If you’re a Delta Air Lines fan, you may be looking for the best Delta credit cards. American Express offers a suite of co-branded cards for Delta flyers, each with particular advantages. You’ll earn Skymiles rewards with all of them, but varying fees, welcome offers and travel perks give you very distinct options.
To help you pick the one that best fits your flying and spending habits, we’ve compiled this list, which is separated by consumer and business cards and ranked accordingly.
Best Delta Credit Cards
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum Credit Card
Best Overall, Best for Earning SkyMiles, Best Welcome Offer - Delta SkyMiles Gold Credit Card
Best for Occasional Delta Flyers - Delta SkyMiles Reserve Credit Card
Best for Airport Lounge Access, Best Perks - Delta SkyMiles Blue Credit Card
Best for Avoiding an Annual Fee - Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Credit Card
Best Business Card Perks for the Price, Best Business Card for Earning SkyMiles - Delta SkyMiles Business Gold Credit Card
Best Low-Fee Business Card - Delta SkyMiles Business Reserve Credit Card
Best for Luxury Business Travel
For more details on how we evaluate credit cards for this list, see our methodology.
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Card
Best Overall
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Best for Earning SkyMiles
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Best Welcome Offer
Our Rating Among Delta Air Lines Cards3.0
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CURRENT OFFER
Earn 40,000 bonus miles and 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $2,000 in eligible purchases on your new Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card within your first 3 months. Plus, earn a $100 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase with your new Card within your first 3 months.RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE 670850Good – Excellent
REGULAR APR (%) | 15.74% – 24.74% variable |
ANNUAL FEE | $250 |
REWARDS EARNING RATE | Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery and at U.S. supermarkets. With Status Boost(TM), earn 10,000 MQMs after you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights. Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck(R). Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. |
FOREIGN TRANSACTION FEE (%) | 0% |
- WHY WE CHOSE THIS CARDThis card has the best miles-earning rates among Delta cards and valuable airline perks. You’ll earn 3 points per $1 spent with Delta and on direct hotel bookings and 2 miles at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets. There’s a high annual fee, but you can recoup the cost by using benefits including free checked bags and an annual companion ticket for a main cabin domestic flight (only taxes and fees aren’t covered). Plus, the welcome bonus is pretty good: You’ll get 40,000 miles and 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) by spending $2,000 in your first three months. Based on our research, the 40,000 standard miles are worth about $616.
- PROS & CONSPros
- Generous rewards rate on Delta flights
- Ways to earn extra miles on everyday expenses, not just Delta flights
- Perks such as free checked bags and a Global Entry/TSA Precheck application fee reimbursement
- Annual fee is higher than most other mid-level airline cards
- Fee to enter Delta Sky Club lounges makes for a relatively stingy airport lounge perk
- HIGHLIGHTS
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Card
Best for Occasional Delta Flyers
Our Rating Among Delta Air Lines Cards3.4
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CURRENT OFFER
Earn 35,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in eligible purchases on your new Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card within your first 3 months.RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE 670850Good – Excellent
REGULAR APR (%) | 15.74% – 24.74% variable |
ANNUAL FEE | $0 for the first year, then $99 |
REWARDS EARNING RATE | Earn 2X Miles on Delta purchases, at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery and at U.S. supermarkets. Travel when you’re ready. After you spend $10,000 in purchases in a calendar year, you will receive a $100 Delta Flight Credit to inspire your next travel. Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta Flights. Enjoy a $0 introductory Annual Fee for the first year, then $99. |
FOREIGN TRANSACTION FEE (%) | 0% |
- WHY WE CHOSE THIS CARDIf you prefer flying Delta, but aren’t a huge spender or constant traveler, this card is for you. You can recoup the cost of the annual fee by using the free-checked-bag benefit a few times each year or earning the $100 statement credit to put toward a future Delta flight. What’s more, if you spend $1,000 within three months of opening your account, you’ll get a welcome offer of 35,000 miles which are worth about $539, based on our calculations.
