Delta SkyMiles^® Blue American Express Card Review [2024]: A Starter Card for Infrequent Flyers

Delta SkyMiles Blue Card overview

Delta Air Lines is one of the best airlines to fly in the United States because of its outstanding in-flight experience. If you’re a frequent Delta flyer, you might be considering one of the airline's four co-branded credit cards with American Express. The Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card, and Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card each have solid benefits and increasing annual fees. If you aren’t incredibly loyal to Delta or are on a limited budget, you might consider applying for the Delta SkyMiles Blue Card, the only $0-annual-fee card in the lineup.

This card offers minimal benefits and meager earnings on Delta purchases and dining. Even though there is a $0 annual fee, it’s hard to imagine the type of traveler who could really benefit from holding the SkyMiles Blue card.

It doesn’t include the Delta-specific perks that make its sibling cards useful — 15% off award redemptions and a free checked bag — and the travel protections included are standard on most cards. You can likely earn far more with a general travel rewards card that lists Delta or other airlines in the SkyTeam alliance as a transfer partner.

Card basics

FinanceBuzz star ratings	3.8 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.
FinanceBuzz valuations1 <p class="">These values are based on the <a href="https://financebuzz.com/financebuzz-credit-card-valuation">FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model</a>, which takes a look at rewards earned via spending, the welcome offer, and the annual fee. We used a valuation of 1 cent/point unless otherwise stated above. These are estimated values - your actual earnings will depend on how much you spend and in what categories.<br></p>	Year 1: $714 Year 2: $596
Annual fee	$0 (terms apply)
Welcome bonus	Earn 10,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 6 months
Reward rate	2X miles on eligible purchases made directly with Delta and at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and 1X miles on all other eligible purchases
Recommended credit score	Excellent, Good
Foreign transaction fee	None

Delta SkyMiles Blue Card rewards

The Delta SkyMiles Blue Card has a simple earning structure. You’ll earn 2X miles on eligible purchases made directly with Delta and at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and 1X miles on all other eligible purchases. Unfortunately, this reward structure leaves a lot to be desired. General travel rewards cards or cash back cards can yield significantly higher earnings.

The welcome offer has the same issue — you can earn 10,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 6 months. Although this spending requirement is accessible for virtually any cardholder, the bonus miles won’t get you very far. It might be enough to cover a one-way domestic economy fare, but you won’t be able to take a dream vacation with this offer.

You can redeem your miles for a Delta flight, or use them for things like seat upgrades, a package trip with Delta Vacations, a SkyMiles Experience, or gift cards. Typically, the best bang for your buck is going to be saving your points and using them to book airfare. Other redemption methods will likely give you a much lower value for your miles. For a card with a limited earning potential, you’ll want to maximize your miles as much as you can.

Earning and redeeming Delta SkyMiles

Potential earnings in years one and two

Here's a look at how your miles can add up with the Delta SkyMiles^® Blue American Express Card. To calculate these values, we used a point valuation of 1.41 cents per mile.

Remember, this is an estimation. The actual value will be determined by how much you spend and in which categories you spend.

Year one earnings: $714

Year two earnings: $596

These values are based on the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model, which takes a look at points earned via spending, the welcome bonus, and the annual fee.

Note that the values above only account for general travel spending, not Delta-specific spending. However, you'll earn bonus miles with this card when you spend with Delta, and the value you'll get in years one and two may increase significantly. The value will also be potentially increased if you take advantage of the various perks described above.

Delta SkyMiles Blue Card benefits

• In-flight savings: You’ll receive a 20% savings in the form of a statement credit when you use your card on eligible in-flight purchases of food and beverages when flying Delta Air Lines.
• Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance: If you rent a car while traveling, you can decline the collision damage waiver at the counter and be covered against theft in a covered territory. Coverage is secondary. ² <p>Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible Card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the Commercial Car Rental Company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply.</p><p></p><ul><li>Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. </li><li>Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. </li><li>Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.</li></ul><p></p>
• Purchase protection: You’re covered against accidental damage or theft for up to 90 days from the date of purchase when you use your card.³ <p>When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase with their Eligible Card, Purchase Protection can help protect their Covered Purchases for up to 90 days from the Covered Purchase date if it is stolen or accidentally damaged. The coverage is limited up to $1,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year.</p><p></p><ul><li>Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. </li><li>Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.</li><li>Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.</li></ul><p></p>
• Extended warranty: Use your card to make an eligible purchase, and the extended warranty will match the original manufacturer's warranty for one additional year on warranties of five years or less.⁴ <p>When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase to an Eligible Card, Extended Warranty§ can provide up to one extra year added to the Original Manufacturer’s Warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your Card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year.</p><p></p><ul><li>Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. </li><li>Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. </li><li>Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.</li></ul><p></p>

