Are Airline Credit Cards Worth It? (2024)

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Editorial Review

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is a middle-of-the-road co-branded Delta Air Lines credit card. If you prefer to check bags but don’t have elite status, you can easily justify the annual fee after a few uses of the first checked bag free perk each year when you fly Delta and make this card a worthwhile addition to your wallet.

Pros & Cons

• No foreign transaction fees
• Free first checked bag and priority boarding on Delta flights
• Large variety of airline partners

• High regular APR
• Has an annual fee

See Also

Alaska Miles: How to earn, redeem, and maximize Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan in 2024

Card Details

• Earn 40,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $2,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Enjoy a $0 introductory Annual Fee for the first year, then $150.
• Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
• $200 Delta Flight Credit: After you spend $10,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can receive a $200 Delta Flight Credit to use toward future travel.
• Earn 2X Miles on Delta purchases, at U.S. Supermarkets and at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
• You can check your first bag free on Delta flights, saving up to $70 on a round-trip Delta flight per person. For a family of four that’s a potential savings of up to $280 per round-trip flight.
• Receive Zone 5 Priority Boarding on Delta flights; board early, stow your carry-on bag and settle in sooner.
• $100 Delta Stays Credit: Get up to $100 back per year as a statement credit after using your Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card to book prepaid hotels or vacation rentals through Delta Stays on delta.com.
• Take up to $50 off the cost of your flight for every 5,000 miles you redeem with Pay with Miles when you book on delta.com.
• Receive a 20% savings in the form of a statement credit on eligible Delta in-flight purchases after using your Card.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.
• With Send & Split®, you can send money and split your Card purchases with any other Venmo or PayPal user, directly from the Amex App. Enroll today.
• Terms Apply.

Earn 40,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $2,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

The answer is sometimes. Airline credits can be worth it, but you have to select the right card for you that has added benefits you’ll use. There are certain situations when airline credits are really worth their value, which we’ll highlight more below.

When a card is worth it depends on your circ*mstances, travel style and needs. Here are some of the situations when getting an airline credit card may be worth it.

When You Don’t Hold Elite Status

Many airline credit cards offer perks like free checked bags or priority boarding, which are also benefits of some airline elite status levels. If you don’t have status with an airline that you fly frequently, having an airline co-branded credit card can save you money on fees for checked baggage and priority boarding.

When You Need a Welcome Bonus

Getting a large influx of points is extremely welcome at any time, but especially so if you’re planning a big trip, like a honeymoon. A welcome bonus is an easy way to earn thousands of airline miles quickly, which may be worth an annual fee depending on the size of the bonus and how much spending is required.

When You’re Loyal to One Airline

If you’re consistently loyal to a specific airline (but don’t hold elite status), airline credit cards may be worth it because they’ll not only allow you to earn miles with that specific airline, but the airline-specific perks and benefits like free checked bags, priority boarding and check-in and flight discounts can consistently save you money and time.

To Get Additional Benefits

Certain airline credit cards may also offer benefits like discounted or free lounge access, bonus point categories, travel insurance and more.

To Earn Elite Status

If getting airline elite status is your goal, having an airline credit card can help. Credit card spend on an airline co-branded card can also fast-track you to elite status by offering bonus elite miles that count toward status.

To Get a Companion Pass

If you’re trying to earn a companion pass, credit card spend on a co-branded airline credit card may help you get there faster.

Before signing up for an airline credit card, you may want to consider the pros and cons.

Pros of Airline Credit Cards

• Often hefty welcome bonuses. You could earn thousands of points after meeting a spend threshold in a certain amount of time after opening the card.
• Possible fast-tracks to elite status. Your credit card spend may count towards elite status.
• Help reduce travel expenses and make travel easier. Things like free checked bags, priority check-in/boarding and flight discounts can make travel more affordable and less of a hassle. Plus, the miles you earn mean you can redeem them for award flights.
• Some benefits may apply to more than one person. Getting an airline credit card may be worth it for one trip alone if you’re traveling with a large group that needs to check luggage. Some cards, like the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®*, allow a free checked bag not just for you but for up to eight other travel companions on the same reservation.

