The Most Rewarding Skyteam Alliance Airline Credit Cards In The US

Founded in June 2000, the SkyTeam alliance was the last of the world’s three major alliances to form. Today, it has expanded to include nearly 20 different airlines. The organization serves over 1,000 different airports, flies to 166 countries, and transports over 400 million passengers annually.

As the alliance has grown over the past few decades, the loyalty programs of all nineteen members have become increasingly intertwined. The alliance operates over 750 different lounges worldwide and helps support customers’ experiences across its entire network. Today, one can easily earn miles for one SkyTeam carrier and redeem them for award travel on many others.

As a result, it is unsurprising that the SkyTeam alliance members have begun to offer more and more co-branded credit cards in the United States, which are tied to their loyalty programs. However, choosing which of these many cards is right for you can prove challenging and requires you to consider everything from signup bonuses to accrual schedules and flight benefits. In this article, we will look at the five most rewarding Star Alliance credit cards offered in the United States.

1 Delta SkyMiles Gold Card

Offered through: American Express

Accrual schedule:

• 2 miles per $1 spent on Delta Air Lines purchases
• 2 miles per $1 spent at restaurants
• 2 miles per $1 spent at US supermarkets
• 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases

Across the board, the Delta American Express Gold Card is a favorite of US-based SkyTeam travelers and is extremely conducive to first-time cardholders. With a generous accrual schedule and numerous inflight benefits, including free checked bags and priority boarding.

For an annual fee of $150, cardholders can enjoy a variety of statement credits and TakeOff 15, which allows loyalty program members to redeem award miles at a hefty discount. Currently, the card offers a welcome bonus of 40,000 miles, which can easily help justify that annual fee for at least the first few years. These reasons help contribute to Simple Flying’s designation of the Delta American Express Gold card as the best airline credit card of 2024.

2 Air France-KLM World Elite Mastercard

Offered through: Bank of America

Accrual schedule:

• 3 miles per $1 spent on purchases directly with Air France, KLM or other SkyTeam airlines
• 1.5 miles per $1 spent on all other purchases

This travelcard, which is offered through the joint loyalty program of both Air France and KLM, allows passengers to rapidly rack up miles to help support their next trip to France, the Netherlands or beyond. This card, commonly referred to as the Flying Blue credit card, is one of the most rewarding to be offered by a European airline to the US market, with a unique base accrual rate of 1.5 miles per $1 spent.

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

The card’s low annual fee of $89 also helps you make sure that you get the best bank for your buck. The organization behind the card is currently offering 70,000 bonus miles as a welcome offer, alongside an additional status-earning 40 experience points, which can help one accelerate their goals of achieving SkyTeam status.

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3 Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card

Offered through: American Express

Accrual schedule:

• 3 miles per $1 spent on Delta Air Lines purchases
• 1 mile per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases

With a $650 annual fee and a relatively limited accrual schedule, it may seem relatively counterintuitive for the Delta American Express Reserve Card to make it so high up in our rankings. Nonetheless, with lounge access, the ability to earn status quickly and access to complimentary upgrades, this card sure brings a lot to the table.

Photo: American Express

For starters, the latest welcome offer from Delta brings an impressive 90,000 bonus miles along after a new cardholder makes $5,000 in purchases on the card within the first six months. In addition, the latest Delta SkyMiles reserve cards are made from metal that has been sourced from Delta’s retired Boeing 747s, offering each cardholder a small piece of aviation history to keep in their wallet.

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The card’s benefits are reasonably numerous.

4 SKYPASS Visa Signature Card

Offered through: US Bank

Accrual schedule:

• 2 miles per $1 spent on Korean Air ticket purchases
• 2 miles per $1 spent on hotel bookings
• 2 miles per $1 spent on dining, including eligible takeout and delivery services
• 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases

This Visa card, which is offered by the loyalty program of Asian airline Korean Air, comes along with a fair amount of benefits. For starters, passengers can earn an impressive 40,000 bonus miles while spending $4,000 on the card within 90 days. Additional benefits include a 5% discount on Korean Air tickets, 2 Korean Air lounge coupons and much, much more.

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5 Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card

Offered through: American Express

Accrual schedule:

• 3 miles per $1 spent on Delta Air Lines purchases
• 2 miles per $1 spent on hotel bookings
• 2 miles per $1 spent on dining (including eligible delivery services)
• 2 miles per $1 spent on groceries
• 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases

The Delta American Express Platinum Card is the third Delta cobranded credit card to make its way onto our list, and with good reason. With an extensive accrual schedule and benefits such as the aforementioned TakeOff 15, it’s not difficult to justify the card’s $350 annual fee. The card’s two major selling points are its ability to allow passengers to accrue status-earning Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs) and the offer of a companion certificate, which allows one to book a free companion ticket while just paying the fees on their ticket.

Which of these cards do you think offers the best value for its annual fee? Let us know in the comments!