Delta is one of the best airlines to fly both within the USA (including to and from places like Boston, Los Angeles, Denver, and Austin) and internationally (e.g., Boston to Italy), with the highest customer satisfaction of any of the premium airlines. As a result, having Delta status and using miles for Delta flights can be extremely valuable for both frequent travelers and those who only fly once a year alike.

By a large margin, the best way to get benefits and use miles to buy flights on Delta is with a travel credit card.

Two of the most popular travel cards with great benefits for Delta flights are the American Express Gold and the Delta SkyMiles Gold. Both the Delta Gold and the AmEx Gold offer unique advantages and benefits for their cardholders.

However, there is a lot of confusion online about the difference between these cards, as well as which is better for people looking to get extra benefits on Delta flights. It’s not too surprising that people struggle with choosing one of these cards—not only are the cards both made by American Express and have “gold” in the name, but they even look similar!

These two cards are also positioned similarly by American Express and Delta as cards with good benefits but without any massive annual fees (e.g., $500+). Both cards are a middle option in their respective lines, with the AmEx Gold sitting between the Green and the Platinum and the Delta SkyMiles Gold between the cheaper Delta SkyMiles Blue and the more expensive Delta SkyMiles Platinum. Compared to the AmEx Platinum card and the Delta Platinum (AmEx clearly loves re-using their card names for Delta cards), both of these gold cards have substantially lower fees, are easier to be accepted for, but have fewer benefits.

However, despite their similarities in name, appearance, and position, these two credit cards are vastly different in both their uses and benefits! Therefore, we pulled from both the data and our personal experience to create an article that can help you figure out which of the cards makes more sense for you to add to your wallet. We will cover the travel perks, unique rewards, and downsides to both of these cards to help you make an informed decision! Whether you are a globetrotting enthusiast, a points newbie, or simply someone who loves golden credit cards, you can definitely get value from at least one of these two cards.

Now that we have the background out of the way, let’s start by looking at each of the cards individually:

American Express Gold Card

If you're looking for a personal credit card from American Express, the Gold card is one of their most well-known options alongside the Platinum and the Green. The American Express Gold Card is a great starting point for those new to the AmEx system, as it has a lower annual fee and is easier to get approved for than some of the more complex travel cards like the Platinum. The Gold is one of the best point-earning (vs. cash-back) credit cards on the market for giving rewards on airline and food spending.

Let’s cover some of the basics of the AmEx Gold:

Welcome Bonus: 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in 6 months (though this bonus has historically gone as high as 90,000 points)

Spending Rewards: 4x points on dining (worldwide), groceries (US-only), and takeaway/delivery (US-only); 3x points on flights booked directly with the airline or through AmEx; 1x points on everything else

Misc. Benefits: $120 annual credit for Uber/Uber Eats ($10 monthly), $120 annual credit for dining at specific restaurants

Annual Fee: $250

As you can see from the spending rewards, the AmEx Gold card is designed with a focus on giving you food rewards and travel benefits. Essentially, every perk offered by this card is centered around providing credits or rewards for expenses related to either eating (such as earning 4x points on grocery or dining spending) or traveling (such as earning 3x points on flights and receiving a $120 Uber/Uber Eats credit). This combination is particularly beneficial for people who frequently travel and enjoy exploring new food options. If you're someone who plans vacations around trying new cuisines, the American Express Gold card may be the perfect fit for you!

However, using the AmEx Gold card as a travel card (i.e., bringing it with you on trips) can present some challenges, particularly for international travel.

First, American Express card acceptance outside of the US remains limited, which can be a serious concern for those traveling abroad—there is no point in paying for an expensive card that you can’t use to buy things. While AmEx's efforts to expand its acceptance abroad are working, it is still far behind Visa. It is also important to note that some of the card's benefits, such as the Uber credit and 4x points at grocery stores, are only usable within the US. Given that Delta Air Lines has many flights outside of the USA, these issues are important to consider when thinking about which card makes more sense for you.

But how is the AmEx Gold for booking flights on Delta and earning SkyMiles?

Short answer: It’s pretty great.

To start, every American Express Membership Rewards point you earn can be converted to Delta SkyMiles at just under a 1:1 ratio (points transfer 1:1 but there is a fee of $0.0006 per point with a maximum of $99). The AmEx Gold also gives 3x points for all flights booked on the card, regardless of whether you book with Delta or through the AmEx portal.

