Checked Baggage

First Checked Bag Free


As a benefit of Card Membership, you can check your first bag free on Delta flights booked with your Card, saving up to $70 on a round-trip Delta flight per person. For a family of four that’s a potential savings of up to $280 per round-trip flight.1, Go to footer note

How does First Checked Bag Free work?

  • Include your SkyMiles number in your reservation by providing it when booking your flight, adding it when checking in, or looking up your itinerary and clicking “Add Loyalty Program #.”
  • The first bag of each passenger in the reservation will be automatically waived of fees at check-in.
  • This benefit can only be used with bags that are not overweight or oversize under Delta’s applicable rules. See below for terms and conditions.
  • You can earn 3X Miles on Delta Purchases when using your Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card or Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card, including flights booked on Delta.com and the Fly Delta App, Delta Sky Club® membership, Delta Vacations® packages, or in-flight purchases.2, Go to footer note You can earn 2X Miles on Delta purchases when using your Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card.3, Go to footer note
  • This benefit is not available when the passenger is already receiving one or more checked bags free due to itinerary purchased, Medallion Status or active duty military status.

Please see our baggage policy for more details.

Please note that additional checked bags, as well as oversized and overweight baggage charges may apply.

Terms and Conditions


1Benefit is limited to Basic Card Members (not Additional Card Members) with the Delta SkyMiles Gold, Delta SkyMiles Platinum, Delta SkyMiles Reserve, Delta SkyMiles Gold Business, Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business, and Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Cards. Reservation must include the Basic Card Member’s SkyMiles number. Fee waiver also available for passengers traveling on the same reservation as the Basic Card Member. Maximum nine waivers per reservation. Waiver is only for standard bag fee, if any, for the first checked bag that is not overweight and not oversize under Delta’s applicable rules as set forth in Delta’s contract of carriage. Additional checked bags will be subject to the applicable baggage fees as outlined by Delta’s rules and the purchased fare as set forth in Delta’s contract of carriage. The first checked bag fee waiver will only be applied on flight segments which originate on a Delta or Delta Connection® carrier when you check-in with Delta for both a Delta marketed and Delta operated flight. Codeshare flights are not eligible. New Card Members and Card Members upgrading from another Delta SkyMiles Card product will be eligible for the checked baggage fee waiver benefit after receiving their Card from American Express. Waiver is not available to passengers who are already receiving one or more checked bags free (for example, due to itinerary purchased, Medallion Status, or active duty military status). Offer terms and conditions subject to change. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions may apply.

2Basic Card Members will earn 1 mile for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on their Card or any Additional Cards on the Card Account. Basic Card Members will earn 2 additional miles (for a total of 3 miles) on each dollar of eligible purchases on their Card or any Additional Cards on the Card Account charged directly with Delta where Delta is the merchant of record, such as purchases via delta.com, the Fly Delta app, phone reservations, or ticket counters, for upgrades, miles, seat selection, Delta Sky Club® membership, and in-flight purchases of food and beverages on Delta-operated flights (“Delta Purchases”). Delta Purchases do not include in-flight purchases where Delta is not the merchant of record, such as in-flight wireless internet access and charitable contributions. Delta Purchases do not include Delta Gift Cards and purchases made at deltashop.com and/or the Delta Flight Museum. Delta Purchases include Delta Vacations® packages but not other all-inclusive packages. Delta Purchases include new Delta Stays prepaid hotel or vacation rental bookings on the Delta Stays platform (delta.com/stays). Delta Purchases include purchases of qualifying Delta, Delta Connection® carrier and Delta Shuttle® flights taken with the purchase of a fare that is eligible for SkyMiles mileage credit. For purposes of this Card benefit, “Delta Purchases” also includes Delta Basic Economy fares, notwithstanding that these fares do not earn SkyMiles mileage credit for travel. Full SkyMiles program terms: delta.com/memberguide. Additional miles earned for Delta flight purchases made with the Card will be based on the total ticket price, including base fare, carrier-imposed surcharges and government-imposed taxes and fees.

