The Delta SkyMiles Gold credit card offers many benefits including 50,000 bonus miles when you spend $2,000 in the first 6 months.
We rate cards based on value, cost, and perks.
Our ratings for this card are:
Annual fee waived the first year
There is an annual fee of $150 which is waived the first year. The Platinum and Reserve cards with higher annual fees are not waived yet do not give so many more bonus miles. The Gold card with 50,000 bonus miles is the best card if your main objective is to get a lot of bonus miles at minimal cost. We value Delta miles at $0.01 each, so a 50,000 mile bonus is worth $500. This card has the highest first year net value (value of bonus miles minus the annual fee). Even if you did not make use of any of the other benefits, this card is worth having for a year. You need to cancel before the 1 year anniversary in order to avoid paying the $150 annual fee.
Lounge access & companion certificate
This card does not give you any lounge access. If you want lounge access, then pay the higher annual fee on the Reserve card. This card also doesn't give you any companion certificates. Only the Platinum and Reserve cards have companion certificates.
2x miles earned on Delta purchases
If you spend a lot on Delta flights, the 2x miles earned per dollar is a nice perk. That's like earning 2% back on Delta flights. The Platinum and Reserve cards earn 3x per dollar on Delta, so get the higher level cards if you want to earn more miles. The Blue card also earns 2x miles per dollar on Delta, so switch to that card after the first year if you want to avoid an annual fee.
Priority boarding & other savings
This card gives you the same priority boarding zone, 20% in-flight purchase discount, and 15% award travel savings as the higher level cards. There is no need to pay a higher annual fee for these benefits.
