Delta credit cards are getting tons of new benefits in 2020, and you can earn up to 75,000 miles with elevated welcome bonuses in October

Sarah Silbert

Oct 1, 2019, 19:36 IST

Delta credit cards are getting tons of new benefits in 2020, and you can earn up to 75,000 miles with elevated welcome bonuses in October

Delta and Amex just announced a huge overhaul of their co-branded credit cards.
Starting on January 20, 2020, the cards will add new benefits including additional opportunities to earn bonus miles on your everyday spending, and up to $100 toward the Global Entry application fee.
The Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express is seeing a moderate annual fee increase, while the Delta Reserve® Credit Card from American Express is increasing from $450 to $550. However, the Reserve is adding Amex Centurion Lounge access and 3x miles on Delta purchases, among other benefits.
You can currently earn up to 75,000 miles thanks to elevated welcome bonuses on three of the four Delta consumer credit cards, but only until October 30.
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If Delta is your airline of choice - or even if you just fly with the carrier a few times a year - you'll want to know about the massive updates coming to Delta Amex credit cards.

Starting on January 30, 2020, Delta's four consumer cards and three business credit cards will have new benefits, ranging from additional bonus categories to help you rack up more miles to complimentary upgrades and more airport lounge access options on the top-of-the-line Delta Reserve and Delta Reserve for Business Credit Card.

Keep in mind that we're focusing on the rewards and perks that make these credit cards great options, not things like interest rates and late fees, which can far outweigh the value of any rewards.

When you're working to earn credit card rewards, it's important to practice financial discipline, like paying your balances off in full each month, making payments on time, and not spending more than you can afford to pay back. Basically, treat your credit card like a debit card.

New Delta Amex welcome bonuses

It's a lot to process, so we'll go through the upcoming changes card by card, but there's more immediate good news, too: Starting Tuesday, three out of the four personal Delta credit cards are offering elevated welcome bonuses. You can get anywhere from 60,000 to 75,000 miles with these offers, but you have to apply by October 30, so you don't have too much time to sit on these.

Here are the limited-time welcome offers for Delta's consumer credit cards:

Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express ($95 annual fee; waived the first year) - Earn 60,000 miles after you spend $2,000 in the first three months. Plus, get a $50 statement credit when you make a Delta purchase in the first three months.
Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express ($195 annual fee) - 75,000 miles and 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $3,000 in the first three months. Plus, get a $100 statement credit when you make a Delta purchase in the first three months.
Delta Reserve Credit Card from American Express ($450 annual fee) - 75,000 miles and 10,000 MQMs after you spend $3,000 in the first three months.

Note that the Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express isn't offering an elevated welcome bonus in October. It's offering the standard bonus of 10,000 miles after you spend $500 in the first three months.

Delta's business credit cards are offering elevated welcome bonuses in October as well - you can earn up to 80,000 miles and 10,000 MQMs.

New Delta Amex benefits coming in 2020

If you apply for any of those Delta credit cards by October 30, you'll be eligible for a higher-than-usual welcome bonus of points (and, in some cases, MQMs toward Delta elite status). However, you'll have to wait a bit longer until these just-announced benefits go into effect.

Starting on January 30, 2020, both new and existing Delta cardholders will get access to several new benefits. While there are some significant improvements in store, note that some Delta cards will see increased annual fees as well.

Blue Delta Amex

This no-annual-fee Delta card will remain the airline's sole option with no annual fee, and it's adding the following benefits:

Earn 2x miles at restaurants worldwide (not just in the US)
No foreign transaction fees
Access to Pay With Miles (which lets you use miles to book Delta flights while also earning redeemable miles on said flights)

Click here to learn more about the Blue Delta Amex.

Gold Delta Amex

The moderately priced option in Delta's lineup is getting a fair share of updates:

Annual fee increasing from $95 to $99
Earn 2x miles at US supermarkets and at restaurants (new bonus categories)
Get a $100 Delta flight credit after you spend $10,000 on the card in a year
You can no longer get discounted Delta Sky Club access for $29 per visit
You can no longer get the Medallion Qualification Dollar waiver for Delta elite status through this card (previously you could get the dollar requirement related to Delta elite status waived if you spent $25,000 on the card in a year)

New bonus categories are the main updates here. This helps bring the Gold Delta Amex in line with other airline cards like the United Explorer Card, which offers 2x miles at restaurants and on hotel stays.

The small annual fee increase shouldn't sting too much, and the removal of discounted Delta Sky Club access shouldn't be a huge dealbreaker for most cardholders, either. Getting rid of the MQD waiver is unfortunate, though - you'll now need the higher-end Platinum Delta SkyMiles Amex if you want to spend your way to waiving the MQD requirement for Delta status.

Click here to learn more about the Gold Delta Amex.

