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The Delta SkyMiles Blue is a simple and inexpensive card, designed for those who don’t fly too often. It has basic rewards (2X miles for Delta) and just a few benefits, like a 20% in-flight discount and some shopping protections.
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The Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card is a pretty average no annual fee travel card. It doesn’t offer any game-changing travel benefits, but it’s an inexpensive option for the occasional traveler who’d like to earn some rewards with Delta.
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For people who don’t fly often, and fly with Delta when they do, this Delta SkyMiles card could serve well. It won’t cost you anything annually but it also doesn’t come with very many perks aside from the basics, like an in-flight discount and a couple of shopping and travel protections.
If you do fly with Delta more than a handful of times per year, you might want to consider a more advanced travel card. Delta offers quite a few cards at varying levels and most offer better perks like free checked bags or Delta Sky Club access.
If your Delta miles are worth about 1–1.5 cents, that means you’d get a cash back equivalent of 7%–10.5% for your Delta flights. You earn 2X miles from the card, and at least 5X miles from your SkyMiles membership.
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If you’ve got a trip in mind, it must be time to redeem the rewards you’ve earned. Here are your options:
You can also buy, gift, transfer, or donate your miles. But because this is an airline credit card, redeeming for flights will hold the most value for your miles.
You can redeem your miles for flights by selecting the Shop with Miles box beneath the flight selection at the top of the Delta website.
We’ve run through some example one-way flights so you can get an idea of what your miles could be worth:
Flight | Mile Cost | Dollar Cost | Mile Value |
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JFK to LAX | 16,500 + $6 | $192.40 | 1.17 cents |
ROC to CHI | 23,000 + $6 | $323.20 | 1.41 cents |
DEN to JFK | 18,500 + $6 | $215.40 | 1.16 cents |
SEA to PHL | 28,000 + $6 | $343.20 | 1.23 cents |
BWI to HOU | 10,000 + $6 | $137.20 | 1.37 cents |
Overall, the per-mile value is pretty decent. At the high end, from Rochester to Chicago, you’re looking at a cash back equivalent of 9.82% (when earning at the 7X rate). That’s a good deal for a credit card that doesn’t require an annual fee. And from the examples above, the lowest equivalent you might see is 8.15%, for Denver to JFK, which is still pretty good.
Obviously, these numbers will change depending on where and when you fly, but this should give you an idea of the kind of value you might get for your money.
Purchase APR | Balance Transfer APR | Cash Advance APR |
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15.74% - 24.74% Variable | None | 25.24% Variable |
Annual Fee | Foreign Transaction Fee |
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$0 | None |
Balance Transfer Fee | Cash Advance Fee |
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None | Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater |
Penalty APR | Late Fee | Returned Payment Fee |
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29.24% Variable | Up to $40 | Up to $40 |
Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card (Rates & Fees)
The Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card is best suited for travelers who prefer Delta but don’t travel too often. It’s an inexpensive option for people who want to earn some rewards for their Delta flights without committing too much.
The benefits aren’t much, but they’re on par with other no annual fee travel cards. If you travel more frequently, consider a higher-caliber travel card. Some of them provide much more useful benefits that save you money and can expedite your airport experience. Delta offers a few to choose from.
Read more Best Airline Credit CardsClick the “Apply Now” button below to be taken to the American Express website.
In most cases you’ll receive an instant decision from the credit card issuer — approved or denied. In some cases you may need to wait, or Amex will ask for more information.
The SkyMiles Blue card has cardholders with good credit in mind.
Good credit typically refers to credit scores of at least 670 for FICO, or 700 for VantageScore.
But, remember that credit scores are only one piece of puzzle when it comes to credit card approval. Other factors, like income, also play a role. So you could be approved with lower scores, or denied with higher scores.
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If you don’t travel too often, and fly with Delta when you do, there’s really no reason not to get this card. It doesn’t cost anything annually, and it could provide a decent return on your spending when you do fly. It’ll also save you some money thanks to its in-flight discount.
