New 60K Offer for the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express

The Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express is back with the 60,000 miles sign-up bonus and the Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express is also offering 70,000 miles. Here’s a look at the the Gold Delta card and whether or not you should apply.

Update: Some offers are no longer available — click here for the latest deals!

The offer

• 60,000 miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases within your first 4 months
• $50 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase with your new Card within your first 4 months.
• Offer expires on 7/5/17
• $95 annual fee waived the first year
• 2X on Delta purchases
• 1X on genera purchases
• No Foreign Transaction Fees

Sign-up bonus

• Earn 60,000 miles after you spend $3,000 within your first 4 months.

This offer isn’t quite as good as the targeted offers that roll around with only a $1,000 spending requirement, although $3,000 spend is pretty standard for bonuses of 50,000 miles. It’s also nice to see the spend requirement stretched to 4 months and one has to wonder if this will be the mark of a new trend with Amex?

If you’re planning on also getting the business version of this card or another Delta Amex card, that extra month to hit your sign up bonuses could really come in handy.

What can you do with 60,000 Delta SkyMiles?

Roundtrips in economy start at 25,000 SkyMiles so that’s enough for two roundtrips across the country. You can also find some short-haul flights on Delta for as low as 5,000 miles one way, so that those can sometimes be great uses of SkyMiles. A roundtrip in business/first on a domestic trip may run you 75,000 miles, although with Delta’s dynamic award pricing many awards may be much higher.

International business class awards often get very pricey with Delta SkyMiles. For example, getting to Europe on Delta will cost you 70,000 miles but 85,000 miles on a partner like Virgin Atlantic, and that’s just one way. That’s a considerable amount of miles considering that you could book a roundtrip to Europe with ANA for only 88,000 miles.

Since there’s a business version of this card currently offering 60,000 miles too, the opportunity to combine earnings with these cards should be considered. 120,000 SkyMiles could get you close to the 140,000 miles needed for a roundtrip with Delta on business class to Europe. It could also get you to Australia one way with partner Virgin Australia for 115,000 miles.

Overall, I’m not big on Delta SkyMiles for various reasons but for no annual fee the first year, this is actually a great sign-up bonus. If you’re planning a big trip in the future where you might need to fly on SkyTeam for a leg or two, you might consider jumping on these cards. However, if you don’t have any need for them, these offers tend to come around each year so you could always wait for the next round to come.

$50 statement credit

This $50 statement credit must be used within the first 4 months just like the minimum spend must be met in that time frame. Many have success with purchasing Delta gift cards and having this statement credit reimburse them. Considering there’s no annual fee the first year, this could allow you to turn a small profit on this card in addition to sign-up bonus earnings.

Additional perks

The Gold Delta Amex card also offers a lot of additional perks you typically receive with co-branded airline credit cards.

• Check your first bag free on every Delta flight for up to four passengers (savings of up to $200 per round trip).
• Priority Boarding
• 20% savings in the form of a statement credit after you use your Card on eligible Delta in-flight purchases of food, beverages, and audio headsets. Some in-flight purchases do not apply.
• Reduced fee of $29 per person for up to two guests to enter Delta SkyClub (you just need same-day ticketed air travel on any airline).
• Medallion Qualification Dollar requirement for the qualification year will be waived if you make at least $25,000 in Eligible Purchases in that year with your Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express.

The Gold card can still be useful because it knocks out the MQD requirement to obtain status. However, if you’re into obtaining Delta elite status you might be better off with the Platinum or Reserve cards that offer you MQMs with their sign-up bonuses and for annual spend in increments of $25,000.

The reduced fee to SkyClub lounges doesn’t appeal to me since I generally have that covered with Centurion Lounge access and Priority Pass with the Platinum Card® from American Express. However, getting priority boarding and free checked bags is a nice perk for those who fly Delta and could more than pay for the annual come year 2 for many people.

Final word

Even though I’m not a Delta guy, I’ll admit that this is a strong offer. Getting 60,000 miles for no annual fee is a superb offer and getting a little bit back with the statement credit is nice, too. Although Delta awards can be expensive, you might be able to utilize your SkyMiles on SkyTeam partners in effecient ways so don’t discount this card (or the business version either).