Disclosure: The Luxe Minimalist is a member of several affiliate programs (including Amazon Associates), meaning at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made using my affiliate links. I always share my honest opinion and only recommend products & services that I truly love. Read the full disclosure here. Click the pink text to shop & thank you for your support!
Searching for the best travel credit card for beginners with the best signup offers? Read why the Delta American Express Credit Cards check all of the boxes.
Best Travel Credit Card for Beginners
When I think about all of the times I paid for my flights using a debit card, I could literally kick myself. I could have been racking up miles when I was traveling all over the place last year. I came across a blog post talking about the benefits of having a travel card in your wallet and it made some really great points. While searching for the best travel credit card for beginners like me, I came across the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express and knew it would be the perfect one for my needs.
I was already a Delta loyalist, choosing them for my frequent flights between New York to New Orleans. I also had been a SkyMiles member for a few years, so the Delta SkyMiles American Express cards were the number 1 contenders. Like the non-branded American Express cards, there are a lot of cards (and colors) to choose from. I was originally leaning towards the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card but ended up choosing the Gold version in the end. Although the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express came with a $95 annual after the first year, benefits like priority boarding at busy airports like JFK outweighed the price tag for me.
There were a couple of other reasons I decided to go gold that I’ve listed below.
If you’re just starting out in the world of travel rewards cards and mainly fly Delta when traveling, I’d highly recommend going for the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express or the Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express if you don’t want to deal with an annual fee. Make sure you compare cards on the Delta Amex site as the blue card has fewer benefits than the Gold.
Since signing up for the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express, the benefits have only gotten better. This year, the airline improved the earning categories and the cards also got a fresh new look. Read below for the added benefits that kicked in for 2020.
Benefits of the Delta Gold American Express:
- First Checked Bag Free – Fee waiver also available for passengers traveling in the same reservation as the Card Holder
- Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding
- 2X miles on Delta Purchases
- 1X miles on all other purchases
- Pay With Miles – Use miles to reduce the cost of Delta tickets on Delta.com
- 20% Back on In-Flight Purchases – Comesin the form of a statement credit on eligible Delta in-flight purchases after using your card
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
Newly added benefits for 2020:
- New Look! Delta refreshed all of their SkyMile cards with a modern look
- 2X miles at restaurants
- 2X miles at U.S. supermarkets
- $100 Delta Flight Credit after spending $10,000 in purchases in a calendar year
As someone who loves going out to eat and also cooking new recipes, I was so happy to learn that the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express would start earning 2x miles per dollar spent at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets in 2020.
My number one reason why the Delta SkyMiles American Express Cards are the best travel credit cards is the SIGN-UP BONUS!
Delta SkyMiles American Express Welcome Offer
The main reason I’d recommend the Delta SkyMiles Amex card is to earn the amazing sign-up bonus. Using my referral link, you can earn up to 35,000 bonus miles on any of the Delta SkyMiles American Express cards.
Think one of the Delta Amex cards may be the best travel credit card for you? Learn more and take advantage of their 35,000 sign up bonus by using my referral link here: http://refer.amex.us/COREYEBoEY?XLINK=MYCP.
If you already hold one of the Delta Amex SkyMiles cards, let me know why you love it below! If not, what is your favorite card for travel? Check out my other travel posts if you’re looking for some inspo.
Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram to get real-time travel & life updates.