Delta SkyMiles^® Blue American Express Card Review [2024]: Turn Delicious “Fare” Into Free Flights

Delta Air Lines has become one of the best airlines to fly in the United States because of its outstanding customer service. The airline complements its inflight performance with its high-rewards-earning co-branded Delta credit cards. If you love Delta — or just love scoring travel rewards — then the Delta SkyMiles^® Blue American Express Card could be a great choice to start earning valuable Delta SkyMiles without paying an annual fee.

In this Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card review, you’ll learn who this card is a good fit for, as well as its best benefits and how to maximize its potential.

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

• Earn 10,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 6 months
• 2X points at purchases made directly with Delta and at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
• 20% in-flight savings
• No annual fee. Terms apply.

Drawbacks

• No free checked bag
• Best for frequent Delta travelers

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

Who should get the Delta SkyMiles Blue Amex card?

If you’re looking for the best travel credit card to start earning Delta SkyMiles without paying an annual fee, this card is a great option. Even if you fly Delta as little as once per year, don’t shy away from this card. Your spending throughout the course of a year could mean your yearly flight is completely paid for using the Delta SkyMiles you earned.

Also, if you’re a business traveler or someone who simply enjoys eating out, this card can give solid returns for purchases at restaurants worldwide.

Card basics

Card benefits and perks

• Generous welcome offer: Cardholders earn 10,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 6 months. 
• Great points earnings: When you use your Delta SkyMiles Blue Credit Card, 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.
• Inflight 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.
• Travel protections: If you rent a car using the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card, you’ll be covered with car rental loss and damage insurance (secondary coverage). Along with this, you’ll other travel perks, such as access to the Global Assist Hotline. When you travel more than 100 miles from home, you’ll have 24/7 access to medical, legal, and other emergency resources.
• Shopping protections: It’s a relief to know that when making large purchases, the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card will cover you in case a purchase goes sour. First, you’ll have access to an extended warranty. This can extend the manufacturer's warranty for up to an additional year. Next, you’ll enjoy purchase protection. If something you bought is stolen or accidentally damaged within a certain number of days of purchase, you may qualify for this protection. Last, if you attempt to return something with no luck within 90 days of purchase, American Express may refund the full purchase price minus shipping and handling.

Drawbacks to the Delta SkyMiles Blue Amex card

• No free checked-in bags: The Delta SkyMiles Blue Amex card doesn’t offer a free checked-in bag for your Delta flights. This isn’t surprising considering that this card has a $0 annual fee. Both the Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card offer free checked-in bags, however, they both have annual fees.
• No lounge access: The Delta SkyMiles Blue Amex card doesn’t give you access to the Delta Sky Club lounge network.
• Low rewards rate: The Delta SkyMiles Blue Amex card gives you 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. Other cards may offer higher rewards rates, including the Delta SkyMiles Gold and Platinum Amex cards.

Earning & redeeming Delta SkyMiles

Earning and redeeming with the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card is simple. As you earn with your spending using this travel card, your Delta SkyMiles balance will increase. These miles can immediately be redeemed for a flight on Delta Air Lines and any of its SkyTeam Alliance partners, which include Air France, KLM, Korean Air, and more.

You can also pay with miles 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. The other purchasing opportunities tend to pencil out to be a bad value for your hard-earned points.

Potential earnings in years one and two

Here's a look at how your Delta 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: $664.11

Year two earnings: $523.11

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.

Keep in mind that these values only account for general spending. If you use this card with Delta, you’ll earn bonus miles. This is something you may be more likely to do to benefit from the rewards rate of this card.

Best ways to earn

Here are the earning categories for the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card:

Along with simply making purchases with this card, there are other ways you can earn even more miles. One of these is the Delta SkyMiles Dining program. This program is effortless to enroll in and gives you additional SkyMiles earnings on your restaurant purchases.

If you were able to fully maximize the Delta SkyMiles Dining program and use your Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card, you could be earning up to seven miles per dollar on your U.S. restaurant purchases — five from the dining program and two for using your card. Since the general consensus among travel rewards experts is that each SkyMile is worth 1.41 cents on average, that means you can effectively earn up to 8.4% back in value on every dollar you spend in the Delta SkyMiles Dining program.

Maximizing your redemptions

So, what are Delta SkyMiles worth? As mentioned, travel rewards experts estimate their value at roughly 1.41 cents per point. However, you should always be wary of how you redeem your Delta SkyMiles. Airline miles should be treated like money since you spent your hard-earned cash to earn them.

For example, let's say a flight from Los Angeles to New York City costs $400 round trip or 94,000 Delta SkyMiles. To figure out the value of your SkyMiles, use this equation:

(Cost of flight in miles) x (0.0141) = Cash value of points used for flight

In this case, the equation would look like this: 94,000 Delta SkyMiles x 0.0141 = $1325.4.

This means you’d need $1,128 worth of points to pay for a $400 flight in cash. Clearly, this is a bad deal, and you should consider paying cash instead or looking for a better redemption.

Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card transfer partners

Delta is a member of the SkyTeam alliance, which has over 20 airline partners. You can choose to use your miles to book award flights with the SkyTeam partners.

Delta SkyMiles Blue Amex card FAQs

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.

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 $60 round trip. It comes with a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, $150 per year thereafter annual fee.

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 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 France-KLM, Air Canada, Emirates, and more. The Venture Rewards has a $95 annual fee.

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

• Earn 40,000 bonus miles after spending $2,000 in purchases in the first 6 months
• 2X miles on purchases made directly with Delta, restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets
• Check your first bag free on Delta flights and enjoy Main Cabin 1 priority boarding
• $0 intro annual fee for the first year, $150 per year thereafter. Terms apply.
• See rates and fees | Terms Apply

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

• Earn a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
• 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day
• Up to $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® credit
• No foreign transaction fees
• 19.99% - 29.99% (variable) purchase APR
• Rates and fees