Starting May 1, 2014 the Delta American Express cards will no longer have foreign transaction fees of ~2.7%. However the annual fee increases on the Delta Platinum card.
What are the Changes?
1. No Foreign Transaction Fees
Most American Express cards charge foreign transaction fees of ~2.7%. This makes AMEX cards less useful to folks who travel internationally because the foreign transaction fees will usually cost you more than the miles or points are worth!But starting May 1, 2014, ALL the Delta American Express cards will stop charging foreign transaction fees.
This includes the Delta Gold credit card, the Delta Platinum credit card, and the Delta Reserve credit card. If you’re considering a Delta card, check to see if you have a higher targeted offer from Delta or if you get a higher targeted offer from the CardMatch tool! These may be better offers than the regular links!
Note that the terms on the Delta cards say that you can’t get the bonus on the SAME card for at least 12 months after you close the card. And that you can’t get the bonus for a different Delta card if you have had a Delta card in the previous 3 months.
But note that business and personal cards are considered different products, so you could get the bonus on the same or different business card.
This is great news if you like collecting Delta miles. But if Delta miles are not useful to you, there are many other cards with no foreign transaction fees.
I usually use my Chase Sapphire Preferred or Ink Bold or Ink Plus card while traveling abroad.
I personally would have preferred if the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express stopped charging foreign transaction fees instead of the Delta card. That’s because I prefer earning Starwood hotel points to Delta miles. I can either use my Starwood hotel points at hotels or transfer them to many airlines.
2. New Cards With Smart Chip
Credit cards with Smart Chips are nice, but I don’t really need to have a card with a Chip. While cards with Chips are helpful in certain countries, they don’t always work! That’s because US issued cards are almost always “Chip & Signature” cards, but many countries use “Chip & PIN” cards.
Oh, and most cards in the US will eventually be converted to “Chip & Signature” cards in the next few years. So I would NOT apply for a Delta credit card just to get a card with a Chip!
All new Delta AMEX cards issued after May 1, 2014 will have “Chip & Signature” technology. If you are a current card holder, you can call the number on the back of your card and ask for a new card with the Smart Chip.
3. Higher Annual Fee
The annual fee on the Delta Platinum card increases from $150 to $195. The Delta Reserve annual fee stays the same at $450 and the annual fee of $95 stays the same on the Delta Gold card.
The annual fee will increase for new and current Delta Platinum card holders.
Bottom Line
From May 1, 2014, the American Express Delta cards will no longer charge foreign transaction fees and will include Smart Chips.
No foreign transaction fees on the Delta American Express cards is good news if you already have one of these cards or if you value Delta miles and travel outside the US. However, the annual fee for the Delta Platinum card increases by $45 to $195.
I’d really like to see American Express remove foreign transaction fees on their other cards as well!