We are an independent publisher. Our reporters create honest, accurate, and objective content to help you make decisions. To support our work, we are paid for providing advertising services. Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Next” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. The compensation we receive and other factors, such as your location, may impact what ads and links appear on our site, and how, where, and in what order ads and links appear. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, our site does not include information about every product or service that may be available to you. We strive to keep our information accurate and up-to-date, but some information may not be current. So, your actual offer terms from an advertiser may be different than the offer terms on this site. And the advertised offers may be subject to additional terms and conditions of the advertiser. All information is presented without any warranty or guarantee to you.

This page may include: credit card ads that we may be paid for (“advertiser listing”); and general information about credit card products (“editorial content”). Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Apply Now” button or “Learn More” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. When you click on that hyperlink or button, you may be directed to the credit card issuer’s website where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer. Each advertiser is responsible for the accuracy and availability of its ad offer details, but we attempt to verify those offer details. We have partnerships with advertisers such as Brex, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo and Discover. We also include editorial content to educate consumers about financial products and services. Some of that content may also contain ads, including links to advertisers’ sites, and we may be paid on those ads or links.

For more information, please see How we make money.

Reader Question: “How Does the Priority Boarding and Free Checked Bag Perk From the AMEX Delta Cards Work?”

  • Million Mile Secrets

    • Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full advertising policy: How we make money.

    Update: One or more card offers in this post are no longer available. Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.

    Lots of readers are interested AMEX Delta cards.  Because Delta miles can be useful for getting away to great destinations, like the South Pacific & Europe!

    But earning Delta miles isn’t the only benefit that comes with these cards.  Most of them also have useful perks like free checked bags and priority boarding!

    You can get these perks with the:

    Baggage Fees Can Quickly Pile-Up, but the Excellent Free Checked Bag Benefit That Comes With Certain AMEX Delta Cards Can Save You BIG Time!

    Million Mile Secrets reader Caramarie wanted to know how the checked bag benefits and priority boarding perk worked with the AMEX Delta Gold & Platinum cards.

    Between the personal and business versions of the AMEX Gold , Reserve, and Platinum Delta credit cards, all offer priority boarding and your first checked bag free.

    I’ll explain how these perks work.  And remind you of the other benefits of these cards.

    How Does the Free Checked Bag Perk From the AMEX Delta Cards Work?

    Folks with any of Platinum, Reserve, or Gold AMEX Delta cards will get the first checked bag free for themselves and up to 8 companions flying on the same reservation.  And you don’t actually need to pay for the ticket with an eligible AMEX Delta card to receive the benefit!

    As long as your credit card account is open, in good standing, and you’ve added your Delta frequent flyer number to your reservation, it’s automatically applied.  And you won’t have to pay for your baggage and then wait for a statement credit.  You’ll get the free checked bag(s) at check-in!

    Large Groups Flying on the Same Reservation as Certain AMEX Delta Cardholders Can All Save on Checked Baggage Fees!

    That said, this perk only works on Delta & Delta Connection flights, NOT on Delta partner flights like Korean Air, KLM, or Air France.

    This perk is also only available to the main cardholder, NOT authorized users.  It only applies to itineraries the account owner is traveling on.  And you won’t get the discount on over-weight or over-sized bags.  It’s only applied to the first normal sized checked bag per person (up to 9 people).

    How Does Priority Boarding Benefit From the AMEX Delta Cards Work?

    As with the free checked bag perk, most of the AMEX Delta cards also offer Zone 1 boarding for the cardholder and up to 8 travel companions on the same reservation.

    Zone 1 boarding is actually the fourth zone to board, but you’ll still be ahead of the vast majority of people.  And that translates to a less stressful boarding experience because you’ll likely have an easier time finding storage in the overhead bins.  And you’ll have more time to settle in without feeling rushed.

    Again, you’ll need to make sure you add your Delta frequent flyer number to your reservation.  But you do NOT need to use your AMEX Delta card to take advantage of this benefit.  You can pay with any card you like!

    That said, only those who are on the same itinerary as the cardholder will qualify for the priority boarding perk.

    Bottom Line

    Many AMEX Delta cards come with great perks like priority boarding & free checked bags for the cardholder and up to 8 companions traveling on the same reservation!

    Thanks for the question, Caramarie!

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)