If you’re someone who loves to travel, having a travel credit card can be a game-changer! And if you’re looking for one, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card are two good options that you can consider!
Both cards offer some fantastic benefits and rewards, but let’s be honest, choosing the right one can be overwhelming.
In this article, we’re going to dig into the details of each card. We’ll be comparing their rewards programs, annual fees, perks, and more, so you can make an informed decision about which card suits your travel needs best.
Full Reviews: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card vs Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card.
Overviews of the Cards
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- 5x Points on Travel Booked Via Chase
- 3x Points on Dining and Eligible Delivery Services
- 2x Points on All Other Travel Purchases
- 10% Anniversary Points Boost
- Trip Delay and Trip Cancellation Insurance
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- $95 Annual Fee
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- 2X SkyMiles on Delta Air Lines, U.S. Supermarkets, and Restaurants worldwide (including takeout & delivery in the U.S.)
- Free First Checked Bag
- 20% Statement Credit on Delta In-Flight Purchases
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $0 Intro Annual Fee for the First Year, Then $99 Per Year (Rates and Fees)
Welcome Bonus
The Chase Sapphire Preferred currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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The Delta Gold Amex currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Chase Ultimate Rewards points are more valuable than Delta SkyMiles, making the welcome bonus for the Sapphire Preferred a better deal.
Earning Points
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 the Chase travel portal;
- 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, including Netflix, Disney+, Spotify, Youtube TV, Pandora, Apple Music, SiriusXM, Sling, Vudu, Fubo TV, Hulu, and ESPN+;
- 2 points per dollar on all travel not booked through the Chase travel portal; and
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible spending.
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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
The Sapphire Preferred offers nice benefits, including:
- Receive 25% more value on points redeemed for travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards® portal.
- $50 annual credit on hotel stays purchased through Ultimate Rewards.
- 10% Points Bonus for each Cardmember anniversary.
- A complimentary one-year subscription to DashPass by DoorDash when you enroll by December 31, 2024.
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance (up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip).
- Primary car rental insurance.
- Lost luggage reimbursement (up to $3,000 per passenger)
- Baggage delay insurance (up to $100 per day for five days).
- Trip delay insurance (up to $500 per ticket for a delay longer than 12 hours or overnight).
- Extended warranty.
- 120 days purchase protection (up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per year).
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Free 6-month membership to Instacart+ (activate by July 31, 2024).
The Delta Gold Amex offers the following benefits for cardholders:
- First checked bag-free and priority boarding for you and up to eight travel companions on your reservation when flying Delta;
- 20% back on inflight purchases as a statement credit;
- 15% off award redemptions for Delta flights (when paying taxes and fees with this card);
- $100 Delta Flight credit after spending $10,000 or more in a calendar year;
- No foreign transaction fees;
- Secondary car rental insurance;*
- Lost luggage reimbursement;*
- Purchase protection;* and
- Extended warranty.*
* 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
The Chase Sapphire Preferred comes with an annual fee of $95.
While some users might be initially deterred by this cost, it’s important to consider the value and benefits that come with the card.
The rewards points, travel benefits, and purchase protections can help offset the cost of the annual fee for frequent travelers.
The Delta SkyMiles Gold has $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99 (rates & fees).
This allows you to try out the card risk-free for the first year to see if you can offset the annual fee in subsequent years by taking advantage of the free checked bag, priority boarding, 20% statement credit for in-flight purchases, and travel protections.
Winner: Delta SkyMiles Gold Amex the first year; after that, it depends.
The Delta SkyMiles Gold wins the first year because it has a $0 introductory fee.
After the first year, it will depend on how much you fly Delta to take advantage of the benefits.
If you fly multiple airlines a year, then the Sapphire Preferred is a better option.
Redeeming Points
The earns Ultimate Rewards points, one of the most flexible points currencies.
You can use your points to book flights, hotel stays, and even rent a car through Chase Travel — all at a fixed rate of 1.25 cents per point. For example, 100,000 points are equivalent to $1,250 towards travel.
You can unlock even more value than 1.25 cents per point by transferring rewards to Chase airline and hotel partners.
Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners [1 to 1]
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Aer Lingus
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Air Canada Aeroplan
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British Airways
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Emirates
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Air France/KLM
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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 no longer publishes an award chart for its SkyMiles program. Award flights are instead priced dynamically based on many factors, including routes, travel dates, airline partners, and how far in advance you book the flight.
It is generally very difficult for people to get outsized value when using SkyMiles for business class, like many other points programs, but here’s a few of my recommended ways to redeem SkyMiles:
- Domestic economy flights starting as low as 4,500 SkyMiles.
- Booking one of Delta’s occasional flash sales.
- Flights to Canada on WestJet starting as low as 4,500 SkyMiles.
- Virgin Atlantic to London in Upper Class for 120,000 SkyMiles each way.
- Air France Business Class to Paris for 120,000 SkyMiles each way.
- LATAM Economy Class from the U.S. to South America starting at 25,000 SkyMiles each way.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred
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.
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- 5x Points on Travel Booked Via Chase
- 3x Points on Dining and Eligible Delivery Services
- 2x Points on All Other Travel Purchases
- 10% Anniversary Points Boost
- Trip Delay and Trip Cancellation Insurance
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- $95 Annual Fee
- bonus_miles_full
- 2X SkyMiles on Delta Air Lines, U.S. Supermarkets, and Restaurants worldwide (including takeout & delivery in the U.S.)
- Free First Checked Bag
- 20% Statement Credit on Delta In-Flight Purchases
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $0 Intro Annual Fee for the First Year, Then $99 Per Year (Rates and Fees)
