[ANALYSIS] Delta SkyMiles World MasterCard

I feel that the Delta SkyMiles World MasterCard has been flying under the radar in Canada, so I thought that I would give it a moment to shine. A big reason why I like Delta SkyMiles is because their points do not expire. You do not need to keep your account active or anything and their surcharges are fair.

Conversely, it has been well documented that Air Canada has high fuel taxes and surcharges on reward flights. I’ve suggested, if you fly internationally, to avoid flying on Air Canada (until it lowers its surcharges), and fly on Star Alliance partners instead. Delta Air Lines is not a Star Alliance partners, but they are a member of Skyteam who have their own group of partners. If you have Aeroplan and Delta Skymiles, you can cover a huge part of the world for your reward travels.

The highlights of the Delta SkyMiles World MasterCard are as follows

:

• $120 annual fee
• Earn 25,000 SkyMiles after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days of having this credit card
• Earn 3 SkyMiles for every $1 on Delta purchases
• Earn 2 SkyMiles for every $1 on all other purchases
• Earn 10,000 annual bonus miles when you spend at least $25,000 in one year (the year is counted on the anniversary of having this credit card)
• Extensive insurance coverage
• Minimum requirement of either personal income of $60,000 or household income of $100,000
• Zone 1 priority boarding on Delta Air Lines flights (where available)
• $0 to add supplementary cardholders

Right off the bat, earning 25,000 SkyMiles for a $120 annual fee on the first years is definitely worth it because 25,000 SkyMiles gets you a reward anywhere in North America, which is definitely worth $120. If the annual fee was waived, I would get this card in a heartbeat, though from what I can tell, the annual fee has never been waived, so I would not expect it to happen. If you know you have a flight that you want to take at some point, it is worth getting this card, which is what I plan to do at some point when I know I want to take a Delta flight within North America.

In terms of whether it is worth keeping this credit card beyond the first year, the answer, as always, is that it depends. The only perk you get for spending the $120 is when you receive the 10,000 anniversary bonus for spending $25,000. The 10,000 bonus points is definitely worth the $120. Furthermore, let’s say you do not spend any money on Delta purchases, you would earn $25,000 x 2 + 10,000 = 60,000 Skymiles in one year. That should be enough for a flight to Europe. The 10,000 points really sweetens the pot.

So if you can spend $25,000 in one year on this credit card and you feel that SkyMiles can suit your travel plans, then I think this is the card to have.

If you: (1) do not qualify for the World MasterCard; (2) do not want to pay an annual fee; or (3) cannot spend the $25,000 in one year, then I suggest the Delta SkyMiles Gold MasterCard. Here are the highlights of the card:

• No annual fee
• Earn 2,500 SkyMiles after your first purchase
• Earn 2 SkyMiles for every $1 on Delta purchases
• Earn 1 SkyMiles for every $1 on all other purchases

This is a great way to earn Delta SkyMiles without having to pay an annual fee. Keep in mind that there are no current Aeroplan affiliated credit cards in Canada that have zero annual fee on it, which makes the Gold card even more valuable. It may take longer to earn SkyMiles, but SkyMiles do not expire anyway.

I do not know anyone who has this card, but if you do, feel free to share your experience in the comments below!