Check out the card rewards, the benefits, and our bottom line.
On average, we found that your SkyMiles will be worth about 1–1.5 cents each. Between the miles you earn from the card (2X) and the miles from your SkyMiles membership (5X or more) you’d see a cash back equivalent of at least 7%–10.5%.
Take a look at what you can use your rewards for, and a few example flights to see what your miles could be worth.
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (Review) is another co-branded airline credit card, this time with American Airlines.
This card is just as rewarding as the Delta SkyMiles card, maybe even more so. It provides a cash back equivalent of 7%–14% for AA flights, compared to the Delta card’s 7%–10.5%. The annual fee is way higher, but the benefits are also much better. If you’re a frequent flyer with AA, it could be worth it.
The Citi / AAdvantage card comes with Admirals Club airport lounge access, which is a substantial edge over the Delta card. You’ll also get your first checked bag for free, an expedited airport experience, a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit, and a larger in-flight purchase discount.
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You’ll earn 2X miles from the card and at least 5X miles from your American Airlines membership. If your miles are worth 1–2 cents, that equates to a cash back equivalent of 7%–14% for AA flights.
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The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (Review) is better suited to people who travel a little more often and prefer to fly with Southwest when they do.
There is an annual fee, but it also comes with an annual $75 travel credit that effectively drops it by that much, making it pretty inexpensive for a travel card. The cash back equivalent from the card is about 1%–4%, but that’ll increase depending on the type of fare you fly. If you’re flying the basic “Wanna Get Away” fare, you could see a cash back equivalent of 12%–16%, which is higher than the Delta card’s. And it has a much better selection of benefits.
Along with the yearly travel credit, there are more travel protections, a 7,500-point anniversary gift, and four upgraded boardings every anniversary year. It’s a little more expensive, but you get much more for your money.
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The JetBlue Plus Card is the higher-end JetBlue card (see all the JetBlue cards here), and it’s not a bad offer at all.
Your points are worth around 1–1.5 cents, so the cash back equivalent you’d see with this card would be 6%–9%. That’s pretty on par with the Delta Blue, but this card requires an annual fee.
In most cases, an annual fee means better benefits, but that’s only mostly true here. In addition to a much larger in-flight discount, this credit card offers 10% of your points back when you redeem for JetBlue flights, your first checked bag will be free, and you can earn a $100 credit every year you purchase a JetBlue vacation package worth $100 or more. That’s better than the Delta card’s benefits, but doesn’t really stack up so well with other airline cards in its price range.
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The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Review) isn’t partnered with any specific airline. Instead, it’s a general travel card with strong point transfer and redemption options.
With the Sapphire Preferred, you’re able to transfer your points to any of Chase’s travel partners at a 1:1 rate. With point transfers you could find a higher per-point value, and thus increase your cash back equivalent. However, Delta is not one of Chase’s travel partners. If you were considering the Delta SkyMiles because you prefer Delta, you won’t be able to transfer points to Delta with this card.
If you’re not interested in point transfers, you can redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards to get a 25% point bonus. And unlike the other cards here, you’ll earn decent rewards for travel no matter who you fly with.
The benefits include a vast selection of travel protections, the Shop through Chase shopping portal, and a DoorDash membership, to name a few. While these can be very useful, the card’s main draw is what you can do with your points after you earn them.
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If you’re able to find a point value of at least 2 cents when you transfer to Chase’s travel partners, this card’s 5X, 2X, and 1X categories would give you cash back equivalents of at least 10%, 4%, and 2% respectively.
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Do you refuse to fly without your Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express card? Have you found it rewarding? Let us know how you like it in the comments below!
If you fly with another airline, check out the best airline credit cards to find the one for you. Best Airline Credit CardsEvan graduated from SUNY Oswego with a degree in journalism and creative writing. In his professional writing career, he strives for precision and comprehension in his work. He’s written news articles, blog posts, and copy, working across a slew of different mediums. With in-depth research and great care for accuracy and detail, he now works to bring you the most up-to-date credit information.
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