Save 15% Off Award Flights

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• Amex and Delta have added a new benefit called TakeOff 15 to most of the Delta credit cards.
• Personal and business Delta Gold, Platinum, and Reserve cardholders now get 15% off award travel booked on Delta flights.
• There are also elevated welcome bonus offers on these cards of up to 100,000 miles for a limited time.
• Read Insider’s guide to the best airline credit cards.

There’s good news for flyers who like to redeem Delta miles for flights on the airline. Starting today, February 2, eligible Delta credit card holders can get 15% off when using miles to book award travel on Delta flights.

The new “TakeOff 15” benefit is permanent, and applies to the personal and small-business versions of the Amex Delta Gold, Delta Platinum, and Delta Reserve cards. If you’re already a cardholder, this new perk is a great value add, especially if you book award flights on Delta frequently.

And if you’re not yet a Delta credit card holder, it might be time to consider opening a new card. To sweeten the deal, there are limited-time offers on these Delta cards worth up to 100,000 miles — but only until March 29, 2023.

Here’s what to know about the improvements to the Delta American Express credit cards to help you decide if you should apply. Amex is an Insider partner.

We’re focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won’t be worth it if you’re paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it’s important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Get 15% off award flights with Delta credit cards

The new TakeOff 15 benefit is included with all the annual-fee Delta cards:

The only card that isn’t getting this perk is the no-annual-fee Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card, which has the most limited benefits of all the Delta credit cards.

Primary cardholders will receive 15% off the number of miles required for award flights on Delta when they book through Delta.com or the Fly Delta app. However, this discount doesn’t cover partner-operated flights or the taxes and fees on award flights, and authorized users aren’t eligible for the benefit.

There are a few other restrictions to keep in mind:

• Your entire itinerary must be on Delta and Delta Connection carrier-operated and ticketed flights
• You can’t use this offer with Delta Pay with Miles, Miles + Cash, seat upgrades (purchased after the initial flight booking), or other Delta products or services
• You’ll need to be signed in to your Delta account (linked to an eligible card) to qualify for the discount
• To take advantage of the discount, you’ll need to have enough miles in your Delta account for the entire award ticket
• The discount isn’t combinable with certificates, Delta eCredits, Delta Gift Cards, vouchers, or any other discounts or promotional offers

Saving 15% might not seem like much, but considering Delta prices its flights dynamically — meaning there’s no award chart and the number of miles required varies depending on demand, season, and other factors — this could amount to considerable savings if you’re booking pricey award flights. Delta has unfortunately become well known for charging exorbitant prices on some routes, so getting a 15% discount in those cases could be substantial.

The new benefit also makes opening a Delta credit card much more appealing — especially for folks who earn American Express Membership Rewards points from cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express
or American Express® Gold Card
. Because Delta is an Amex transfer partner, you can move your Amex points to Delta (along with 19 other airline and hotel partners) whenever you need more miles.

If you redeem Delta miles for Delta flights with any regularity, it might make sense to open a Delta card for this benefit. Plus, all of the eligible Delta cards offer other benefits that can save you money, including a free checked bag and priority boarding on Delta flights, inflight discounts, and other elite-like perks.

Elevated Delta credit card welcome bonus offers

Through March 29, 2023, you can earn increased welcome bonus offers from six Delta credit cards. Insider’s points and miles valuations peg Delta miles as worth 1.1 cents apiece, on average, so you could get as much as $1,100 in travel from these bonuses:

• Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card — 70,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card in the first six months from account opening, worth about $770 in flights
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card — 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new card in the first six months from account opening, worth about $990 in flights
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card — 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $6,000 in purchases on your new card in the first six months of account opening, worth about $990 in flights
• Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card — 75,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in purchases on your new card in your first three months of card membership (offer ends 3/29/23), worth about $825 in flights
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card — 95,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in purchases on your new card in your first three months of card membership (offer ends 3/29/23), worth about $1,045 in flights
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card — 100,000 bonus miles after spending $6,000 in purchases on your new card in your first three months of card membership (offer ends 3/29/23), worth about $1,100 in flights

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card usually comes with a welcome bonus of 40,000 miles after meeting minimum spending requirements. Now, you’ll receive 70,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card in the first six months from account opening. That’s $330 more valuable than the previous bonus, per Insider’s valuations.

With an annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $99, this card is great for occasional Delta flyers. It comes with a free first checked bag on Delta flights for you and up to eight companions on your reservation. This can save $60 per person per round-trip — so if you and a travel buddy check bags on Delta for even one trip per year, this benefit alone will more than offset the annual fee. 

