Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express

The short answer

The Delta SkyMiles Blue American Express Card earns Delta miles with no annual fee. Its role in a wallet is narrow: it gives access to Pay with Miles, but not the checked-bag or lounge benefits of the more expensive Delta cards.

The number that frames the answer is $60. In Julia's yearly budget of $10,800, all paid in full, Blue earns 15,600 miles, worth $156 at 1 cent each. A suitable no-fee 2% cash-back card returns $216 on the same spending.

So the card suits someone who flies Delta only occasionally and wants to put miles toward tickets they would buy anyway. It suits less well a household that wants a stronger everyday return, or one that checks bags on Delta. The Studio's verdict on fit is "Delta loyalty, when the benefits of this tier match actual use." Its Wallet Score is 51 out of 100.

What it costs

There is no annual fee, and the Studio's rate card lists no membership cost. That keeps the commitment low, but it does not make the choice free. Julia compares Blue with a no-fee 2% cash-back card, and choosing Blue's rewards instead gives up $60 on her budget.

The same logic applies to other cards. A free card is not the better deal merely because its own fee is $0. If checked bags matter, Julia compares the actual bag charges with a suitable card that waives them, counting only charges she would otherwise pay and including that card's renewal fee.

What it earns

• 2 miles per dollar on purchases paid directly to Delta and at qualifying restaurants.
• 1 mile per dollar on everything else.

Julia values a mile at 1 cent toward travel she would otherwise buy, and the Studio's rate card uses the same 1 cent. The Studio's test uses Delta's fixed 1-cent Pay with Miles route and whole redemption blocks, so no exceptional award is doing the work.

Across the whole budget, Blue's 15,600 miles would need to replace more than $216 of travel to beat the 2% card. That is just over 1.38 cents per mile. Julia might find a redemption above that level, but she would not assume one is available whenever her family wants to fly.

The credits, used honestly

The Studio's rate card lists no annual credits for Blue, so the question is what each benefit is worth when used.

• Pay with Miles. Eligible Delta Amex cardholders can apply miles toward qualifying Delta tickets booked on Delta's website, normally 5,000 miles for $50, with the remaining price paid on the eligible Delta card. Covering a final amount smaller than $50 can give less than 1 cent per mile, so Julia would not use another full block just to make the cash amount disappear.
• In-flight food and beverage. A 20% statement credit on eligible Delta purchases paid with Blue. A qualifying $15 purchase saves $3, and Julia would not buy it just to earn the credit.
• Foreign transactions. Blue has no foreign transaction fees, which could help abroad. A merchant's currency conversion markup is separate from the card's fee.
• Purchase protection. Eligible purchases can have accidental-damage or theft protection for up to 90 days, and the extended warranty can add up to 1 year on qualifying original warranties of 5 years or less. Read the exclusions and claim limits first.

The catch

Blue does not include the first checked-bag waiver or the TakeOff 15 award discount available on eligible higher-fee Delta cards. It also lacks their companion certificates, Medallion qualification benefits and Sky Club access. Pay with Miles does not add a 15% discount on top, because they are different benefits with different eligibility. The Studio's limitation says: "Pay With Miles cannot be combined with TakeOff 15. Lounge comfort and status progress have no assumed cash value."

Pay with Miles rounds mileage use in blocks of 5,000, and it is not the same booking method as an award priced in miles plus taxes. Cancellation matters too: depending on the cancellation, value can come back as a Delta travel credit rather than as miles, which can matter if you are unsure of flying Delta again soon.

Abroad, check the merchant's currency choice before paying, because a markup added by the merchant is not something the card's lack of a foreign transaction fee removes.

Who it fits

Blue fits a household like the one in Julia's example, with $600 a year paid to Delta, $4,200 at restaurants and $6,000 of other purchases, that flies Delta occasionally and would use miles through Pay with Miles on a flight it was going to buy anyway. Julia likes Blue most when it helps her use miles she already has, without a yearly fee.

It fits less well a household whose Delta trips involve checked bags, or one that prefers predictable cash. In that case the 2% card is the simpler tool, and Blue can keep a narrower role for Pay with Miles instead of taking every bill. Julia would not make it her everyday card just because she likes the airline.

The Wallet Score of 51 compares recurring value after fees across 3 fixed household budgets, then how easily the rewards can be used, the effort involved and 2 specific protections. No annual fee keeps the commitment low, but ordinary spending earns only 1 mile per dollar.

The arithmetic

Julia's yearly budget is $600 paid directly to Delta, $4,200 at qualifying restaurants and $6,000 of ordinary purchases: $10,800, all paid in full without interest.

• Delta purchases: $600 at 2 miles per dollar earns 1,200 miles.
• Restaurants: $4,200 at 2 miles per dollar earns 8,400 miles.
• Everything else: $6,000 at 1 mile per dollar earns 6,000 miles.
• Total: 15,600 miles, worth $156 at 1 cent each. The 2% card returns $216, so Blue is $60 behind.

Pay with Miles on a $260 flight: 10,000 miles reduce the price by $100, and the remaining $160 goes on Blue.

A regular award is a different test. If it cost 18,000 miles plus $20, then against the $260 fare the miles replace $240, about 1.33 cents per mile before differences in rewards earned on the ticket.

If an equally suitable flight cost $210, the same award replaces only $190, about 1.06 cents per mile. The award did not change; the alternative did. Julia measures against the fare she would actually accept, with its schedule, baggage and cancellation terms, not the most expensive fare she could find.

Before you apply

On the issuer's page today, check the $0 annual fee, the earning rates, how Pay with Miles works, the foreign transaction fee, the in-flight credit and the protection terms. Then price one flight you actually want and see whether the miles or the cash would help more.

Julia keeps any welcome offer separate from this ongoing choice: approval, eligibility and offer terms still matter, and a bonus does not repeat every year. The Studio's record agrees with the video on the earning rates and the 1 cent mile, but the terms may have moved since the video, so confirm current amounts.

The figures in this article were checked on October 6, 2026.