American Express and Delta Air Lines have enhanced perks for Delta SkyMiles® American Express cards but also have raised annual fees, they announced on Feb. 1.
The changes take effect on Feb. 1, though existing cardholders won’t have to pay the annual fee increase — $100 or $51, depending on your card — until their renewal dates starting May 1, 2024. Read on to see what you can expect with the changes.
[Read: Best Credit Cards.]
New Benefits with Delta SkyMiles® American Express Cards
Enhanced Companion Certificate
For Delta SkyMiles® American Express Platinum and Reserve cards, which earn a Companion Certificate each year on the card anniversary, they are no longer limited to the 48 contiguous United States. Companion Certificates now also include round-trip flights to Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, the Caribbean or Central America. With a certificate, the companion’s ticket costs no more than $80 in taxes and fees for a domestic flight or $250 for an international flight.
Annual Statement Credits
New statement credits are available for the following categories:
— Resy. Platinum cardholders can earn up to $10 per month in credits and Reserve cardholders up to $20 in credits on U.S. Resy restaurants.
— Ride-hailing. Platinum and Reserve cardholders can earn up to $10 per month in credits for Lyft, Uber and other select U.S. ride-hailing services.
— Delta Stays. Earn from $100 to $250 in credits on prepaid Delta Stays bookings at Delta.com.
|
Card |
Available Statement Credit Amounts |
|
Up to $300 |
|
|
Up to $350 |
|
|
Up to $390 |
|
|
Up to $410 |
|
|
Up to $560 |
|
|
Up to $610 |
Gold cardholders’ statement credits can include up to $200 in Delta flight credits after $10,000 in annual spending.
Medallion Status
Delta rewards its most loyal customers with Medallion Status, which is a four-tiered system with perks such as complimentary upgrades, waived fees, priority boarding and Delta SkyClub access. Now Platinum and Reserve cardholders will receive $2,500 Medallion Qualification Dollars at the beginning of each year — which puts them halfway to Silver Medallion status. Platinum cardholders will also earn an additional $1 MQD for every $20 spent, and Reserve cardholders will earn an additional $1 MQD for every $10 spent.
[Read: Best Rewards Credit Cards.]
Delta SkyMiles® American Express Cards Welcome Offers
New cardholders have access to the following welcome offers until March 27, 2024.
|
Card |
Welcome Offer |
|
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card |
Earn 70,000 bonus miles after spending a total of $3,000 in eligible purchases on the card in the first six months. |
|
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card |
Earn 90,000 bonus miles after spending a total of $4,000 in eligible purchases on the card in the first six months. |
|
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card |
Earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending a total of $6,000 in eligible purchases on the card in the first six months. |
|
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card |
Earn 80,000 bonus miles after spending a total of $6,000 in eligible purchases on the card in the first six months. |
|
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card |
Earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending a total of $8,000 in eligible purchases on the card in the first six months. |
|
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card |
Earn 110,000 bonus miles after spending a total of $12,000 in eligible purchases on the card in the first six months. |
[Read: Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards.]
New Price Tag on the Delta SkyMiles® American Express Cards
If you’re an existing SkyMiles cardholder, you won’t see the steeper annual fee until your next renewal date starting May 1. However, new customers will immediately start paying the new annual fee, except for Gold cardholders, whose fee is waived the first year.
|
Card Name |
Past Annual Fee |
New Annual Fee |
|
Delta SkyMiles® American Express Reserve and Reserve Business |
$550 |
$650 |
|
Delta SkyMiles® American Express Platinum and Platinum Business |
$250 |
$350 |
|
Delta SkyMiles® American Express Gold and Gold Business |
$99 |
$150 (fee is waived the first year) |
Added Select Rewards
The business cards also have added a few new opportunities for earning miles.
|
Card |
Change |
|
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card |
2 miles on shipping, along with spending on select U.S. advertisers, capped at $50,000 in eligible purchases the first year. |
|
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card |
1.5 miles on both transit and U.S. shipping — in addition to single eligible purchases of $5,000 or more — capped at $100,000 in eligible purchases the first year. |
|
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card |
1.5 miles on transit, U.S. shipping, and at U.S. office supply stores. |
[Read: Best Airline Credit Cards.]
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Delta SkyMiles® American Express Cards Raise Annual Fees originally appeared on usnews.com
