Table of Content
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card and the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card offer decent perks for the average flyers who would like to enjoy also from everyday spending discounts.
In this comparison, we review them side by side in order to understand which of them offer more – and which one can be the best fit for your needs. Let's start.
General Comparison
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Delta SkyMiles® Gold | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority | |
Annual Fee | $99, $0 intro first year. See Rates and Fees. | $149 |
Rewards | 2X miles on delta purchases, at restaurants worldwide (including take-out and delivery in the U.S) and at U.S. supermarkets, and 1x miles on all other eligible purchases. Terms Apply. | 3X points on Southwest purchases, 2X points on Southwest’s Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners, local transit and commuting (including rideshares) and internet, cable phone and select streaming services; 1X points on all other purchases |
Welcome bonus | 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months | 50,000 points when you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first three months |
0% Intro APR | None | None |
Foreign Transaction Fee | 0%. See Rates and Fees. | None |
Purchase APR | 20.99%-29.99% Variable | 21.24% – 28.24% variable APR |
Simulation: Which Card Gives More Rewards?
Without a scenario comparison, it's difficult to understand the actual reward potential.
However, keep in mind that the numbers should be adjusted to your regular spending categories, which may differ – so the exact calculation is dependent on your personal habits and the your budget.
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Spend Per Category | Delta SkyMiles® Gold | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority |
$12,000 – U.S Supermarkets | 24,000 miles | 12,000 points |
$4,000 – Restaurants
| 8,000 miles | 4,000 points |
$3,000 – Airline | 6,000 miles | 9,000 points |
$3,000 – Hotels | 3,000 miles | 6,000 points |
$4,000 – Gas | 4,000 miles | 4,000 points |
Total Miles/Points | 45,000 miles | 35,000 miles |
Estimated Redemption Value | 1 mile ~ 1.5 cent | 1 point ~ 1.4 cent |
Estimated Annual Value | $720 | $490 |
Editorial Note: Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollments may be required for select benefits. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more
Compare The Perks
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express
- Free First Checked Bag: You and up to eight travel companions get your first checked bag for free when you travel on the same reservation for Delta flights.
- Delta Flight Credit: If you spend $10,000 or more in purchases in a calendar year, you’ll get a $100 Delta flight credit.
- Pay with Miles Discount: You can receive up to $50 off the cost of your Delta flight for every 5,000 miles you redeem.
- Priority Boarding: You’ll get main cabin one priority boarding on Delta flights, so you can board early and have your bags stowed to settle in for the journey.
- In Flight Purchase Savings: You’ll get 20% back as statement credit when you use your card for purchases of food, beverages, and audio headsets on eligible Delta flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees: You can use your card outside of the U.S without incurring any foreign transaction fees.
- Car Rental Loss and Damage Coverage: If you use your card to reserve and pay for the whole rental, when you decline the rental company’s counter collision damage waiver, you’ll have damage to and theft of a rental vehicle insurance in covered territories.
- Global Assist Hotline: If you’re more than 100 miles away from home, you can use the Global Assist Hotline for 24/7 emergency assistance. This includes legal and medical referrals, emergency cash wires, or even help with your missing luggage.
- Purchase Protections: When you use your eligible card for purchases, you can enjoy up to 90 days of coverage against theft or accidental damage. There is a cap of $1,000 per occurrence and up to $50,000 in any calendar year.
- Extended Warranty: When you use your eligible card to buy covered purchases, you can add an extra year to your manufacturer’s warranty.
- American Express Experiences: This feature provides exclusive access to member only events and ticket presales for concert tours, shows, sporting events, and more.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority
- Qualifying Points Towards A List Status: You’ll get 1,500 tier qualifying points for every $10,000 you spend. At A List status, you can enjoy priority boarding, and check in, a dedicated member’s phone line and 25% more points per flight.
- Free Companion Pass: Once you have earned 125,000 qualifying points or have flown 100 qualifying one way flights in a calendar year, you’ll earn a companion pass for the following calendar year. This allows one person to fly with you each time you purchase or use your points for a Southwest flight.
- Inflight Purchase Statement Credit: You’ll get 25% back on your Southwest inflight purchases.
