Start your summer travel plans with a limited-time welcome bonus when you open the new Delta SkyMiles American Express Card.
Now through April 1, you can earn increased sign-up bonuses on Delta’s consumer and business cards. Whether you’re looking for ways to save on an international vacation or you’re a business owner with a busy travel schedule this year, it might be a good time to consider whether the Delta SkyMiles Amex card will work for your spending.
Read more: Best Airline Credit Cards
You have until April 1 to open a new Delta SkyMiles card and earn an advanced sign-up bonus. And there’s plenty of value to be had: These welcome bonuses are some of the highest we’ve seen from Delta SkyMiles cards, based on recent past offers.
Here’s how much you can earn from each card:
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Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card: Earn 70,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases and an additional 20,000 bonus miles after you spend an additional $2,000 on purchases, both within the first 6 months.
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Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card: Earn 80,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases and an additional 20,000 bonus miles after you spend an additional $2,000 on purchases, both within the first 6 months.
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Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card: Earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $6,000 on purchases and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you spend an additional $3,000 on purchases, both within the first 6 months.
The limited-time bonuses you earn with any of these Delta cards can go a long way toward helping you save on future flights. But you should look carefully at the two-part bonus structure before applying. You will have a relatively long six-month period to meet the spending requirements, but the total amount stands.
If it’s more than you normally spend, you may want to time your application around an upcoming planned expense — like booking travel for an upcoming trip or a spring renovation project. This way, you can get the maximum bonus amount without carrying a high interest balance that you can’t afford.
Delta’s business card bonuses are pretty straightforward, and top these cards’ regular welcome offers of 25,000 to 30,000 miles.
As with consumer cards, make sure you note the highest spend required to earn each bonus. If that amount is not within your regular budget for business expenses, you may want to consider whether you can spend the full amount within six months without carrying a balance.
Delta SkyMiles redemptions are dynamic, so there’s no standard amount your miles are worth. But even using the standard 1 cent per mile redemption, the top 125,000 mile limited-time bonus would be worth a total of $1,250.
Let’s say you want to plan a big summer trip to Japan, traveling for two weeks between July 17 and July 31. You will depart from New York and land in Tokyo, and return the same route (with one stop each way).
You can book this flight for a total of 100,000 miles (plus $56.63 in taxes and fees) round trip on the main Classic fare. If you had paid cash for the same flight and fare type, you would have paid $1,451.93 (including taxes and fees) — making it an excellent redemption value for your miles.
By using miles, you can cover a larger portion of this trip using enhanced Delta SkyMiles card bonuses. You can use your bonus for the full cost or even more, depending on the card you choose.
Take the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card, for example. After $6,000 in purchases, you’ll have 100,000 miles to spend when you earn the first part of the bonus. However, if you spend an additional $3,000 within the first six months before you book your flight, you’ll have enough miles to upgrade your ticket to a Comfort Classic fare and still pay using miles only.
The total bonus is worth only 125,000. But when you account for the $9,000 you have to spend to earn the full bonus, you’ll add at least another 9,000 miles, (more if you make purchases in bonus categories).
In this case, your total round-trip flight cost would be 126,000 miles and just $56.63 in taxes and fees.
As you plan how to use your welcome bonus miles, don’t forget to account for the extra savings you get from your card benefits, including significant discounts on award flights that can stretch your miles even further.
The Delta SkyMiles Gold, Delta SkyMiles Platinum, and Delta SkyMiles Reserve cards (including business versions) all offer a 15% discount when you use your miles to book award tickets. That means your 100,000-mile trip might actually cost only 85,000 miles to book.
Keep in mind that this discount only applies to Delta flights, not partner-operated flights (which are common options when you’re booking internationally).
Here’s a closer look at each consumer and business card from Delta and Amex:
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Annual fee
$0 introductory annual fee for first year, $150 thereafter.
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Welcome offer
Earn 70,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in the first 6 months, and an additional 20,000 bonus miles after you spend an additional $2,000 on purchases in the first 6 months (offer expires 04/01/2026)
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Ongoing Purchases APR
19.49%-28.49% variable
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Award rate
- 2x miles on Delta purchases, at US supermarkets, and at restaurants worldwide (including takeout and delivery in the US)
- 1x miles on all other eligible purchases.
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Advantages
- Enjoy a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150
- After you spend $10,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year, you can earn a $200 Delta flight credit to use on future travel.
- Check your first bag free on Delta flights
Read our full review of the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
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Annual fee
$350
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Welcome offer
Earn 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in the first 6 months, and an additional 20,000 bonus miles after you spend an additional $2,000 on purchases in the first 6 months (offer ends 04/01/2026)
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Ongoing Purchases APR
19.49%-28.49% variable
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Award rate
- 3x miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels
- 2x miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the US and at US supermarkets
- 1x miles on all other eligible purchases
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Advantages
- Receive a companion certificate on a main cabin round-trip flight to select destinations each year after your card renewal. Conditions apply.
- Earn up to $10 in statement credits each month after using your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card. Enrollment is required
- Check your first bag free on Delta flights
Read our full review of the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card
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Annual fee
$650
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Welcome offer
Earn 100,000 bonus miles after you spend $6,000 in the first 6 months, and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you spend an additional $3,000 on purchases in the first 6 months (offer expires 04/01/2026)
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Ongoing Purchases APR
19.49%-28.49% variable
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Award rate
- 3x miles on Delta purchases
- 1x miles on all other purchases
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Advantages
- Receive upgrade priority over other Medallion members within the same Medallion level and fare category
- Receive a Companion Certificate on a First Class, Delta Comfort+, or Main Cabin round-trip flight to select destinations each year after your card renewal. Conditions apply.
- Enjoy 15 free tours in Delta Sky Club® when you fly Delta, and unlock unlimited tours after spending $75,000 in purchases in a calendar year.
Read our full review of the Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card
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Annual fee
$0 introductory annual fee for first year, $150 thereafter
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Welcome offer
Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $6,000 in the first 6 months (offer ends 04/01/2026)
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Ongoing Purchases APR
19.49% – 28.49% variable
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Award rate
- 2x miles (per year, up to $50,000 of purchases per category) on purchases for advertising in select media on US shipping providers and US providers
- 2x miles on qualifying purchases made directly at Delta and restaurants
- 1x miles on all other purchases
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Advantages
- After you spend $10,000 on purchases in a year, you can get a $200 Delta flight credit to use on future travel.
- Save 15% when you book award travel with miles on Delta flights
- First checked bag free on Delta flights + Zone 5 Priority Boarding
Read our full review of the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card
Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express Card: Good for rewards on business and travel expenses
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Award rate
- 3x miles on Delta and hotel purchases
- 1.5x miles on eligible transit and US shipping purchases, plus single eligible purchases of $5,000 or more (up to $100,000 in annual combined spend)
- 1x miles on all other purchases
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Advantages
- Earn up to $200 in annual statement credits after booking a prepaid hotel or vacation rental through Delta Stays
- Save 15% when you use miles to book award travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app.
- Earn up to $10 per month in statement credits on eligible Resy purchases
Read our full review of the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express Card
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Award rate
- 3x miles on Delta purchases
- 1.5x miles on eligible transit, US shipping, and office supply store purchases (plus all purchases after you spend $150,000 on your card in a year)
- 1x miles on all other purchases
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Advantages
- Earn up to $250 in annual statement credits after using your card to book prepaid hotels or vacation rentals through Delta Stays on delta.com.
- Check your first bag free on Delta flights
- Enjoy international travel without extra charges on purchases made abroad
Read our full review of the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card
More information about the Delta Card:
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