Delta Amex Cards Offer Valuable Travel Benefits This Summer

Delta Air Lines and American Express are offering elevated welcome bonuses on three co-branded SkyMiles credit cards through July 15, 2026, alongside benefits the issuer calls best-in-class for checked baggage and award-ticket savings [1]. The limited-time offers apply to the Delta SkyMiles Gold, Platinum, and Reserve consumer cards issued by American Express, a multinational financial services corporation that is the fourth-largest card network globally by purchase volume [3]. The Gold card is offering 70,000 bonus miles after $3,000 in purchases and an additional 20,000 miles after another $2,000 in purchases within the first six months. The Platinum card offers 80,000 miles after $4,000 in spending plus 20,000 more miles after an additional $2,000. The Reserve card provides 100,000 miles after $6,000 in spending and an additional 25,000 miles after another $3,000 [1]. All three offers expire July 15, 2026 [1]. Cardholders receive a free first checked bag for themselves and up to eight companions on the same reservation, a benefit NerdWallet describes as unrivaled after major domestic carriers raised bag fees in 2026 [1]. Delta charges $45 each way for a standard checked bag, or $90 round-trip, meaning a family of four checking one bag each would pay $360 per round-trip flight without the card benefit [1]. The cards also carry the TakeOff 15 benefit, introduced in 2023, which automatically applies a 15 percent discount on Delta award flights booked through delta.com or the Fly Delta app [1]. The discount does not apply to partner-operated flights or taxes and fees [1]. Delta has expanded its route network in 2026 with new nonstop domestic routes and seven additional transatlantic destinations [1]. The airline’s SkyMiles program, created in 1981 and renamed in 1995, is the frequent-flyer currency earned through flying and co-branded card spending [4]. In November 2024, Delta disclosed that spending on its American Express cards over the prior 12 months approached 1 percent of U.S. gross domestic product [4]. American Express, founded in 1850 as a freight-forwarding company, introduced its first paper charge card in 1958 and now has 141.2 million cards in force worldwide as of December 31, 2023 [3]. The company handled over $1.7 trillion in purchase volume that year and is accepted at 99 percent of U.S. merchants that take credit cards, though acceptance is lower in Europe and Asia [3]. Delta relies on regional partners such as SkyWest Airlines, which operates Delta Connection flights. SkyWest, the largest regional airline in North America by fleet size, flew 46 million passengers in 2025 and operated an average of 680 daily Delta Connection flights that year [2].