The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired.
Last week, Delta and American Express rolled out new limited-time offers Delta credit cards, allowing you to earn up to 90,000 SkyMiles plus a $200 statement credit after spending $2,000 to $5,000 in the first three months. These bonuses are only available through July 28.
Let's just get straight to the point: This is the best bonus Delta has ever offered on its line of SkyMiles credit cards.
On the surface, they seem quite similar to bonuses Delta and American Express offered earlier this year. Just as before, you can earn 70,000 SkyMiles on the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, 90,000 SkyMiles on the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, and 80,000 on the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card.
But here's the sweetener: You'll also earn a $200 statement credit after making your first Delta purchase on your new Delta credit card. That means you can buy a flight, an inflight drink, or even a pair of headphones on your next Delta flight, and Amex will apply a $200 credit right to your credit card.
The huge SkyMiles bonuses plus that easy-to-earn $200 credit makes these the best Delta credit card offers we've seen. Read on to learn more about these new offers and everything you need to know.
Current Delta SkyMiles Credit Card Welcome Bonuses
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
- Earn 70,000 SkyMiles after spending $2,000 in the first three months of card membership. This limited-time offer expires on July 28, 2021.
- Get a $200 statement credit after your first Delta purchase within the first three months.
- Check your first bag free on every Delta flight – savings of at least $60 on each round-trip flight, per person.
- Priority boarding (even with a basic economy ticket)
- Earn 2x SkyMiles per dollar spent at both restaurants and U.S. supermarkets
- Earn 2x SkyMiles per dollar on eligible Delta purchases and 1x mile for all other spending.
- Earn a $100 Delta flight credit if you spend $10,000 on the card in a calendar year.
- Enjoy 20% off in-flight purchases such as food & drinks in the form of a statement credit
- No foreign transaction fees
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year (then $99 per year).
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
- Earn 90,000 SkyMiles after you spend $3,000 in the first three months of card membership. This limited-time offer expires on July 28, 2021.
- Get a $200 statement credit after your first Delta purchase within the first three months.
- Check your first bag free on every Delta flight, savings of at least $60 on each round-trip flight, per person.
- Priority boarding (even with a basic economy ticket)
- Get a domestic main cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon card renewal – one of this card's best benefits!
- Earn 2x SkyMiles per dollar spent at both restaurants and U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 3x SkyMiles per dollar spent on eligible Delta purchases, and at hotels, but check for an Amex offer to earn 5x miles per dollar on Delta purchases.
- Receive up to a $100 credit to cover the cost for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck once every four years.
- Get 20% off in-flight purchases such as food & drinks in the form of a statement credit
- Get into the Delta Sky Club when you're flying Delta by paying $39 (and bring up to two guests for $39 each)
- No foreign transaction fees
- $250 annual fee (not waived for the first year of card membership).
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
- Earn 80,000 SkyMiles and 20,000 MQMs after spending $5,000 in the first three months of card membership. This limited-time offer expires on July 28, 2021.
- Get a $200 statement credit after your first Delta purchase within the first three months.
- Check your first bag free on every Delta flight – savings of at least $60 on each round-trip flight, per person.
- Priority boarding (even with a basic economy ticket)
- Complimentary Delta Sky Club access when you are flying Delta. You'll also get two, one-time guest passes each year to the Delta Sky Club.
- Complimentary access to the American Express Centurion Lounges when you are flying Delta on a ticket purchased with your Reserve card. You can also bring up to two guests in with you for a fee of $50 each.
- Get a domestic main cabin or first-class round-trip companion certificate each year upon card renewal.
- Earn 3x SkyMiles per dollar spent on Delta purchases. Though you can get an Amex offer to earn 5x miles per dollar.
- Receive up to a $100 credit to cover the cost for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck once every four years.
- Complimentary space-available upgrades, even for non-Medallion members. A great way to improve your upgrade chances.
- Enjoy 20% off in-flight purchases such as food & drinks in the form of a statement credit.
- No foreign transaction fees
- $550 annual fee (not waived for the first year of card membership).
Why the New $200 Statement Credit is a Big Deal
The introduction of this new $200 statement credit is new, and it's what makes these offers the best we've ever seen.
