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If you have one of the Delta Skymiles® Credit Cards from American Express, or have been thinking of signing up for one, some of the benefits offered by these cards may change soon.
American Express has announced changes across its co-branded Delta credit cards, which will take effect Jan. 30, 2020.
The changes are designed to add more ways for cardholders to earn Delta SkyMiles® points when using their cards. But some cards are losing benefits, such as Sky Priority Security and Delta Sky Club® Access.
If you’ve been looking to get a higher earnings rate out of your Delta SkyMiles® card, it’s possible these changes will be positive for you. But you’ll need to weigh how much you think you’ll use your card after the benefits change against any potential increase in your annual fee.
Want to know more?
What’s changing for each card?
First, it’s important to note that the annual fees for most Delta SkyMiles® cards are going up. Here’s a look at the annual fee changes by card.
| Card | Current annual fee | New annual fee |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express | $0 | $0 |
| Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express | $95 | $99 |
| Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express | $195 | $250 |
| Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card | $450 | $550 |
With the changes in perks and increase in annual fees, current cardholders — and those thinking of applying for any of these cards — will need to determine if these changes are worth keeping the card, or if they will lose out on perks they really care about.
Here’s a breakdown of the benefit changes for each card. Please note: These are not all of the card features, and we didn’t include benefits that will stay the same.
| Card | Current benefits | New benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express | 2x miles at U.S. restaurants | 2x miles at restaurants worldwide |
| No foreign transaction fees | ||
| Pay with flights using your miles | ||
| Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express | 1x miles at restaurants worldwide | 2x miles at restaurants worldwide |
| 1x miles at U.S. supermarkets | 2x miles at U.S. supermarkets | |
| Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQD) Waiver | Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQD) Waiver ends Dec. 31, 2019 | |
| Delta Sky Club® Access for $29 | Delta Sky Club® Access ends Jan. 29, 2020 | |
| Earn $100 Delta flight credit after making $10,000 in eligible purchases within a calendar year | ||
| Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express | 2x miles on Delta purchases | 3x miles on Delta purchases |
| 1x miles on purchases directly from hotels | 3x miles on purchases directly at hotels | |
| 1x miles at restaurants worldwide | 2x miles at restaurants worldwide | |
| 1x miles at U.S. supermarkets | 2x miles at U.S. supermarkets | |
| 10,000 miles and 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles, up to 2x per year | 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles only, up to 2x per year | |
| $29 Delta Sky Club® exclusive per-visit rate | $39 Delta Sky Club® exclusive per-visit rate | |
| Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit | ||
| Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card | 2x miles on Delta purchases | 3x miles on Delta purchases |
| 15,000 miles and 15,000 Medallion Qualification Miles, up to 2x per year | 15,000 Medallion Qualification Miles only, up to 4x per year | |
| Sky Priority Security | Sky Priority Security ends Jan. 29, 2020 | |
| Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit | ||
| Two Delta Sky Club® one-time guest passes | ||
| Complimentary access to Centurion® Lounges | ||
| Access to complimentary Delta flight upgrades, for cardholders without Medallion status |
Why is American Express doing this?
American Express’ adjustments to its co-branded Delta SkyMiles® cards could be a continuation of trends we’ve been seeing across the credit card industry this year.
Some credit card issuers have been adjusting or removing card benefits lately, possibly to increase their better bottom line, while encouraging consumers to use their cards. In a few recent examples, Barclays added cellphone protection to some cards, and Citi recently cut many benefits from some of its cards.
Whether these changes will encourage cardholders to spend more on their cards remains to be seen.