
- Receive a 20% savings in the form of a statement credit after you use your Card on eligible Delta in-flight purchases of food, beverages, and audio headsets.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 2X miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta
- 2X miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 1 mile on every eligible dollar spent on purchases
Page Contents
Blue Delta Amex Pros
- $0 annual fee.
- 20% off inflight purchases.
Blue Delta Amex Cons
- Lacks benefits offered on other Delta credit cards: free checked bags, priority boarding, etc.
- The earning structure isn't very strong.
- Ineligible for the Delta TakeOff 15 award discount.
Blue Delta Amex Welcome Offer
The Blue Delta Amex has a respectable welcome offer: Earn 10,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months. While this is not as lucrative as some of the other Delta cards, it offers plenty of value, especially since the Blue Delta Amex card doesn't have an annual fee.
Delta offers several Amex cards that come with more generous welcome bonuses. Fortunately, if you opt to start off with the Blue Delta Amex, you are not disqualified from earning the welcome bonus on other Delta consumer or small business cards. Thus, you can start your journey with the Blue Delta Amex before applying for more premium cards as your travel goals and strategy evolve.
Related: American Express Card Offer History — When You Should Apply
Blue Delta Amex Benefits
As the entry-level card from Delta SkyMiles, you won't find a ton of benefits on the Blue Delta Amex. However, there are a few perks worth noting.
20% statement credit on eligible Delta purchases
Receive a 20% statement credit on eligible Delta in-flight purchases. That's effectively a 20% discount on in-flight purchases of food, beverages, and and audio headsets (but notably does not include Wi-Fi purchases, though Delta is rolling out free Wi-Fi).
This may not seem like a massive benefit, but the savings can actually add up. If you make $100 in food and drink purchases annually, you can save $20. This is a decent savings for a card with no annual fee, making it a good companion for the periodic Delta flyer.
No foreign transaction fees
Most no-annual-fee cards have one key drawback that really stings when traveling abroad: foreign transaction fees. These can be expensive and add a substantial amount to the cost of your overseas purchases. The Blue Delta Amex charges no foreign transaction fees (Rates & Fees). This eliminates any hidden surprises when you open your credit card bill at the end of the month.
Shopping protections
Card Members can also take advantage of two types of shopping protections: purchase protection and an extended warranty benefit. Both perks can help give you a sense of confidence when you make an important purchase.
Blue Delta Amex Earning Rates
The Blue Delta Amex isn't a fantastic earner, as made evident by its earning rates:
- 2X miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta
- 2X miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 1 mile on every eligible dollar spent on purchases
While 2X miles per $1 spent on a couple of different categories isn't the best return on spending, it's not insignificant. Unfortunately, the Blue Delta Amex only offers higher rates at restaurants worldwide, takeout and delivery in the U.S., and purchases made directly with Delta.
Everywhere else, you will only earn 1X mile per $1 spent. This means the Blue Delta Amex card is not a great card on which to spend regularly.
Related: Best Credit Cards for Everyday Spending
Redeeming SkyMiles With the Blue Delta Amex
There are several ways to redeem Delta SkyMiles. If you're considering the entry-level Delta card, you are probably not accruing hundreds of thousands of Delta SkyMiles per year. So, your best choice for redeeming Delta SkyMiles could be on short-haul domestic awards that only cost a few thousand miles.
Delta stopped publishing an award chart several years back. Now, Delta uses dynamic award pricing where mileage pricing generally varies with cash prices. Flights within North America (including the U.S. & Canada) can cost as few as 3,000 miles at the lowest for one-way economy awards. Premium cabins will generally cost quite a bit more.
If you're considering the Blue Delta Amex, saving up your miles for a long-haul premium cabin award is not the best option. Even though Delta SkyMiles don’t expire, saving up enough miles for an award in a premium cabin will take too long and require significant spending.
Pay with miles
Alternatively, you can use your Delta miles to “Pay with Miles.” When paying cash for your ticket, you can deduct $50 from the price for each 5,000 miles you redeem. This works out to a redemption rate of 1 cent per mile. That's less than the 1.34¢ average redemption value of Delta SkyMiles, but it's another redemption option for your SkyMiles.
