Regular travelers are really well served by seeking out a good rewards credit card. You want to be able to make the most of your traveling experience. When you have a good travel rewards credit card in your wallet, then everything is going to go that much smoother. You can get access to special perks to make your life better and you can earn miles to help mitigate some of your travel expenses.
If Delta Airlines is your preferred way to travel, then you have several credit cards that you can consider signing up for. One credit card that people are wondering about is the Blue Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express. This credit card offers cardholders some good benefits, but does it truly stand out from the pack in any way? It can be tough to differentiate these credit cards sometimes when there are so many similarly named ones on the market.
Today we are going to be doing a thorough review of the Blue Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express. Our aim is to go over all of the little details so that you can see what this one offers you specifically. If this credit card looks like it will improve your overall travel experience, then it may well be worth your while. Take your time to read our in-depth coverage of this credit card so that you can determine whether or not to give this one the time of day.
Prices and Fees
One of the best things about this credit card that sets it apart from some of the other Delta-associated cards is that it has no annual fee. You will not have to pay any of your hard-earned money toward a fee just to earn the right to keep this card in your wallet. This makes it more practical for potential cardholders who only fly semi-regularly. You do not need to use the card often enough to try to make up for the annual fee, so you can keep this one in your wallet without having to worry.
Sadly, this card is going to hurt you when it comes to certain other fees. For instance, the foreign transaction fee is going to be particularly problematic for some people. If you are worried about getting charged fees when traveling outside of the country, then this card may not be for you. Anyone who wants to travel abroad is going to have to avoid using this card or they will wind up paying a 2.7% foreign transaction fee.
There are also some other fees to keep in mind, such as the balance transfer fee. The balance transfer fee is set at 3% with a minimum fee of $5.00. The cash advance fee is also set at 3% with a minimum of $5.00. Luckily, these fees fall within normal ranges and are not too unusual. You still need to know about them to use the credit card intelligently.
Late payment fees for this credit card will have the potential to be as high as $38.00. The returned payment fee can also come in at $38.00. For the most part, the fees are pretty standard for the Blue Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express. Just keep them in mind and you should be able to avoid most of them. This is not a credit card that most people will be using for things such as balance transfers, so the only truly problematic fee is the foreign transaction fee.
Features and Benefits
This card does come with a decent little introductory bonus for those who want to try to get it. Such as many of the modern welcome bonuses that credit cards will throw at you, it will be necessary to spend a certain amount of money to qualify. If you can spend a certain amount of money within the first three months of being a cardholder, then you will earn a healthy sum of bonus miles. This can help you to start paying for some of your travel expenses right away, so it is likely worthwhile to see if you can get the bonus.
The most notable benefit that this credit card has to offer is that you will be able to get 20% off of your in-flight purchases on a Delta flight. This will include purchases of food, drinks, and entertainment while on your Delta flight. You won’t receive a flat discount that is applied right then and there, though. You get 20% of the purchase cost back in the form of a statement credit. This helps you to save money and could be a very nice perk if you buy things while on your flight very often.
You will also be able to enjoy some other standard perks. The card can double as car rental insurance and will give you secondary coverage. This can be helpful for those who are traveling quite a lot and will need to rent cars regularly. It may not be an essential perk, but it is one that you may use more often than you would think.
Cardholders will also have access to free roadside assistance. This is another perk that is perfect to have access to while you are on the road. If something goes awry with your rental car while you are traveling to your destination, then you will have roadside assistance there to help you with a simple phone call. It keeps you safe while traveling and is a worthwhile perk.
This card will also give you both return protection and purchase protection. If you buy things with your card, then those purchases will be protected. This makes it easier to buy something without having to worry about what will happen if it breaks or something else happens to it right away. You may not be using the credit card in this way very often, though. When you look at the rewards program info, you will see that buying normal items is not the most practical thing in the world with this credit card.
One more perk that is related to purchasing items is that you can get access to extended warranties. Some products that you buy will be able to have their warranty extended when you purchase them using this credit card. Being able to add an extra year of warranty to a product is actually fairly useful. It can help you to protect yourself when making a big purchase, so it may be good to use this card for something such as that when it makes sense to do it.
Rewards Program Info
This travel rewards credit card is going to allow you to earn Delta SkyMiles. You can earn 2X miles for every $1.00 spent on purchases that have been made directly from Delta. This means that you cannot buy Delta airfare through a third party if you want to earn the 2X miles. Loyal Delta customers will be able to use this to rack up miles at a decent rate.
It is also possible to earn 2X miles per $1.00 spent at US restaurants. If you are a person who travels semi-regularly, then you likely spend a fair amount of money at restaurants each year. If you make sure to use your credit card to pay for your US restaurant purchases, then you will be able to earn bonus miles. This can help you to gain miles at a good rate and it allows you to use the card a bit while you are not traveling too.
All of the other purchases that you make with this card can earn you 1X miles per $1.00 spent. This is not an amazing rate, but at least it does allow you to earn some rewards for using your credit card. You may want to use the credit card specifically for restaurants and Delta purchases to get the most out of this experience, though. Think about the way that you are using your card and you will be able to earn many Delta SkyMiles.
