Amex Delta SkyMiles Gold Review: High Value for an Affordable Annual Fee

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is a budget-friendly Delta credit card option. It has several useful perks for frequent Delta flyers, including a free checked bag and priority boarding, and it has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150. (Terms apply, see rates and fees).

Explore our full Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card review to figure out if it's the best Delta credit card for you.

This credit card is a good fit for: Travelers who fly with Delta Air Lines multiple times per year and want to earn miles with an affordable credit card.

Top perks

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card has the features you'd expect from a top airline credit card.

Welcome offer

Earn 40,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms apply. With Delta miles, the value you get depends on how you use them. It's common to get $0.01 to $0.015 per mile, which means this welcome offer could help you save $400 to $600.

$200 Delta Flight Credit

After spending $10,000 on eligible purchases with the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card in a calendar year, you'll receive a $200 Delta Flight Credit. Terms apply. The credit is easy to get if you use your card regularly, as it only requires about $835 in monthly spending.

Up to 2 miles per $1

The card earns 2X miles on:

• Delta purchases
• Restaurants worldwide (this includes takeout and delivery in the United States)
• U.S. supermarkets

All other purchases earn 1X miles. Terms apply. While this card's earning rates don't stack up to the best rewards cards, it at least earns extra in a few broad bonus categories.

Free checked bag

Card Members get a free first checked bag on all Delta flights for themselves. Other passengers traveling on the same reservation can also get the first checked bag free, up to a maximum of nine bag fee waivers per reservation. Terms apply. If you usually check a bag, this Delta credit card will save you money on one of the most common travel expenses.

Priority boarding

You'll be in the Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding group every time you fly with Delta. If you aren't familiar with Delta's boarding process, this means you'll board after first class and the "Sky" boarding group, but before the general main cabin (groups 2 and 3). Terms apply.

15% off award travel bookings

Through the TakeOff 15 benefit, you can save 15% when booking award travel on delta.com or the Fly Delta app. Terms apply. This is an easy way to get the airfare you want for fewer miles.

No foreign transaction fee

Like any good airline credit card, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card doesn't charge you an extra fee on foreign transactions. (see rates and fees).

Introductory annual fee

This card has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150. So even though it charges an annual fee, you can save on that for the first year that you have the card.

RELATED: Read The Ascent's guide to the Best American Express Credit Cards.

Travel and purchase protections

Here are the protections offered by this Delta credit card on eligible purchases:

• Purchase protection
• Extended warranty
• Car rental loss and damage insurance
• Baggage insurance plan

Terms apply. To learn more about these coverages, including exclusions, review the card's guide to benefits.

RELATED: The Ascent's Travel Credit Cards Hub

What could be improved

A couple minor issues are worth noting with this card.

Annual fee

Once you've had the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card for a year, the regular annual fee applies. That's not unreasonable considering what the card offers. Spending at least $10,000 per calendar year gets you a $200 Delta Flight Credit. There's also that free checked bag for you and up to eight travel companions on the same reservation.

As long as you use your card often and fly with Delta at least a couple times per year, you should have no problem coming out ahead on this annual fee. If you're not sure, you can always check out more credit card reviews to see if there could be a better fit out there.

Missing premium travel benefits

This card doesn't offer some of the benefits that premium travel cards do. For example, frequent travelers may prefer a card that offers airport lounge access. In that case, comparing credit cards is a good idea to see whether you should get a Delta card with more features.

MORE OPTIONS: Best Delta Credit Cards

To get the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, you should apply with a FICO® Score of at least 670. While approval doesn't depend entirely on your credit score, that is among the most important factors.

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is a great choice if you like to fly Delta when traveling and take at least a few trips per year.

Considering their value, Delta American Express credit cards are competitive with the best credit cards. It's all a matter of choosing which of the four tiers of Delta cards is the best fit for your needs. For travelers who want a free checked bag and priority boarding, but don't want to pay more than $100 per year for a credit card, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is the natural choice.

Our credit card methodology

At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.