How Much Are Delta SkyMiles Worth?

The American Express Green Card®* is a solid, all-around travel rewards card that earns 3X Membership Reward points for travel, transit and restaurant purchases made worldwide while earning 1X Membership Reward points for all other purchases. It also comes with a few additional travel perks and protections that can help to offset its $150 annual fee.

This card is a great choice if you want to earn boosted points for flights you purchase through airlines or Amex Travel — whether they’re with Delta or not. Or, if you dine out regularly, you’ll want this card to earn 3X Membership Rewards points for every dollar you spend at restaurants across the globe.

If you spend $4,167 annually between both of these categories, you’ll earn 12,501 Membership Rewards points that are transferable to Delta SkyMiles. At an average value of about 1.2 cents per mile, your 12,501 miles are worth $150 in travel with Delta — enough to offset the card’s annual fee.

The American Express® Gold Card is a heavy-hitter for food and dining purchases, offering 4X Membership Rewards points on restaurant purchases worldwide (up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X) and on U.S. supermarket purchases (up to $25,000 in purchases per year, then 1X points). It also awards 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel, 2X points on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases through Amex Travel and 1X on all other purchases.

These boosted rates are generous enough to help offset the card’s $325 annual fee with modest spending, but the card’s additional perks — including up to a $100 hotel experience credit (on bookings of 2 nights or more with The Hotel Collection through Amex Travel), up to $120 annually in Uber Cash ($10 per month, automatically) and up to $120 annually in dining credits (as up to $10 per month in statement credits toward purchases with select merchants) — sweeten the pot. Like with the American Express Green Card and the Platinum Card, every Membership Rewards point you earn is transferable to Delta SkyMiles.

If you’re looking for a premium travel card loaded with top-of-the-line features, The Platinum Card® from American Express is a top contender.

Along with up to approximately $1,700 in value from credits alone, this card rewards cardholders with 5X Membership Rewards points for every dollar spent on directly booked airfare (on up to $500,000 per calendar year) and all flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel. It also rewards 2X points for prepaid car rentals through Amex Travel and 1X on all other purchases.

A major downside to the card is its $695 annual fee. Plus, it’s not the best option if you’re looking to quickly earn bonus rewards in everyday spending categories like groceries, dining or gas. If you value flexibility but luxury perks aren’t your priority, you may prefer the Amex Green or Gold cards, instead.

The Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card is a no-annual-fee introductory card. It offers 2X miles per dollar at restaurants around the world, on takeout and delivery within the U.S. and for all Delta purchases. It also offers 1X miles for all other purchases.

Since this is a starter card, it’s light on additional perks. However, cardholders will enjoy a nice welcome offer and 20-percent in-flight purchase discount — which is applied as a statement credit and includes purchases like food, beverages and audio headsets.

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card falls in the middle of the Delta cards offered by Amex and comes with a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150. Like the SkyMiles Blue card, it offers 2X miles on restaurant purchases, takeout and delivery in the U.S. and Delta purchases. However, it also includes 2X miles at U.S. supermarkets — which can make it an ideal choice for home shoppers and foodies who want to support their travel spending with points earned from everyday purchases.

In addition to the benefits on the SkyMiles Blue card, you’ll get a $200 annual Delta flight credit after spending $10,000 in a calendar year, Zone 5 priority boarding and your first checked bag free on all Delta flights. You’ll also receive up to a $100 annual credit when you use your card to book prepaid hotels or vacation rentals through Delta Stays.

The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card earns 3X miles for Delta purchases (including flights and Delta Vacations) and hotels. You’ll also earn 2X miles at restaurants around the world, takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets while earning 1X miles on all other purchases. With its $350 annual fee, this card is in the same tier as the Amex Gold when it comes to cost, but the rewards rates fall a little short by comparison.

That said, along with all of the benefits available on the Gold and Blue SkyMiles cards, this card does come with a few additional perks that help offset its cost. These include:

• A main cabin round trip companion ticket to destinations in the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America every year upon card renewal
• Up to $120 in annual rideshare credits (as $10 in monthly statement credits for select U.S. rideshare purchases)
• Up to a $150 annual Delta Stays credit (as a statement credit for prepaid bookings through Delta Stays)
• Up to $120 in application fee credits for Global Entry and TSA PreCheck (once every 4 years for Global Entry or 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck, enrollment required)

The SkyMiles Platinum card can also help you earn Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs) to boost your status faster. Platinum cardholders receive an “MQD Headstart” of $2,500 MQDs each Medallion Qualification Year, and they will also earn 1 MQD per $20 in eligible purchases on the card.

The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card comes with a high $650 annual fee and doesn’t offer much in the way of earning rewards. You’ll earn only 3X miles on Delta purchases (including Delta flights and Delta Vacations) and 1X miles on general purchases.

However, that may not matter to frequent travelers looking for a list of luxury benefits that will make flying and time spent in an airport a much more cushy experience. This card includes some elite status perks, such as complimentary lounge access to Delta Sky Clubs and an annual companion certificate each year when you renew your card. With that said, access to Delta Sky Clubs is now limited to 15 days per Medallion Year for cardholders.

Along with all of the benefits available on other SkyMiles cards, Reserve cardholders will also receive:

• Up to $240 in annual Resy credits (up to $20 per month in statement credits toward eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, enrollment required)
• Up to $200 in Delta Stays credits each year (as statement credit on prepaid bookings through Delta Stays)
• Access to The Centurion Lounge locations
• Four one-time guest passes for Delta SkyClubs each year

Additionally, Reserve cardmembers can take advantage of the card’s MQD Headstart and MQD Boost benefits. As with the SkyMiles Platinum card, Reserve cardholders will enjoy an annual $2,500 “MQD Headstart” bonus. However, Reserve cardholders will also earn $1 MQD for every $10 in eligible purchases they make with the card.