Delta SkyMiles also have a very good value overall. When it comes time to redeem your earned rewards, you will be able to use your miles to pay for flights with Delta. If you use your miles correctly, then you will be able to save yourself quite a bit of money on your yearly travel expenses. This is a great deal for any Delta customers who travel frequently enough.
You can hang onto your Delta SkyMiles until you really want to use them, too. Unlike some other airlines, the Delta SkyMiles are never going to expire. You will be able to hang onto those miles until you see the perfect opportunity to spend them. This makes it more practical for people to use this card, even if they may go a long time without actually traveling.
Pros
- No annual fee
- Can earn 20% off of in-flight Delta purchases
- Ability to earn 2X miles at US restaurants
- Delta SkyMiles never expire
Many people are going to flock to this credit card due to the fact that it does not have an annual fee attached to it. If you have been thinking about getting into a travel rewards credit card, but have never done so, then this might be a good first one to sign up for. It will not cost you anything on a yearly basis and it gives you several beneficial perks. Being able to earn miles for Delta flights at a decent rate is not too bad overall, so it is among the most practical entry-level airline travel credit cards.
Being able to earn 20% off of your in-flight Delta purchases is really nice too. If you are the type of person who likes to buy in-flight drinks or meals, then this will be very useful. You will get your money back in the form of a statement credit. This could save you a significant amount of money on a yearly basis, depending on how much you travel and what your spending habits are like.
The ability to earn 2X miles per $1.00 spent at US restaurants is nice, too. You sort of expect to earn an increased mile rate for Delta purchases, but the US restaurants category is a nice touch. You can pay for your restaurant purchases while you are close to home to earn miles. It makes this credit card that much more desirable for everyone.
You will also love the fact that Delta SkyMiles never expire. These miles will be yours to do with as you please. You do not need to try to use them within a specific window of time after earning them. If you simply do not travel for a long time, your miles will still be there waiting for you to use them when you decide to take to the air once more.
Cons
- Has foreign transaction fees
- Lacks some perks that you might expect
- Limits you to Delta airlines
The biggest problem that many people will have with this credit card is that it has foreign transaction fees. If you use this credit card outside of the country, then you will be paying a fee of 2.7% of the purchase price of whatever you bought. This is not great as it limits the appeal of the card. If you travel abroad somewhat frequently, then you will want to avoid using this when you are outside of the United States.
It can also be said that this card is lacking some perks that you might expect it to have. The most glaring omission is the lack of a free checked bag perk. Many airline travel credit cards come with a free checked bag perk of some sort. This credit card does not have anything such as that, meaning that most of the perks are fairly standard ones that you will get with many other cards.
Some people will not like being limited to Delta Airlines either. If you are not a Delta loyalist, then you may be better off going with a different travel credit card. There are many cards out there that will allow you to earn rewards at a similar rate while still paying no annual fee. Getting a generic travel rewards card will allow you to book travel with any airline instead of just one, so you may want to consider your options if you are not in the habit of flying with Delta exclusively.
Credit Score Needed for Approval
Being able to qualify for this credit card is not going to be easy for those who do not have high credit scores. Credit scores in the very good to excellent range are recommended for this card. You will want to have a credit score of at least 690 before you consider applying for this one. Make sure that you check your credit score before you apply so that you will know if you have a chance of getting it or not.
Who Does This Credit Card Appeal to?
This credit card is going to appeal to people who love to fly with Delta Airlines. If you are a loyal Delta customer, then it makes sense to have a credit card that will allow you to earn bonus miles from them. If you fly with Delta often enough, then you can actually earn many miles that can be used to pay for some of your travel expenses. It is a practical card for any Delta loyalist to have in their wallet.
People who like travel credit cards with no annual fees will also find this to be a worthwhile credit card. You do not have to pay an annual fee just to get access to it and it proves to be very practical in many ways. Being able to earn an increased rewards rate on both Delta purchases and US restaurants is very nice. This is a good fit both for regular travelers and semi-regular travelers.
An Alternative to Consider
If you are looking for a really good generic option to consider, then think about the Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card. It offers you the ability to earn 1.5X points per every $1.00 spent. It does not have an annual fee and you will be able to use this to earn rewards on any purchase. Depending on your spending habits, this may be an easier rewards card to use than the Blue Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express.
Of course, this is not going to provide the exact same convenience as an airline-branded credit card. You just have to examine your own personal spending habits to see if this will work better. Both are very good credit cards, but one of them may benefit you more. Try to compare the two side-by-side to see what they offer before making an ultimate decision.
Conclusion
The Blue Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express is a worthwhile card for many people to consider. It has no annual fee and it allows you to earn rewards miles at a decent rate. The perks are mostly just okay, but they are very useful. It is a great entry level airline rewards travel credit card.
Consider signing up for this one if you travel at least semi-regularly. It can be a practical card to use due to the ability to earn 2X miles per $1.00 spent at US restaurants. If you spend enough money in the right categories, then this could help you to earn many miles.
