Before you attain on your pockets to pay for a Delta Air Lines flight, you may pause to surprise which bank card to make use of. Should you employ the one that claims “Delta” on the entrance, or do you have to pay with one thing else?
In many bank card selections, you’ll have to sacrifice advantages to earn extra factors and miles. Does that maintain true right here? Let’s take a look at which bank cards you may use to pay for a Delta flight and the advantages related along with your choices.
Related: 16 simple methods to earn extra Delta SkyMiles
Comparing bank cards for Delta Air Lines flights
In addition to utilizing a Delta Air Lines cobranded bank card, you additionally might pay with a journey rewards card that earns transferable factors on journey purchases, similar to your subsequent flight reservation with Delta. Here are some playing cards you may pay with and what you may get when utilizing these playing cards:
| Card title | Earning charge on Delta Air Lines flights | Value of the rewards earned* | Delta-related advantages from the cardboard | Annual price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card | 3 miles per greenback. | 4.23 cents. | Earn 15,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) increase after spending $30,000 on the cardboard in a calendar 12 months — obtainable as much as 4 occasions.
Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) waiver as much as Platinum standing after spending $25,000 on Delta Amex bank cards in a calendar 12 months. Complimentary Delta SkyClub entry when flying on a same-day Delta flight, plus two one-time visitor passes every year. Complimentary entry to American Express Centurion Lounges when flying on a same-day Delta flight. Annual round-trip companion certificates awarded on every account anniversary. Complimentary improve requests can be found on Delta flights, with precedence over others with the identical standing and fare class however who haven’t got a Reserve card. Free first checked bag for you and as much as eight companions on the identical reservation. Main Cabin 1 precedence boarding profit on Delta flights. 20% again on inflight purchases of meals, drinks and headsets. |
$550 (see charges and charges). |
| Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card | 3 miles per greenback. | 4.23 cents. | Earn 15,000 MQMs increase after spending $30,000 on the cardboard in a calendar 12 months — obtainable as much as 4 occasions.
MQDs waiver as much as Platinum standing after spending $25,000 on Delta Amex bank cards in a calendar 12 months. Complimentary Delta SkyClub entry when flying on a same-day Delta flight, plus two one-time visitor passes every year. Complimentary entry to American Express Centurion Lounges and Escape Lounges when flying on a same-day Delta flight. Annual round-trip companion certificates awarded on every account anniversary. Complimentary improve requests can be found on Delta flights, with precedence over others with the identical standing and fare class however who haven’t got a Reserve card. Free first checked bag for you and as much as eight companions on the identical reservation. Main Cabin 1 precedence boarding profit on Delta flights. 20% again on inflight purchases of meals, drinks and headsets. |
$550 (see charges and charges). |
| Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card | 3 miles per greenback. | 4.23 cents. | Earn 10,000 MQMs increase after spending $25,000 on the cardboard in a calendar 12 months — obtainable as much as two occasions.
MQDs waiver as much as Platinum standing after spending $25,000 on Delta Amex bank cards in a calendar 12 months. Annual round-trip companion certificates awarded on every account anniversary. Free first checked bag for you and as much as eight companions on the identical reservation. Main Cabin 1 precedence boarding profit on Delta flights. 20% again on inflight purchases of meals, drinks and headsets. |
$250 (see charges and charges). |
| Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card | 3 miles per greenback. | 4.23 cents. | Earn 10,000 MQMs increase after spending $25,000 on the cardboard in a calendar 12 months — obtainable as much as two occasions.
MQDs waiver as much as Platinum standing after spending $25,000 on Delta Amex bank cards in a calendar 12 months. Annual round-trip companion certificates awarded on every account anniversary. Free first checked bag for you and as much as eight companions on the identical reservation. Main Cabin 1 precedence boarding profit on Delta flights. 20% again on inflight purchases of meals, drinks and headsets. |
$250 (see charges and charges). |
| Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card | 2 miles per greenback. | 2.82 cents. | Free first checked bag for you and as much as eight companions on the identical reservation.
Main Cabin 1 precedence boarding profit on Delta flights. 20% again on inflight purchases of meals, drinks and headsets. $100 Delta flight credit score after spending $10,000 or extra in your card inside a calendar 12 months. |
$0 introductory annual price, then $99 (see charges and charges). |
| Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card | 2 miles per greenback. | 2.82 cents. | Free first checked bag for you and as much as eight companions on the identical reservation.
