Points of View: Which credit card should you use for Delta Air Lines flights?

Before you reach for your wallet to pay for a Delta Air Lines flight, you might pause to wonder which credit card to use. Should you use the one that says “Delta” on the front, or should you pay with something else?

In many credit card decisions, you may have to sacrifice benefits to earn additional points and miles. Does that hold true here? Let’s look at which credit cards you might use to pay for a Delta flight and the benefits associated with your options.

Comparing credit cards for Delta Air Lines flights

In addition to using a Delta Air Lines cobranded credit card, you also could pay with a travel rewards card that earns transferable points on travel purchases, such as your next flight reservation with Delta. Here are some cards you might pay with and what you could get when using these cards:

Card name	Earning rate on Delta Air Lines flights	Value of the rewards earned*	Delta-related benefits from the card	Annual fee
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card	3 miles per dollar.	4.23 cents.	Earn 15,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) boost after spending $30,000 on the card in a calendar year — available up to four times. Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) waiver up to Platinum status after spending $25,000 on Delta Amex credit cards in a calendar year. Complimentary Delta SkyClub access when flying on a same-day Delta flight, plus two one-time guest passes each year. Complimentary access to American Express Centurion Lounges when flying on a same-day Delta flight. Annual round-trip companion certificate awarded on each account anniversary. Complimentary upgrade requests are available on Delta flights, with priority over others with the same status and fare class but who don’t have a Reserve card. Free first checked bag for you and up to eight companions on the same reservation. Main Cabin 1 priority boarding benefit on Delta flights. 20% back on inflight purchases of food, beverages and headsets.	$550 (see rates and fees).
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card	3 miles per dollar.	4.23 cents.	Earn 15,000 MQMs boost after spending $30,000 on the card in a calendar year — available up to four times. MQDs waiver up to Platinum status after spending $25,000 on Delta Amex credit cards in a calendar year. Complimentary Delta SkyClub access when flying on a same-day Delta flight, plus two one-time guest passes each year. Complimentary access to American Express Centurion Lounges and Escape Lounges when flying on a same-day Delta flight. Annual round-trip companion certificate awarded on each account anniversary. Complimentary upgrade requests are available on Delta flights, with priority over others with the same status and fare class but who don’t have a Reserve card. Free first checked bag for you and up to eight companions on the same reservation. Main Cabin 1 priority boarding benefit on Delta flights. 20% back on inflight purchases of food, beverages and headsets.	$550 (see rates and fees).
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card	3 miles per dollar.	4.23 cents.	Earn 10,000 MQMs boost after spending $25,000 on the card in a calendar year — available up to two times. MQDs waiver up to Platinum status after spending $25,000 on Delta Amex credit cards in a calendar year. Annual round-trip companion certificate awarded on each account anniversary. Free first checked bag for you and up to eight companions on the same reservation. Main Cabin 1 priority boarding benefit on Delta flights. 20% back on inflight purchases of food, beverages and headsets.	$250 (see rates and fees).
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card	3 miles per dollar.	4.23 cents.	Earn 10,000 MQMs boost after spending $25,000 on the card in a calendar year — available up to two times. MQDs waiver up to Platinum status after spending $25,000 on Delta Amex credit cards in a calendar year. Annual round-trip companion certificate awarded on each account anniversary. Free first checked bag for you and up to eight companions on the same reservation. Main Cabin 1 priority boarding benefit on Delta flights. 20% back on inflight purchases of food, beverages and headsets.	$250 (see rates and fees).
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card	2 miles per dollar.	2.82 cents.	Free first checked bag for you and up to eight companions on the same reservation. Main Cabin 1 priority boarding benefit on Delta flights. 20% back on inflight purchases of food, beverages and headsets. $100 Delta flight credit after spending $10,000 or more on your card within a calendar year.	$0 introductory annual fee, then $99 (see rates and fees).
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card	2 miles per dollar.	2.82 cents.	Free first checked bag for you and up to eight companions on the same reservation. Main Cabin 1 priority boarding benefit on Delta flights. 20% back on inflight purchases of food, beverages and headsets. $100 Delta flight credit after spending $10,000 or more on your card within a calendar year.	$0 introductory annual fee, then $99 (see rates and fees).
Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card	2 miles per dollar.	2.82 cents.	20% back on inflight purchases of food, beverages and headsets.	$0 (see rates and fees).
The Platinum Card® from American Express	5 points per dollar (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year).	10 cents.	None, but you can choose Delta Air Lines as your preferred airline to cover up to $200 per year in airline incidental credits for things like checked baggage or preferred seat fees.	$695 (see rates and fees).
Chase Sapphire Reserve	3 points per dollar (or 5 points per dollar if booked via the Chase travel portal).	6 cents (or 10 cents).	None, but some purchases can be offset by the $300 annual travel credits offered on the card.	$550.
American Express® Green Card	3 points per dollar.	6 cents.	None.	$150 (see rates and fees).
Citi Premier® Card	3 points per dollar.	5.4 cents.	None.	$95.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card	2 miles per dollar (or 5 miles per dollar if booked in the Capital One Travel portal).	3.7 cents (or 9.25 cents).	None, but some purchases can be offset by the $300 in annual travel credits available when booking with Capital One Travel.	$395.

* Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer.

The information for the Amex Green Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Which card should you use for Delta Air Lines flights?

Unlike the dilemmas when booking United Airlines flights, there are no real trade-offs you must consider with Delta when it comes to enjoying benefits and earning as many points and miles as possible.

Benefits like free checked bags and priority boarding are attached to your Delta SkyMiles number, not the credit card you pay with. That means you could theoretically pay for your Delta flight with the Amex Platinum Card to enjoy its insurance benefits and its unparalleled earning rates on flight purchases. However, you would still enjoy checked bag benefits and early boarding benefits that come from having the Amex Delta Reserve card, for example — even though you didn’t pay for your flight with that card.

a Delta sign next to empty economy seats on a plane — Inside a Delta A220-300 aircraft. ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

The only situation in which you must use your card is when you make an onboard purchase with Delta. To enjoy your 20% discount (in the form of a statement credit), make inflight food and beverage purchases with your eligible Delta card; if you pay with another card, you won’t receive this benefit. You may also be asked to show your Delta Reserve or Delta Reserve Business card when visiting lounges before your flight.

Outside of flights, use your Delta card to enjoy perks like MQD waivers and MQM boosts from making purchases on the Delta Reserve and Delta Platinum cards. But this may not impact which card you use to pay for your Delta flight, assuming you’re meeting those spending thresholds through other purchases.

If you’re interested in knowing more about these credit card-related benefits that help you achieve Delta elite status, read how to earn Delta Medallion elite status without flying.

It’s also worth noting that purchasing inflight Wi-Fi is not covered by the 20% discount on inflight purchases mentioned in the table above. However, Delta has promised a move toward complimentary internet on its flights.

business class seats on a Delta A321neo plane — Delta’s A321neo seats. DAVID SLOTNICK/THE POINTS GUY

Bottom line

Options abound; there are many different credit cards you could use when paying for a flight — whether that’s buying a cash ticket at a great price or paying the taxes and fees when redeeming your miles. If you’re making a reservation with Delta Air Lines, there are many benefits you may be able to enjoy on your flight simply by having a Delta credit card in your wallet.

The good news is that you can enjoy many of these benefits regardless of which credit card you use to pay for your flight. This leaves you free to use whichever card you want to enjoy the insurance protections or bonus points offered on other cards in your wallet.

Editor’s note: “Points of View” is a series evaluating decisions on which credit card to use. If you’re facing a dilemma about which card is best for an upcoming payment, email us at tips@thepointsguy.com.

Also in this series:

For rates and fees of the Amex Delta Reserve card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Delta Reserve Business card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Delta Platinum card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Delta Platinum Business card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Delta Gold card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Delta Gold Business card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Delta Blue card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Green card, click here.