Credit Card News
Delta Adds Second Free Bag Perk to Co-Branded Amex Cards
Delta and American Express are refreshing their co-branded credit cards with some new perks and card designs.
About the New Delta SkyMiles Credit Card Benefits:
One of the key perks of many airline co-branded credit cards is the ability to check a bag for free. Now, Delta is literally doubling down on that benefit.
Starting today, those with the Delta SkyMiles Gold, Platinum, or Reserve card can enjoy a complimentary second checked bag. This benefit is available on domestic Delta-operated flights. Following a recent price hike, Delta now charges $45 for the first checked bag and $55 for a second. That means that this perk could be worth up to $100 per person per way. However, this offer is only available on regular checked bags and does not apply to oversized or overweight bags.
In addition to the expanded checked luggage benefits, the Delta SkyMiles Gold card is gaining a new renewal credit. Now, each year after cardmembers renew, they’ll earn a $120 annual Rideshare Credit. This benefit offers $10 per month in statement credits for eligible U.S. rideshare purchases. At this time, eligible services include Uber, Lyft, Curb, and Alto.
Finally, all of the cards in the SkyMiles-Amex portfolio will see updated designs. Despite all of these enhancements, each card will retain its current annual fee. The Delta SkyMiles Gold card remains $150 a year (with the annual fee waived for the first year), the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card is $350, and the Delta SkyMiles Reserve is $650 per year. Meanwhile, there’s also the no-annual-fee Delta SkyMiles Blue card, although it does not have a checked bag benefit.
Limited-Time Welcome Offers:
With these updates, Delta and Amex are also rolling out some limited-time welcome offers for the card. What’s more, these unique offers feature multiple levels of earning opportunity.
First, new Delta SkyMiles Gold cardholders can now earn 70,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on the card within their first six months, plus an extra 20,000 bonus miles after spending an additional $2,000 (a total of $5,000) within the first six months. Similarly, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum is offering new cardholders 80,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on the card within the first six months or a total of 100,000 bonus miles after spending at least $6,000 on the card within that timeframe. Finally, the Delta SkyMiles Reserve card’s offer is 100,000 bonus miles after $6,000 in spending during the first six months, with an additional 25,000 bonus miles available after spending another $3,000 on the card during the first six months from account opening.
Currently, all of these offers are set to expire on July 15th.
What They’re Saying:
Commenting on the update, Amex’s EVP of Cobrand Products & New Product Development Jon Gantman stated, “This is what our partnership with Delta does best: bringing together our strengths to deliver more value across the full travel journey. From getting to the airport to stepping on the plane, we’ve worked together to add meaningful benefits like rideshare credits and a second checked bag — so our shared Card Members get more value along the way, without increasing annual fees.”
My Thoughts:
Obviously, new perks with no annual fee hikes are a good thing! Plus, I can imagine that there are travelers who would love to check a second bag for free, saving themselves the $55 fee. Therefore, these updates are undoubtedly positive for consumers.
Author
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