The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card are two good options for travel rewards cards.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is one of the most popular travel rewards cards because it offers nice welcome bonus and extra points on travel and dining, which can be transferred to airline and hotel partners or redeemed directly for travel at a rate of 1.25 cents per point through Chase Travel℠. The Sapphire Preferred also offers great travel and purchase protections for a card with a $95 annual fee.
The Amex Gold is a great card for earning points at restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and flights booked directly with airlines. Cardholders can also enjoy up to $424 in annual credits and nice travel and purchase protections.
Full Reviews: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card vs Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card.
Overview: Sapphire Preferred vs Delta Gold
Welcome Bonus
Chase Sapphire Preferred:
Let’s begin with one of the most attractive aspects of the Chase Sapphire Preferred: the welcome bonus. Currently, new cardholders can earn the following welcome bonus:
bonus_miles_full
Delta Gold American Express:
The Delta Gold Amex currently offers the following welcome bonus: bonus_miles_full
This bonus alone can potentially cover the cost of a round-trip domestic flight or even a one-way international ticket, depending on how you redeem your SkyMiles.
Earning Points
Chase Sapphire Preferred:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred earns Ultimate Rewards points and offers bonus points on spending in several categories:
- 5 points per dollar on travel booked through Chase Travel;
- 5 points per dollar on Lyft purchases (through March 2025);
- 5 points per dollar on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases of $250 or more (through March 2025, with a limit of 25,000 bonus points);
- 3 points per dollar on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out;
- 3 points per dollar on online grocery store purchases (excludes Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs);
- 3 points per dollar on select streaming services;
- 2 points per dollar on all travel not booked through Chase Travel; and
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible spending.
Delta Gold American Express:
The Delta Gold Amex allows cardholders to earn:
- 2 SkyMiles per dollar on purchases made with Delta;
- 2 SkyMiles per dollar on dining at restaurants, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.;
- 2 SkyMiles per dollar at U.S. supermarkets; and
- 1 SkyMile per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
Winner:
Chase Sapphire Preferred, which offers more earning opportunities across various spending categories, coupled with a more lucrative rewards rate. While you won’t be earning SkyMiles, cardholders can earn 2x points for travel purchases not booked through the Chase portal.
Card Benefits
Chase Sapphire Preferred:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers nice benefits, including:
10% Points Bonus: You will earn bonus points equivalent to 10% of your total spending in points earned with your Chase Sapphire Preferred Card during the past account anniversary year. For example, if you spent $10,000 during your cardmember year, you would receive an additional 1,000 points ($10,000 * 10% = 1,000 points).
$50 Hotel Credit: The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers up to $50 in statement credits every account anniversary year if you book your hotel stays through Chase Travel.
DashPass Membership: This card offers a one-year DashPass membership for free, which includes DoorDash and Caviar, offering unlimited deliveries with free delivery fees and reduced service fees for eligible purchases. The offer must be activated by December 31, 2027. Once the free membership is over, you will be automatically enrolled in DashPass at the prevailing monthly rate.
Instacart Membership: Have your groceries delivered to your doorstep with a complimentary 6-month Instacart+ membership plus a $15 credit once every quarter. Enrollment is required by July 31, 2024.
No Foreign Transaction Fees: You’ll save money on every purchase while traveling internationally since this card doesn’t add the typical 3% surcharge that many other cards impose.
Travel Benefits
Primary Rental Car Insurance: When you rent a car and pay with this card, you’ll receive comprehensive coverage including damage and theft protection. Simply decline the rental company’s collision damage waiver and charge the entire rental to your card to activate coverage. This insurance covers damage, theft, and valid loss-of-use charges worldwide.
Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance: This protection reimburses you for non-refundable, prepaid travel expenses if you need to cancel before departure or cut your trip short due to covered situations like severe illness or weather events. Coverage activates when you pay for your trip with the card, but it’s important to note that reimbursement only applies for specific covered reasons rather than any cancellation.
Trip Delay Insurance: When your trip is significantly delayed due to covered reasons like equipment failures or severe weather, this protection reimburses you for reasonable expenses including lodging, meals, toiletries, and medication. The coverage activates when you pay for travel with your card and extends to family members on the same itinerary, though you’ll need to seek reimbursement from the travel carrier first.
Lost Luggage Reimbursement: Your checked luggage gets extra protection against loss, theft, or damage beyond the basic compensation offered by carriers when you pay for travel with this card.
Baggage Delay Insurance: Missing luggage doesn’t have to derail your trip – this coverage steps in to reimburse you for essential purchases when your checked bags are delayed by airlines, trains, or other carriers. You can grab the necessities you need, from a fresh outfit to personal care items, while waiting for your bags to arrive.
