American Express and Delta announced back in October of 2019 that changes would be coming to all 4 personal co-branded credit cards as well as the business versions. These effects take place on January 30, 2020. Since these changes are about to kick in I thought it would be a good time to dive into these changes.

Sign-Up Bonus

Since American Express only allows you to earn one sign-up bonus per lifetime on each product. You want to try and earn a sign-up bonus when it is at or near its highest offer. The public offer always starts off at 30,000 SkyMiles after $1,000 of spending within the first 3 months of account opening. We have seen as high as 75,000 SkyMiles with $2,000 to $3,000 of spending within the first 3 months of account opening. I would strongly suggest waiting for one of the higher offers.

You can generally get close by using a referral link. If you’d like to use our LINK and You’ll currently get 60,000 Delta SkyMiles after you spend $2,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. You will also get a $50 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase with your new card within the first 3 months.

The best strategy is to use a computer to go onto Delta.com and purchase a $50 gift card. Data points suggest that if you try this from your phone or tablet that the credit will not kick in. Why this is I don’t know. But don’t chance it. You may even want to use incognito mode.

If you really want this card the best strategy is to apply for this card by January 29, 2020. By doing this you will get the current $95 annual fee waived for your first year. If you apply on January 30, 2020 or later the higher annual fee of $99 kicks in and is not waived in year one.

Delta SkyMiles Gold Benefits

We will look at the benefits this card will have effective January 30, 2020.

• $99 annual fee
• 2X Miles at Restaurants
• 2X Miles at U.S. Supermarkets
• 2X Miles on Delta Purchases
• $100 Delta Flight Credit, after you spend $10,000 in a calendar year
• First Checked Bag Free for you and up to 8 passengers traveling with you on the same reservation
• Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding

Overall Thoughts

As mentioned at the outset of this post this card is perfect if you fly using Delta at least twice a year as a solo traveler or once a year with a travel buddy. Checked bags on Delta run you a smooth $30 per bag each way. If you and your travel buddy each check a bag that would cost you $120. That more than pays for the $99 annual fee. To avoid the annual fee in year one be sure to apply by January 29, 2020. It’s also a great card to get your feet wet and earn some increased earnings at the supermarket and gas station while enjoying some nice travel benefits. This is a keeper card in my book.

The post Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card Review 2020 appeared first on My Credit Card IQ.