Amex Blue Delta SkyMiles Review: A Starter Card for Delta Loyalists

The Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card is good for earning miles without paying an annual fee (see rates and fees). While this card can help you save on travel, it's light on benefits.

Keep reading this Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card review to learn what it offers.

Is the Amex Blue Delta SkyMiles worth it?

Even though it has no annual fee, the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card won't be the best choice for most people. If you fly with Delta regularly, you're probably better off with one of the other Delta credit cards. These have far more benefits, so they deliver more value overall.

Author's note

I love travel credit cards, but I'm not keen on travel cards with no annual fee. Frequent travelers will almost always get more out of a travel card with an annual fee and more features. For anyone who isn't sold, cash back cards tend to be the better option. Instead of getting a card that earns you 1X to 2X Delta miles per $1, you could just go with a card that earns 2% everywhere. Cash back is easier to use than Delta miles, since you can redeem it whenever you want. And if you fly with Delta often enough that you want a credit card with the airline, you'll get much more out of its other cards.

What everyone else is saying

If you're interested in more opinions on this Delta card, we dove into professional reviews and social media comments. Here's what we found.

What our competitors think

Average competitor rating: 3.2 / 5.0 stars

Credit card review sites don't exactly shower this card with praise. One review did say this is one of the best American Express cards for Delta fans, but then later called it "passable." Even the good reviews aren't overly positive.

Everyone agrees on the high points of this card: No annual fee and a reasonable rewards rate in its bonus categories. And everyone agrees that it doesn't have a whole lot more to offer, especially compared to the top credit cards.

Social media consensus

Most people on social media don't recommend the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card. It's mainly seen as a card to choose as a downgrade, if you have a different Delta card and want to stop paying an annual fee.

When people ask if they should get this card, other users normally suggest either getting one of the other Delta cards or just opening a cash back card. To be fair, there was one argument somewhat in favor of this card, at least for a specific target market: Travelers who want to earn Delta miles and can't afford to pay an annual fee.

Earn miles for no annual fee

The No. 1 reason to get this Delta card is to earn miles without adding to your yearly bills. If you don't have a Delta card yet, opening one can help you earn more miles.

For starters, this card has a welcome offer of 10,000 bonus miles bonus miles after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 6 months. Terms apply. You'll also earn miles on your credit card spending at the following rates:

• 2X miles on dining at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the United States
• 2X miles on Delta purchases
• 1X miles on other purchases
• Terms apply

If you spend $5,000 on dining and Delta purchases per year, that's 10,000 miles. If you spend $20,000 on everything else, that's another 20,000 miles. You'd be earning 30,000 miles per year, enough for a round-trip domestic flight.

Save on an in-flight meal with 20% back

Sometimes that in-flight meal service comes in handy. Maybe you're traveling with your kids and don't have snacks in your bag. Or you're on a tight schedule and don't have time to visit a restaurant after you land.

With this Delta credit card, you receive 20% back on eligible Delta in-flight food and beverage purchases. You receive that in the form of a statement credit on your credit card bill. Terms apply.

Complimentary insurance to protect purchases and travel bookings

American Express cards usually offer helpful complimentary protections on eligible purchases. This one is no exception, as it has:

• Purchase protection*
• Extended warranty coverage*
• Car rental loss and damage insurance**
• Terms apply.

The only downside is that this card doesn't have any protections related to air travel. For example, many other American Express cards have a complimentary baggage insurance plan. It's understandable why this one doesn't, since it's a no annual fee card.

Poor earnings opportunities with a small welcome offer and mediocre rewards rate

At first, this card's welcome offer of 10,000 bonus miles bonus miles may seem great. While bonus miles are always better than nothing, it's much less than you could earn with a different card. The other Delta cards generally have welcome offers of 50,000 bonus miles or more.

This card also doesn't earn much on purchases, even for a no annual fee card. It only has two bonus categories where it earns 2X miles. On the vast majority of your spending, you'll likely be earning 1X miles per $1.

No free checked bag or premium Delta travel perks

The Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card doesn't have many travel perks. Here are examples of common airline credit card perks that it's missing:

• Free checked baggage
• A Delta Flight Credit
• A companion pass
• Complimentary access to Delta Sky Club® lounges

It's understandable that a no annual fee card wouldn't offer any of these. But they're all benefits you could get from other Delta cards. And if you're considering a Delta credit card, you presumably fly with the airline often enough to use at least some of those benefits.

Amex Blue Delta SkyMiles credit score

A FICO® Score of at least 670 or higher is recommended when applying for the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card. While your credit score isn't the only factor that matters, this is considered a card for consumers with good or excellent credit.

Pre-approval process

American Express offers an online pre-approval tool you can use with no impact on your credit score. If you already have American Express cards, pre-approval offers are also available in your online account.

Regular APR

The Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card has a 20.99%-29.99% Variable APR. Unlike some no annual fee travel cards, it doesn't have a 0% intro APR.

Fees

Here are the fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card:

• Annual fee: $0
• Cash advance fee: 5% ($10 minimum)
• Foreign transaction fee: None
• Returned payment fee: Up to $40
• See rates and fees.

Credit limit

Credit limits for the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card normally start at $1,000. On the high end, cardholders have reported limits of $10,000 or more.

If you want more Delta benefits: The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is the next step up. It includes a free checked bag benefit, priority boarding, and a much larger welcome offer. Terms apply.

If you want a cash rewards card: The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card (see rates and fees) is one of the top options. It earns an unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases and has a $200 welcome offer after you spend $500 on purchases in the first three months.

The Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card may be right for you if you're a Delta flyer on a tight budget. Before you apply, check out more card reviews and compare it to other travel cards, as well as cash back cards. You could find that there's another card available that will save you more money overall.

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.