- PROS & CONSPros
- Welcome offer is quite easy to earn, even if it’s not huge
- Annual flight discount of $100 for those who spend $10,000 in a year (so less than $1,000 per month, on average)
- Free checked bag for you and up to eight travel companions, well above the limit on other airline cards
- No boost toward Delta’s elite status
- No Delta Sky Club lounge access, even with a fee
- HIGHLIGHTS
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Card
Best for Airport Lounge Access
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Best Perks
Our Rating Among Delta Air Lines Cards2.5
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CURRENT OFFER
Earn 40,000 bonus miles and 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months.RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE 670850Good – Excellent
REGULAR APR (%) | 15.74% – 24.74% variable |
ANNUAL FEE | $550 |
REWARDS EARNING RATE | Earn 3 miles per $1 spent on purchases made directly with Delta. Earn 1 mile per $1 on other eligible purchases. |
FOREIGN TRANSACTION FEE (%) | 0% |
- WHY WE CHOSE THIS CARDThis is for Delta flyers who want to relax in a quiet airport lounge while traveling. You get complimentary access to the Delta Sky Club (it’s the only Delta consumer card with that perk), and access to the American Express Centurion Lounge on the day of your Delta flight. The annual fee is extremely high, but this card offers several other VIP travel perks and a pathway to Delta’s coveted Medallion flying status. Plus, you’ll earn 40,000 miles and 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) by spending $3,000 within your first three months of opening an account.
- PROS & CONSPros
- Complimentary access to Delta Sky Clubs and American Express Centurion lounges
- Big spenders can earn Delta’s elite status just by using the card
- Loaded with frequent flyer perks, including an annual companion pass good for a round-trip ticket (taxes and fees aren’t covered
- Highest annual fee of any airline card tracked by The Balance
- Underwhelming bonus for new cardholders, considering other Delta cards have similar offers with lower annual fees and smaller spending requirements
- HIGHLIGHTS
Delta SkyMiles® Blue Card
Best for Avoiding an Annual Fee
Our Rating Among Delta Air Lines Cards3.1
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CURRENT OFFER
Earn 10,000 Bonus Miles after spending $500 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months of Card Membership.RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE 670850Good – Excellent
REGULAR APR (%) | 15.74% – 24.74% variable |
ANNUAL FEE | $0 |
REWARDS EARNING RATE | Earn 2 miles per dollar at restaurants and on eligible Delta purchases, and earn 1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases. |
FOREIGN TRANSACTION FEE (%) | 0% |
- WHY WE CHOSE THIS CARDMaybe you don’t travel much, or just want to try out a Delta rewards card without committing. If that’s you, this card—the only in the Delta suite without an annual fee—could be a fit. You’ll earn 2 miles per $1 spent not just with Delta, but at restaurants worldwide, too. You won’t get free checked bags or other travel perks the pricier Delta cards have, but there’s no foreign transaction fee (which is great for international travelers), and you can pay for a Delta flight with miles and dollars if you don’t have enough miles to fully cover one.
- PROS & CONSPros
- No annual fee means less frequent travelers have a low-investment way to try rewards
- Decent welcome offer for a no-annual-fee airline card
- Option to pay for a portion of an eligible Delta flight with miles means you don’t have to wait until you can cover it entirely
- No free checked bags or priority boarding
- HIGHLIGHTS
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business Card
Best Business Card Perks for the Price
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Best Business Card for Earning SkyMiles
Our Rating Among Delta Air Lines Cards3.1
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CURRENT OFFER
Earn 45,000 bonus miles and 5,000 Medallion(R) Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in the first 3 months. Plus, earn a $100 Statement Credit after your first Delta purchase on your new Card in the first 3 months.RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE 670850Good – Excellent
REGULAR APR (%) | 15.74% – 24.74% variable |
ANNUAL FEE | $250 |
REWARDS EARNING RATE | Earn 3 miles per dollar on eligible purchases made directly with Delta and hotels. Earn 1 mile per dollar spent on other eligible purchases. |
CASH ADVANCE APR (%) | 25.24% |
CASH ADVANCE FEE | Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater. |
- WHY WE CHOSE THIS CARDYou can really boost your cache of Delta miles with this business credit card, which pays 3 miles per $1 spent with Delta and on stays booked directly with hotels. It offers many perks of the Delta Reserve Business Credit Card—such as a Global Entry/TSA Precheck application fee credit—but for less than half the annual fee. (It doesn’t come with complimentary airport lounge access, however.) Plus, the welcome offer is competitive. If you spend $3,000 within three months, you’ll earn 45,000 miles and 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs). The standard 45,000 bonus miles are worth about $693, according to our analysis.