Other cards to consider

If the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card doesn’t meet your needs, there are other cards that can earn valuable Delta SkyMiles.

Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card

The Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card is one step above the Delta SkyMiles Blue Credit Card. With the Delta SkyMiles Gold Credit Card, you’ll earn 2X miles on qualifying Delta purchases, at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S supermarkets; and 1X miles per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases. While you won’t score more points on purchases at restaurants, you’ll enjoy a free checked bag when flying on Delta when your SkyMiles number is included on your reservation, which can save you up to $70 round trip. It comes with a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, $150 per year thereafter annual fee.

In most cases, the SkyMiles Gold card is much better, even for the infrequent Delta flyer. If you’re really apprehensive about the annual fee, you can always start with the SkyMiles Blue card to get a feel for the program before upgrading to the SkyMiles Gold.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

If you like to fly Delta but plan to fly other airlines as well, consider a card like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. With this card, you’ll earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day, 5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5 miles per dollar on Capital One Entertainment purchases through 12/31/25. You can also transfer these miles to a list of airlines, including Aeromexico, Air Canada, Emirates, and more. The Venture Rewards has a $95 annual fee.

The Venture Card is an easy-to-use option, but you’ll still need excellent credit to qualify. If you’re someone who is leaning towards a no-annual-fee option, you might prefer the SkyMiles Blue Card over the Venture Rewards. Both cards can certainly find a place in your wallet, offering benefits that don’t overlap.

In-flight Savings, No Annual Fee

Delta SkyMiles^® Blue American Express Card

3.8

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Delta SkyMiles^® Blue American Express Card

3.8

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Learn How to Apply

Why We Like It

Earn 10,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 6 months

See rates and fees | Terms Apply

Learn How to Apply

See how these cards compare:

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card

• Up to $300 in potential annual statement credits
• Eligible for 15% off reward redemptions
• First checked bag free and priority boarding
• See rates and fees | Terms Apply

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

• Has a generous welcome offer
• Offers up to $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® statement credit
• Has an easy rewards program and highly flexible travel redemptions
• Doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees
• Offers valuable travel protections
• Rates and fees

Who should get the Delta SkyMiles Blue Card?

For most people, this card doesn’t make much sense to add to your wallet. Its limited earnings on Delta and dining purchases are less than what you could earn using a general travel rewards card. The 20% statement credit on in-flight purchases is a nice perk but isn’t something that should be a dealbreaker when deciding on a credit card to apply for.

If you fly Delta Air Lines somewhat regularly, you might apply for the Delta SkyMiles Gold Card. Although it does have a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, $150 per year thereafter annual fee, it’s easy to offset that between several statement credits and a free checked bag. I’m a cardholder of the SkyMiles Gold, and I can’t imagine any situation that would cause me to downgrade to the SkyMiles Blue.

FAQs

In-flight Savings, No Annual Fee

Delta SkyMiles^® Blue American Express Card

3.8

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Delta SkyMiles^® Blue American Express Card

Learn How to Apply

See rates and fees | Terms Apply

Current Offer

Earn 10,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 6 months

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

2X miles on eligible purchases made directly with Delta and at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and 1X miles on all other eligible purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• $0 annual fee
• No foreign transaction fees
• 20% back in the form of a statement credit on in-flight purchases

Drawbacks

• No free checked-in bags
• No airport perks like priority boarding or lounge access
• Below-average rewards rate

Card Details

• Earn 10,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 6 months
• 2X miles on eligible purchases made directly with Delta and at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and 1X miles on all other eligible purchases
• Terms apply