Earlier than you attain to your pockets to pay for a Delta Air Traces flight, you would possibly pause to surprise which bank card to make use of. Must you use the one that claims “Delta” on the entrance, or do you have to pay with one thing else?
In lots of bank card selections, you might have to sacrifice advantages to earn further factors and miles. Does that maintain true right here?
Let’s take a look at which bank cards you would possibly use to pay for a Delta flight and the advantages related together with your choices.
Evaluating bank cards for Delta Air Traces flights
Along with utilizing a Delta cobranded bank card, you possibly can additionally pay with a journey rewards card that earns transferable factors on journey purchases, resembling your subsequent flight reservation with Delta. Listed here are some playing cards you would possibly pay with and what you possibly can get when utilizing these playing cards:
| Card title | Incomes charge on Delta flights† | Worth of the rewards earned* | Delta-related advantages from the cardboard | Annual payment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Categorical Card
and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Enterprise American Categorical Card |
3 miles per greenback | 3.75 cents | 15 annual visits to Delta Sky Membership lounges when touring on a same-day, Delta-marketed or Delta-operated flight.
4 one-time Sky Membership visitor passes Annual companion certificates 1 Medallion Qualification Greenback for each $10 spent, with no restrict on what number of MQDs might be earned by way of bank card spending 2,500 MQD enhance annually Precedence boarding on Delta flights 20% again as an announcement credit score on inflight purchases of meals, drinks and headsets |
$650 (see charges and costs for the Delta Reserve; see charges and costs for the Delta Reserve Enterprise) |
| Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Categorical Card
and Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Enterprise American Categorical Card |
3 miles per greenback | 3.75 cents | Annual companion certificates
1 MQD for each $20 spent, with no restrict on what number of MQDs might be earned by way of bank card spending 2,500 MQD enhance annually Precedence boarding on Delta flights 20% again as an announcement credit score on inflight purchases of meals, drinks and headsets |
$350 (see charges and costs for the Delta Platinum; see charges and costs for Delta Platinum Enterprise) |
| Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Categorical Card
and |
2 miles per greenback | 2.5 cents | Free first checked bag for you and as much as eight companions on the identical reservation
Precedence boarding on Delta flights 20% again as an announcement credit score on inflight purchases of meals, drinks and headsets $200 Delta flight credit score after spending $10,000 or extra in your card inside a calendar yr |
$0 introductory annual payment, then $150 (see charges and costs for the Delta Gold; see charges and costs for the Delta Gold Enterprise) |
| Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Categorical Card | 2 miles per greenback | 2.5 cents | 20% again as an announcement credit score on inflight purchases of meals and drinks | $0 (see charges and costs) |
| The Platinum Card® from American Categorical | 5 factors per greenback (as much as $500,000 on these purchases per calendar yr, then 1 level per greenback) | 10 cents | Delta Sky Membership entry (when touring on same-day Delta flights; eligible Platinum Card Members will obtain 10 Visits per eligible Platinum Card per yr to the Delta Sky Membership or to Seize and Go when touring on a same-day Delta-operated flight.)
Select Delta as your most popular airline to cowl as much as $200 per calendar yr in airline incidental assertion credit for issues like checked baggage or most popular seat charges (enrollment required; phrases apply) |
$695 (see charges and costs) |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see charges and costs) | 4 factors per greenback (or 8 factors per greenback if booked through Chase Journey℠) | 8.2 cents (or 16.4 cents) | None, however some purchases might be offset by the $300 annual journey credit supplied on the cardboard | $795 |
| Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card | 2 miles per greenback (or 5 miles per greenback if booked within the Capital One Journey portal) | 3.7 cents (or 9.25 cents) | None, however some purchases might be offset by the $300 annual credit score out there when reserving with Capital One Journey | $395 |
† On flights bought instantly with Delta
*Bonus worth relies on TPG’s June 2025 valuations and doesn’t come from the cardboard issuer.
Associated: 16 methods to earn extra Delta SkyMiles, from utilizing bank cards to on-line purchasing
Which card do you have to use for Delta Air Traces flights?
There aren’t any actual trade-offs you have to think about with Delta in relation to having fun with advantages and incomes as many factors and miles as attainable.
Associated: Delta baggage charges and find out how to keep away from paying them
Advantages like free checked luggage and precedence boarding are connected to your Delta SkyMiles quantity, not the bank card you pay with. Which means you possibly can theoretically pay to your Delta flight with the Amex Platinum to get pleasure from its insurance coverage advantages and its unparalleled incomes charges on flight purchases.
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Nonetheless, you’d nonetheless get pleasure from checked bag advantages and early boarding advantages that come from having the Amex Delta Reserve, for instance, though you did not pay to your flight with that card.
Associated: The most effective bank cards for paying taxes and costs on award tickets
The one state of affairs by which you have to use your card is once you make an onboard buy with Delta. To get pleasure from your 20% low cost (within the type of an announcement credit score), make inflight meals and beverage purchases together with your eligible Delta card; in the event you pay with one other card, you will not obtain this profit. You might also be requested to indicate your Delta Reserve or Delta Reserve Enterprise card when visiting lounges earlier than your flight.
Outdoors of flights, use your Delta card to get pleasure from perks like MQD boosts from making purchases on the Delta Reserve and Delta Platinum playing cards. However this will likely not impression which card you employ to pay to your Delta flight, assuming you are assembly these spending thresholds by way of different purchases.
For those who’re thinking about figuring out extra about these credit score card-related advantages that enable you obtain Delta elite standing, learn find out how to earn Delta Medallion elite standing with out flying.
Backside line
Choices abound; there are lots of totally different bank cards you possibly can use when paying for a flight — whether or not that is shopping for a money ticket at an awesome worth or paying the taxes and costs when redeeming your miles. For those who’re making a reservation with Delta, there are lots of advantages you could possibly get pleasure from in your flight just by having a Delta bank card in your pockets.
The excellent news is you can get pleasure from many of those advantages no matter which bank card you employ to pay to your flight. This leaves you free to make use of whichever card you need to benefit from the insurance coverage protections or bonus factors supplied on different playing cards in your pockets.
Associated: Present presents on Delta Amex playing cards
For charges and costs of the Amex Delta Reserve card, click on right here.
For charges and costs of the Amex Delta Reserve Enterprise card, click on right here.
For charges and costs of the Amex Delta Platinum card, click on right here.
For charges and costs of the Amex Delta Platinum Enterprise card, click on right here.
For charges and costs of the Amex Delta Gold card, click on right here.
For charges and costs of the Amex Delta Gold Enterprise card, click on right here.
For charges and costs of the Amex Delta Blue card, click on right here.
For charges and costs of the Amex Platinum card, click on right here.