Purchase Benefits
120-Day Purchase Protection: Get 120 days of protection against damage, theft, and even loss of your purchases – one of the longest windows available. This premium coverage automatically applies when you pay with your card.
Extended Warranty Protection: Your purchases gain an extra year of warranty protection when bought with this card, extending manufacturer warranties of three years or less without the inflated prices of store warranty plans.
Delta Gold American Express:
The Delta Gold Amex offers the following benefits for cardholders to help enhance your travel experience and deliver valuable savings. Let’s explore the key perks in detail:
First Free Checked Bag: As a cardholder, your first checked bag is free on Delta flights, a benefit that extends to up to eight additional passengers traveling on the same reservation. Given Delta’s standard checked bag fee of $35 each way, this perk can lead to substantial savings over time. Remember that the waiver applies to bags weighing 50 lbs or less and within Delta’s standard size limits—any overweight or oversized bags will still incur applicable fees.
Priority Boarding: This Delta card grants you and up to eight travel companions on the same reservation the privilege of boarding in Zone 5 ahead of most Main Cabin passengers. This benefit ensures ample overhead bin space for your carry-on bags and provides time to settle in before the flight.
Annual Delta Stays Credit: Get up to $100 back per year as a statement credit after using your Delta Gold Card to book prepaid hotels or vacation rentals through Delta Stays on delta.com/stays.
Delta Flight Credit: For big spenders, there’s an opportunity to earn a $200 Delta flight credit after spending at least $10,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year. This credit can effectively offset your annual fee and then some. The credit typically appears in your Delta account 2-4 weeks after reaching the spending threshold.
20% Back on In-Flight Purchases: When using your Delta American Express Card for eligible inflight purchases like food, beverages, and audio headsets on Delta-operated flights, you’ll receive a 20% savings as a statement credit. This discount applies to purchases made by primary cardholders and authorized users on domestic and international flights. However, it doesn’t cover inflight Wi-Fi.
15% Award Discount: One of the more unique perks of Delta credit cards is the TakeOff 15 benefit, which offers a 15% discount on award travel booked on Delta.com when signed into your account associated with your card. This discount applies to the SkyMiles required for an award ticket, not the dollar amount of government-imposed taxes and fees. While limited to Delta-operated flights (not partner airlines), this discount can help your miles go further, especially on more expensive routes or last-minute bookings.
Travel and Purchase Benefits
Amex Offers: As an American Express cardholder, you can access Amex Offers. These targeted, limited-time promotions provide discounts or bonus points on purchases with select merchants. Offers are added to your card, and you’ll receive either a percentage or dollar amount back as a statement credit when you meet the offer terms. While offers vary and may not always align with your spending habits, this perk can be valuable when an offer matches your preferences.
ShopRunner Membership: As a cardholder, you’ll enjoy a complimentary ShopRunner membership, which provides free 2-day shipping and free returns at over 100 participating online retailers. This benefit can help frequent online shoppers save on shipping costs and streamline the return process.
Secondary Rental Car Insurance: This card provides backup protection for rental car damage or theft when you charge the full rental to your card.*
Lost Luggage Reimbursement: Your checked luggage gets extra protection against loss, theft, or damage beyond the basic compensation offered by carriers when you pay for travel with this card.
Extended Warranty Protection: When you purchase items with your credit card, you’ll get an extra year of warranty coverage on eligible items that have original manufacturer warranties of up to five years. This valuable perk means you can protect expensive electronics and appliances that come with longer manufacturer warranties without paying extra for store protection plans*
90-Day Purchase Protection: Your new purchases are covered against damage and theft for 90 days when you use your card. This protection helps safeguard your eligible items right from the moment you buy them.*
* Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions, and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.
Winner:
It depends on how much you fly Delta Air Lines. If you can take advantage of Delta’s free checked bag benefit at least a few times per year, then the Delta Gold Amex has more useful benefits.
If not, then the Sapphire Preferred has more travel and purchase protections and includes a 10% points bonus and $50 annual credit on hotel stays booked through Ultimate Rewards.
If you fly Delta Air Lines several times a year and want to check your bag,
While you’ll get some solid travel and purchase protection benefits from both cards, each card still has its own unique perks, so it’s hard to say which card is the clear winner.
If you’re a regular Delta flyer, you’ll want to take a close look at the Delta SkyMiles Gold card should be your first option. But, if you’re all about food delivery and online shopping, then the Sapphire Preferred is your best pick.
Value of the Annual Fee
Chase Sapphire Preferred:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred has a $95 annual fee, which may give some people pause. However, as a frequent traveler, I’ve found that the card’s benefits and rewards can easily offset this cost.