To get the best value with Pay with Miles, it's best to use it on cheaper domestic flights. If you are looking to fly long-haul premium cabin flights, Pay with Miles is not your best option. Instead, you should keep your miles for an award booking in these situations. Using your miles like cash in Pay with Miles will be costly when booking an expensive ticket.
Related: Best Ways To Use Delta SkyMiles
Application Restrictions
American Express has several application rules to navigate before you know if you're eligible for a welcome bonus on the Blue Delta Amex. On the card's application page, we see these terms:
“You may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer if you have or have had this Card, the Delta SkyMiles® Options Credit Card, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card or previous versions of these Cards. You also may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer based on various factors, such as your history with credit card balance transfers, your history as an American Express Card Member, the number of credit cards that you have opened and closed and other factors. If you are not eligible for a welcome offer, we will notify you prior to processing your application so you have the option to withdraw your application.”
Therefore, having the Delta Gold Card, Platinum Delta Amex, or Delta Reserve, now or in the past, may affect your ability to earn the welcome offer on the Blue Delta Amex.
You also may be ineligible if you ever had the Blue Delta Amex in the past. Luckily, as noted, Amex will typically inform you if you are not eligible for the bonus before processing your application.
Additionally, American Express only allows you to have five of its credit cards at a time, and you're unlikely to be approved for more than two Amex cards in a 90-day period.
Related: Understanding Rewards Credit Card Application Rules and Restrictions
Cards That Compete With the Blue Delta Amex
Not sure if the Blue Delta Amex is right for you? Here are three additional options worth considering:
- If you want a Delta card with more benefits, consider the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card. It has a larger welcome offer of 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership, offers priority boarding and a free checked bag on Delta flights, and offers a unique benefit called TakeOff15. With this, cardholders can save 15% off Delta-operated award flights when using miles. Better yet, this card has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 (Rates & Fees), so you can test-drive the benefits. Further details are in our Delta Gold Card review.
- If you want transferable points you can use with Delta and other award programs, the American Express® Green Card is a good option. This card has a moderate annual fee of $150. You'll earn Membership Rewards points, which you can transfer to 21 airline and hotel programs, including Delta, to use for award redemptions. This card earns 3x on travel, transit, and restaurant purchases worldwide. Read our Amex Green Card review for more information.
- If you want an airline card with no annual fee that isn't tied to Delta, The New United Gateway℠ Card could be a good option. It has a decent amount of travel protections, no annual fee, and 25% back on in-flight purchases. You'll also earn 2x on United purchases, at gas stations, and on local transit and commuting. You can learn more in our United Gateway Card review.
(Terms apply)
- 2X miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta
- 2X miles per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets
- 2X miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 1X miles on all other eligible purchases
- 3x Membership Rewards® on travel
- 3x Membership Rewards® at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 3x Membership Rewards® on transit including trains, buses, ferries, subways, and more
- 1x Membership Rewards® on other purchases
- 2 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases
- 2 miles per $1 spent at gas stations, on local transit and commuting
- 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
Final Thoughts
If you don't fly Delta regularly or are just starting in the points and miles hobby, then the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card is a solid starting point. The card provides a decent set of benefits and a fair welcome bonus without the commitment of an annual fee. While it lacks the benefits offered on other Delta credit cards, that shouldn't come as a surprise, given the lack of an annual fee.
- Earn 10,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- No Annual Fee.
- Earn 2X Miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- Earn 2X Miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases, and 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay with Miles: take up to $50 off the cost of your flight for every 5,000 miles you redeem with Pay with Miles when you book on delta.com.
- Receive a 20% savings in the form of a statement credit after you use your Card on eligible Delta in-flight purchases of food, beverages, and audio headsets.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 2X miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta
- 2X miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 1 mile on every eligible dollar spent on purchases
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card (Rates & Fees), and The New United Gateway℠ Card (Rates & Fees)
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