- Lost Luggage Reimbursement: If you or a family member has check or carry on luggage lost or damaged by the carrier, you’ll have up to $3,000 per passenger coverage. You’ll also have up to $100 a day for three days to reimburse you for essential purchases if your baggage is delayed by over six hours.
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver: If you decline the rental company’s collision insurance and pay for the entire rental cost with your card, you’ll have coverage for theft and collision damage for most rental cars.
- Roadside Dispatch: If you have a roadside emergency, you can call the helpline and any roadside service fees will be billed to your card.
- Purchase Protection: Your new purchases will be covered against damage or theft for 120 days. The insurance cap is $500 per claim and up to $50,000 per account.
- Extended Warranties: This extends the time period of the manufacturer’s warranty by an additional year on eligible purchases.
Compare The Drawbacks
Like any financial product, the Delta SkyMiles Gold and the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority, have potential disadvantages that may influence whether they are a good fit for you.
So, to help you make a smart decision, we'll highlight potential drawbacks here.
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express
- No Help to Reach Elite Status
While the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority provides a boost to help you qualify for A List Status, the Delta SkyMiles Gold does not have any such feature. This means that regardless of how much you spend, you can't get elite status benefits.
- No Travel Insurance
Although the Southewar Rapid Rewards Priority has limited travel insurance cover, the Delta SkyMiles Gold does not have any, apart from the rental car cover that is also offered with the Rapid Rewards Priority.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority
- No Annual Fee Waiver
Both these cards have a modest annual fee compared to many other airline or travel cards. However, while the Delta SkyMiles Gold has the annual fee waived for the first year, you’ll need to consider the annual fee immediately with the Rapid Rewards Priority.
- Less Attractive For Everyday Spending
The card offers the basic rewards level for everyday spending (but do have higher rate for airline purchases).
Compare Redemption Options
Both American Express and Chase considered among the top issuers when it comes to redemption options. Here are the main things each card offers for cardholders:
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express
The Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express has a two tier reward structure. You’ll earn two miles per dollar on Delta purchases, groceries at U.S stores and restaurant purchases including takeout and delivery. Any other purchases will offer one mile per dollar.
You can use your SkyMiles to purchase Delta flights, upgrade your seat, buy experiences or merchandise or even as a gift card. You can also transfer your miles to one of Delta’s partners, the list of which includes Radisson Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors and IHG, but a transfer fee may apply. You will need to enroll as a member of the Delta SkyMiles program, which will enable you to redeem accumulated miles on the website, by phone or through your local Delta ticket counter.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority
Chase has a rewards dashboard where you can keep track of your points and double check the benefits supplied with your card. The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority card has a tiered structure that offers three points for Southwest purchases.
You’ll get two points per dollar for Southwest partners including Rapid Rewards car rental and hotel partners, but you’ll also get two points on local transit including ridesharing, streaming, internet, cable, and phone services. Any purchases in other categories will offer one point per dollar.
When you want to redeem your points, you can use them for Southwest Airlines flights to more than 90 destinations, car rentals and hotel stays, Rapid Rewards Access Events, gift cards or merchandise.
Southwest is also an airline partner of other cards such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve airline partners.
How to Maximize Cards Benefits?
Delta has a price calendar that allows you to check the prices of flights for up to five weeks. You can use this calendar to find the best deals, but there are also flash sales that can offer excellent value.
If you have some flexibility for your travel dates and itinerary, there is the potential to save thousands of miles. It is also worth checking the cost of round trips.
While one way flights may appear more flexible, they tend to cost you far more miles. If you were to compare the same two flights as one way trips and a round trip, you are likely to find that the round trip costs far fewer miles.
You can also find flights with a cheaper miles cost if you avoid Delta hubs. If you are prepared for a slightly longer flight or travel to a neighboring airport, you may pay substantially fewer miles.
With the Southwest Rapid Rewards program, one of the best ways to maximize your rewards is to qualify for A List status.
You need at least 35,000 tier qualifying points or take 25 qualifying one way flights in a calendar year to achieve A List Status, but you’ll get 1,500 points for each $10,000 you spend on your card. Once you have A List status, you’ll get airport perks, but also 25% more points for each flight.
You can also boost your points balance by trying the refer a friend scheme. You can earn up to 100,000 bonus points each year, with 20,000 points for each friend who gets any Southwest Rapid rewards card using your link.
