Delta Amex Cards To Waive Foreign Transaction Fees and Have EMV Chips Starting May 1, 2014
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American Express has an impressive line-up of travel credit cards including the Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express, Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express and Delta Gold, Platinum and Reserve cards. The one downside is that many of their cards - most, in fact, except the Platinum and Business Platinum - levy foreign transaction fees.
These fees are one of my major bugaboos - adding 2-3% to your purchases while traveling abroad, or even just purchases from merchants outside the US, even if you're in the US while making the purchase. That 2-3% often wipes out much of the value of any points you'd earn on such purchases, making these cards a break-even value proposition when traveling.
In my opinion, it was one way that many of Amex's top-shelf products were lagging behind competitors like Chase and Barclaycard, whose premium travel credit cards like the Sapphire Preferred and Ink Plus (Chase), and the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard (Barclaycard) have done away with such fees.
However, my official sources at American Express have just announced that as of May 1, 2014, the foreign transaction fee is waived for American Express Consumer and Business Delta SkyMiles Credit Cards issued in the US, Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands. These cards including the personal Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express, Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express and Reserve cards as well as the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express, Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express and Delta Business Reserve cards. Card members of any of these should receive a notice of these changes with their February statements, so keep an eye out.
This is a great move on Amex's part, and I'm glad to see them make it since it makes the Delta cards that much more competitive in an increasingly vibrant travel credit cards marketplace where competitors like the United MileagePlus Explorer Card and Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard have waived foreign transaction fees. It's also good news for Delta elites who might want to get one of the cards in order to meet Delta's new elite status spending requirements by making $25,000 in calendar year purchases on one of these cards instead of spending between $2,500-$12,500 on Delta tickets depending on their status level since it means they can use these cards in a lot more places without worrying about forex fees.
While it's true that Amex is sometimes not accepted abroad at some merchants where Visa or Mastercard are, in my experience traveling internationally, that's actually been changing a lot and more stores, restaurants and especially hotels are happy to take American Express as well.
That should be even truer starting May 1 as well because Amex also announced that it would be adding EMV (Smart) Chips to the Delta cards starting May 1, 2014 as well. Starting that day, cardholders can call the customer service number on the back of their card and request a new version with the EMV chip embedded in it. New cards applied for later in the year should automatically be issued with EMV chips as well, though there's no specific date set for that yet.
Just note, Amex has confirmed that the Delta Platinum cards will raise their annual fee from $150 to $195, a 30% increase, so some of you might think about switching to the Gold version with a $95 annual fee instead.
Currently the Amex Platinum and Centurion cards offer them, but this is another great move on Amex's part since EMV chips often make it much easier to transact while abroad as some merchants like restaurants or even machines in metro stations or train stations often require credit cards to have Smart Chips in order to process payment.
All in all, I think these are two great changes to Amex's Delta cards. If you've been thinking about applying for one of these cards, be sure to check the Card Match Tool first since there are often targeted higher offers on Amex products including the Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express.
For more information, check out my list of the other top travel credit cards with no foreign transaction fees, and my post on US Credit Cards With EMV Chips, which I'll be updating soon.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.