Delta is planning to change the way you earn miles from flights in 2015, and it means a lot of us will earn a lot fewer miles from flying, though the the miles you earn from credit card spending won’t change. That’s prompting a lot of flyers to reassess whether it’s worth sticking with Delta SkyMiles and whether to continue earning its miles via credit card spending.
But there’s actually some good news to report that will make that decision easier.
Starting April 2nd you’ll be able to apply for a new card from American Express, the Amex EveryDay card, that has no annual fee and lets you earn points which you can transfer into full value Delta SkyMiles online, instantly. That’s because the card earns full Membership Rewards points, which for years have offered the flexibility to transfer the points you earn directly into multiple airline mile programs.
There’s also a $95 annual fee version called the EveryDay Preferred that earns points even faster. Here’s how the new EveryDay cards compare to the Delta branded credit cards:
Amex EveryDay
Amex EveryDay Preferred
Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card
Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card
Delta Reserve
Base earning
1 point per dollar plus 20% bonus on all points each month you use the card for 20 transactions (1.2X earning)
1 point per dollar plus 50% bonus on all points each month you use the card for 30 transactions (1.5X earning)
1 mile per dollar spent
1 mile per dollar spent
1 mile per dollar spent
Category spending bonus
2X on groceries up to $6,000 in spending each year (2.4X with bonus)
3X on groceries up to $6,000 in spending each year (4.5X with bonus); 2X on gas spending (3X with bonus)
2X on Delta purchases
2X on Delta purchases
2X on Delta purchases
Medallion Qualifying Miles
None
None
None
10,000 MQMs after $25,000 in spending in a calendar year; another 10,000 MQMs after $50,000 in spending
15,000 MQMs after $30,000 in spending in a calendar year; another 15,000 after $60,000 in spending
Annual bonus
None
None
None
10,000 miles after $25,000 in spending in a calendar year; another 10,000 miles after $50,000 in spending
15,000 miles after $30,000 in spending in a calendar year; another 15,000 after $60,000 in spending
First checked bag free and Priority Boarding on Delta flights
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Foreign transaction fees waived
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Transfer points to multiple airlines
Yes, including Delta, Air Canada, Air France / KLM, JetBlue, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and more
Yes, including Delta, Air Canada, Air France / KLM, JetBlue, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and more
No
No
No
Annual fee
None
$95
$95
$195
$450
With the advent of these new cards, especially the no annual fee EveryDay card, the only big reasons to hold a Delta SkyMiles credit card with the Delta logo on it are now:
Using the free first checked bag and priority boarding benefits
Wanting to earn Medallion Qualification Miles via the Platinum Delta SkyMiles and Delta Reserve cards
Getting access to the Delta SkyClub with the Delta Reserve card
You do a lot of foreign purchases and want to take advantage of no foreign transaction fees on all Delta SkyMiles branded credit card
You like paying annual fees of $95 or more
That’s about it, so if you don’t value the above benefit options to the tune of $95 or more per year, there is little reason to stick with a Delta SkyMiles credit card.
Just carry a no annual fee Amex EveryDay Card and you’ll earn miles that you can convert to SkyMiles at any time with no annual fees, and earn them faster than with the most popular $95 a year Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card.
You can see how the EveryDay Card compares to other Delta SkyMiles cards based on your spending habits using our CardFinder tool.
If you’re thinking of leaving Delta altogether the EveryDay Card can be a bridge
You probably have some SkyMiles sitting in your account and might be within shooting distance of an award, so you can still earn miles to top off your miles before that last reward trip you take with Delta.
Then you don’t have to decide anything since the card has no annual fee; you can keep using it or apply for something different to better complement the airline you’ll be flying more often.
The Amex EveryDay card earns Membership Rewards points, which means you can transfer the points you earn to other airlines besides Delta, including Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways, JetBlue, Air France / KLM, Virgin Atlantic, and more, so you can really hedge your bets. You also have the option of using your points to pay for all or part of tickets like cash, with 5,000 miles worth $50. That’s not an outstanding deal but it’s worth considering.
Or, easily bridge to American Airlines with Starwood
Another bridge card option is the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express. This one does have an annual fee of $65, but it has an additional angle. The points it earns can be transferred to both Delta and American Airlines mile accounts, as well as over 20 other airlines. So if you’re not yet sure you want to leave Delta SkyMiles altogether you have the option to earn miles in a neutral currency and will have miles to bring to the table if you want to make the move to American Airlines.
Frequent flyer experts think American has the best mileage program on the market today, and American is happy to take disenchanted Delta SkyMiles members, matching elite status and currently offering great intro bonuses on their credit cards of 50,000 – 100,000 miles.
But if you end up deciding you want to stay with Delta, the points you earn on the Starwood card can be sent there as well. So this card is a good idea if you fly Delta frequently, but you’re waiting to see how Delta’s new award prices look when they’re revealed in the fall before you make a decision on whether to leave SkyMiles.
It’s also a good place to store points because Starwood points are very useful for free hotel nights, charging fewer points for free nights than most other programs. For example you can get many Starwood hotels that go for $250 a night in big cities for around 10,000 points a night, versus 20,000 or more with Marriott and others. Starwood hotels include Sheraton, Westin, W, Aloft, Le Meridien, St. Regis and more.
To conclude
With the new no annual fee Amex EveryDay credit card coming in April, you have a new way to earn Delta SkyMiles without the commitment of the annual fee based Delta SkyMiles credit cards. It’s a no risk way to earn miles and easy to try while you decide whether you want to keep or cancel your existing Delta SkyMiles credit card. Just note American Express lets you hold a maximum of four of its credit cards at any one time.