Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express Review – 30K Bonus Miles and a Statement Credit

Do you travel Delta airlines? Want a better experience at the airport?  Maybe even a better experience on the plane?

How would you like to earn free flights for using your credit card?

You can have all this and more with the Gold Delta Skymiles® Credit Card from American Express.

Keep reading our review below and I’ll tell you why the Gold Delta Skymiles card may be a great card for you!

Earning and Using Airline Miles

Right now the Gold Delta Skymiles credit card from American Express is offering a limited time bonus 30,000 miles when you spend $1,000 in the first three months.  That’s already enough to redeem a free flight!

Spending the $1,000 in three months probably won’t be a problem if you charge most of your purchases during that time and then pay them off.

Remember that the first three months start from account opening, and you will receive the miles 2-4 weeks after you reach the $1,000 threshold.

With this card you can earn 2 miles for every dollar you spend on Delta purchases and 1 mile per dollar for all your other purchases.  So the stuff you buy and bills you pay with the card all go towards airlines miles for free flights.

You can redeem your miles with Delta on over 15 other travel partners. The bonus 30,000 miles may be enough for a ticket right there, so with the first yearly fee waived ($95 after the first year), that may be reason enough to get this one.

Statement Credit Bonus

On top of the miles bonus you can also earn a $50 statement credit if you make a Delta purchase within 3 months of getting your new card.

Flying Perks

Another way this card helps you save money – and maybe a lot, depending on how much you fly: you can check your first bag for free.

In fact, when you use the card to book your round-trip Delta flight, up to 9 people on the reservation can each save up to $50 checking their bags.

When you are traveling with your family, having to pay for each checked bag gets expensive quick!

And the free checked bags could also save you at least enough money to make up for the yearly fees you’ll pay after the free year.

The cool thing about this card is that you get to board early with Priority Boarding. Up to 9 people on your reservation can be seated during Priority Boarding as well. If you want to treat yourself, you also save with a 20% in-flight discount on meals, beverages, and movies (and remember, you get double miles for these purchases too).

Also, note that the APR is somewhat high, so you would want to take that into account if you know you won’t be paying your bill in full every month. But really you don’t want to do that anyway.  Using your card smart means paying it off in full so that you take full advantage of the benefits offered (otherwise it’s like paying for the benefits with your interest).

One reason the Priority Boarding aspect of this card really appeals to me is that waiting around the gate area with my kids is not exactly one of my favorite things to do. Getting to your seat early also means more time to settle in AND first dibs on the overhead bins for your carry-on — which you probably have noticed can get kind of crowded sometimes. (Especially now that a lot more people are trying to squeeze in bigger suitcases so they don’t have to pay to check them. Something you won’t have to worry about with this card!)

On a recent flight the overhead bins filled up and some people had to check their bags.  You don’t want to have to deal with this if you don’t have to.

On one trip on a Delta flight, I arrived famished from an unrelenting day of car and train travel. Luckily the flight had some sandwiches and snack boxes on offer. It wasn’t too expensive — and totally worth it — but the 20% discount on that could be a nice bonus, as are the double miles.

On a different Delta plane, each passenger had their own individual touch screen TV. There was a decent selection of free shows and movies, but there were also some great movies and premium channel programs for purchase. This card would discount that by 20% as well, making the small indulgence of watching your favorite show or movie to pass the time less of a hit on the wallet. It’s also a great way to occupy the kids on a long flight.

Did you know American Express cards in general offer some unique perks?

It’s a really good card to have while traveling, for instance. It’s accepted around the world, and can save you money and protect you in a few ways.

Travel Perks

When you rent a car with the card, the insurance (Loss & Damage) is covered for free and automatically – no need to enroll. This coverage built into the card covers up to $50,000 of damage or theft. You can also purchase other plans that cover more if you wish.

You have access to emergency assistance with their Global Assist® Hotline. Global Assist can help you prepare for your trip with customs information and more. And when you’re traveling more than 100 miles from home the hotline can help you replace lost passports, help you with lost luggage, and even provide emergency legal and medical referrals, 24/7.

This card also offers Roadside Assistance if you have a flat tire, or are stranded, etc.

Travel Accident Insurance is also available.

Purchase Protection

The card also protects you when you make a purchase, especially useful when you’re buying a big ticket item.

It automatically extends the length of the original manufacturer’s warranty up to one year on eligible purchases that have U.S. warranties of 5 years or less

They’ll replace or refund an item you’ve accidentally broken or has been stolen up to 90 days after you purchased it.

The card also offers excellent fraud protection in case you notice any purchases on there that you didn’t make.

American Express is known for their quality customer service, so that’s a big plus these days.

Paying your bill online at americanexpress.com is simple, and with American Express Bill Pay^® you can set up recurring payments to ensure your bills are always paid on time. With the American Express app you can now pay your bill, manage multiple card accounts, check your rewards balances and more when you’re on the go –right on your smartphone or tablet.

Finally

An initial 30,000 mile bonus, award miles for most purchases and double for Delta purchases, a free bag check, Priority Boarding at the gate…this seems like a good card for racking up miles while making your voyage more enjoyable, safe, and economical…whether you’re traveling close to home or somewhere far across the globe.

*As you always should, make sure you read through the card details to make sure this card fits your needs and you understand the terms and conditions. Be aware that the terms may change after this article’s publication.

Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. This site may be compensated through American Express Affiliate Program.

(You won’t be eligible for this offer if you have had any other Delta consumer Skymiles cards in the past 90 days or this particular card in the past 12 months.)