American Express Delta SkyMiles Blue
American Express, American Express, no annual fee. Earns Delta SkyMiles, valued at 1.20¢ a point.
Rates checked against the issuer 2026-09. Foreign transaction fee: none.
The short version
- Best at: nothing in particular — no category puts it in the top three of the catalogue.
- A year's rewards: about $361, with no fee to pay.
Is the annual fee worth it?
No annual fee, so everything it earns is kept: about $361 a year on the illustrative household's spending, which puts it number 46 of 59 the no-fee cards in the catalogue. All of them, ranked.
Price its credits, perks and sign-up bonus your way — tick what you would use and say what it is worth to you.
Priced on an illustrative household spending $2,205 a month on a card — the assumption, in full. Credits and perks are not priced: they are worth their face value only if you would have spent that money anyway.
What it earns, category by category
| Earns on | Rate | ConditionsWhat the issuer attaches to this rate: a spending cap, a category you have to switch on, or a booking you have to make through its travel portal. |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | 2x | Delta only. Delta purchases only |
| Restaurants & Bars, Food Delivery | 2x | Restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the US |
| Everything else | 1x |
Where a year's rewards come from
| Spending on | Earns a yearWhat this card earns on each kind of spending over a year, for the illustrative household on the method page. Before the annual fee. |
|---|---|
| Restaurants & Bars | $86 |
| Groceries | $72 |
| Everything Else | $72 |
| Gas Stations | $22 |
| Online Shopping | $22 |
| Utilities | $22 |
Priced on an illustrative household spending $2,205 a month on a card — the assumption, in full. Credits and perks are not priced: they are worth their face value only if you would have spent that money anyway.
What the issuer lists besides rewards
- 20% back as a statement credit on eligible Delta in-flight purchases
- No foreign transaction fees
Similar cards
- Citi AAdvantage MileUp — annual fee none
- Chase United Gateway — annual fee none
- Bank of America Atmos Rewards Ascent Visa Signature — annual fee $95 a year
- Citi AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard — annual fee $99 a year
- Every airline card, ranked
- The best two- and three-card combinations
Point values: published industry valuations, read 2026-09. How every number here is worked out.