Delta SkyMiles® Blue Card review: Earn Delta SkyMiles without an annual fee

Our take: Most credit cards that earn airline miles require you to fork over a big annual fee, but with the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card, you won’t be stuck paying anything to earn rewards. With that said, the card doesn’t offer a very compelling earn rate, but if you’re in love with Delta SkyMiles then this card gives you the chance to beef up your balance at no additional cost.

Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card Overview

Card type: Delta, Airline, Travel, No annual fee

So, you want to earn Delta SkyMiles® but you hate paying annual fees. Free trips sound great, but they’re not free if you’ve got to spend $150 a year or more in order to earn them. If those two statements sound like you, then this card might just be an option for you.

The only card that earns Delta SkyMiles fee-free, you’ll pick up 2X miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., along with another 2X miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases and 1X mile on all other eligible purchases

Most annual fee free cards don’t come packed with many benefits, but this one is an exception. You’ll get a foreign transaction fee waiver, benefits like secondary car rental insurance, purchase protection and extended warranty coverage for things you buy using your card, and even 20% savings in the form of a statement credit on eligible pre-purchased meals, and in-flight purchases of food and beverages on Delta-operated flights.

If you haven’t picked up enough miles to get a free flight, you can even snag up to $50 off the cost of your flight for every 5,000 miles you redeem with Pay with Miles when you book on delta.com. All in, the card comes with a lot of benefits that you might find useful.

It should be noted that it doesn’t come with checked bag waivers or an award flight discount like the other Delta SkyMiles® cards do, so make sure to check how much you’ll be paying for baggage and see if one of the other cards makes more sense.

Who is the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card good for? 

This card is a great addition for those who want to be able to earn SkyMiles but don’t want to be bogged down with annual fees. Another often overlooked option for this card is a downgrade from a more expensive personal card.

If you’ve got another American Express Delta card that comes with a higher annual fee, consider calling American Express and asking to downgrade to this card. It’ll keep your card open with American Express, helping your credit score with your length of time you’ve held your cards. It’s also an opportunity for you to still pick up some SkyMiles® when you’re buying tickets with Delta.

Who shouldn’t get the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card?

Simply put, if you’re someone who enjoys any of the extra perks that come along with credit cards, then this card isn’t for you. You won’t get a baggage waiver for your checked luggage. You won’t get a discount on award tickets. You won’t get a companion pass to travel with a friend and you won’t get a discount on Delta flights like the other cards.

Baggage fees for two passengers round trip can be over $100, but if you held one of the other cards that come with a baggage fee waiver, you might be better off getting that card and the extra benefits that come along with it. 

Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card: How to earn rewards

The rewards earned via this card are SkyMiles, so all your purchases will result in beefing up your Delta SkyMiles balance.

• 2X miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
• 2X miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases
• 1X mile on all other eligible purchases

How to redeem Delta SkyMiles® 

While you are able to redeem your SkyMiles for hotels and rental cars, your best value is going to be to redeem them for flights. You can choose to redeem them for flights on Delta or with their partner airlines.

Redeem for flights on Delta Air Lines

If you’re looking to fly domestically, you’re going to get great value out of your miles by redeeming them for flights in economy or comfort plus. Flights in first class are also an option, but many times the cost is quite high.

Simply log in to your Delta SkyMiles account and when searching for flights tick the box that says “shop with miles.”

This will bring you back options that are available to use your miles on domestic flights.

Redeem for flights with Delta partners

Finding flights on partners can be a little more difficult, as Delta often shows their own flights over that of their partners, but if you’re searching for a route that Delta doesn’t fly, you’ll see more options available to you. Take Amsterdam to Dubai as an example. Since Delta doesn’t fly their own planes on this route, you’ll see options on their partner KLM.

Flights in economy are 25,000 miles plus taxes and fees and flights in business class are 42,500 miles plus taxes and fees, an absolute steal.

Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card rates and fees

• Annual fee: $0
• Foreign transaction fee: None
• Purchase APR: 20.99%–29.99% variable

To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card, see this page

Additional benefits

• Rental Car Insurance, secondary to your insurance
• Extended Warranty for one extra year
• Purchase protection against damage or theft for 90 days
• 20% savings in the form of a statement credit on eligible pre-purchased meals, and in-flight purchases of food and beverages on Delta-operated flights
• Pay with miles for a discount on cash tickets
• No foreign transaction fees
• Shoprunner membership for free 2 day shipping at hundreds of stores nationwide

Credit cards similar to the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card

It’s hard to compare airline cards that have no annual fee since Delta is the only one that doesn’t charge an annual fee. With that said, let’s look at two cards that might work better for you, one for a different airline and one that has Delta as a transfer partner.

Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express vs Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card

In the realm of another no annual fee card, the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express ticks the box. While you might not think of this card as an airline card, the Membership Rewards earned via your purchases on this card can be transferred into Delta SkyMiles® at a 1:1 basis. 

You’ll earn 2X points per dollar on U.S. supermarket purchases ($6,000 limit on purchases per year, 1% thereafter) and 1X points per dollar on all other purchases. You’ll also earn a 20% bonus when you make 20+ purchases in a billing cycle. Don’t worry about missing out on 2x on your Delta flights, as any purchase made through the AmexTravel.com site earns 2x Membership Rewards per dollar spent

You’ll get the same secondary car rental insurance coverage as the Delta SkyMiles® Blue card, but you’ll lose the extended warranty and purchase protection, so if those are important to you make sure you keep that in mind.

To view rates and fees of the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express, see this page 

United^SM Explorer Card vs. Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card

If United is an option out of the city that you’re in, consider adding the United^SM Explorer Card from Chase to your wallet. For only $95 a year, with the first year fee waived, you’ll get 2x miles on dining (including eligible delivery services), hotel stays, and United® purchases, while earning 1x miles on all other purchases. A big welcome bonus of 60,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.

There are a slew of extra perks that come baked into the DNA of this card like a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit of $100 every four years, a 25% rebate on purchases made onboard, and even a first checked bag for free for you and your companion.

You won’t find those benefits on the Delta SkyMiles Blue Card, but if you don’t fly on United the card might not make a lot of sense for you past the initial intro bonus period.

Is the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card right for you?

It’s hard to find a lot of compelling reasons to apply for the card, other than the card not having an annual fee with no foreign transaction fees. If you check a bag, even once, then it’s quite possible that you’re going to save money by using one of the airline credit cards that waives baggage fees.

Frequently asked questions

Do my SkyMiles expire?

You won’t have to worry about your SkyMiles hitting an expiration date, as Delta has eliminated them. This gives you the flexibility and freedom to earn them as you go and save up for your next vacation.

How many SkyMiles do you need for a free flight?

Delta eliminated their award chart, so the number of miles you’ll need varies on the class of service you’re booking, the date of travel, and your flight route. Sometimes Delta holds fare sales where you can get one-way flights for as few as 4,500 miles, but in general you’re going to have to search each route and date to know how many miles you’ll need.

Is the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card hard to get?

Getting approved for this card will depend on all the normal factors when you apply such as your income and credit score, but generally speaking you’ll need good credit to be approved for this card.

Please note that card details are accurate as of the publish date, but are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the issuer. Please contact the card issuer to verify rates, fees, and benefits before applying. 

Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefits guide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.