Amex Blue Delta Skymiles Review: Earn Miles Without Paying an Annual Fee

Delta Airlines has products to suit all of its frequent flyers with four different co-branded credit cards. The Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card -- one of the few no annual fee travel cards -- is an inexpensive choice (see rates and fees). Not paying an annual fee is nice, but it also means this card is light on benefits. Keep reading this Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card review to learn what it offers.

This credit card is a good fit for: Travelers who occasionally fly with Delta Airlines. Frequent flyers may be better off with one of Delta's other airline credit cards, since those offer more benefits.

Top perks

Although the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card isn't feature-packed, it does have some valuable perks.

No annual fee

Most travel rewards credit cards charge an annual fee, but the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card is a rare exception. That makes it a good choice if you want to earn miles without having another bill to worry about (see rates and fees).

Read more: Best No Annual Fee Credit Cards

Welcome offer

You'll earn 10,000 bonus miles for spending $1,000 on purchases with your card in the first six months. Terms apply. There are more valuable welcome bonuses available, but this is a reasonable offer for a travel card with no annual fee.

Rewards

This card earns 2x miles on purchases with Delta and at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. It earns 1x miles on your other purchases. Terms apply.

20% back on in-flight purchases

If you're on a Delta-operated flight and you use this card to purchase food, drinks, or an audio headset, you'll get 20% back as a statement credit. Terms apply.

No foreign transaction fee

You won't need to pay a foreign transaction fee when you use this card internationally (see rates and fees). Terms apply.

Consumer and travel protections

The Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card offers purchase protection* and extended warranty* coverage. Plus there's car rental loss and damage insurance**. Terms apply.

Read more: Best Rewards Credit Cards

What could be improved

There are a couple areas where the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card comes up short.

No free checked bag

This is a useful benefit of many airline credit cards, as it can save you money on every flight. If you regularly travel with more than a carry on, you'll likely want to go with one of Delta's costlier credit cards that offer this perk. Terms apply.

Mediocre rewards rate

This card isn't the best for earning rewards. Even if you're only comparing credit cards with no annual fee, there are other options that have more bonus categories and/or earn more points in their bonus categories.

Read more: Best Credit Cards

A FICO® Score of 670 or higher is suggested to apply for the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card.

There are some exceptions, and it is possible to get approved with a lower credit score. But since your application is more likely to be denied with a lower score, you'd be better off building your credit first and applying later.

You typically fly with Delta and want to earn miles with the airline, but you don't want to pay an annual fee. The Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card is best suited to travelers who only fly a few times per year and don't need many extra perks, such as a free checked bag or airport lounge access.

If you're a frequent flyer with Delta, then you may be better off getting one of its cards with more travel perks. The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is a solid upgrade, and the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card also has a lot to offer. But if you just need a basic Delta credit card, then theDelta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card will do the trick.