8 Underrated Benefits of the Delta American Express Cards

Delta's co-branded American Express credit cards routinely offer big welcome bonus offers, but the real value of opening and keeping one of Delta's credit cards goes far beyond a big mileage bonus.

There's free checked luggage on Delta flights, of course – Delta flyers' favorite benefit – plus priority boarding. However, there are a handful of other overlooked benefits of the Delta Amex cards that don't get the attention they deserve. Use these perks right, and you can unlock a ton of additional value.

Let's take a look at some of the new and lesser-known benefits that come with some (or all) of the Delta SkyMiles American Express credit cards.

Read more: Which Delta Credit Card is Right for You?

15% Off When You Book with SkyMiles

Calling a blanket 15% discount like this underrated is a bit of a stretch: It's arguably the best benefit of Delta credit cards. With this discount, Delta has almost made it a requirement to hold a co-branded Delta card if you plan to engage with the SkyMiles loyalty program. 

Nearly all Delta cardholders have access to the TakeOff 15 benefit, which gives you a 15% discount on all Delta-operated flights booked with SkyMiles when you book through Delta.com or the Fly Delta app. The discount is applied automatically, which means no waiting for a statement credit or a rebate to hit your account. The only hitch is that only Delta-operated flights qualify – not partner airlines like Air France, Korean Air, or Virgin Atlantic.

TakeOff 15 is available to anyone with the *delta skymiles gold card*, the *delta skymiles platinum card*, or the top-tier *delta reserve card*. Same goes for their small business counterparts. That means only cardholders with the no-annual fee (see rates & fees) *delta blue* miss out on this savings.

The best part is that using this benefit is entirely effortless. As long as you hold one of the eligible cards and are logged into your Delta SkyMiles account, you should see the TakeOff 15 pricing reflected automatically when you search for SkyMiles award tickets on Delta's website or the mobile app.

The TakeOff 15 benefit can be used for any fare. So whether you are booking the cheapest basic economy award tickets all the way up to a Delta One business class fare, you should see the 15% discount applied. And there's no limit on the number of times you can use it.

20% Off In-Flight Purchases

No matter which version of the Delta credit cards you have, you'll receive 20% back in the form of a statement credit when you purchase things like food and beverages in-flight with Delta. Considering alcoholic drinks are about $10 onboard, paying with your Delta credit card will save you $2 each time.

Unfortunately, in-flight Wi-Fi does not qualify for this benefit as the charge comes from Gogo Internet or Viasat Wi-Fi, and not Delta directly. But seeing as Delta now offers free Wi-Fi on most flights, that's not a big deal.

The amount you can receive back each year is unlimited. It's a great and easy way to make those in-flight purchases a bit cheaper.

From the *delta blue* to the most-expensive *delta reserve card*, every card in Delta's portfolio is eligible for this in-flight discount.

Up to $250 on Hotels: The Delta Stays Credit

Depending on which personal SkyMiles credit card you carry (all except the *delta blue*), you've now got up to $200 in credits to use with Delta Stays each year – the airline's hotel booking platform powered by Expedia. That means a potentially free or heavily discounted hotel night just for being a Delta cardholder.

Delta and Amex added this hotel perk early last year when they raised annual fees. Book a hotel between $100 and $200, depending on your card, to get a free hotel stay. You can also use the statement credit as a discount for a more expensive property.

Here's how much you'll get depending on which card you have:

• The *delta skymiles gold* comes with an up to $100 Delta Stays credit each calendar year.
• The *delta skymiles platinum card* comes with an up to $150 Delta Stays credit each calendar year.
• The *delta skymiles reserve* comes with an up to $200 Delta Stays credit each calendar year.

It's worth mentioning that you get a fresh credit each calendar year, not when your card renews. That means if you're just picking up one of these cards for the first time, you'd be able to use the credit both this year and next, all while paying a single year's annual fee. This makes the suite of Delta SkyMiles co-branded cards even more valuable in year one – especially if you're picking up the SkyMiles Gold Card as it comes with a $0 introductory annual fee, then $150 a year (see rates & fees).

Canceling out a major chunk of your Delta card's annual fee through a Delta Stays reservation for your vacation is indisputably a sweet perk that you need to be sure to use each and every year.

Read More: Delta Stays Credit: How to Use Your New SkyMiles Card Benefit

Only the no-annual fee *delta blue* misses out on this money-saving hotel credit. And if you've got the business version of any of these cards (yes, you can have both) it gets even better.

• The *Delta SkyMiles Gold Biz* comes with an up to $150 Delta Stays credit each calendar year.
• The *Delta SkyMiles Platinum Biz* comes with an up to $200 Delta Stays credit each calendar year.
• The *Delta SkyMiles Reserve Biz* comes with an up to $250 Delta Stays credit each calendar year.

A $120 Rideshare Credit

The *delta skymiles platinum card* and the *delta reserve card* now come with an annual rideshare credit, too.

With each of Delta's top two cards, you get up to $120 in statement credits (doled out in $10 monthly installments) a year when you use your card to pay for a ride with Uber, Lyft, Curb, Revel, or Alto in the U.S. 

