What credit score do you need to get a Delta SkyMiles American Express card? (2024)

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Having a Delta SkyMiles American Express card will unlock a variety of benefits for frequent and occasional flyers.

American Express issues four personal cards and three small business cobranded Delta cards. The exact perks and bonuses are different for each card, but can include benefits such as $0 checked bags on Delta flights, airport lounge access and annual companion certificates. Plus, the Delta SkyMiles you earn can be redeemed in several ways, including for gift cards, Delta Vacations packages and award flights with Delta or its partner airlines. This makes it easy to get value out of the rewards you earn.

Before you take advantage of all the benefits of using a Delta card, you'll first need to get approved. Here's what credit score you'll need to qualify for the various Delta SkyMiles American Express cards.

Each of the Delta SkyMiles credit cards comes with a different welcome offer and annual fee. The cards also have their own set of bonus rewards categories and ongoing benefits. No matter what your budget or travel preferences are, there's likely to be a card that's a good fit for you.

• The Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card has no annual fee (see rates and fees) and offers benefits such as a $0 foreign transaction fee (see rates and fees) and 20% back on in-flight purchases.
• The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 (see rates and fees) and benefits such as your first checked bag for $0 and a $200 Delta flight credit after you spend $10,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
• The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card has a $350 annual fee (see rates and fees) and offers perks like a first checked bag for $0 on Delta flights, an annual companion certificate and either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.

• The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card has a $650 annual fee (see rates and fees) and offers the most premium perks, including complimentary access to the Delta Sky Club.

*Effective 2/1/25, Reserve Card Members will receive 15 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club; to earn an unlimited number of Visits each year starting on 2/1/25, the total eligible purchases on the Card must equal $75,000 or more between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24, and each calendar year thereafter. Once all 15 Visits have been used, Eligible Card Members may purchase additional Delta Sky Club Visits at a per-Visit rate of $50 per person using the Card.

Small business owners have three Delta SkyMiles cards to choose from: Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card.

These small business cards have similar travel benefits as the personal cards, but come with slightly larger welcome offers and have bonus spending categories designed to reward common business expenses, such as shipping and advertising purchases.

American Express doesn't publish specific score requirements for its cards. However, reports suggest that you generally need at least a good credit score to qualify for any of the Delta SkyMiles credit cards.

According to FICO®,agood credit score is a score of 670 or above. That said, your score is only one factor in determining whether or not you'll be approved for a credit card. American Express will also consider your income and history as an Amex customer, among other factors. Amex also offers apre-qualification service, so you can get a better idea of your approval chances without harming your credit score.

Also note that with Amex cards, you are only eligible to earn a welcome offer with a specific card once per lifetime. For example, if you've had a Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card before, then you can still be approved for the card again, but you won't be eligible for the introductory bonus miles offer. Luckily, the business and personal Delta cards are considered separate products so if you had the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, for example, you'd still be able to earn the welcome bonus with the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card.

If you're unsure whether you're eligible for a welcome offer, Amex has a handy pop-up during the application process that notifies you if you don't qualify for the bonus before you submit the application.

If you apply for a card and get rejected, issuers are legally required to inform applicants of why they've been rejected within 60 days of their decision. You may alsotry to give Amex's reconsideration line a callto see if they'll approve your application.

FICO Score ranges

FICO breaks down credit scores into the following categories:

• Very poor:300 to 579
• Fair:580 to 669
• Good:670 to 739
• Very good:740 to 799
• Excellent:800 to 850

FICO score factors

Five main factors comprise your FICO credit score and some are weighted more heavily:

• Payment history (35%)— If you've made your previous payments on time
• Amounts owed (30%)— Your credit utilization ratio, or the ratio of the amount of credit you're using to the amount that's been extended and owed on your accounts
• Length of credit history (15%)— The amount of time you've had credit
• New credit (10%)— How often you open new accounts
• Credit mix (10%)— Whether you have different types of credit, such as installment loans or revolving lines of credit

You could also benefit from signing up for a service such as *Experian Boost™, which uses your on-time payments for select subscription services and utilities to calculate your credit score.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products.While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.

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*Results may vary. Some may not see improved scores or approval odds. Not all lenders use Experian credit files, and not all lenders use scores impacted by Experian Boost.

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card card, click here.

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, click here.

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, click here.

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, click here.

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card, click here.

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, click here.

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, click here.