Main Cabin 1 precedence boarding profit on Delta flights. 20% again on inflight purchases of meals, drinks and headsets. $100 Delta flight credit score after spending $10,000 or extra in your card inside a calendar 12 months. |
$0 introductory annual price, then $99 (see charges and charges). |
| Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card | 2 miles per greenback. | 2.82 cents. | 20% again on inflight purchases of meals, drinks and headsets. | $0 (see charges and charges). |
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | 5 factors per greenback (on as much as $500,000 on these purchases per calendar 12 months). | 10 cents. | None, however you may select Delta Air Lines as your most popular airline to cowl as much as $200 per 12 months in airline incidental credit for issues like checked baggage or most popular seat charges. | $695 (see charges and charges). |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve | 3 factors per greenback (or 5 factors per greenback if booked through the Chase journey portal). | 6 cents (or 10 cents). | None, however some purchases will be offset by the $300 annual journey credit provided on the cardboard. | $550. |
| American Express® Green Card | 3 factors per greenback. | 6 cents. | None. | $150 (see charges and charges). |
| Citi Premier® Card | 3 factors per greenback. | 5.4 cents. | None. | $95. |
| Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card | 2 miles per greenback (or 5 miles per greenback if booked within the Capital One Travel portal). | 3.7 cents (or 9.25 cents). | None, however some purchases will be offset by the $300 in annual journey credit obtainable when reserving with Capital One Travel. | $395. |
* Bonus worth is an estimated worth calculated by TPG and never the cardboard issuer.
The data for the Amex Green Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.
Which card do you have to use for Delta Air Lines flights?
Unlike the dilemmas when reserving United Airlines flights, there are not any actual trade-offs it’s essential to contemplate with Delta with regards to having fun with advantages and incomes as many factors and miles as attainable.
Related: Delta baggage charges and tips on how to keep away from paying them
Benefits like free checked luggage and precedence boarding are connected to your Delta SkyMiles quantity, not the bank card you pay with. That means you may theoretically pay on your Delta flight with the Amex Platinum Card to get pleasure from its insurance coverage advantages and its unparalleled incomes charges on flight purchases. However, you’d nonetheless get pleasure from checked bag advantages and early boarding advantages that come from having the Amex Delta Reserve card, for instance — despite the fact that you did not pay on your flight with that card.
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Related: The finest bank cards for paying taxes and charges on award tickets
The solely state of affairs during which it’s essential to use your card is if you make an onboard buy with Delta. To get pleasure from your 20% low cost (within the type of an announcement credit score), make inflight meals and beverage purchases along with your eligible Delta card; should you pay with one other card, you will not obtain this profit. You may additionally be requested to indicate your Delta Reserve or Delta Reserve Business card when visiting lounges earlier than your flight.
Related: Delta overhauls Sky Club entry coverage, makes massive cuts to cut back overcrowding
Outside of flights, use your Delta card to get pleasure from perks like MQD waivers and MQM boosts from making purchases on the Delta Reserve and Delta Platinum playing cards. But this may occasionally not affect which card you employ to pay on your Delta flight, assuming you are assembly these spending thresholds by different purchases.
Related: Delta makes it more durable to earn Medallion standing in 2024, provides new Choice Benefit choices
If you are desirous about understanding extra about these credit score card-related advantages that show you how to obtain Delta elite standing, learn tips on how to earn Delta Medallion elite standing with out flying.
It’s additionally value noting that buying inflight Wi-Fi isn’t coated by the 20% low cost on inflight purchases talked about within the desk above. However, Delta has promised a transfer towards complimentary web on its flights.
Bottom line
Options abound; there are various completely different bank cards you may use when paying for a flight — whether or not that is shopping for a money ticket at an excellent value or paying the taxes and charges when redeeming your miles. If you are making a reservation with Delta Air Lines, there are various advantages you might be able to get pleasure from in your flight just by having a Delta bank card in your pockets.
The excellent news is you could get pleasure from many of those advantages no matter which bank card you employ to pay on your flight. This leaves you free to make use of whichever card you wish to benefit from the insurance coverage protections or bonus factors provided on different playing cards in your pockets.
Editor’s observe: “Points of View” is a collection evaluating selections on which bank card to make use of. If you’re dealing with a dilemma about which card is finest for an upcoming fee, e-mail us at tips@thepointsguy.com.
Also on this collection:
For charges and charges of the Amex Delta Reserve card, click on right here.
For charges and charges of the Amex Delta Reserve Business card, click on right here.
For charges and charges of the Amex Delta Platinum card, click on right here.
For charges and charges of the Amex Delta Platinum Business card, click on right here.
For charges and charges of the Amex Delta Gold card, click on right here.
For charges and charges of the Amex Delta Gold Business card, click on right here.
For charges and charges of the Amex Delta Blue card, click on right here.
For charges and charges of the Amex Platinum card, click on right here.
For charges and charges of the Amex Green card, click on right here.