Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card Benefits Guide

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card lets users rack up miles and has the lowest annual fee in the Delta SkyMiles card portfolio (among cards with an annual fee). This card has a surprising number of perks, including benefits that can save you money or help you have a more comfortable travel experience.

But are the Delta Gold card’s benefits actually worth it? We dug deeper to find out.

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card benefits

One of the biggest benefits of using the Delta SkyMiles Gold is that it earns Delta SkyMiles. You can redeem these miles for flights, hotels and vacation packages booked through Delta, seat upgrades and more. Here are ways the Delta SkyMiles Gold card can help you earn miles faster.

Welcome bonus

The Delta SkyMiles Gold card comes with a welcome offer of 80,000 bonus miles when you spend $3,000 within six months after opening your account. It also comes with an introductory annual fee of $0 that converts to $150 per year after that, which might be worth it if you fly often.

So, how much are those miles really worth? According to Bankrate’s latest valuations, miles earned in the Delta SkyMiles program are worth approximately 1.2 cents each, on average. This valuation makes the bonus offer worth up to approximately $960 in airfare.

Earn up to 2X miles on purchases

With the Delta SkyMiles Gold, you earn 2X miles on Delta purchases made directly with Delta. You also earn 2X miles at restaurants (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.) and on U.S. supermarket purchases. Other purchases earn 1 mile per dollar spent. This earning rate is decent among airline credit cards, and the bonus categories are pretty useful.

Get 15 percent off award travel

Cardholders get a 15 percent discount when they use their miles to book award travel through Delta.com or the Fly Delta app. This is a big benefit that can save you thousands of miles. For example, cardholders would only need to spend 42,500 points for a flight that normally costs 50,000 miles. That is a savings of 7,500 miles that can be used for your next trip with Delta.

The discount doesn’t apply to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.

Pay with miles

You can use miles to pay for all or part of eligible flights on Delta.com in increments of 5,000 miles, with each 5,000 miles giving you $50 off the cash price of a ticket — essentially a redemption rate of 1 cent per mile. You may or may not get better value using Pay With Miles instead of booking a regular award ticket with miles alone, but this option can be useful if you can’t find award space, don’t have enough miles for a full award ticket or want to pay with a combination of miles and cash.

This feature is different from Miles + Cash bookings, which are available to all SkyMiles members.

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card travel benefits

The Delta SkyMiles Gold offers some sweet perks on top of the rewards you can earn. The following benefits can make travel with Delta more comfortable, more affordable or both.

Free checked bag

When flying with Delta, this card allows you to check your first bag for free. Even better, it applies to up to 8 other companions on your itinerary. Considering a checked bag on Delta could cost you up to $70 on a round-trip flight, this benefit can be worth up to $280 on a round-trip flight for a family of four — that easily covers the annual fee with just one trip.

Priority boarding

The Delta SkyMiles Gold also comes with Zone 5 priority boarding on Delta flights. Once again, this perk applies to the cardholder and up to 8 companions on their itinerary. This perk lets you grab all-important space in the overhead bin a little faster when you have carry-on bags to stow.

20% discount on in-flight purchases

Use your card to pay for eligible in-flight food and beverages, and you’ll get 20 percent back on those purchases in the form of a statement credit on your account.

Car rental loss and damage insurance

You are also eligible for secondary auto rental coverage when you pay for an eligible rental car with your Delta SkyMiles Gold and decline the rental company’s collision damage waiver. This benefit does not include liability coverage.

Baggage insurance plan

You’re covered for up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage, per covered trip, if your baggage is lost, stolen or damaged while traveling with a common carrier. To activate this benefit, you need to pay for the entire common carrier ticket with your card.

No foreign transaction fees

The Delta SkyMiles Gold does not charge foreign transaction fees if you use it for purchases outside the U.S. Considering foreign transaction fees typically range from 1 percent to 3 percent, your savings can add up if you travel often.

$200 Delta flight credit

After you spend $10,000 in eligible purchases on your card within a calendar year, you’ll receive a $200 Delta flight credit good toward future travel.

$100 Delta Stays credit

You can receive up to $100 back per year as a statement credit when you book prepaid hotels or vacation rentals on your Delta Gold card through Delta Stays on delta.com/stays.

Global Assist Hotline

If you ever need help when traveling more than 100 miles from home, the Global Assist Hotline offers 24/7 emergency assistance services. They can provide medical and legal referrals, emergency cash wires, missing luggage assistance and more. You’re responsible for any costs charged by third-party service providers.

In addition to travel benefits that come with the Delta SkyMiles Gold, there are some purchase protections and shopping benefits thrown in the mix.

Pay It, Plan It

The American Express Pay It, Plan It features let you pay down small purchase amounts quickly or split up large purchases into equal monthly installments and pay them down without interest in exchange for a fixed monthly fee.

Extended warranties

You can qualify for free extended warranty coverage on eligible items that come with a U.S. manufacturer’s warranty of five years or less. This benefit applies when you use your card to make the purchase, and adds another year to the original manufacturer’s warranty. This protection is good for up to $10,000 in coverage per covered purchase and up to $50,000 per eligible card in a calendar year.

Purchase protection

Eligible purchases made with the card receive purchase protection against damage or theft. This benefit applies for up to 90 days from the purchase date, and it’s good for up to $1,000 per covered purchase and up to $50,000 per eligible card per calendar year.

Maximizing the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card

To get the most out of your Delta SkyMiles Gold card, use it when making purchases that offer a boosted earnings rate. The card earns 2X miles on Delta purchases as well as at restaurants (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.) and U.S. supermarkets. All other purchases earn 1X miles.

While some airline cards offer an automatic anniversary bonus each year, with the Delta SkyMiles Gold, you earn your $200 Delta flight credit through spending. That said, spending at least $10,000 on the card each calendar year to earn the credit shouldn’t be too difficult — especially if you use it for Delta purchases, restaurants and supermarkets. The annual $100 Delta Stays credit can be easily earned by booking a hotel or vacation rental through Delta.

Take advantage of the other perks this card offers — such as the free checked baggage allowance, 15 percent off when using miles to book through Delta.com, Zone 5 priority boarding and more. And don’t forget that the card comes with purchase protection and extended warranty coverage.

The bottom line

The Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card offers excellent frequent flyer perks and shopping benefits most people don’t even know about. Because you also earn Delta SkyMiles for each dollar spent, there are quite a few reasons to choose this card over other rewards credit cards you may be considering.

Even so, it never hurts to compare all your options before you decide. Be sure to take a closer look at other top airline credit cards, including other Delta credit cards, before you apply.