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Compare the Features and Benefits of Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card and
United Gateway℠ Card

Detailed Comparison Overview

Key Facts
Annual Fee
Avg. Min. Credit Score
APR on purchases
Ongoing APR
Balance transfers fees
Best Multiplier
Avg. Point Value
(Learn More)
Bonus Offer
Rating
Review
Key features
Unique Card Benefits
Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver
Extended Warranty
Purchase Protection
No Foreign Transaction Fees
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
No Fees for Authorized Users
Amex Offers
0% Intro APR on Purchases
Trip Protections
Concierge Services
Free Access to Credit Score
Annual Fee
$0 (Rates and fees)
Avg. Min. Credit Score
Good-Excellent
APR on purchases
-
Ongoing APR
19.99%-28.99% (Variable)
Balance transfers fees
-
Best Multiplier
2x Airfare

Only on Delta flights booked directly with Delta. Otherwise earn 1X

2x Dining Out / Food Delivery

At restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery services in the U.S.

1x All Other Eligible Purchases
Avg. Point Value
(Learn More)
$0.012
Bonus Offer

Earn 10,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.. Terms apply.

Rating
YBCC Card Rate Stars Filled
YBCC Card Rate Stars Empty
(3.25) Our Review

Our ratings are determined by the authors and editors on our team. Each individual card feature is compared against all other cards we offer and the total score is an average of those 4 ratings.

Review

While at first it may be tempting to want a Delta American Express card with no annual fee, there’s little reason to get this card over all of the other six Delta SkyMiles credit cards from American Express considering that it is the most basic Delta credit card.

While there is no annual fee, of the 7 cards linked above, this is the only one that does not have:

  • Priority Boarding
  • Free Checked Bag
  • A waiver on the MQD requirement to earn Delta Medallion Elite status when you spend $25,000 in a calendar year.
  • The TakeOff15 benefit, which offers a 15% discount on SkyMiles award travel on Delta marketed and operated flights

priority-bording-delta-skymiles-blue-american-express-card

Those are some HUGE benefits to give up. You’ll get TakeOff15, priority boarding and a free checked bag with the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card. The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card allows you to earn MQDs for spend (and comes with an annual companion certificate that allows you to fly a friend or family member for the cost of government-imposed taxes (roughly under $80) for round trip domestic flights.

And while 2X miles on restaurants worldwide sounds good on the Delta Blue SkyMiles card, consider that there are two Amex cards that earn Membership Rewards that earn more on dining: The American Express® Gold Card (4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X) and the American Express® Green Card (3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent). And American Express Membership Rewards points can transfer to Delta – but they can also transfer to a huge range of other airlines and hotels. Isn’t flexibility better? Why be tied to one mileage program, Delta, when you mind find a better mileage deal elsewhere? Remember, you can fly Delta exclusively and collect lots of SkyMiles that way, but it doesn’t mean that should be all you earn on your credit cards….

In my opinion, the best reason for having a Delta Blue is when you have one of the annual fee Delta cards is your oldest credit card and want to downgrade to a no annual fee card to keep your credit score intact.

But other than that, 99% of people would come out ahead paying the annual fee on one of the other six Delta SkyMiles credit cards from American Express and taking advantage of the benefits that come with them.

Rates and Fees for the Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express

Read more
Unique Card Benefits
yes
Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver
yes
Extended Warranty
yes
Purchase Protection
yes
No Foreign Transaction Fees
yes
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
yes
No Fees for Authorized Users
yes
Amex Offers
yes
0% Intro APR on Purchases
no
Trip Protections
no
Concierge Services
no
Free Access to Credit Score
no
Annual Fee
$0
Avg. Min. Credit Score
670-850
APR on purchases
0% Intro APR (on purchases for 12 months, 20.99%-27.99% thereafter)
Ongoing APR
20.99%-27.99% (Variable)
Balance transfers fees
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Best Multiplier
2x Airfare

Applies only to United purchases. Otherwise, earn 1X

2x Transit
2x Gas Stations
1x Everything Else
Avg. Point Value
(Learn More)
$0.012
Bonus Offer
Earn 30,000 United MileagePlus® Miles after spending $1,000 on qualifying purchases in the first three months of opening an account, plus 0% APR on purchases within the first twelve months.
Rating
YBCC Card Rate Stars Filled
YBCC Card Rate Stars Empty
(3.75) Our Review

Our ratings are determined by the authors and editors on our team. Each individual card feature is compared against all other cards we offer and the total score is an average of those 4 ratings.

Review

The United Gateway card does a solid job of providing enough benefits to make you wonder if it will be sufficient, vs investing $95 or more on one of the other Chase United credit cards since this is the only one with no annual fee.

The answer will depend on you.

If you fly several times a year and check a bag each time, then you’ll come out ahead paying the $95 annual fee on the United℠ Explorer Card since you’ll get free checked bags (one for you and a companion on the same itinerary) every time you pay with your card on a domestic flight. You also won’t get priority boarding with the Gateway card.

However, if you are on “Team Carry-On Only,” then this card provides many of the same benefits, including the benefit that gives you access to expanded Saver economy coach availability just like a United Silver Premier member. However, unlike all of the other United cards, you won’t be entitled to upgrades on award tickets.

Additionally, you won’t have any opportunities to earn PQPs from spending on this card whereas all the other United cards do offer that benefit.

Lastly, you might do better with a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card if you aren’t using the checked bag benefit or the expanded award availability benefit. That’s because you’ll have more opportunities to earn points from spend on the Sapphire Preferred, and while you can transfer those points right over to United, you can also take advantage of all of the other Chase Ultimate Rewards airline and hotel transfer partners.

united-gateway-card

In the end, it depends on you if this is a good card for you, or if another similar card might be better.

Read more
Unique Card Benefits
yes
Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver
yes
Extended Warranty
yes
Purchase Protection
yes
No Foreign Transaction Fees
yes
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
no
No Fees for Authorized Users
no
Amex Offers
no
0% Intro APR on Purchases
yes
Trip Protections
yes
Concierge Services
yes
Free Access to Credit Score
yes

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