Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card

Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card Review

Whether flying for business or pleasure, the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card rewards you with miles for dining out or making Delta purchases. The card provides SkyMiles members with an enticing way to multiply their miles – with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees.

Introductory SkyMiles Offer

Like Amex’s other Delta credit cards, the SkyMiles Blue Amex features an introductory SkyMiles bonus for meeting minimum spending requirements. With the no annual fee card, that welcome bonus is 10,000 Bonus Miles after spending $1,000 in purchases within the first six months of account membership. This welcome offer has a cash value of around $100, which boosts any looming vacation funds.

How to Earn Miles

The Blue SkyMiles Card earns 2X miles on purchases made directly with Delta or at U.S. restaurants. This earning potential is a great bonus for those who want to earn a healthy amount of SkyMiles but don’t want to pay the annual fee from other co-branded Delta and American Express cards. All other purchases with the card earn 1X miles.

How to Redeem SkyMiles

The Delta SkyMiles program offers numerous redemption options for miles. The easiest way to use miles is through flight bookings with Delta Air Lines. To use miles for flights, you must book at Delta.com. Bookings with Delta also have the bonus of featuring no blackout dates, meaning you don’t need to worry about compromising your ideal dates.

Miles are redeemable not only on Delta flights but also on 30 additional airline partners via SkyTeam. Here’s a list of the current SkyTeam alliance partner carriers:

Other ways to redeem SkyMiles include seat and cabin upgrades through Delta, Delta gift cards, Delta Vacations or Experiences, and incidental fees when flying with Delta. Delta miles are also redeemable for gift cards or purchases made through the Delta SkyMiles Shopping portal.

Related Article: The Ultimate Guide to Delta Air Lines SkyMiles

Delta SkyMiles Personal Card Comparison

The Amex Delta Air Lines credit card portfolio is robust, with multiple options for both business and personal use. Not sure which SkyMiles credit card is right for you? Here is a head-to-head comparison of the four Delta consumer credit cards from American Express:

SkyMiles® Blue	Delta SkyMiles® Gold	SkyMiles® Platinum	Delta Reserve
Earn 10K (after spending $1,000 within the first 6 months)*	Earn 65K (after spending $2,000 within the first 6 months)*	Earn 85K (after spending $4,000 within the first 6 months)*	Earn 85K (after spending $6,000 within the first 6 months)*
No annual fee	$99 annual fee ($0 year one)	$250 annual fee	$550 annual fee
2X Miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta and at at restaurants worldwide; 1X on all other purchases.	2X Miles on Delta purchases, at U.S. Supermarkets and at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.; 1X on all other purchases.	3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels; 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets; 1X Miles on all other purchases.	3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with Delta; 1X Miles on all other purchases.
20% inflight savings	20% inflight savings	20% inflight savings	20% inflight savings
No foreign transaction fees	No foreign transaction fees	No foreign transaction fees	No foreign transaction fees
–	First checked bag free	First checked bag free	First checked bag free
–	$100 Delta Flight Credit after spending $10,000 in purchases in a calendar year.	Annual companion certificate	Annual companion certificate
–	–	Priority boarding	Priority boarding and upgrades; complimentary upgrades
–	–	Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck®	Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck®
–	–	Sky Club access for fee	Sky Club & Centurion Lounge access
*See Terms

Delta Perks

Since the Blue SkyMiles credit card features no annual fee, it won’t give you the type of exclusive Delta perks that you’d find with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. Still, that card also features an annual fee of $550 more than the Blue Card. Still, you can expect some value, such as  20% savings in the form of a statement credit after you use your Card on eligible Delta in-flight purchases of food, beverages, and audio headsets.

Other Card Features

Other features of note include:

EMV chip technology for an extra layer of security when shopping online or in-store

• No foreign transaction fees
• No annual fee
• Amex entertainment Access

The Blue SkyMiles Amex provides essential protections and benefits through the American Express network. The American Express network is similar to Visa and Mastercard, and provides the following to cardmembers:

American Express Ratings

How is Amex as a credit card issuer? Here is a selection of ratings for American Express from experts and the general public:

Should You Apply for the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card?

While the rewards-earning potential of the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card is impressive, there are some drawbacks that potential applicants should consider. Chief amongst those worries is the limited acceptance of Amex outside of North America. Of course, American Express credit cards are gaining more traction, with over 99% of US merchants accepting the network. But, outside of Western Europe and some Asian countries, Amex still lags behind Visa or Mastercard.

Despite this flaw, the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card is an excellent value for those who prefer Delta or SkyTeam and want to earn solid miles without an annual fee. The perks aren’t the same as you’d get with the Platinum version of the card, but nor should they be. However, this is a great option for those who want a quality card at a great price.