American Express Delta Blue Review: Basic Travel Perks for No Annual Fee

Delta SkyMiles Blue Benefits

I’ve had each of the Delta SkyMiles cards over the last ten years, ranging from the no-annual-fee Amex Delta Blue to the $650-annual-fee Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, an advertising partner. I kept the Delta Blue for years since it allowed me to earn SkyMiles without paying an annual fee, even if I knew I wouldn’t be traveling often.

Earn 2x Miles on Qualifying Purchases

With the Delta Blue Card, you can earn:

• 2x miles at restaurants worldwide (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.)
• 2x miles on purchases made directly with Delta
• 1x miles on other purchases

If you’re a frequent Delta flyer traveler or eat out often, using your card can help boost your SkyMiles balance.

Discount on In-Flight Purchases

If you’re a regular Delta traveler, the ability to get 20% back on in-flight purchases of food or beverages when you pay with your card is worth noting. The cash back savings will come in the form of a statement credit, and can add up if you fly often. Note that this benefit doesn’t apply to in-flight Wi-Fi purchases.

Travel Perks and Purchase Protections

The Delta Blue Card comes with a handful of useful perks for travelers, including:

• No foreign transaction fees, making the card a good option for international travel
• Secondary car rental loss and damage insurance when you use the card to pay for your rental car and decline the rental agency’s collision damage waiver; some exclusions apply
• Access to Amex’s Global Assist® Hotline, which provides 24/7 emergency assistance and coordination services like medical referrals, cash wires or missing luggage help when you travel than 100 miles from home (note that while coordination services are free, cardholders are responsible for any third-party costs)

Cardholders receive purchase protection when they use their card to pay for an eligible item. If a covered item is damaged or stolen within 90 days of purchase, you can be reimbursed up to $1,000 per item, up to $50,000 per calendar year. Plus, the card’s extended warranty benefit can add up to one additional year to eligible original manufacturer’s warranties of five years or less. Coverage is for up to $10,000 per item, up to $50,000 per calendar year.

Delta Pay With Miles

All Delta credit cards, including the Delta Blue Card, unlock the ability to use SkyMiles to offset the cost of a paid Delta ticket. With this feature, miles are worth 1 cent apiece, and must be redeemed in increments of 5,000 (worth $50 toward Delta airfare).

While it’s possible to get a much higher value from your miles by booking award tickets, this benefit can come in handy if you don’t have enough miles to book an award but want to pay as little out of pocket for your flight.

Payment Features

The Delta Blue Card offers payment features that can help you manage your spending. Amex Plan It® allows you to split eligible purchases of $100 or more into equal monthly installments with just a fixed fee based on your creditworthiness. (enrollment not required)

The card also comes with the Send & Split® option. If you enroll, you can split purchases with any other Venmo or PayPal user directly from the Amex App. They’ll send out the payment requests, and keep track as other members of your party pay you back. When they do, you’ll get paid as a statement credit — and you’ll earn rewards for the full purchase.

Delta SkyMiles Blue Drawbacks

Perks Are Relatively Basic

Delta Blue benefits are handy for Delta travelers, but they’re fairly basic for a travel credit card. Most good travel cards don’t charge foreign transaction fees, and rental car coverage is another common perk.

Other SkyMiles cards also offer more exhaustive perks, such as additional discounts, free checked bags, complementary companion certificates and airport lounge access. They do all come with annual fees, however, so it’s important to determine if you’ll get your money’s worth based on the benefits you can use.

Few Bonus Categories

Many airline credit cards come with numerous bonus categories, such as travel, groceries and gas stations, that can help you earn more rewards on your everyday spending. The Delta Blue Card isn’t great for most regular spending, as it only earns 1 mile per dollar on most purchases (except restaurants and Delta purchases, which earn 2x miles).

No Intro APR

The Delta Blue Card doesn’t offer an introductory 0% APR like other no-annual-fee cards from competing airlines, which puts it at a disadvantage if saving money on interest is important to you.

For example, The New United Gateway℠ Card offers a 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases, then 20.49% – 28.99% Variable APR. And the American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card, an advertising partner, offers a 0% Intro APR for 15 months on balance transfers, then 20.24% – 29.24% (Variable). A 20.24% – 29.24% (Variable) APR will apply for purchases. Using a balance transfer credit card can help you pay down high-interest debt, but be sure you have the means and a plan to pay off the full balance before the intro period expires.

Amex Acceptance Can Be Limited

American Express is a popular issuer, and its cards are commonly accepted in the U.S. and many popular tourist locations globally.

However, it isn’t accepted everywhere. Visa and Mastercard both have higher acceptance rates, and Discover is close behind. As a result, I always recommend having a backup card.

For me, this isn’t enough of a drawback not to get the card if you’re a Delta traveler. For everyday spending, I primarily use cash-back credit cards and only use the Delta Blue Card to make flight purchases to rack up extra SkyMiles.

Who Is the Blue Delta SkyMiles Best For?

The Amex Delta Blue is a good entry-level travel card for those who want to earn SkyMiles on purchases and get basic benefits without paying an annual fee. Other co-branded Delta cards offer higher earning potential and more perks, such as a free first checked bag and priority boarding on Delta flights, but they all come with annual fees.

Is It the Right Card for You?

The Delta SkyMiles Blue Card may be a good choice if:

• Delta is your primary airline
• You want to earn Delta SkyMiles on your spending
• You don’t want to pay an annual fee
• You don’t need benefits like a free checked bag, priority boarding, airport lounge access or statement credits

Alternatives to the Blue Delta SkyMiles

There are several alternatives to keep in mind if you’re considering the Delta SkyMiles Blue Card. Some of the best options include:

• Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card (an advertising partner): The Delta Gold Card offers more bonus categories and a bigger welcome offer. Cardholders receive the first checked bag free and priority boarding on Delta flights for themselves and up to eight companions on the same reservation. Plus, you can earn a $200 Delta flight credit if you spend $10,000 in a calendar year. It has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150. This makes it an affordable option for occasional and frequent travelers alike — and if you find you don’t use enough benefits to make it worth it, you can consider switching to the Delta Blue Card after your first year.
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card (an advertising partner): Those who fly Delta Air Lines more often, especially with a companion, may want to consider the Delta Platinum card. Its standout feature is an annual companion certificate which allows you to bring a plus one on paid Delta Main Cabin round-trip flights for just the cost of taxes and fees (only flights within the U.S. and to Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America qualify). It also comes with a hefty welcome offer, higher earning rates, and a variety of statement credits for U.S. rideshares and U.S. Resy restaurant spending (enrollment required), and for Delta Stays hotel bookings. These perks, plus a free checked bag and priority boarding on Delta flights, can get you a value that far exceeds the card’s $350 annual fee.