Eligible purchases are purchases for goods and services minus returns and other credits. Eligible purchases do NOT include fees or interest charges, cash advances, purchases of travelers checks, purchases of gift cards, person-to-person transactions, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents. Miles will be posted to the Basic Card Member’s Delta SkyMiles account 8 to 12 weeks after the end of each month. To be eligible to receive miles, the Card Account must not be canceled or past due at the time of fulfillment.

Merchants are assigned codes based on what they primarily sell. We group certain merchant codes into categories that are eligible for additional miles. A purchase with a merchant will not receive additional miles if the merchant’s code is not included in a reward category. Basic Card Members may not receive additional miles if we receive inaccurate information or are otherwise unable to identify the purchase as eligible for a reward category. For example, Basic Card Members may not receive additional miles when: a merchant uses a third-party to sell their products or services; or a merchant uses a third-party to process or submit the transaction to us (e.g., using mobile or wireless card readers); or Card Members choose to make a purchase using a third-party payment account or make a purchase using a mobile or digital wallet.

For question about additional miles on a purchase, call the number on the back of your Card. Please visit americanexpress.com/rewards-info for more information about rewards.

3Basic Card Members will earn 1 additional mile (for a total of 2 miles) on each dollar of eligible purchases on their Card or any Additional Cards on the Card Account charged directly with Delta where Delta is the merchant of record, such as purchases via delta.com, the Fly Delta app, phone reservations, or ticket counters, for upgrades, miles, seat selection, Delta Sky Club® membership, and in-flight purchases of food and beverages on Delta-operated flights (“Delta Purchases”). Delta Purchases do not include in-flight purchases where Delta is not the merchant of record, such as in-flight wireless internet access and charitable contributions. Delta Purchases do not include Delta Gift Cards and purchases made at deltashop.com and/or the Delta Flight Museum. Delta Purchases include Delta Vacations® packages but not other all-inclusive packages. Delta Purchases include new Delta Stays prepaid hotel or vacation rental bookings on the Delta Stays platform (delta.com/stays). Delta Purchases include purchases of qualifying Delta, Delta Connection® carrier and Delta Shuttle® flights taken with the purchase of a fare that is eligible for SkyMiles mileage credit. For purposes of this Card benefit, “Delta Purchases” also includes Delta Basic Economy fares, notwithstanding that these fares do not earn SkyMiles mileage credit for travel. Full SkyMiles program terms: delta.com/memberguide. Additional miles earned for Delta flight purchases made with the Card will be based on the total ticket price, including base fare, carrier-imposed surcharges and government-imposed taxes and fees.

Eligible purchases are purchases for goods and services minus returns and other credits. Eligible purchases do NOT include fees or interest charges, cash advances, purchases of travelers checks, purchases of gift cards, person-to-person transactions, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents. Miles will be posted to the Basic Card Member’s Delta SkyMiles account 8 to 12 weeks after the end of each month. To be eligible to receive miles, the Card Account must not be canceled or past due at the time of fulfillment.

Merchants are assigned codes based on what they primarily sell. We group certain merchant codes into categories that are eligible for additional miles. A purchase with a merchant will not receive additional miles if the merchant’s code is not included in a reward category. Basic Card Members may not receive additional miles if we receive inaccurate information or are otherwise unable to identify the purchase as eligible for a reward category. For example, Basic Card Members may not receive additional miles when: a merchant uses a third-party to sell their products or services; or a merchant uses a third-party to process or submit the transaction to us (e.g., using mobile or wireless card readers); or Card Members choose to make a purchase using a third-party payment account or make a purchase using a mobile or digital wallet.

For question about additional miles on a purchase, call the number on the back of your Card. Please visit americanexpress.com/rewards-info for more information about rewards.