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Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
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Do you have a Delta Amex card? Here are 9 things you need to do
Credit card writer Danyal Ahmed is an avid traveler, averaging about 100,000 aeronautical miles per year. He regularly applies that knowledge and his expertise in credit cards to his role as a credit card writer at TPG.
February 6, 2024 • 9 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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Quick summary
Major changes have been announced for several airline co-branded cards, including increased fees and updated benefits.
New and enhanced perks include statement credits for dining and ride-hailing, expanded hotel booking credits and improved companion certificates.
Lounge access policies will change in 2025, with visit limits unless a high annual spend is met.
Cardholders should review their renewal dates, monitor for targeted offers and consider retention or downgrade options if the new benefits do not offset higher costs.
What to consider
Fee increases take effect for renewals on or after May 1, 2024, but some cardholders may see different timing based on their renewal cycle.
Lounge access will be limited to 15 visits per year from February 2025 unless a significant spend threshold is met in 2024.
Eligibility for welcome offers on lower-tier cards may be restricted if you have previously held a higher-tier product in the same family.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed checklist of the top actions to maximize new and existing benefits, including how to enroll for credits and elite status upgrades.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
If you have a Delta American Express card in your wallet, you've probably read about major changes to your card announced in early February. These include increased annual fees, as well as changes to your card benefits, affecting the following six cards:
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
It can be easy to miss the new or enhanced perks, so here are the top nine things to do as a Delta Amex cardmember to ensure you continue to get value from your card. If you're thinking of canceling or downgrading your card, we've also got some advice for you.
Check your email for targeted offers
In addition to emails from Delta and American Express highlighting the changes to your card, some cardmembers are receiving additional one-off status boosts and flight credits.
TPG director of content Nick Ewen and senior SEO associate Hannah Streck have personal and business versions of the Delta Reserve card, respectively. They both received an email with some one-time premium perks headed their way, including a 1,000 Medallion Qualification Dollars boost and a $100 flight credit.
DELTA AIR LINES
Keep an eye on your inbox and spam or junk folders to ensure you aren't missing out on any updates and that you stay on top of changes to your card benefits.
Find out your next annual fee date
Existing cardmembers of the cards above will see an increase in their annual fee. If your card is set to renew before May 1, 2024, you'll be charged the same annual fee. However, if your card renewal occurs on or after May 1, you'll be subject to the new annual fee.
However, when TPG web publisher Bhawna Khowal called Amex customer service with an unrelated query, they said the higher annual fee on her Delta Gold card (see rates and fees) would kick in from July 2025, even though her next renewal is in July 2024.
To determine when your next annual fee will be charged, search for "renewal" or "membership fee" on your 2023 credit card statements. And it might be worth chatting or calling Amex to confirm exactly when the higher annual fee will kick in on your card.
No one wants to see an increase in their card's annual fee, even if the issuer adds new benefits or enhances current perks. If you don't find value in the statement credits or improved benefits, consider asking for a retention offer when your next annual fee posts.
If you aren't given a retention offer and wish to close the card, consider downgrading your card to a card with no annual fee or a lower one. For example, if you hold the Delta Platinum card, you could downgrade to the Delta Gold or the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card (see rates and fees).
NATALIA GDOVSKAIA/GETTY IMAGES
Remember that Amex has a once-per-lifetime rule for welcome offers and a family restriction. That means you won't be eligible for the welcome offer on lower-tier cards if you've held a higher-tier card in the same family.
So, you would be ineligible for the welcome offer on the Delta Platinum card if you already held and earned a welcome offer on the Delta Reserve card.
Enroll for ride-hailing and Resy statement credits
The personal and business versions of the Delta Platinum and the Delta Reserve now offer new statement credits.
Delta Platinum cardmembers get up to $120 Resy credits annually on eligible U.S. purchases (up to $10 monthly) and up to $120 ride-hailing credits annually with select U.S. providers (up to $10 monthly), while Delta Reserve cardmembers have the same ride-hailing credit and increased Resy credits of up to $240 annually (up to $20 monthly).
ROBYN BECK/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Like most Amex credits, you must enroll in the benefit before earning the statement credit. To do so, go to your online account or app, select your Delta card and navigate to "Benefits."
Formulate a lounge access strategy for 2025
Delta Reserve cardmembers continue to receive unlimited access to Delta Sky Clubs when flying Delta this year.
ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
However, from February 2025, access will be restricted to 15 day visits per year, with additional visits costing $50 each. That's unless you spend at least $75,000 on your card this year.
So, if you want unlimited access from next February, you'll need to meet that minimum spend requirement on your card this year.
Evaluate your elite status goals for 2024-25
Now that the Delta SkyMiles program only has one metric for earning elite status — MQDs — it's a good time to assess how this affects your elite status earning goals.
Log into your SkyMiles account to keep track of your progress. Look out for the 2,500 MQD headstart for Delta Platinum and Delta Reserve cardmembers.
Although the headstart is a published benefit, some members may be targeted for one-off boosts, in which case it's a good idea to calculate how many MQDs you need to earn by flying or spending. Platinum cardmembers earn 1 MQD per $20 spent; Reserve cardmembers earn 1 MQD per $10 spent.
Use your Delta Stays credit
All six cards get a new statement credit for Delta Stays, a new online booking platform for hotels and vacation rentals powered by Expedia. The credits range from $100 to $250, depending on which card you have.
LEOPATRIZI/GETTY IMAGES
TPG senior director of product management Gabe Travers was one of the first on our team to test out his credit. He made his booking on Feb. 1 and received the statement credit on Feb. 5, taking four days in total to appear on his account.
Personal and business Platinum and Reserve cardmembers can now take advantage of an enhanced companion certificate. Take advantage of the companion certificate to help offset annual fee increases on these cards.
Note that the changes to eligible destinations and cabins only affects companion certificates issued from Feb. 1, 2024; if you have an existing companion certificate in your account, it's still bound by the old (more restrictive) terms and conditions.
Delta Platinum cardmembers can now use the companion pass in Main Cabin to fly to more destinations, including all 50 U.S. states, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. (Previously, this was restricted to destinations in the contiguous U.S.)
ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY
The same destinations are also applicable to Delta Reserve cardmembers but now also include eligible Premium Select tickets (along with first-class, Comfort+ and Main Cabin).
Delta Platinum and Platinum Business cardmembers now get Hertz Five Star status, the company's mid-tier elite status offering one-class upgrades (subject to availability) and 25% bonus points on all rentals.
Meanwhile, Delta Reserve and Reserve Business cardmembers receive Hertz's highest status, Hertz President's Circle, offering a guaranteed one-class car upgrade and 50% more points on all rentals.
Again, you can enroll for this perk by going to your online account's "Benefits" section.
Although Amex has raised the annual fees on the personal and business versions of the Delta Gold, Platinum and Reserve cards, it has also made several improvements to existing perks while introducing new benefits.
It's a good time to evaluate when your new annual fee hits to decide if you will keep your card open or downgrade it. It is not recommended to cancel your card, as that may damage your credit score. If you no longer want your card, downgrade it to the no-annual-fee Delta Blue card to keep your credit line open (see rates and fees).
Most importantly, plan now to maximize all your benefits so you can get the most out of your Delta Amex credit cards this year and start taking advantage of the monthly statement credits.
For rates and fees of the Delta Blue card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta Gold card, click here.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