But one critical point about these credits: Unused rideshare credits don't roll over to the next month. This is a use-it-or-lose-it benefit, so it's important to ensure you use up these credits in full each month. Just be sure to enroll first before making a purchase.

Simply use your Delta card when making an eligible transaction with Uber, Lyft, Curb, Revel, or Alto. After making an eligible transaction, you should receive an email confirmation that you earned the credit, although you may have to wait up to eight weeks for the statement credit to hit your account. However, we've seen the rideshare credit post within two weeks of making a qualifying purchase.

Just remember: Only rides booked with Uber, Lyft, Curb, Revel, or Alto will earn a statement credit.

Read More: How to Use the Rideshare Credit on Delta Platinum & Reserve Cards

Up to $240 for Dining with a Monthly Resy Credit

Another monthly credit covers dining charges via Resy on both the *delta skymiles platinum card* and the *delta reserve card*. Exactly what you get depends on which card you have. 

With the Delta Platinum card, you now have up to $120 in statement credits, doled out in $10 monthly increments, for purchases at U.S. restaurants available through Resy. Meanwhile, if you hold the higher-priced Delta Reserve card, you'll get up to $240 in statement credits, doled out in $20 monthly increments, at Resy restaurants.

Like the rideshare credit, this Resy credit is also a use-it-or-lose-it benefit. Just spend money at your Resy partner restaurant, and American Express should recognize the charge and issue a statement credit each month when you make a purchase at a participating restaurant.

That said, it can be a difficult credit to utilize each and every month. 

Read More: How to Use New Resy Credits on Delta’s Platinum & Reserve Cards

Free Checked Bags for You (& Your Pals!)

Most Delta SkyMiles credit cards (only the Delta Blue misses out) provide free checked luggage just for holding the card. And since Delta now charges $35 each way to check a bag – or potentially much more if you're heading abroad – you can save a lot of money by avoiding baggage fees just by holding a Delta card.

Most longtime cardholders know about this free checked luggage benefit. But there are a few lesser-known aspects of this perk that are worth explaining…

First, not only will you receive free checked luggage yourself, but you will also get the benefit for up to eight other passengers – so long as they are booked on your reservation. Assuming all nine people checked a bag, that would save you $630 in baggage fees on a roundtrip domestic flight.

Second, while you get free luggage just for holding one of the Delta cards, there is no requirement that you actually purchase your flight with the card to receive the benefit. As long as your Delta credit card is tied to your SkyMiles account, you are free to use whichever card you would like to pay for your flight and you'll still get free bags for you and up to eight traveling companions on the same itinerary.

This allows you to pay for your flight with a card that provides much better travel protections and earns more points than the Delta cards do. Book with the *chase sapphire preferred*, the *chase sapphire reserve*, or even *amex platinum*, which we think is the best card for booking flights.

Just remember: The primary cardholder must be traveling on the itinerary for the luggage benefit to apply – and unfortunately, authorized users on the account won't get their own free bag perk.

Read More: Delta Baggage Fees in 2022 (And 7 Ways to Avoid Them!)

A Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck

Just for holding either the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card or the Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card, you'll get a credit of up to $120 every four years to cover the cost of either Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. Membership in either program is good for five years, so these two Delta cards will have you set.

Because Global Entry also includes TSA PreCheck, we think it is the obvious choice if you plan on doing any international travel in the next five years.

Read more: Global Entry vs TSA PreCheck: Which is Better for You?

Better yet? There is no requirement that the benefit needs to be used for the actual cardholder. If you've already got Global Entry, get your partner or travel buddy set up for free using your Delta card.

Delta Sky Club® & Amex Centurion Lounge Access

Having airport lounge access before (or after) your next flight can be a total airport experience game-changer. But only one Delta SkyMiles credit card opens the doors to the Delta Sky Clubs® these days.

For Sky Club access, you'll need to hold the *delta reserve card*, which includes 15 complimentary Sky Club visit days each year from February 1 through January 31 when you're flying with Delta. You can unlock unlimited Sky Club visits by spending $75,000 or more per calendar year on the card.

In addition to your own free pass into the Sky Club, Reserve cardholders also receive four free guest passes to the Delta Sky Club each year. That means guests can come with you to the Sky Club for free. After that, you can pay $50 per guest to bring up to two guests into the Sky Club at a time. 

Delta's top-tier Reserve card can also get you into the excellent American Express Centurion Lounges. But there’s a hitch: You have to be flying Delta that day, and you must have paid for your ticket with your Reserve card.

Travelers with the *delta skymiles gold card* and the *delta skymiles platinum card* used to be able to purchase Sky Club access. Unfortunately, Delta axed this card benefit in early 2020 and at the start of last year, respectively. 

One final note: You'll need to be flying in Main Cabin or above in order to get in – travelers with a Delta basic economy ticket are no longer allowed in. 

Bottom Line

Beyond the bonuses, free bags, and Delta companion certificates, there are plenty of good perks on Delta's suite of SkyMiles credit cards that tend to go unnoticed.

Don't overlook these underrated benefits. It's up to you to put them to use.