[Expired] Why I Applied for the Delta Gold Card With an Elevated 80k Welcome Bonus Offer

While I don’t frequently fly with Delta, I’ve applied for their lineup of cards several times over the past decade. Although I prefer earning transferrable points such as American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards rather than airline miles, redeeming SkyMiles and having a Delta co-branded card can still offer lasting value — even for this South Florida-based traveler who flies the airline only a few times per year.

With the Delta co-branded cards offering elevated welcome bonus offers of up to 110,000 miles, I jumped back in. I applied for the Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card while these fantastic welcome bonuses are still available.

Here are 5 reasons I applied for the Delta Gold card with the increased welcome offer.

1. 80,000 Bonus Miles

Applying for credit cards when welcome offers are higher than usual can be a great strategy. Case in point: I’ve applied for more than 50 credit cards in the last decade and never applied to a standard welcome offer. Every time I applied for a Delta co-branded credit card in the past, the welcome offer was always elevated from the standard offer — and this time is no different.

The newest public welcome offer on the Delta Gold card has doubled from 40,000 bonus miles to 80,000 bonus miles, matching one of the most generous public welcome offers I’ve ever seen on the card. We value Delta SkyMiles at 1.2 cents apiece — therefore, the welcome bonus offer is worth about $960 to me. [This offer is no longer available. The current welcome offer on the Delta Gold card is: Earn 70,000 miles after you spend $3,000 in your first 6 months, plus another 20,000 miles after spending an additional $2,000 in your first 6 months. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.]

Since this elevated offer expires on October 23, 2024, I wanted to take advantage of the highest welcome offer on this card and boost my Delta SkyMiles balance for future award travel.

2. Entry-Level Delta Card

The Delta Gold card and its business counterpart, the Delta SkyMiles^® Gold Business American Express Card, stand out as entry-level options in the Delta credit card lineup:

• Delta Gold card: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 (rates & fees)
• Delta Gold Business card: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 (rates & fees)

Other Delta credit cards charge an annual fee when opening an account. Therefore, I can try out the Delta Gold card without an annual fee charge for the first year, provided that I pay the balance in full each month to prevent incurring interest charges.

This means that once I meet the minimum spend requirement of $3,000 in the first 6 months of opening my account, I will earn 80,000 bonus miles — and I won’t have to pay an annual fee until next year!

With a whole year to decide whether to keep the card, I can evaluate whether it brings enough value for the long haul or if I should part ways with it.

3. Delta Has Nonstop Flights for My Spring Break Plans

Next spring break, my family and I are gearing up for an exciting trip to Utah, where we’ll explore Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park in Moab. We’ve always dreamed of exploring Utah for its breathtaking views and legendary national parks.

When I began searching for flights for spring break 2025, I discovered Delta Air Lines was the only carrier offering nonstop flights from Miami International Airport (MIA) or Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) to Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC).

I was surprised that no other airline — particularly American Airlines with its major Miami hub — offers nonstop service to Salt Lake City.

Since I prefer a nonstop flight to Salt Lake City with my wife and 3 kids, I settled on Delta as my best option for getting to Utah for our spring break trip.

4. Select Delta Cardholders Can Save 15% on Award Flights

Earlier this year, Delta launched a fantastic feature called “TakeOff 15” for many of its co-branded credit card holders. If you have a Delta credit card, you receive a 15% discount on all Delta-operated award flights.

For instance, a flight that requires 10,000 miles will cost me 8,500 miles, resulting in a 15% savings on an award ticket.

As a newly minted Delta Gold card holder, I’m excited to save a nice chunk of miles when booking 5 award tickets for my family to Utah for spring break.

5. Delta SkyMiles Has Frequent Flash Sales

Since Delta eliminated fixed award charts a few years ago and moved to dynamic pricing for SkyMiles awards, rates have been inflated and unpredictable at times.

However, the carrier occasionally offers attractive award fares, particularly during Delta SkyMiles flash sales, when members can score award seats for the whole family for as little as 5,000 miles. You’ll pay even less with an eligible Delta card, as you can save 15% on award tickets.

That means when Delta has these amazing flash sales on award tickets, I can redeem the 80,000 miles I earn as part of my welcome offer to book a wide range of flights.

Final Thoughts

Although I don’t fly Delta very often, having airline miles to diversify my points and miles is important to me.

With some exciting limited-time welcome offers on the Delta co-branded cards, I thought it would be a great opportunity to apply for the Delta Gold card. As a result, I’ll make the most of those SkyMiles for my upcoming spring break trip and snag some great deals during Delta flash sales.