- PROS & CONSPros
- Good miles-earning rate on Delta and hotel purchases
- Perks such as free checked bags and an annual companion pass for a domestic round-trip in the main cabin (fees and taxes not covered)
- Best bonus for new cardholders among the Delta business credit cards.
- Annual fee is higher than other mid-tier airline cards for businesses
- Must pay a fee to access Delta Sky Club lounges—a relatively stingy airport lounge benefit
- HIGHLIGHTS
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business Card
Best Low-Fee Business Card
Our Rating Among Delta Air Lines Cards3.6
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CURRENT OFFER
Earn 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in the first 3 months.RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE 670850Good – Excellent
REGULAR APR (%) | 15.74% – 24.74% variable |
ANNUAL FEE | $0 for the first year, then $99 |
REWARDS EARNING RATE | Earn 2 miles per dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta, U.S. shipping and advertising purchases, and at restaurants. Earn 1 mile on every eligible dollar spent on other purchases. |
CASH ADVANCE APR (%) | 25.24% |
CASH ADVANCE FEE | Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater. |
- WHY WE CHOSE THIS CARD
- This card has the lowest annual fee of any of the Delta business cards and offers extra miles on several non-Delta business expenses. You’ll also get priority boarding and free checked bags for you and up to eight travel companions on the same reservation. If you spend enough, you’ll even receive a $100 flight credit for a future Delta trip, which recoups the annual fee cost after the first year. What’s more, you only need to spend $2,000 in your first three months to earn a 40,000-mile bonus. That offer is worth about $616, based on our calculations.
- PROS & CONS
- Free checked bags and priority boarding for you and as many as eight travel companions
- Annual flight discount (which makes up for the annual fee) can be earn by spending less than $1,000 on this card each monthCons
- No boost toward Delta’s elite status
- No Delta Sky Club lounge access
- Gas purchases don’t earn extra miles, unlike comparable business airline cards
- HIGHLIGHTS
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business Card
Best for Luxury Business Travel
Our Rating Among Delta Air Lines Cards2.6
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CURRENT OFFER
Earn 45,000 bonus miles and 10,000 MQMs after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months.RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE 800850Excellent
REGULAR APR (%) | 15.74% – 24.74% variable |
ANNUAL FEE | $550 |
REWARDS EARNING RATE | Earn 3 miles per dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta. Earn 1 mile on every eligible dollar spent on other purchases. |
CASH ADVANCE APR (%) | 25.24% |
CASH ADVANCE FEE | Either $5 or 3% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater. |
- WHY WE CHOSE THIS CARD
- This card is all about making business trips more enjoyable, and if that’s what you seek, it may be worth the massive annual fee. It’s the only Delta business card that offers complimentary access to Delta Sky Club airport lounges, plus you can also visit American Express Centurion Lounges when you fly with Delta. Other travel benefits and ways to fast-track Delta’s elite status sweeten the deal. Plus, spend $4,000 within your first three months to earn 45,000 miles and 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs). The 45,000-mile bonus is worth about $693 based on our average mile valuations.
- PROS & CONS
- Complimentary Delta Sky Club and American Express Centurion lounge access
- Big spenders can earn elite status just by using this card
- Loaded with frequent flyer perks, including an annual companion pass good for a round-trip ticket (taxes and fees aren’t covered)Cons
- Very steep annual fee
- Underwhelming bonus for a premium card, especially when other Delta cards have comparable offers
- Mediocre rewards rates and limited categories compared to similar business cards
- HIGHLIGHTS
- Earn 45,000 bonus miles and 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $4,000 in eligible purchases on your new Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card in the first 3 months.
- Complimentary access to the Delta Sky Club & 2 Delta Sky Club one-time guest passes.
- Earn 1.5 miles per dollar after spending $150,000.
- Earn 3 miles per dollar on Delta purchases.
- Global Entry or TSA Pre✔ fee credit.