American Express Delta Blue Card

This card is the last Delta credit card for us to talk about. It’s the only no annual fee Delta card in the US, but with the recent increase to the annual fees of the other Delta cards, this card is a good option for people who want to stop paying an annual fee without closing an account.

Unlike the other Delta cards, the Blue Card only has a personal version and not a business version.

I provide the information here just to give readers a vague idea if the rewards offered by the card might make sense for them to consider the card.  The information on this page has been collected independently, and all information should be confirmed with the card company before applying.

Welcome Offer

At the time of posting, the Delta Blue Card has a 10 000 bonus mile offer after spending $1 000 in 6 months. This offer is worth around $110. Before we continue, let me just say that if you don’t currently have a Delta card but want one (and aren’t into credit card churning), you should consider applying for the personal version of the Delta Gold card instead because it doesn’t have an annual fee in the first year but has a substantially better welcome offer.

Earnings

The Delta Blue card has a weak earning structure: it earns 2x miles/$ on Delta purchases and dining and 1x mile/$ on everything else. That’s it.

These cards do not earn MQDs based on spending, so if you’re looking to earn status using credit card spend, the Reserve is the most efficient option.

Benefits

As a no annual fee card, this card offers few benefits. Specifically, it offers 20% off Delta Inflight purchases. That’s it. In particular, this card does not offer the 15% discount on Delta award tickets, which is a huge loss if you ever try to use the SkyMiles you earn from using this card (and why wouldn’t you…)

This card does not offer the $2 500 MQD “head start” on status qualification each year.

How to use the points

The main use for Delta Airlines miles is to redeem them for Delta Airlines, SkyTeam, and other partners’ flights.  Delta Airlines has dynamic pricing for its own flights and any flight that starts/ends in the United States, but there does still exist an award chart for its partners on non-US itineraries that can provide good value. Delta Airlines is a transfer partner of American Express, but Amex will charge you a fee for points transfers at a rate of $6 per 10 000 miles.

The other type of point earned, MQD, is used for Delta status: this year, you need $5 000 for Silver, $10 000 for Gold, $15 000 for Platinum, and $28 000 for Diamond.

Examples of using the card

These examples assume you spend all your airfare budget on Delta Airlines.

Spend per month

	Example A		Example B		Example C		Example D
Groceries (1x)	$300	300	$200	200	$600	600	$400	400
Gas (1x)	$0	0	$100	100	$200	200	$100	100
Airfare (2x)	$700	1 400	$200	400	$0	0	$400	800
Hotels (1x)	$1 000	1 000	$200	200	$0	0	$300	300
Gen Travel (1x)	$400	400	$0	0	$300	300	$100	100
Dining (2x)	$600	1 200	$300	600	$300	600	$0	0
General (1x)	$1 000	1 000	$500	500	$500	500	$400	400
Total	$4 000	5 300	$1 500	2 000	$1 700	2 200	$1 700	2 100
Average points/$		1.33		1.33		1.29		1.24

This card’s minimal bonus categories mean that the average points earned has a narrow, low range of 1.24 – 1.33 points/$, which is worth 1.36 – 1.46 ¢/$. This earn rate is lower than many no annual fee cashback cards. It’s really not a card you should be putting any spend on given how many better, more flexible options exist. There is a slight advantage to earning SkyMiles through these cards because you don’t have to pay the transfer tax that Amex makes you pay.

Specific examples

Card	Delta Airlines Economy class ($750)  (% return)	Marriott Hotel night ($230/night)	Points values (Delta/Hotel)
No rewards card	3 500 AM (5.1%)	2 200 MP (7.3%)	$38.50 / $16.79
General 2% cashback card ($0)	3 500 + $15.00 (7.1%)	2 200 MP + $4.60 (9.3%)	$53.50 / $21.39
Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95)	3 500 + 1 500 UR (8.1%)	2 200 MP + 460 UR (10.3%)	$61.00 / $23.69
Amex Green Card ($150)	3 500 + 2 250 MR (9.3%)	2 200 MP + 690 MR (11.5%)	$70.00 / $27.14
Delta Blue Card ($0)	5 000 AM (7.3%)	2 200 MP + 230 DM (8.4%)	$55.00 / $19.32

Is this the right type of credit card for you?

In my opinion, the only valid use case of this card is to downgrade to it to avoid having to close a credit card account. If you’re getting your first Delta Card, I’d recommend starting with the Delta Gold Card, since its annual fee is waived in the first year. This card doesn’t offer 15% Delta award tickets unlike the other cards, which could be a huge value if you often redeem SkyMiles for tickets. If you want to earn MQDs toward status with Delta, this card won’t help you, and you should consider the Delta Reserve Card.