When Delta and American Express increased the welcome bonus offers on these cards earlier this year, they didn't include the $200 statement credit – just the big stash of SkyMiles. On the surface, that may not sound like much.
But dig a little deeper and you'll see it's a very good deal. This $200 credit makes it easy to come out ahead on any annual fee you may pay for opening a new Delta credit card, no matter whether you go Gold, pick Platinum, or spring for the Reserve. It means you can earn up to 90,000 SkyMiles plus $200.
An American Express spokeswoman confirmed just how easy it is to earn this $200 credit after opening your card. Almost any purchase with Delta should cut it.
“A new Card Member would receive this new $200 statement credit after their first Delta purchase within the first three months. Whether that is a flight, in-flight food or drinks, or any other Delta purchase. And it doesn’t matter what the amount of the charge is, the credit will be for $200,” the spokeswoman said.
So if you have a Delta flight coming up within the next few months, you could use your new Delta card to buy a drink or food on the flight. Not only would you get 20% back for using your Delta card to make a purchase in flight, but that $7 to $10 purchase would trigger the full $200 credit straight back to your credit card account. Of course, buying a Delta flight on your Delta card should trigger the credit, too.
One thing to note: Buying Delta gift cards will likely not trigger this $200 statement credit. Delta's gift card sales are handled by a 3rd party vendor and thus the transaction will not code as a purchase with Delta.
Keep in mind: This isn't a $200 statement credit strictly to use with Delta. It's a $200 statement credit that will automatically apply to your entire credit card, wiping $200 from your statement on your next bill.
They may get a bad rap, but there are plenty of great ways to redeem SkyMiles. With the 70,000 SkyMiles you'll earn on the Gold Card, you shouldn't have a problem booking at least $700 worth of flights – or much more. Add in that $200 statement credit and consider that you won't pay the card's $99 annual fee in the first year, and it works out to a truly fantastic deal.
All three major Delta cards are out with a limited-time offer that includes the $200 statement credit. So no matter which version you choose, it drastically reduces your first-year cost in year one. Think of it this way: That covers all but $50 of the Platinum card's $250 annual fee, allowing you to quickly earn 90,000 SkyMiles.
Should You Upgrade Your Existing Delta Credit Card?
If you already hold a Delta SkyMiles Gold or Platinum Card, does it make sense to upgrade your card to the next tier? The short answer is no.
Delta and American Express constantly push cardholders to upgrade. But upgrading your current Delta card is typically not a smart move, as it will make you ineligible to earn the bigger welcome bonus offers these cards have.
With American Express, you can simply apply outright for a new account to earn the huge SkyMiles bonus and then close out an older account after you are approved. That’s because American Express lets you earn a welcome bonus on all of their credit cards once per lifetime.
For example, you can apply for the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card even if you’ve already got the Delta SkyMiles Gold® American Express Card in your wallet. If you take the upgrade offer, you’ll make yourself ineligible for the 90,000-SkyMile bonus.
That said, we have seen some compelling upgrade offers in the past, with a combination of some bonus miles with a statement credit to upgrade from the Gold to the Platinum card – or Platinum to Reserve. Still, it’s often a much better deal to apply for a new card outright.
Read more: Already Had a Delta SkyMiles Credit Card: Can You Still Get Another Bonus?
Bottom Line
The current offers on the Delta SkyMiles credit cards are the best we've ever seen. While the mileage bonus piece of the offers matches what we saw earlier this year, the new $200 statement credit allows you to come out way ahead in your first year.
But these bigger offers are only available through July 28, so don't wait to take advantage if you have the financial responsibility to open a new credit card and meet the minimum spending requirement.
Is there a cheap way to trigger the statement bonus if you don’t have a delta flight coming up in the next few months?
You could book a flight for future travel. Or even book a refundable ticket, cancel it and see if Amex will claw back the credit. I am not sure if that will work but it might be worth a shot.
Can the $200 statement credit be triggered if you buy a flight with miles?
Can the $200 statement credit be triggered if you buy a flight with miles?
Worst case you may buy 2000 sky miles for $70 should trigger the $200 credit maybe not the best deal but get $200 back and some sky miles for spending $70.