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Customer Reviews: Which Card Wins?
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express
Satisfied customers report that this card has excellent customer service. Even if you have to cancel a flight, the customer support team makes it easy to have your points refunded.
Negative reviews appear to be centered around approval delays. There are numerous complaints about needing additional income verification information that has significantly increased the processing time. There are some customers who have been waiting weeks and have yet to receive their card.
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority
Satisfied customers report that the card offers some great rewards and you don’t need to be a heavy spender to make the most of this card. With the annual bonus and minimal spending requirements, you can enjoy all the perks of the card.
Negative reviews highlight issues with Chase customer support. There are issues of customers with a good track record having account closure issues and others who claim the support team don’t have any authority or sufficient knowledge to resolve issues when you call in.
Bottom Line
As we’ve shown both of these cards are decent options for those who tend to travel less frequently and want to earn miles or points for non travel related purchases.
Both cards may not offer the extensive list of travel benefits you could get with other airline cards, but this is offset by the far lower annual fee. However, there are some crucial differences between these two card options that could influence which is the best card for you.
Why You Might Want the Delta SkyMiles Gold?
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express is a great option that could be good if:
You want a Welcome Bonus: The Delta SkyMiles Gold offers a generous 40,000 mile bonus if you spend just $1,000 within three months, which is an excellent way to boost your miles balance. You’ll also get a $100 Delta flight credit if you spend $10,000 or more in a calendar year.
Free Checked Bags: While many travel cards offer the first checked bag free, this is usually limited to the cardholder and one or two travel companions. However, the Delta SkyMiles Gold perk allows up to nine free first bags per reservation, which is great if you tend to travel in a party or have a large family.
You Want Priority Boarding: This card also offers Main Cabin One Boarding group, which provides early access to get your luggage stowed and settled in before the flight. This is particularly useful if you tend to have a large carry on and have struggled to get it stowed in the overhead bin on previous flights.
When You Might Want the Southwest Rapid Rewards?
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority is a solid choice if:
You Want an Anniversary Bonus: You’ll get a 7,500 point bonus automatically each year just for remaining a cardholder. There are no spending requirements to qualify, which can be excellent for more frugal spenders.
You Want Airport Perks: While the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority does not offer free checked bags, Southwest does not charge for the first two checked bags. However, in addition to this airline feature, this card provides some great perks including upgraded boarding, and annual travel credit for Southwest purchases including pet carrier fees and other day of travel purchases, which can provide a less stressful airport experience.
You’re Aiming for A List Status: This card is a great way to help you on your way to A List status, as you’ll get qualifying points as you spend on your card. Once you’re A List you can enjoy all the perks including priority check in and free same day standby.
You’re Working Towards A Free Companion Pass: This is one of the best features of this card, as you can rack up qualifying points to secure a free companion pass for the following calendar year. This allows another person to travel with you every time you use your points or purchase a Southwest flight.
Compare The Alternatives
If you're looking for an airline or travel credit card that can help you get more miles on your flights – there are some good alternatives:
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The Platinum Card® from American Express | Chase Sapphire Reserve® | Citi Premier® Card | |
Annual Fee | $695. See Rates & Fees | $550 | $95 |
Rewards |
1X – 5X
5X points on up to $500,000 spent on directly-booked airfare and flights and prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel (per calendar year), 2X points on prepaid car rentals through American Express Travel and 1X points on all other purchases
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1X – 10X
5X total points on air travel and 10X total points on hotels, car rentals when you purchase through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, immediately after earning your $300 annual travel credit. Also, earn 3x points on dining at restaurants and travel (after meeting the $300 travel credit), then 1x points per dollar spent on all other purchases
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1X – 3X
3X points per dollar on restaurant, supermarket, gas station, hotel and air travel and other hotels purchases, and 1X points per dollar on all other purchases
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Welcome bonus |
80,000 points
80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership
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60,000 points
60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
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60,000 points
60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel portal through June 30, 2024
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Foreign Transaction Fee | 0%. See Rates & Fees | 0% | None
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Purchase APR | 21.24% – 29.24% APR Variable | 22.24%–29.24% variable APR | 21.24% – 29.24% (Variable) |
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