Blue Delta Skymiles® Credit Card
REVIEW

The Blue Delta Skymiles credit card is the no annual fee version in Delta's family of Amex credit cards. In this review, I will highlight:

• A Feature that no other Delta Credit Cards have
• A Feature that is available only if you have other Delta cards and not present when you only have this card
• Why these two features make this card worthwhile for those who already have a Delta Card

Let's investigate this card more.
 

Key Features

Here are the key features of the Blue Delta Skymiles credit card. The second and third features are really important.

• Earn 2X on Delta Purchases - This includes Delta flights made on Delta.com, Skymiles Club memberships or passes, Delta Vacation Packages, seat upgrades and inflight purchases. This feature is standard in all other Delta credit cards.


• Earn 2X at US Restaurants - The first unique feature is that you can earn 2X at US Restaurants. Other Delta Cards (gold, platinum and reserve) do not have this features. This is one good reason to combine this card if you are already an existing Delta card holder.


• Spending counts towards MQD waivers if you have another Delta card - The second interesting feature of this card is that though you cannot earn MQD (Medallion Qualifying Dollars) waivers ($25,000 except for Diamond Medallion Status which requires $250,000 credit card spending to waive MQD), your spending on the Blue Delta Skymiles will count towards MQD if you also hold another existing Delta credit card
  
  What this means is that existing holders of either the Gold, Platinum or Reserve have very good reasons to get this card in addition to their existing Delta card because you could earn 2X at restaurants (which other Delta cards could not) and on top of that, the spending on the Blue card also counts towards MQD waivers


• 20% savings for inflight purchases - You will also get a 20% savings off in-flight purchases like food and beverages and even if you buy a "headset from Delta". This feature is available in other Delta cards.

Delta Credit Card Comparisons

Many other reviewers of this card compare it with other no annual fee airline credit cards or even bank reward credit cards. I am not going to do so in this review because I assume that anyone looking and considering this card flies Delta and are probably considering this card vs the other Delta cards. So I think it is appropriate to compare this with the other Delta cards (gold, platinum and reserve).

Unique Features of Blue Delta Skymiles

First, as we highlighted earlier, the Blue Delta Skymiles allows you to earn 2X at US restaurants and this feature is unique among all Delta cards.

Secondly, though as a standalone card your spending does not count towards MQD waivers, when combined with other Delta cards, credit spending on Blue Delta Skymiles does count towards MQD waivers.

Features it lacks compared to other annual fee Delta cards

Having said that, because it has no annual fee, it lacks features that the other Delta cards have. That does not make it a bad card. It is just expected that a card with no annual fee will have less features than one that comes with annual fee.

1. Cannot Earn MQMs - MQMs stand for Medallion Qualifying Miles in Delta lingo. It is the number of actual miles you would have flown with Delta in a calendar year and is one of the three criteria you have to meet to get elite status. With the Platinum and Reserve credit card, you can actually earn MQMs if you meet a certain threshold in credit card spending. The Blue Delta Skymiles credit card does not allow you to earn MQMs through credit card spending.


2. No First Free Checked Bags - The Blue Delta Skymiles does not have "free first checked bag" feature that all the other Delta cards have. This might not matter if you are a light traveler or if you are already an elite level (since elite members get checked bags free anyway).


3. No Free Companion Ticket - The other feature that the Blue Delta lacks is the free companion certificate feature. Card members of the Platinum Delta or Delta Reserve get complimentary companion ticket certificates (note: this is a feature that is not available even as an Delta Elite member).


4. No Pay With Miles - This card also does not allow you to use Pay With Miles, which is available for Gold, Platinum and Delta Reserve card members. Pay with Miles allows you to use miles to fully or partially pay for a ticket (at a rate of 1 cent or 1 percent - ie 5,000 is equal of $50).


