Delta has four consumer SkyMiles credit cards from American Express: the Blue, Gold, Platinum and Reserve, with annual fees from $0 to $650. The right one depends on three things: how often you fly Delta, whether you want help toward Medallion status, and whether you'd use the Sky Club.

Every fee, earning rate, offer and benefit below comes from American Express's page for each card, and the Medallion thresholds come from Delta's qualification page, all read on September 29, 2026.

The Short Answer

  • Blue ($0): you fly Delta rarely and want no annual fee.
  • Gold ($0 the first year, then $150): you fly Delta a few times a year and want free checked bags.
  • Platinum ($350): you want a yearly Companion Certificate and some help toward Medallion status.
  • Reserve ($650): you fly Delta often, want Sky Club access and the most help toward status.

How Card Spending Counts Toward Medallion Status

Delta's page sets 2027 Medallion status by Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) earned in 2026:

  • Silver: $5,000 MQDs
  • Gold: $10,000 MQDs
  • Platinum: $15,000 MQDs
  • Diamond: $28,000 MQDs

Only two of the four cards help with MQDs, and they don't help equally:

  • Platinum: MQD Headstart of $2,500 MQDs each Medallion Qualification Year, and MQD Boost of $1 MQD for each $20 in purchases on the card.
  • Reserve: MQD Headstart of $2,500 MQDs each Medallion Qualification Year, and MQD Boost of $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on the card in a calendar year.

The Blue and Gold pages list no MQD benefit. If status is the goal, the choice is between the Platinum and the Reserve.

Delta SkyMiles Blue

  • Annual fee: none
  • Welcome offer: 10,000 bonus miles after $1,000 in purchases in the first 6 months
  • Earning: 2X at restaurants (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.) and on Delta purchases, 1X on everything else
  • Benefits: 20% back on eligible Delta in-flight food and beverage purchases, no foreign transaction fees, and Pay with Miles (up to $50 off a flight for every 5,000 miles on delta.com)

The Blue's page lists no checked-bag benefit. It's a no-fee way to earn a few Delta miles, not a travel card.

Delta SkyMiles Gold

  • Annual fee: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150
  • Welcome offer: as high as 80,000 bonus miles after $3,000 in purchases in the first 6 months, plus a $250 statement credit on the same spend; the offer ends November 4, 2026, and not everyone gets the maximum
  • Earning: 2X at restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets and on Delta purchases, 1X on everything else
  • Bags: first checked bag free on Delta flights worldwide, and a second bag free on domestic Delta flights
  • Credits: a $200 Delta Flight Credit after $10,000 in purchases in a calendar year; up to $10 a month in U.S. rideshare credits (up to $120 a year) after your first card renewal, with enrollment; up to $100 a year back on prepaid Delta Stays bookings
  • Other: TakeOff 15 (15% off award travel on Delta flights booked on delta.com or the Fly Delta app), Zone 5 Priority Boarding, 20% back on in-flight food and beverages, no foreign transaction fees

The Gold is the everyday Delta card. The free bags are the main reason to hold it if you check luggage.

Delta SkyMiles Platinum

  • Annual fee: $350
  • Welcome offer: as high as 90,000 bonus miles after $4,000 in purchases in the first 6 months, plus a $300 statement credit on the same spend; the offer ends November 4, 2026
  • Earning: 3X on Delta purchases and on purchases made directly with hotels, 2X at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets, 1X on everything else
  • Companion Certificate: each year after renewal, on a Delta Main domestic, Caribbean or Central American round-trip, with government taxes and fees of between $22 and $250
  • Status: MQD Headstart ($2,500 MQDs a year) and MQD Boost ($1 MQD per $20)
  • Credits: up to $10 a month in U.S. rideshare credits (up to $120 a year), up to $10 a month at qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants (up to $120 a year), and up to $150 a year back on prepaid Delta Stays bookings
  • Other: first bag free worldwide and second bag free on domestic Delta flights, Zone 5 Priority Boarding, TakeOff 15, a $120 Global Entry credit or up to $85 for TSA PreCheck every 4 years, Hertz Five Star status, and a place on the complimentary upgrade list after Medallion members and Reserve cardholders

The Platinum makes sense if you'd use the Companion Certificate every year and want some help toward status without paying for the Reserve.

Delta SkyMiles Reserve

  • Annual fee: $650
  • Welcome offer: two round-trip Delta Comfort Flight Certificates plus 50,000 bonus miles after $10,000 in purchases in the first 6 months; the offer ends November 4, 2026
  • Earning: 3X on Delta purchases, 1X on other eligible purchases
  • Sky Club: 15 visits each Medallion Year when flying Delta, and unlimited access after $75,000 in purchases on the card in a calendar year
  • Centurion Lounge: complimentary access when you book your Delta flight with the Reserve
  • Companion Certificate: each year after renewal, on a Delta First, Delta Comfort or Delta Main round-trip within the U.S. and to Mexico, the Caribbean or Central America
  • Status: MQD Headstart ($2,500 MQDs a year) and MQD Boost ($1 MQD per $10)
  • Credits: up to $20 a month at qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants (up to $240 a year), up to $10 a month in U.S. rideshare credits (up to $120 a year), and up to $200 a year back on prepaid Delta Stays bookings
  • Other: first and second bag benefits, TakeOff 15, a $120 Global Entry credit or up to $85 for TSA PreCheck, Hertz President's Circle status, and a place on the complimentary upgrade list after Medallion members

The Reserve's earning outside Delta is 1X, so it's a benefits card, not a spending card. Its case rests on the Sky Club visits, the better Companion Certificate and the faster MQD Boost. For the full picture, see our Delta SkyMiles Reserve review.

Which One Fits How You Fly

You fly Delta once or twice a year and don't check bags. The Blue, or no Delta card at all.

You fly Delta a few times a year and check bags. The Gold. The first-year fee is $0 and the bags are covered.

You fly Delta with a companion once a year and want some progress toward status. The Platinum. The Companion Certificate and MQD Headstart are the reasons to pay $350.

You fly Delta often, use the Sky Club, and want status. The Reserve. It has the Sky Club visits, the faster MQD Boost and the Companion Certificate that covers Delta First and Delta Comfort.

Before choosing on the welcome offer, ask whether you'd pay the fee in the second year for the benefits alone. If you wouldn't, pick the cheaper card.

Updated September 29, 2026: Rewritten from American Express's current pages for all four cards and Delta's Medallion qualification page. Corrected the MQD rules (MQD Headstart and Boost apply only to the Platinum and Reserve, at $1 per $20 and $1 per $10), the Medallion thresholds, the Delta Stays credits ($100, $150 and $200), the fees and welcome offers, and the bag and Resy benefits; removed estimated values that no source states.

Sources

  1. American Express: Delta SkyMiles Blue card page (browser read 2026-09-29)
  2. American Express: Delta SkyMiles Gold card page (browser read 2026-09-29)
  3. American Express: Delta SkyMiles Platinum card page (browser read 2026-09-29)
  4. American Express: Delta SkyMiles Reserve card page (browser read 2026-09-29)
  5. Delta: How to qualify for Medallion Status, 2027 MQD thresholds (read 2026-09-29)

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