Select Delta Customers Will Receive a Valuable New Credit Card Perk

If you are a Delta SkyMiles® American Express cardholder, you may want to check this new credit card perk out.

Delta and American Express recently unveiled a new program called “TakeOff 15” that allows select members to save 15% when flying with the Atlanta-based airline. Terms apply.

Let’s look at how this program works and which American Express cardholders qualify for the perk.

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TakeOff 15: What Is This New Rewards Perk and How Does It Work?

The new TakeOff 15 promotion is available on select Delta co-branded American Express personal or business credit cards.

The payoff is pretty simple: You get 15% off Award Travel when paying with SkyMiles that you’ve earned.

Delta details how this should work for existing credit card customers:

How To Get This Discount

1. Search for Award Travel by selecting “Shop with Miles” in the search criteria on delta.com or in the Fly Delta app. Be sure to log into your SkyMiles account before searching for best results.
2. Select an eligible flight. When you get to check out, you will see the miles discount applied to your itinerary.
3. Use your Delta SkyMiles® American Express Card to earn miles with your Card on any taxes and fees for your itinerary.

That’s a pretty significant discount that makes it worth considering adding a Delta SkyMiles credit card to your wallet if you travel on the airline often.

But, like most credit card perks, there are some “fine print” details you should know.

What You Should Know About the Discount

• It doesn’t apply to the Delta Blue SkyMiles card, which has no annual fee. (More on which cards qualify later.)
• The discount only applies to Delta-operated flights. You can’t use it for other airlines, even if they’re Delta partners.
• You’re still on the hook for taxes and fees on the full cost of the flight. The discount does not apply to these expenses.
• Not all rates will qualify for the discount. And it’s only good for flights, not other purchases that can be made through the Delta portal. You’ll want to verify the viability of your discount on Delta’s website or app.

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Which Credit Cards Qualify for TakeOff 15?

You must be a cardholder of one of the following American Express offerings to qualify for the discount:

• Delta SkyMiles® Gold
• Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business

This benefit does not apply to the Delta Blue SkyMiles card, which has no annual fee. It is worth noting that the cheapest annual fee on a card that offers the TakeOff 15 benefit is $99 with the Gold card.

If you’re not a current cardholder for one of the cards offering this deal, Team Clark suggests first considering money expert Clark Howard’s advice on travel credit cards.

“If you’re going to do any type of airline or hotel card, you need to understand that they’re typically going to have, at minimum, an annual fee of roughly $100. And in some cases that is actually more like $300-$500,” Clark cautions.

“So you need to have a really high charge volume to make it work. I’m talking about charge volumes of a minimum of $10,000 per month to make many of these cards worth getting.”

Clark says that he often encounters people who have Delta SkyMiles cards in the Atlanta area who are not traveling nearly often enough to justify the annual fee attached to these cards.

You may want to consider taking inventory of your annual travel spending before applying to assure it makes sense to pay a fee for the card you desire.

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Final Thoughts

If you already have one of the Delta SkyMiles credit cards mentioned above, news of this TakeOff 15 promotion is probably well received. You now have a way to get more value from your travel credit card.

If you do not have one of those co-branded American Express credit cards, you may find this a good reason to consider grabbing one. Especially if you find the current welcome bonus offers appealing.

We just caution that you should first consider whether this card is a long-term fit in your wallet by evaluating your spending habits. Travel credit cards aren’t for everyone, and paying an annual fee for one can add up over the years if you’re not making that money back in rewards.

If you have one of the impacted credit cards, will you be taking advantage of this new perk? And if you don’t, would this program make you consider adding a Delta credit card to your wallet? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the Clark.com community.