Delta Debit Card
Q: I got an application in the mail today for the Suntrust Delta SkyMiles debit card. What gives better rewards – the Delta debit card or their credit card?
A: There are actually three different Suntrust Delta debit cards. Here’s a brief overview of each:
Delta SkyMiles Classic Check Card
- 1 mile for every $2 spent (signature-based purchases only)
- Double miles on all purchases made directly from Delta (i.e. airfare, in-flight snacks, etc.)
- Annual fee is $20.00
Delta SkyMiles World Check Card
- 1 mile for every $1 spent (signature-based purchases only)
- Double miles on purchases from Delta Airlines
- Annual fee is $55.00
Delta SkyMiles Business Check Card
- 1 mile for every $1 spent (signature-based purchases only)
- Double miles on Delta purchases
- Annual fee is $55.00
Previously these were all Visa, but around September 2010 Suntrust switched their Delta debit to MasterCard.
The pros?
- The annual fees on the Delta check cards are very reasonable
- The rewards on the “World” and “Business” version are respectful at 1 mile per dollar
The cons?
- As I’m sure you are aware, the Delta credit cards (through American Express) now include a benefit that gives you the first checked bag for free. This is a very valuable benefit, considering that just one round-trip flight with one checked bag would normally cost you $50. Unfortunately I don’t see this benefit listed on the Suntrust Delta debit card.
- You only earn the points on signature-based transactions, not PIN-based transactions (meaning you need to select “credit” instead of “debit” when paying). So in order to earn miles, you won’t have the same versatility and options you would with a normal debit card.
- The classic version only gives a half mile per dollar spent, which isn’t worthwhile.
Verdict?
Basically in order to get the 1 mile per dollar, you will need to choose either the “World” or “Business” versions which have $55.00 annual fees. If you’re going to pay that much, you might as well pay a couple bucks more for the annual fee on a Delta AmEx credit card instead. Why? Because you will be getting a heck of a lot more benefits on Delta Airlines (like the first checked bag for free) plus you will be getting the American Express benefits on eligible purchases like the free extended warranty, purchase protection for lost/stolen/damaged items in the first 90 days from purchase, etc. So you are definitely getting more bang for your buck by going with a Delta AmEx instead of a Delta Airlines debit card.
Delta AmEx promotion (sponsored offer)
The new suntrust check card is very good in my opinion, specially because you get a welcome bonus of 30k miles for opening the checking account and setting up direct deposit, that’s a big plus for me. it does require a minimun daily balance of $3000 in combined checking, savings and money market accounts to avoid a $12 monthly fee. That’s easy if you have some savings already and it gives miles for pin and signature transactions.
I just opened it yesterday
I tried to sign up for the Delta debit card last night. Was willing to pay the $75 annual fee until I found out that I needed to have either a $20,000 or a $5,000 average balance in my account to avoid being charged a $20 monthly fee
No thank you!
Just as a warning- if you are signed up for the Classic Delta card you will be charged the annual fee if you signed up in Jan, Feb or March of last year! I was charged $20 for a program (the Classic Delta program) that will not longer exist as of March 23. I am emailing back and forth with Suntrust and they are refusing to credit my account with the $20 taken out of it.
Got a letter in the mail the other day:
“As of March 23, 2012, SunTrust will discontinue the Delta SkyMiles Classic Check Card.”
They have a new option, but it’s more expensive than the cards they used to have:
“Upgrade to the Delta SkyMiles World Check Card to earn:
-1 Mile for every dollar you spend.
-Double miles on direct Delta purchases.
-A special [one-time] 5,000 mile bonus.
The annual fee will now be $75 and linked to your consumer checking account.”
Bummer.
The updated program is supposedly going to include pin purchases as well. Still worth looking into!
As of March 23, 2012 the Business Sun Trust Skymiles card will go to 120.00 a year and the miles drop to 1/2 per dollar. Not wortth it in my opinion. They are increasing their fee by 220% and dropping the benefits by half.
I for one may be looking for another bank and another airline!
Thanks Suntrust
Also it seems better to have both cards if you qualify for Amex. Every little bit helps – there are times when i want to not finance a purchase – for which its better to use the debit card(as a credit purchase at the counter) – and sometimes I don’t wanna drain my checking account when I wanna purchase something larger and willing to pay it off monthly. So both get me miles. Either way – if you fly delta – this has proven to be a winning combo.
The only thing I could ask more, of which I’m not aware of exists through any program – is a way I can get miles with writing checks, or direct withdrawals from my checking account for monthly payments that require routing/account numbers, i.e. mortgage and car payments.
That’s great except one little problem. What about the over 50% of American’s that don’t qualify for American Express stringent credit qualifications? this is a great alternative to those who have less than stellar credit.