Big changes to Delta American Express cards: Higher annual fees, new and enhanced perks

Delta Air Lines and American Express have announced some big changes to their cobranded personal and business cards — not all of them good, especially if you prefer low annual fees. However, there are also new benefits and (mostly) positive changes to existing perks to help ease the blow.

Let’s get into all the big updates for Delta and Amex’s card offerings to help you decide whether to keep their cards in your wallet or apply for a new Delta card.

Increased annual fees on Delta Amex cards

First, the bad news: With the added and upgraded perks (explained later on) come higher annual fees on all cards.

Here’s what’s changing on the personal cards:

You’ll notice similar changes on the business versions of the cards:

The personal and business versions of the Delta SkyMiles Gold are jumping by $51, a 52% increase in annual cost, while both versions of the Delta SkyMiles Platinum and Reserve cards are up by $100, a 40% and 18% increase, respectively.

While these changes are part and parcel with overall increases in credit card annual fees in the last year or so, it’s never nice to hear that a card you own is getting more expensive.

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New benefits and changes to existing perks on Delta Amex cards

As is often the case when issuers increase annual fees, they’ll introduce new perks to try to retain current cardholders and get new ones to apply.

Among the new perks are annual and monthly credits for:

Delta Stays (Delta’s hotel travel portal) for prepaid hotels and vacation rentals
Resy (an online restaurant reservation service) for eligible purchases at Resy restaurants in the U.S.
Ride-hailing services for Uber, Lyft, Revel, Curb or Alto rides

The companion certificate on the Platinum and Reserve cards used to be restricted to travel within the contiguous U.S. Now, you can use your certificate for travel to all 50 U.S. states (including Hawaii and Alaska), Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Additionally, the Reserve’s certificate is now valid for the carrier’s Premium Select product on eligible routes; the Platinum’s certificate is still restricted to Main Cabin and excludes basic economy.

Several benefits on these cards, such as the 15% discount on Delta-operated award flights, free checked bags, priority boarding, no foreign exchange fees and a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit, aren’t changing.

Here’s the breakdown by card.

Delta SkyMiles Gold and Delta SkyMiles Gold Business

New: Up to $150 Delta Stays annual credit ($100 for personal version; $150 for business)
New (business version only): 2 miles per dollar spent on shipping and advertising purchases (limit $50,000 per year)
Enhanced: $200 Delta flight credit after you spend $10,000 in purchases in a calendar year (up from $100)

The changes to the SkyMiles Gold Business largely mirror those to the SkyMiles Gold personal card, though you’ll get an additional $50 annually toward Delta Stays. And, as you can see, an extra $200 to $250 in annual credits more than covers the card’s $51 annual fee increase, provided you maximize both credits (see rates and fees for the Gold and Gold Business).

Delta SkyMiles Platinum and Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business

New: Up to $200 Delta Stays annual credit ($150 for personal version; $200 for business)
New: $120 Resy credit, broken up into $10 monthly credits
New: $120 ride-hailing credit, broken up into $10 monthly credits
New: Complimentary Hertz Five-Star status, Hertz’s mid-tier elite status with a one-class car upgrade (depending on availability) and 25% bonus points on all rentals
New: Earn 1 Medallion Qualification Mile per $20 spent
New: MQD Headstart of 2,500 MQDs automatically deposited each year
New (business version only): Earn 1.5 miles per dollar spent on transit, shipping and purchases of more than $5,000 (up to $100,000 per year)
Enhanced: Delta’s companion certificate for travel to all 50 U.S. states (including Hawaii and Alaska), Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean
Enhanced: Complimentary seat upgrades after Medallion members for cardmembers who are not Medallion members
Removed: Cardmembers are no longer able to access Sky Club lounges for a $50 entry fee (effective Jan. 1, 2024)

If you take advantage of the three new credits alone, you’ll get an extra $390 to $440 of value, more than covering the card’s $100 annual fee spike (see rates and fees for the Platinum and Platinum Business). And with Delta’s move to MQDs for its loyalty program, you’ll get a nice head start on earning rewards toward your next flight. The removal of the lounge option is disappointing, but it was still for a $50 fee.

Delta SkyMiles Reserve and Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business

New: Up to $250 Delta Stays annual credit ($200 for personal version; $250 for business)
New: $240 Resy credit, broken up into $20 monthly credits
New: $120 ride-hailing credit, broken up into $10 monthly credits
New: Complimentary Hertz President’s Circle status, which comes with a guaranteed one-class car upgrade and 50% more points on all rentals
New: Earn 1 MQD per $10 spent
New: MQD Headstart of 2,500 MQDs automatically deposited each year
New (business version only): 1.5 miles per dollar spent on transit, shipping and office purchases, plus purchases of more than $5,000 and all purchases made after you spend $150,000 on your card in a calendar year
Enhanced: Delta’s companion certificate for travel to all 50 U.S. states (including Hawaii and Alaska), Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean; now includes eligible Premium Select fares (in addition to first-class, Comfort+ and Main Cabin tickets)
Downgraded: From Feb. 1, 2025, you’ll only get 15 day visits to Delta Sky Club lounges per year, with additional visits costing $50 each. That’s unless you spend at least $75,000 in a calendar year, which grants you unlimited access. Cardmembers also get four one-time guest passes costing $50 per guest, per visit after that.

The new credits here are worth a combined $560 to $610, with the lowest credit ($120 annually toward ride-hailing services) covering the card’s $100 annual fee increase (see rates and fees for the Reserve and Reserve Business). Still, the new restrictions on lounge access are a major negative, especially if you frequently visit Delta Sky Clubs.

Bottom line

Higher annual fees are never good news. However, the new and enhanced perks added to Delta’s lineup of Amex cards will more than justify the increases for many cardmembers — on paper, at least.

Cutting access to Delta Sky Clubs on the Reserve cards is a definite downgrade. However, something needs to be done to reduce lounge overcrowding, and this is one way that Delta is addressing the issue.

The key to making the most of all these changes is, of course, taking advantage of each card’s credits. That’s why you’ll want to pick the card that makes the most sense to you and your travel patterns. If you do that, you’ll be able to maximize the card’s benefits to help offset the annual fee increase.

If you are unhappy with these changes, you’ll want to ask for a retention offer from Amex when the increased annual fee hits your account. If you decide you no longer want your card, consider downgrading it to a Delta card with a lower annual fee, like the Gold or Platinum, or the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card, which has no annual fee (see rates and fees). That will help protect your credit score.

Just note that if you hold the Reserve, you can no longer earn the welcome offer on any of the lower-tier Delta cards (Platinum, Gold or Blue) as a new cardmember due to Amex’s tightening of application restrictions in the second half of 2023.

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Blue, click here.

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Gold, click here.

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Platinum, click here.

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Reserve, click here.

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business, click here.

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business, click here.

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business, click here.

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