Delta and American Express have a portfolio of co-branded credit cards. We’ve just see some big new welcome offers rolled out on these cards, which are among the best offers we’ve seen on these products. This also coincides with a second checked bag free benefit being added to these cards, which I’m sure will make them more interesting to some people.
While Delta SkyMiles is far from my favorite mileage currency, I appreciate that miles in the program have a “floor” value, based on all the ways there are to redeem SkyMiles for at least one cent each toward Delta purchases. In addition to having Delta’s “Pay With Miles” feature, there’s also the “TakeOff 15” benefit, whereby cardmembers can get a 15% discount on award tickets.
What are the current Delta Amex welcome offers?
We’ve just seen some excellent welcome offers rolled out on Delta’s suite of co-branded credit cards, so if you’re interested, this would be a great time to apply. Let’s go over the offers, from least premium to most premium.
Delta Gold Personal Amex: up to 90,000 SkyMiles
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card has the following limited time welcome offer:
- Earn 70,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases with your new Card, and an additional 20,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $2,000 in purchases on the Card, both within your first 6 months. Ends 07/15/2026.
- The card has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150. (Rates & Fees)
The Gold Delta Amex (both business and personal) offers perks like two free checked bags on domestic itineraries, priority boarding, savings on inflight purchases, 15% savings on select award flights, an annual rideshare (enrollment required), and more.
Read a full review of the Gold Delta Amex.
Delta Gold Business Amex: 90,000 SkyMiles
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card has the following limited time welcome offer:
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles after spending $6,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 7/15/26.
- The card has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 (Rates & Fees)
Delta Platinum Personal Amex: up to 100,000 SkyMiles
The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card has the following limited time welcome offer:
- Earn 80,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases with your new Card, and an additional 20,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $2,000 in purchases on the Card, both within your first 6 months. Ends 07/15/2026.
- The card has a $350 annual fee (Rates & Fees)
The Platinum Delta Amex (both business and personal) offers perks like an annual companion certificate, the ability to earn status through credit card spending, a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit (every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck, or every four years for Global Entry), two free checked bags on domestic itineraries, priority boarding, savings on inflight purchases, 15% savings on select award flights, an annual rideshare and Resy credit (enrollment required), and more.
Read a full review of the Platinum Delta Amex.
Delta Platinum Business Amex: 100,000 SkyMiles
The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card has the following limited time welcome offer:
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after spending $8,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 7/15/26.
- The card has a $350 annual fee (Rates & Fees)
Delta Reserve Personal Amex: up to 125,000 SkyMiles
The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card has the following limited time welcome offer:
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 in purchases with your new Card, and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card, both within your first 6 months. Ends 07/15/2026.
- The card has a $650 annual fee (Rates & Fees)
The Reserve Delta Amex (both business and personal) offers perks like an annual companion certificate, the ability to earn status through credit card spending, a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit (every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck, or every four years for Global Entry), two free checked bags on domestic itineraries, savings on inflight purchases, 15% savings on select award flights, an annual rideshare and Resy credit (enrollment required), and more.
Read a full review of the Reserve Delta Amex.
Delta Reserve Business Amex: 125,000 SkyMiles
The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card has the following limited time welcome offer:
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 125,000 Bonus Miles after spending $15,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 7/15/26.
- The card has a $650 annual fee (Rates & Fees)
How many Delta Amex cards are you eligible for?
If you’re considering applying for a Delta co-branded credit card, then Amex’s general application restrictions apply. Each of these Delta American Express cards is considered a separate product, and you’re potentially eligible for the bonus on each card once.
However, you’ll want to be strategic about the order in which you apply for personal cards. Essentially, you can only earn the bonus on a particular card if you haven’t had that exact Delta card, or a more premium Delta card. So the less premium the card, the more restrictions. Here’s a rundown, ranked from most premium card to least premium card:
- You’re not eligible for the welcome offer on the Delta Reserve Amex if you’ve had that exact card before
- You’re not eligible for the welcome offer on the Delta Platinum Amex if you’ve had that exact card before, or if you’ve had the Delta Reserve Amex
- You’re not eligible for the welcome offer on the Delta Gold Amex if you’ve had that exact card before, or if you’ve had the Delta Reserve Amex or Delta Platinum Amex
Which Delta Amex welcome offer is best?
Which Delta Amex offer is best depends entirely on what you’re looking for and what your travel profile is like. As far as my general advice goes:
- If you’re just a casual Delta flyer, it’s hard to go wrong with the big bonuses and introductory annual fees on the Delta Gold cards
- For those who fly Delta a bit more often, the Delta Platinum cards are great, given the annual companion certificate
- For the frequent Delta flyer who is going for status, the Delta Reserve cards are the best cards for earning status, and also offer the most compelling perks
- If you’re deciding between a personal and business card (and don’t want both), then I’d generally recommend a business card, given that the welcome offers are a bit better
Keep in mind that Delta’s “Pay With Miles” feature allows you to redeem your SkyMiles for at least one cent each toward the cost of a Delta ticket. That means 125,000 SkyMiles will get you a minimum of $1,250 worth of airfare. With the 15% discount on awards for cardmembers, you can often do even better than that by just outright redeeming for awards.
Delta Amex welcome offer frequently asked questions
No. Amex enforces a once in a lifetime rule on Delta co-branded card welcome bonuses, meaning each card product’s welcome bonus can only be earned once, ever, per person. If you got the Delta Gold ten years ago and took the welcome bonus then, you’re technically not eligible for that welcome bonus today — even if you no longer hold the card.
Maybe — each Delta card product has its own independent welcome bonus, and you can earn the welcome bonus on each card once in your lifetime, subject to the eligibility restrictions between the family of cards. Amex treats consumer Delta cards (non-business cards) as a “family,” and once you earn a bonus in the family, other bonuses can be off-limits, depending on which cards in the family you have held. The restrictions cascade downward, so you’re generally ineligible for a lower-level card bonus. For example, if you hold the Gold, you should be eligible for the Reserve, but vice versa is not the case.
Yes. Eligibility for any personal Delta card is unrelated to whether you have any business Delta cards, and vice versa. The personal and business sides of the portfolio are evaluated entirely independently for welcome bonus purposes.
American Express will generally give you a warning before you submit an application online. If you do not meet the eligibility requirements for a Delta bonus, American Express should let you know with a pop-up warning before you submit a full application.
Bottom line
We’ve just seen excellent new limited time welcome offers rolled out on Delta’s suite of co-branded Amex cards. This also coincides with the cards getting some new perks, including a two free checked bag benefit.
While SkyMiles might not be a great currency for aspirational redemptions in long haul premium cabins, there’s still lots of value to be had with these offers, as SkyMiles are incredibly useful for domestic and short haul international awards. SkyMiles also have a very high floor value, unlike some other currencies. They’re also useful for premium cabin awards when not touching the United States.
If you’re at all interested in a Delta co-branded credit card, now is the time to apply.
Do you plan on picking up a Delta Amex with these welcome offers?
The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (Rates & Fees), and Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card (Rates & Fees).