Think about it this way: if you take advantage of the welcome bonus and redeem those points for travel, you’ve already recouped the annual fee many times over. Plus, the ongoing rewards and perks like travel insurance, hotel credit, and no foreign transaction fees can save you money and provide peace of mind during your trips.
Delta Gold Amex:
The Delta SkyMiles Gold has $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 (rates & fees). While this fee is comparable to other airline co-branded cards, it’s essential to evaluate whether the card’s benefits to justify the cost for your specific situation.
Fortunately, the card offers several perks that can help offset the annual fee, even for moderately frequent Delta flyers. The checked bag fee benefit alone can generate significant savings, especially if traveling with a family. Additional money-saving benefits like inflight purchase discounts, priority boarding, Delta flight credit, and more can further help you offset the annual fee.
Winner:
It depends on how often you fly Delta to take advantage of the Delta Gold’s benefits on Delta. If only fly Delta a few times per year, the Chase Sapphire Preferred will likely be a better deal for you.
Redeeming Points
Chase Sapphire Preferred:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers exceptional flexibility when it comes to points redemption, allowing you to create the travel experiences you’ve been dreaming of.
One popular redemption option is booking travel through the Chase Travel portal. Here, your points are worth 1.25 cents apiece, meaning that a substantial amount of points can be redeemed for a significant value towards travel. I’ve used this option to book flights, hotels, and rental cars, and I appreciate the simplicity of the process. Plus, when you book through the portal, you can still earn airline miles and hotel points on your reservations.
If you’re looking to stretch your points even further, transfer to Chase’s airline and hotel partners. Some notable transfer partners include United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, British Airways, Air France/KLM, Hyatt, and Marriott. By strategically transferring points, you can unlock incredible redemption opportunities like first-class flights or luxurious resort stays.
In my experience, transferring points to Hyatt has yielded some of the most valuable redemptions. By leveraging my Ultimate Rewards points, I’ve booked top-tier properties like the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme and the Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort for a fraction of the cash price.
Of course, if you’re not in the mood for travel, you can always redeem your points for statement credits or gift cards at a rate of 1 cent per point. While this may not provide the most bang for your buck, it’s a decent option to have for those times when you need a little extra cash in your pocket.
Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners [1 to 1]
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Aer Lingus
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Air Canada Aeroplan
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Air France/KLM
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British Airways
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Emirates
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Hyatt Hotels
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Iberia
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IHG Hotels
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JetBlue
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Marriott
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Singapore
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Southwest
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United
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Virgin Atlantic
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Delta Gold Amex:
Delta SkyMiles offers a variety of ways to redeem your hard-earned miles for travel. One of the most straightforward options is booking Delta-operated flights, where award pricing is dynamic. This means flexibility in your travel dates can often lead to better value. Keep an eye out for SkyMiles deals, which can offer significant savings on specific routes.
For international travel, Delta’s extensive partner network opens up a world of possibilities. As a member of the SkyTeam alliance, Delta allows you to redeem miles on 18 partner airlines, including Air France, KLM, and Korean Air. Additionally, non-alliance partners like WestJet provide more options, especially for travel to Canada.
Partner awards often provide better value than Delta-operated flights, particularly for premium cabin travel. For example, business class flights from the U.S. to Mexico or within Asia can be excellent uses of SkyMiles. However, it’s important to note that partner award availability can be limited, so booking in advance is recommended.
Another option is using miles for upgrades on Delta and select partner flights. While this typically provides lower value than booking award flights outright, it can be a good choice if you have a surplus of miles.
Delta Vacations presents another redemption opportunity, often yielding at least 1.15 cents per mile in value. This can be particularly appealing for package deals including flights and luxury hotel stays.
Remember, award prices can change without notice, so it’s always wise to book when you find a good deal. With some strategic planning, Delta SkyMiles can be a valuable currency for your travel needs.
Winner:
Chase Sapphire Preferred since Chase Ultimate Rewards points have a higher value when redeemed through their online travel portal. Additionally, these points are flexible and can be transferred to a variety of hotel and airline partners across different airline alliances.
The Verdict
The Chase Sapphire Preferred and Delta Gold Amex are both excellent credit card options that offer unique benefits and rewards. However, the Sapphire card is the better option in several aspects.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers a more generous welcome offer, higher reward rates, and more flexible redemption options compared to the Delta Amex Gold. Additionally, the points earned on the Sapphire card can be transferred to a variety of hotel and airline partners, which gives you more flexibility and value.
While the Delta Amex Gold does offer some great benefits for Delta loyalists, it is important to note that this card may not be the best fit for everyone. It’s mainly designed for those who frequently fly with Delta and can take advantage of the airline-specific benefits.
Overall, if you’re looking for a credit card that offers great travel rewards, excellent benefits, and flexible redemption options, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is a top choice.
Which card are you going to choose?