Platinum Delta Amex

This higher-end card is getting a significant update:

Annual fee increasing from $195 to $250
Earn 3x miles at hotels and on Delta purchases
Earn 2x miles at restaurants and US supermarkets
Get up to $100 toward the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
Delta Sky Club access will cost $39 per visit, up from $29
You'll no longer earn 10,000 redeemable miles when you spend $25,000 and another 10,000 when you spend $50,000 in a calendar year; you'll continue to earn 10,000 MQMs for meeting each of these thresholds, though.

The ability to earn 3x miles on Delta purchases is great - the standard rate is 2 miles per dollar on airline purchases with most airline credit cards. There are plenty of other new bonus categories as well, and the addition of a Global Entry application fee credit helps justify the annual fee increase.

Click here to learn more about the Platinum Delta Amex.

Delta Reserve Amex

The most premium option among Delta's personal credit cards is also getting several new perks and updates:

Annual fee increasing from $450 to $550
You'll be able to access Amex Centurion Lounges (as well as Delta Sky Clubs) when you're flying Delta
2 Delta Sky Club one-time guest passes
Earn 3x miles on Delta purchases
Access to complimentary upgrades for those without Delta elite status
Up to $100 toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee
Two more spending thresholds for earning MQMs toward status each year: 15,000 MQMs after spending $90,000 and another 15,0000 after spending $120,000 in a calendar year, but no more redeemable miles for meeting any spending thresholds each year

The new annual fee of $550 seems very high at first glance, but the Delta Reserve Amex comes with Delta Sky Club access whenever you're flying Delta. Buying Delta Sky Club membership costs $545, so this benefit alone could make the card worth it if you really value having access to Delta's airport lounges. Plus, now you can access Amex Centurion Lounges when you fly Delta, and those are arguably even nicer than Sky Clubs.

Overall, these changes are positive. The ability to earn 3x miles on Delta purchases is great, and big spenders working toward Delta status will appreciate the additional opportunities to earn MQMs.

Click here to learn more about the Delta Reserve Amex.

New Delta business credit card benefits coming in 2020

Now, here's a quick run-through of the changes coming to Delta's lineup of Amex cards for small-business users in 2020. Most of the changes are identical to the updates for personal cards, but in some cases the business cards are adding their own bonus categories that are tailored to business spending.

Gold Delta Business Amex

Annual fee increasing from $95 to $99
Earn 2x miles on US shipping and US advertising purchases, and at restaurants
Get a $100 Delta flight credit after you spend $10,000 on the card in a year
You can no longer get discounted Delta Sky Club access for $29 per visit
You can no longer get the Medallion Qualification Dollar waiver for Delta elite status through this card

While the personal Gold Delta Amex will earn 2x miles at US supermarkets and restaurants, the business version will add 2x on US shipping and US advertising (and at restaurants).

Click here to learn more about the Gold Delta Business Amex.

Platinum Delta Business Amex

Annual fee increasing from $195 to $250
Earn 3x miles at hotels and on Delta purchases
Earn 1.5x miles on purchases of $5,000 or more (up to 50,000 additional miles)
Up to $100 toward the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
Delta Sky Club access will cost $39 per visit, up from $29
You'll no longer earn 10,000 redeemable miles when you spend $25,000 and another 10,000 when you spend $50,000 in a calendar year; you'll continue to earn 10,000 MQMs for meeting each of these thresholds, though.

Again, the main difference between this and the personal Platinum Delta Amex is with the bonus categories.

Click here to learn more about the Platinum Delta Business Amex.

Delta Reserve for Business

Annual fee increasing from $450 to $550
You'll be able to access Amex Centurion Lounges (as well as Delta Sky Clubs) when you're flying Delta
2 Delta Sky Club one-time guest passes
Earn 3x miles on Delta purchases
Earn 1.5x miles on all purchases after $150,000 in spending per calendar year
Two more spending thresholds for earning MQMs toward status each year: 15,000 MQMs after spending $90,000 and another 15,0000 after spending $120,000 in a calendar year, but no more redeemable miles for meeting any spending thresholds each year
Access to complimentary upgrades for those without Delta elite status
Up to $100 toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee

Click here to learn more about the Delta Reserve for Business.

Bottom Line

There's a lot to digest here, but the CliffNotes version is that most Delta credit cards will be getting new bonus categories, making it easier to earn miles on everyday purchases you make at restaurants, US supermarkets, and more. Plus, the top-tier Delta Reserve Amex and Delta Reserve for Business Amex are adding access to Amex Centurion Lounges. Admittedly, there are currently only nine Centurion Lounges, but six more will be opening by the end of 2020, and they offer luxurious amenities like free gourmet food and drink.

Along with new benefits, almost all of the cards are getting increased annual fees in January 2020. None of the increases are downright unreasonable when considered against the new benefits, but existing cardholders will want to take a close look to see if the cards continue to be worth it.

Remember, these new benefits and annual fees will kick in next year, but the increased welcome bonuses are available now through October 30, so it could be worth adding a Delta credit card to your wallet sooner than later if you can put these perks to use.

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Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.

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