Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card vs. Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card

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Airline credit cards offer great rewards for cardholders, everything from cashback on dining and gas to free flights. Two of the best airline credit cards are the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card and  Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card. Both of these cards allow you to rack up points to make travel a little more comfortable and a little less expensive.

Welcome Offer

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card: Earn 40,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply. This is an easily achievable spend, and you get six months to reach it. How much are these miles worth? It depends on when and where you fly.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card: Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. According to our research from our review of this card, 50,000 points are worth about two round-trip flights in the continental U.S.

Which offer is better for you depends on which airline you prefer. Southwest and Delta are two of the biggest airlines in the country, but they are also very different airlines.

Southwest is a low-cost carrier that doesn’t offer first-class tickets or airport lounges. Delta offers both first-class and premium economy seating. Southwest is the only airline in the country that doesn’t charge for checked bags (although you do get your first bag checked free with the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card). Southwest has an open seating policy, which means you don’t have an assigned seat: you sit wherever you want when you board the plane.

Cash Back Rewards

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card has a variety of Delta-specific rewards, plus you get 2x miles for every dollar you spend at restaurants and grocery stores. You also get 15% off when you use miles to book Award travel on Delta flights, a $200 Delta flight credit after you spend $10,000 on purchases in a calendar year, and your first checked bag is free. Terms Apply.

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card gets you Southwest-specific rewards, plus you get 2x points on local rideshare and commuting and 2x points on internet, cable, phone, and select streaming. You’ll earn 6,000 points on your cardmember anniversary and you get two Early Bird Check-In® a year.

Both cards offer some nifty rewards on their respective airlines. Other than that, both cards are pretty light on more general rewards. The main difference is earning elevated rewards on streaming/internet and transit with the Southwest card vs. restaurants and grocery stores with the Delta card. It depends on where you spend more money.

Here are the details for each card.

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card

Rewards:  

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card

Rewards:  

Rates and Fees

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card card has an annual fee of $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150. Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card has an annual fee of $99, which is not waived for the first year.

Neither card has foreign transaction fees, and neither are offering a 0% introductory APR at this time.

Who the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is Best For

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is best for people who are loyal to Delta airlines. You get a great welcome offer and enhanced rewards on Delta, plus a free checked bag on flights. You no longer get access to SkyClubs (Delta’s airport lounges), so if that’s important to you, consider instead the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card or The Platinum Card® from American Express. Both of these cards allow access, but also come with a much higher annual fee. But the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is really best for the casual Delta traveler who flies just a few times a year.

Who the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card is Best For

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card is best for people who are loyal to Southwest or don’t mind flying Southwest. Your points can count toward a Companion Pass® which is highly coveted. Southwest has more limited international flights than other airlines, but for domestic, no-frills travel, Southwest is hard to beat.

If you aren’t loyal to any specific airline, but still want a few travel perks, consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. This is a great mid-tier travel card for a reasonable fee.

Does it Make Sense to Get Both Cards?

Absolutely, assuming you fly both airlines. Both airlines offer a wide variety of flights, but sometimes one will offer a more convenient route to your destination, or at a more convenient time. Since both cards have a reasonable annual fee (and Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card even waives it for the first year), you have more choices if you get both.

Approval Odds

The credit score data listed below comes from publicly available information in a number of forums. The accuracy of the information cannot be verified. Keep in mind that credit card issuers consider more than an applicant’s credit score and that underwriting standards change over time.

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card

Based on the information we have, you need better credit for the Southwest card, which makes sense because it’s issued by Chase. Chase tends to be a conservative lender. It’s not clear whether Southwest credit cards comply with Chase’s 5/24 rule (if you opened five or more cards in the past 24 months, you most likely won’t be approved for a new Chase card): some sources say yes, other sources say no.