Who has the best travel card? Not all gold cards are created equal, so get ready for the ultimate showdown: Amex Gold vs. Delta Gold.

Who has the best travel card? Not all gold cards are created equal, so get ready for the ultimate showdown: Amex Gold vs. Delta Gold.
When it comes to luxury credit cards, American Express definitely has the Midas touch. Amex is well known for its Amex Gold credit card, which offers high-level customer service and exclusive perks and benefits. Credit card shoppers might not know that Amex offers two gold cards: the standard Amex Gold and a Delta Amex Gold. Your choice will depend on your lifestyle and priorities (and, of course, if you’re a loyal Delta customer).
The main difference between the Amex Gold and the Amex Gold Delta lies in their names. The Amex Gold card offers the American Express signature menu of perks, while the Delta Gold Amex is focused on Delta products and services. If you’re a frequent Delta customer, then the Amex Gold Delta is your ideal card. If you’re more focused on using points for a variety of activities—flights, restaurants, hotels, grocery shopping, Uber Eats—then Amex Gold is a good option. Imagine, you can supersize your points by taking an Uber to your favorite restaurant.
When you compare Amex Gold vs. Delta Gold, the biggest difference is travel perks. We’ll look at how you earn rewards, use them, and what other benefits come with gold status.
The popular Amex Gold card is loaded with perks. Earn points on every dollar you spend on dining, travel, and eligible purchases, with discounts on popular products and services. And, the valuable Membership Rewards points can be exchanged for travel, retail, concert and sports tickets, and more.
Sign up for the Amex Gold card, and you’ll receive 90,000 Membership Rewards points. Word of caution: Don’t count your points before they’ve hatched. To qualify for the introductory offer, you’ll have to spend $4,000 on the card in the first six months.
Amex Gold customers earn Membership Rewards points on qualified purchases in many everyday spending categories. Highlights include:
The Amex Gold card is heavy on member benefits:
The Amex Gold card lets you redeem reward points for flights, hotels, dining, and more.
Gold membership doesn’t come cheap. The Amex Gold annual fee is $250 per year.
If you’re a loyal Delta customer—or you plan to become one—this card should be on your radar. Delta Amex Gold is all about airline miles, with offers for Delta SkyMiles members, including bonus miles, upgrades, and discounts.
Check out this generous introductory offer of 70,000 bonus miles. That could be enough to get you and a companion to a tropical beach or mountain retreat, maybe both. To qualify, new cardmembers need to spend at least $2,000 in the first three months.
For every dollar spent, Amex Delta Gold customers earn airline miles on Delta:
With an Amex Delta Gold card, you’ll feel like a Delta VIP:
Earn miles with the Delta Gold Amex, and you can use them on Delta Airlines or one of its SkyAlliance partners.
The Delta Amex Gold annual fee starts at $0 for the first year and then increases to $99 per year.
Once you’re good to go gold, pick a card: it’s Amex Gold vs. Delta Gold. They’re both stocked with perks, so it boils down to this: Are you a Delta customer? If you fly Delta frequently, then the Delta Amex Gold is a great choice. Otherwise, go with the Amex Gold and get more options for your hard-earned reward points.
After discussing this piece, my partner traded in his Delta Amex for an Amex Gold because he moved to a new city where Delta doesn’t offer many flights.