5. Has Foreign Transaction Fee - The Blue Delta Skymiles also charges a foreign transaction fee (unlike other Delta cards). So this would not be the most ideal card to use abroad.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• 2X at US restaurants
• Can earn MQD if pared with another Delta card
• No annual fee

Cons

Let's be clear here. They are not really "cons" but more like features that are lacking simply because this is a no annual fee frequent flyer credit card.

• Cannot Earn MQMs
• No first free checked bag feature
• No companion ticket feature
• No Pay with Miles Option
• Cannot earn MQD if you only have this card - have must have another Delta card to earn MQD
• Foreign Transaction Fee

Our Take: The Blue Delta Skymiles Is a Great Addition to Existing Delta Card Holders

Based on our analysis, I would say that the Blue Delta Skymiles credit card is best suited to a person who already has an existing Delta card whether it be the Platinum or Reserve card. And there are two reasons for it.

1. The first reason is that it is the only skymiles credit card that allows you to earn 2X on US restaurant and dining spending. The rest of the Delta does not have restaurants or dining as a 2X bonus category. This will allow you to earn more Skymiles through credit card spending at restaurants.


2. The second reason (and perhaps the most important one), is that when you hold both a Blue Delta and another Delta Card (all of which will be at a higher level than the Blue), your combined spending on both cards count towards your MQD (Medallion Qualifying Dollars) earnings from your credit card spend. At present, you can you need $25,000 in Delta credit card spending to waive your MQD requirements for Elite Status Qualification (For Diamond Elite status, you need to to spend $250,000 on your Delta credit card to waive the MQD requirements).
   
   But here is the kicker. If you only have the Blue Delta card, then your spending on the card does not count towards the MQD waiver. So you can spend $25,000 on the Blue Delta and it will count for nothing towards MQD waiver.

Should casual and light travelers get the Blue Delta Skymiles?

In my opinion, the casual or infrequent Delta flyer should not get this as a standalone card. There are two reasons for this. The first is that they have no first free checked bag benefit. If you just fly with Delta a couple of times a year (and with a family), you can easily save money on the first checked bag fee with a Gold Delta Skymiles Credit Card. Other Delta card also gives you Pay With Miles option that is not available with the Blue Delta Skymiles.

Should You Downgrade to the Blue Delta Skymiles if you have stopped flying Delta?

I believe the answer should be NO for a couple off reasons. The first is Delta Skymiles do not expire. So you do not need any credit card spending to keep miles from expiring. Secondly, it probably does not make sense to earn Skymiles from credit card spending because with dynamic pricing award charts, you are never sure of the value you would get from your Skymiles account. In contrast, a 2% cash back credit card with assure you of a 2% return regardless of your spending.

To Sum Up

To sum up, I would not recommend this card as a standalone card. Rather, if you already have an existing Delta credit card, then this would be a good addition to add to your Delta cards because you can earn more points using both cards (because of the 2X in restaurant spending) and also because the amount you charge to your Blue Delta card counts towards your MQD waiver (if you need credit card spending to get MQD waivers).

 

Delta Credit Card Comparisons

Many other reviewers of this card compare it with other no annual fee airline credit cards or even bank reward credit cards. I am not going to do so in this review because I assume that anyone looking and considering this card flies Delta and are probably considering this card vs the other Delta cards. So I think it is appropriate to compare this with the other Delta cards (gold, platinum and reserve).

Unique Features of Blue Delta Skymiles

First, as we highlighted earlier, the Blue Delta Skymiles allows you to earn 2X at US restaurants and this feature is unique among all Delta cards.

Secondly, though as a standalone card your spending does not count towards MQD waivers, when combined with other Delta cards, credit spending on Blue Delta Skymiles does count towards MQD waivers.

Features it lacks compared to other annual fee Delta cards

Having said that, because it has no annual fee, it lacks features that the other Delta cards have. That does not make it a bad card. It is just expected that a card with no annual fee will have less features than one that comes with annual fee.

1. Cannot Earn MQMs - MQMs stand for Medallion Qualifying Miles in Delta lingo. It is the number of actual miles you would have flown with Delta in a calendar year and is one of the three criteria you have to meet to get elite status. With the Platinum and Reserve credit card, you can actually earn MQMs if you meet a certain threshold in credit card spending. The Blue Delta Skymiles credit card does not allow you to earn MQMs through credit card spending.