Other benefits include priority boarding for you and companions on your reservation, a $100 Delta flight credit after you spend $10,000 on the card in a calendar year, a 20% discount on inflight purchases, and no foreign transaction fees.

Review: Gold Delta SkyMiles Amex Card review

Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card

The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card is the next step up from the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, with better benefits and a higher $250 annual fee.

This card’s previous bonus was 50,000 miles and 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after meeting minimum spending requirements. You’ll now earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new card in the first six months from account opening — an estimated value increase of $440.

The standout benefit of the card is its annual companion certificate, awarded after each account anniversary. When you reserve a coach flight for yourself within the continental US, you’ll get a second ticket for only the cost of taxes and fees (usually very cheap). If you’ll use this benefit each year, the card is worth the annual fee.

You’ll receive the same checked bag, priority boarding, and inflight discount privileges as the Delta Gold card. You’ll also get a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit of up to $100 and discounted Delta Sky Club lounge access.

Review: Platinum Delta Amex Card review

Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card

The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card now offers 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $6,000 in purchases on your new card in the first six months of account opening. That’s double the miles of the previous card bonus, which was 50,000 bonus miles and 10,000 MQMs after meeting minimum spending requirements. Insider estimates that this current bonus is worth $550 more.

This card comes with a $550 annual fee — but it also offers by far the most value of any Delta credit card:

• Access to Delta Sky Club airport lounges when flying Delta
• Access to Amex Centurion Lounges when you fly Delta and use your card to book the ticket
• 2 Delta Sky Club one-time guest passes each year
• Up to $100 for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
• Access to complimentary upgrades for non-elite Delta members 

Plus, you’ll get upgrade priority over non-cardholders with the same Delta elite status level and fare class grouping. And if you have no Medallion status, you’ll get added to the complimentary upgrade list after those with elite status.

Review: Delta Reserve review

Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card

Even if you only fly Delta once or twice per year, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card is worth a look. The welcome bonus is 75,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in purchases on your new card in your first three months of card membership (offer ends 3/29/23). That’s 25,000 miles higher than the previous offer, and $275 more valuable, per Insider’s valuations.

You’ll receive mostly the same perks as the personal Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, such as a free checked bag, priority boarding, and inflight discounts on Delta flights. You’ll even get the $100 Delta flight credit after spending $10,000 on the card in a calendar year.

You’ll pay a similar $99 (with a $0 intro for the first year) annual fee, as well.

The most noticeable difference between the personal and business versions is the bonus categories:

• 2 miles per dollar on eligible US purchases for advertising in select media
• 2 miles per dollar on eligible US shipping purchases
• 2 miles per dollar on Delta purchases
• 2 miles per dollar on restaurant purchases

Review: American Express Delta Gold Business Card review

Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express Card

The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card is offering a very solid bonus for its $250 annual fee.

The card comes with 95,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in purchases on your new card in your first three months of card membership (offer ends 3/29/23). You’ll also receive the same perks as the personal version of the card, including:

• Free checked bag
• Priority boarding
• Inflight discounts on Delta
• Annual companion certificate

This card isn’t the greatest for regular spending, as it only earns 3 miles per dollar on Delta purchases and on purchases made directly with hotels. You’ll also earn 1.5 miles per dollar on single eligible purchases of $5,000 or more (up to 50,000 additional miles per calendar year).

Review: Delta American Express Platinum Business Card review

Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card

The badge of the highest Delta credit card bonus now belongs to the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card. You’ll earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $6,000 in purchases on your new card in your first three months of card membership (offer ends 3/29/23). That’s 40,000 miles higher than the previous offer — and $440 more valuable, per Insider’s valuations.

While it’s got a $550 annual fee, you’ll get access to Delta Sky Club airport lounges when flying Delta and access to Amex Centurion Lounges when you fly Delta and use your card to book the ticket.

The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card has similar benefits to the personal version, but its earning rates are different. You’ll earn 3 miles per dollar for Delta spending, and 1 mile per dollar on everything else. However, after you spend $150,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year, you’ll earn 1.5 miles per dollar for the remainder of the calendar year.

Review: Amex Business Delta Reserve card review

Do you qualify for the Delta credit card bonuses?

There are a few American Express card rules you should know about before you decide to apply for one of these offers.

If you’ve ever opened one of these cards before, you won’t be eligible to earn the bonus again. You can only earn one card bonus per lifetime. However, each card is considered its own product, so even if you’ve opened the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, you can still earn the bonus from the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card or the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card. 

Also, Amex limits the total number of cards you can have. If you’ve got a wallet full of American Express cards already, you may not be approved.