50K Gold Delta SkyMiles AMEX or 30K AMEX EveryDay Preferred?

Is the 50K Gold Delta SkyMiles AMEX or 30K AMEX EveryDay Preferred a better credit card? TravelSort reader George writes “I'm trying to decide between the 50K Delta SkyMiles credit card (since the offer expires July 6) and the 30K AMEX EveryDay Preferred that you wrote about. Unlike you, I do fly Delta sometimes, so I have a use for Delta SkyMiles, but I also like the flexibility of AMEX Membership Rewards points. I already have three other AMEX credit cards and have heard that AMEX allows a maximum of 4 credit cards, so which do you think I should apply for?”

Since the current 50K Delta SkyMiles offer with $100 statement credit offer expires soon, I figured it's a good time for a card smackdown. I'll focus on the signup bonus, other card benefits, fees, and points redemption options and look at the pros and cons of each card.

1. Signup Bonus: 50K SkyMiles vs. 30K AMEX Membership Rewards points

On the face of it, the 50K SkyMiles signup bonus is better than 30K Membership Rewards points. But all points are not created equal, and AMEX Membership Rewards points are worth more than Delta SkyMiles due to their flexibility–you can transfer to a number of other airline frequent flyer programs in addition to Delta, which is a hedge against an award chart devaluation of any given frequent flyer program (see

I value Delta SkyMiles at about 1.2 cents per mile and AMEX Membership Rewards points at about 2 cents per point, so that would be $600 in value for each signup bonus–a tie. But if you value Delta SkyMiles at more than 1.2 cents per mile and/or AMEX Membership Rewards points at less than 2 cents per point, that would give the Gold Delta SkyMiles card the edge; if you value AMEX Membership Rewards points more highly the AMEX EveryDay Preferred bonus could be more lucrative.

Winner: It all comes down to how you value Delta SkyMiles vs. AMEX Membership Rewards points. But if you know you'll be able to take advantage of the $100 Delta statement credit, that will likely tip the balance in favor of the Gold Delta SkyMiles card. Also keep in mind the fees, as I'll get to below.

2. Fees

Most credit card offers apart from the most expensive cards, such as the 75K Mercedes-Benz AMEX or 50K Citi Prestige, waive the annual fee the first year, and this is likewise the case with the Gold Delta AMEX. Unfortunately, the AMEX EveryDay Preferred does NOT waive the $95 annual fee the first year, so that definitely counts against it, even though if you value AMEX Membership Rewards points at about 2 cents per point, you're still getting over $500 in value from the 30K bonus after subtracting the $95 annual fee.

Winner: Gold Delta SkyMiles Card

3. Category Bonuses

As is typical with airline credit cards, the only bonus category for the Gold Delta SkyMiles AMEX is spend made directly with Delta, for which you earn 2X SkyMiles.

Compare that to the AMEX EveryDay Preferred:

3X AMEX Membership Rewards points at U.S. grocery stores (up to $6000 per calendar year, then 1X)
2X AMEX Membership Rewards points at U.S. gas stations

But as we'll see below, a key value of the AMEX EveryDay Preferred is a 50% bonus to those category bonuses if you meet a transaction threshold each billing cycle.

Winner: AMEX EveryDay Preferred

4. Other Card Benefits

The Gold Delta SkyMiles card's main other benefits are:

Free first checked bag for the card member and up to 8 travel companions on the same reservation
Zone 1 Priority Boarding on Delta flights
No foreign transaction fees

The AMEX EveryDay Preferred card's main additional benefit, apart from the category bonus, is that you can earn 50% exra points if you use your card 30 or more times on puchases in a given billing period. That's a great benefit, as it can take your earning on grocery stores to 4.5X year round (although note that with an Ink Plus, you can earn 5X on all Whole Foods spend all year round by buying Whole Foods gift cards at Staples with your Ink Plus card, and that the Chase Freedom often has 5X on grocery stores (it was Q2 in 2016 and just ended) as one of the quarterly rotating categories, and you can stock up on grocery store gift cards that quarter).

A major con of the AMEX EveryDay Preferred, however, is that it charges foreign transaction fees, so you don't want to use the card outside of the U.S. or for purchases that aren't processed in the U.S.

Winner: Tie

5. Award Redemption Options

Of course, the value of frequent flyer miles and points is in the context of what you can redeem them for. And this is where you'll want to consider which awards you plan to redeem for. Anyone aspiring to international first class award redemptions should avoid Delta SkyMiles, since not only does Delta not offer international first class on any of its flights (only business class) SkyMiles won't get you first class awards on any of Delta's SkyTeam partners, such as Korean Air or Garuda Indonesia.

Plus, let's face it: SkyTeam is the least impressive of the three major alliances when it comes to great first class or even business class. Singapore Suites on the A380 and Singapore First Class, Lufthansa First Class, SWISS Business Class, Asiana A380 First Class and THAI A380 First Class are all Star Alliance, while Cathay Pacific First Class and Cathay Pacific Business Class, Qantas First Class on the A380, JAL First Class and JAL Sky Suite Business Class and British Airways First Class are all oneworld, plus Etihad First Apartment on the A380 is an AAdvantage partner and can be booked with AAdvantage miles.

With AMEX Membership Rewards points, you can redeem for Star Alliance awards by transferring to Singapore KrisFlyer or Aeroplan, or transfer to British Airways Executive Club Avios or Cathay Pacific Asia Miles for oneworld awards (although it's true that even after the AAdvantage Award Chart Devaluation you'll often be better off redeeming AAdvantage miles if you have them for long haul first class awards on oneworld airlines).

Winner: AMEX EveryDay Preferred

The Verdict

If your goal is to accumulate Delta SkyMiles and you earn some SkyMiles from flying Delta, the 50K Delta Gold SkyMiles card with $100 statement credit is a good deal. You even make $100 from the card your first year if you spend at least that much on a Delta flight, since the $95 annual fee is waived the first year. If, however, your goal is to add to your transferable points balances, specifically to AMEX Membership Rewards, in order to fly international first class and/or to have greater flexibility with your award redemptions, the 30K AMEX EveryDay Preferred card is a better deal. Or, if unlike George you can get both cards, apply for both. But make sure you're not tossing out any great AMEX targeted offers with your junk mail, and also consider the 75K Mercedes-Benz AMEX and other cards on the Best Travel Credit Cards page before both of these cards.

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