This makes it extremely easy to both earn points and easily redeem those points either through the AmEx portal or directly as Delta SkyMiles. One of the best parts of the American Express Gold is that you can earn and redeem points with a wide variety of airlines, not just Delta flights. If you’re a Delta status-holder/frequent flier, this isn’t as important for you, but if you want the flexibility of using points for other airlines as well, the AmEx Gold is the superior option.

Delta SkyMiles Gold Card

The Delta SkyMiles Gold Card is a great starting card for anyone who is interested in an airline-specific card but doesn’t want to pay a massive annual fee. While this card offers fewer benefits compared to the more expensive SkyMiles Platinum or Infinite cards, it’s easier to get accepted for and puts less pressure on you to only fly Delta.

Let’s discuss some basics of the Delta Gold:

Welcome Bonus: 40,000 Miles after you spend $2,000 in 6 months

Spending Rewards: 2x Miles on restaurants (worldwide), groceries (US-only), and Delta flights; 1x points on everything else

Misc. Benefits: Free first checked bag on all Delta flights, $100 flight credit if you spend $10,000 on the card in a year, 20% back on in-flight purchases, 15% discount on all award travel, priority boarding

Annual Fee: $0 for the first year, then $99

The SkyMiles Gold is clearly designed to give value to those who frequently make domestic flights on Delta and often check bags. For these individuals, the combination of a free checked bag, priority boarding, and the 15% point discount on award travel make this card a low-cost, high-reward option. If you take two or more flights on Delta a year and check a bag on those flights, you’re going to make back the annual fee easily, especially if you book travel for others as well (the SkyMiles Gold card gives free checked bags for multiple people on the booking).

While the benefits and spending rewards of the SkyMiles Gold card aren’t as good as those of the American Express Gold, this is largely due to the fee difference. After 3 years of having the cards, the SkyMiles Gold will cost you $198 in fees while the AmEx Gold will cost you $750; the cost burden of holding the SkyMiles Gold is far more tolerable for anyone who is averse to paying larger fees (even if the value you get back may negate a lot of the price).

Unsurprising for a card with a low annual fee, the SkyMiles Gold card gives no free flights or Delta status to cardholders. If you’re a Delta frequent flier who isn’t opposed to paying slightly higher annual fees, we recommend checking out the Delta SkyMiles Platinum. The SkyMiles Platinum is the same annual price as the AmEx Gold ($250) but provides Delta status benefits, lounge access, and free companion flights! Therefore, if you’re chasing status or a more luxurious travel experience, the Platinum may be a better option for you.

So Which Card Should You Choose?

If you frequently fly on Delta and want to earn points or SkyMiles that you can redeem for flights, the American Express Gold and the Delta SkyMiles Gold are both great options for you. Interestingly—unlike many of the cards we review—these two cards can actually work somewhat synergetically. If you get both, you’ll drastically bolster your total number of available miles and will get the best of the AmEx Gold’s spending rewards and Uber credit mixed with the free checked bag and points discount of the Delta SkyMiles Gold! This can be a great card combination that is still cheaper than a fancier card like the AmEx Platinum.

However, if you really want only one of these two cards, then you’ll need to make an important choice. Our guidance is the following:

• For individuals who frequently fly on Delta, want some added benefits, but don’t want to pay a large annual fee, the Delta SkyMiles Gold is the perfect credit card for you. You’ll get your first year free, a free checked bag on every flight, a discount on all reward flights, and priority boarding, plus a bonus of 40,000 SkyMiles. However, if you fit into this category and don’t mind paying a slightly higher annual fee, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card also offers bonuses towards status and better point earning, which we highly recommend looking into as well.

• For essentially everyone else, the American Express Gold card is the better card for you. The AmEx Gold offers better spending rewards, better benefits, and still lets you transfer your points to Delta SkyMiles at roughly a 1:1 ratio. While Delta is one of our favorite airlines, earning SkyMiles is inherently less valuable than earning AmEx Membership Rewards points as they are far less flexible—every AmEx point earned could become a Delta SkyMile, but every SkyMile earned will always be a SkyMile. Frankly, this is a downside of every airline-specific card compared to a more general points card (such as is the case with the United Explorer card vs. the Chase Sapphire Preferred).

We hope this article was helpful for anyone trying to decide between the American Express Gold and the Delta SkyMiles Gold! If you’re interested in other credit card-related content, make sure to explore our guide to combining Chase and American Express points, and if you’re into using points for hotel stays, our review of the World of Hyatt credit card and our guide to booking Hyatt hotels with points.

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