Cons of Airline Credit Cards

• Little flexibility. Earning a specific airline currency may not offer much flexibility when it comes to redemptions, as you can’t necessarily transfer points to other partners.
• Possible devaluations. You’re always at the mercy of that specific airline—meaning you could work hard to earn airline miles with your card, then see them devalued in the blink of an eye whenever an airline changes its policies.
• Limited award availability. When you earn a certain miles currency, there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to use your miles when you need them. There may not be award space on a specific flight or on your preferred dates.
• Annual fees. Many co-branded airline cards come with annual fees ranging from minimal to hefty.

Use these tips when choosing the right airline credit card for you.

Pick the Airline You’re Most Loyal to or Want To Earn Status With

Obsessed with flying American? Consider the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®*, which offers free Admirals Club membership and allows you to earn loyalty points to get you closer to elite status.

Prefer Southwest? Choose from three different personal cards to fit your travel style—the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is the most comprehensive, with perks like a $75 Southwest credit, 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points for each $5,000 spent in purchases annually and bonus spend categories.

Pick the Airline You Need Additional Miles For

Perhaps you already hold a flexible travel rewards card like The Platinum Card® from American Express and you typically transfer all your Amex points to Amex partner Delta (Terms apply).

You might benefit from really bulking up that Delta balance by also getting a Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, which currently offers a bonus of 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in eligible purchases in the first six months of card membership (Terms apply, see rates & fees).

Consider Annual Fees

Annual fees may range from $0—for example, the United℠ Explorer Card which has a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95—to the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (terms apply, see rates & fees), which has a $650 fee, and everything in between. Think about your budget and how you’ll maximize the perks of the card to see which card (and which annual fee) is worth it for you.

Make Sure To Earn the Welcome Bonus

One of the best perks of an airline credit card is the welcome bonus, so make sure to keep track of spend in order to hit the spend threshold and get those introductory bonus points.

Spend in Bonus Categories To Maximize Miles Earnings

Make sure to utilize the card where it counts the most—the bonus spend categories. For example, the United Explorer offers 2 miles per dollar on dining including eligible delivery services, hotel stays and United® purchases and 1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases, so that’s the ideal card to use at restaurants or when ordering delivery. Meanwhile, plan to charge groceries on the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, which offers 3 miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels, 2 miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets and 1 mile per dollar on other eligible purchases.

Book and Fly on One Airline

Airline credit cards are often worth it if you frequently fly on a particular airline. Usually, the airline gives bonus points for booking flights on the card to earn even more. For example, cardholders of the Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®* earn 2 miles for every dollar spent on cable and satellite providers, select telecommunications merchants, eligible American Airlines purchases, car rentals, and gas stations and 1 mile for every dollar spent on other purchases. Also earn 1 loyalty point for every one eligible mile earned from purchases. And, all those card benefits you get when flying, like lounge access, checked bags and priority boarding are only valuable if you actually fly on that airline, which brings us to our next point.

Maximize the Perks of the Card Besides Just the Miles

Airline credit cards are worth it not only for the miles but for the added benefits. For example, if your chosen card has a $95 annual fee but offers a free checked bag, just a couple of flights on the airline will offset that fee, regardless of miles earned using the card.

Use Your Miles Before They’re Devalued

Your airline miles earned with a co-branded airline credit card are only valuable if you use them. Spend them, redeem them and use them to travel, so you can get your money’s worth. Don’t sit for ages on a pile of miles—you never know when or if they’ll be devalued and worth less. Using credit card airline miles means you’re getting true value out of the card.

Airline credit cards aren’t always the best value credit cards out there, but there are ways you can extract the maximum value from them and make them worth it. It often depends on your situation, travel needs and all sorts of personal factors, like how frequently you travel, how often you check bags and if you hold elite status.

The most important things to remember when getting an airline credit card are to maximize all the perks offered (not just the miles) and use/redeem your miles before they expire or are devalued, as they won’t offer the same flexibility and transfer options as flexible travel reward card points.

To view rates and fees for The Platinum Card® from American Express please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card please visit this page.