2. No First Free Checked Bags - The Blue Delta Skymiles does not have "free first checked bag" feature that all the other Delta cards have. This might not matter if you are a light traveler or if you are already an elite level (since elite members get checked bags free anyway).


3. No Free Companion Ticket - The other feature that the Blue Delta lacks is the free companion certificate feature. Card members of the Platinum Delta or Delta Reserve get complimentary companion ticket certificates (note: this is a feature that is not available even as an Delta Elite member).


4. No Pay With Miles - This card also does not allow you to use Pay With Miles, which is available for Gold, Platinum and Delta Reserve card members. Pay with Miles allows you to use miles to fully or partially pay for a ticket (at a rate of 1 cent or 1 percent - ie 5,000 is equal of $50).


5. Has Foreign Transaction Fee - The Blue Delta Skymiles also charges a foreign transaction fee (unlike other Delta cards). So this would not be the most ideal card to use abroad.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• 2X at US restaurants
• Can earn MQD if pared with another Delta card
• No annual fee

Cons

Let's be clear here. They are not really "cons" but more like features that are lacking simply because this is a no annual fee frequent flyer credit card.

• Cannot Earn MQMs
• No first free checked bag feature
• No companion ticket feature
• No Pay with Miles Option
• Cannot earn MQD if you only have this card - have must have another Delta card to earn MQD
• Foreign Transaction Fee

Our Take: The Blue Delta Skymiles Is a Great Addition to Existing Delta Card Holders

Based on our analysis, I would say that the Blue Delta Skymiles credit card is best suited to a person who already has an existing Delta card whether it be the Platinum or Reserve card. And there are two reasons for it.

1. The first reason is that it is the only skymiles credit card that allows you to earn 2X on US restaurant and dining spending. The rest of the Delta does not have restaurants or dining as a 2X bonus category. This will allow you to earn more Skymiles through credit card spending at restaurants.


2. The second reason (and perhaps the most important one), is that when you hold both a Blue Delta and another Delta Card (all of which will be at a higher level than the Blue), your combined spending on both cards count towards your MQD (Medallion Qualifying Dollars) earnings from your credit card spend. At present, you can you need $25,000 in Delta credit card spending to waive your MQD requirements for Elite Status Qualification (For Diamond Elite status, you need to to spend $250,000 on your Delta credit card to waive the MQD requirements).
   
   But here is the kicker. If you only have the Blue Delta card, then your spending on the card does not count towards the MQD waiver. So you can spend $25,000 on the Blue Delta and it will count for nothing towards MQD waiver.

Should casual and light travelers get the Blue Delta Skymiles?

In my opinion, the casual or infrequent Delta flyer should not get this as a standalone card. There are two reasons for this. The first is that they have no first free checked bag benefit. If you just fly with Delta a couple of times a year (and with a family), you can easily save money on the first checked bag fee with a Gold Delta Skymiles Credit Card. Other Delta card also gives you Pay With Miles option that is not available with the Blue Delta Skymiles.

Should You Downgrade to the Blue Delta Skymiles if you have stopped flying Delta?

I believe the answer should be NO for a couple off reasons. The first is Delta Skymiles do not expire. So you do not need any credit card spending to keep miles from expiring. Secondly, it probably does not make sense to earn Skymiles from credit card spending because with dynamic pricing award charts, you are never sure of the value you would get from your Skymiles account. In contrast, a 2% cash back credit card with assure you of a 2% return regardless of your spending.

To Sum Up

To sum up, I would not recommend this card as a standalone card. Rather, if you already have an existing Delta credit card, then this would be a good addition to add to your Delta cards because you can earn more points using both cards (because of the 2X in restaurant spending) and also because the amount you charge to your Blue Delta card counts towards your MQD waiver (if you need credit card spending to get MQD waivers).