Is the Gold Delta SkyMiles AmEx Worth Its Annual Fee?

Is the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card worth its annual fee? Let’s dig deep to find out.

How much is the annual fee?

The annual fee on the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is currently $0 intro for the first year, then $150( see rates and fees ). Comparable cards from some other airlines have annual fees in the $100 range.

» Learn more: 4 things to know about the Gold Delta AmEx

Do you plan to fly with checked bags?

One of the top perks of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is free checked bags; without this fee waived, you could expect to pay $35 for your first bag and $45 for each additional bag per Delta’s baggage fees. Terms apply.

This benefit extends not only to the primary cardholder, but also up to eight other travelers on the same reservation. Those savings really add up quickly.

If you fly three round-trip flights with Delta annually and check a bag each time, you’ll be in the green.

Will you meet minimum spending requirement?

What should you do after you after getting the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card? Start spending (smartly).

The welcome offer for this is worth pursuing to maximize your cardholder benefits: Earn 50,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $2,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

» Learn More: 5 things to do after getting the Gold Delta AmEx

Additional card perks

20% off in-flight purchases

Use your Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card on certain inflight purchases and qualify for a 20% credit on your AmEx statement after the transaction posts to your account. Terms apply. Typical eligible items include food, beverage and audio headsets; Wi-Fi access is not included.

'Pay With Miles' benefit

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card holders have the benefit of purchasing Delta flights with their Delta miles. Terms apply. This is different from redeeming miles for an award ticket in that you don’t have to worry about award availability or mileage costs — you’ll simply reduce the cash price of your ticket by about $50 for every 5,000 miles. As a bonus, your Delta miles don’t expire and there are no blackout dates when using them this way. And the portion you pay in cash will still earn Delta miles.

Terms apply.

» Learn more: Demystifying Delta’s ‘Pay With Miles’ vs. ‘Miles + Cash’

TakeOff 15

When booking award travel with Delta, cardholders get 15% off the number of points required to book the award fare. Terms apply.

$200 flight credit eligibility

If the purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card total $10,000 or more in a calendar year, you'll receive a $200 credit that can be used toward a Delta flight purchase. Terms apply.

'Plan It'

Depending on your creditworthiness, cardholders can create up to 10 active payment plans (for a fee) on qualifying purchases of $100 or more. Terms apply. While you will get dinged with a fixed monthly finance charge, this optional benefit can make affording all of your travel whims more of a possibility. Terms apply.

How to earn miles on the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card

Maximize your points earnings by using your Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card to earn 2 miles per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets, and on Delta purchases.

All other eligible purchases will earn you 1 Delta mile per dollar spent. Terms apply.

NerdWallet values Delta miles at 1.2 cents each.

The bottom line

Even if you only plan to fly with Delta a couple of times annually, the perks of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card can easily outweigh the cost. Frequent travelers can take advantage of the free checked bags. You’ll also acquire Delta miles more quickly, which you can cash out by purchasing Delta flights, as well as gift cards, merchandise, cruises, car rentals and hotel rooms (although typically for a lower return per mile).