Summary
If you’re looking for a way to earn a large influx of airline rewards to use toward free travel, the Gold Delta SkyMiles cards from American Express may be your answer.
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If you’re looking for a way to earn airline rewards to use toward free travel, the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express cards may be your answer – thanks to their welcome bonuses. Both the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card are currently offering attractive introductory bonuses.
The Delta SkyMiles Gold card is currently offering 50,000 bonus miles if you spend $2,000 in the first three months of card membership. With the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business you’ll have to spend a bit more to hit the bonus: the current offer is 60,000 miles after you spend $3,000 in the first three months. Both offers expire Oct. 28, 2020.
Which Delta SkyMiles card is better in the first year?
Besides the fact that one card is designed for consumers and the other for business owners, the Delta SkyMiles Gold cards are similar products. Both cards offer 2 miles per dollar on eligible purchases made directly with Delta Airlines, 2 miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide and 1 mile per dollar on everything else. Also, neither card charges an annual fee during the first year of card membership, then $99 annually.
See how else the cards compare in the table below.
See Related: Which Delta SkyMiles card is best for you
Comparing Delta SkyMiles Gold cards
![]() Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card | ![]() Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card | |
Rewards rate |
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Introductory bonus |
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Annual fee | $99, $0 intro rate in first year | $99, $0 intro rate in first year |
Estimated earnings in first year | $1,166 (Based on $15,900 spend) | $1,854 (Based on $48,000 spend) |
As you can see from the table, although the cards offer similar rewards structures, the business version offers more value in the first year of card membership.
That said, business owners typically charge a lot more on their cards than consumers, thereby earning more rewards. We estimate that the average business owner spends approximately $4,000 each month on office supplies, business travel and other company expenses – compared to the average consumer who spends around $1,325 each month on food, gas, clothing and general purchases.
Recent changes to the Delta SkyMiles cards
The Delta SkyMiles Gold cards’ introductory bonuses typically range between 30,000 and 60,000 miles.
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card bonus history
Change date | Introductory bonus |
Sept. 17, 2020 |
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April 2, 2020 |
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Jan. 30, 2020 |
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Oct. 31, 2019 |
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Oct. 1, 2019 |
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Aug. 16, 2019 |
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Aug. 1, 2019 |
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July 3, 2019 |
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May 30, 2019 |
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April 4, 2019 |
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Feb. 28, 2019 |
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Sept. 20, 2018 |
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Aug. 1, 2018 |
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April 12, 2018 |
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March 1, 2018 |
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Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card bonus history
Change date | Introductory bonus |
Sept. 17, 2020 |
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April 2, 2020 |
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Jan. 30, 2020 |
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Aug. 16, 2019 |
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Aug. 1, 2019 |
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July 3, 2019 |
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May 30, 2019 |
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Sept. 20, 2018 |
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Aug. 1, 2018 |
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April 12, 2018 |
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March 1, 2018 |
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As you can see, the current introductory bonus on both cards is much higher than Amex’s previous offer. However, with the higher bonuses often come higher spend thresholds. For example, to earn the previous 35,000-mile bonus on your Delta SkyMiles Gold, you only had to spend $1,000 in the first three months. But to earn the current 50,000-mile bonus, you need to spend $2,000 in the first three months, which may be tougher to reach.
What can you get with 60,000 SkyMiles?
While Delta offers a variety of redemption options for your SkyMiles – including merchandise and gift cards – your best option, by far, is redeeming SkyMiles for airfare on Delta or with one of Delta’s 19 SkyTeam alliance partners. The number of required miles is closely linked to the cost of the fare, and you will find a good value with most flights and fare levels. We value SkyMiles at 1.61 cents per miles on average, so 60,000 bonus miles can get you close to $1,000 worth of airfare on Delta.
Redemption option | Average mile value (cents) | Value of 60,000-mile bonus |
Flights | 1.61 | $966 |
Flight upgrades | 2.2 | $1,320 |
Miles + Cash | 1 | $600 |
Pay with miles | 1 | $600 |
Delta Vacations | 1 | $600 |
Car rentals | 0.6 | $360 |
Delta Sky Club Membership | 1.1 | $660 |
Merchandise | 0.4 | $240 |
Gift cards | 0.3-0.5 | $180-$300 |
Magazines | 0.8 | $480 |
Experiences | varies | — |
Charity donation | 1.61 | $966 |
Who is eligible for the introductory bonus?
American Express has one of the strictest welcome bonus policies in the industry, restricting cardholders to earning the bonus on a particular card only once in a lifetime. If you currently own or have previously owned a Delta SkyMiles Gold card, you are not eligible for the bonus on that card.
Should you apply now?
Because American Express places a once-in-a-lifetime limit on introductory bonuses on its cards, it’s important to time your card application properly to earn the largest introductory bonus possible. While the current bonuses are not the most valuable offers the cards have ever seen, they come close, making now a great time to apply.
See related: Delta SkyMiles guide: The best ways to earn and use Delta SkyMiles
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