American Express® Blue Cash Everyday vs Delta SkyMiles® Blue
Side-by-side comparison
| American Express® Blue Cash Everyday | Delta SkyMiles® Blue | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | No annual fee | No annual fee |
| Welcome offer | $200 statement credit | 10,000 Bonus Miles |
| Dining | 1x | 2x |
| Groceries | 3x | 1x |
| Gas | 3x | 1x |
| Travel | 1x | 1x |
| Streaming | 1x | 1x |
| Everything else | 1x | 1x |
| Est. yearly rewards* | $455 | $322 |
| Points type | Cash back only | Locked to Delta SkyMiles |
| Network | Amex | Amex |
*Estimated yearly rewards on typical household spending, every point valued at a flat 1 cent. Verified July 2026. See your own numbers in the calculator.
Welcome bonus and value over time
| Over time | American Express® Blue Cash Everyday | Delta SkyMiles® Blue |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome bonus | $200 statement credit | 10,000 Bonus Miles |
| To earn it | $2,000 in 6 months | $1,000 in 6 months |
| Est. first-year value* | $919 | $422 |
| Est. ongoing value / yr* | $719 | $322 |
The American Express® Blue Cash Everyday wins on both fronts: it comes out ahead in year one on the welcome offer and stays ahead every year after. Short term or long, it is the stronger pick on the numbers.
*First-year value counts the welcome bonus, estimated rewards, and annual credits, minus the annual fee; ongoing value is a typical year after. Every point at a flat 1 cent.
Perks, credits, and redemptions
| Perks | American Express® Blue Cash Everyday | Delta SkyMiles® Blue |
|---|---|---|
| Lounge access | None | None |
| Annual credits | ~$264/yr (2 credits) | None |
| Points & redemptions | Cash back only | Locked to a single program |
On perks and redemptions, the American Express® Blue Cash Everyday carries the heavier credit stack (about $264 a year). Weigh those against the fee, since credits and lounge access only count if you will actually use them.
Transfer partners and point value
Neither card earns transferable points, so redemptions are cash-back or fixed portal value on both, roughly a cent per point. There is no airline or hotel transfer angle to separate them.
Both are no-fee Amex cards, but one pays broad everyday cash and the other earns airline miles locked to Delta.
The Blue Cash Everyday rewards the categories most households actually spend in, groceries, online shopping, gas, as cash you can use anywhere. The Delta SkyMiles Blue earns SkyMiles on Delta and dining, which only pays off if you fly Delta and value the miles. Flexible cash vs Delta-locked miles.
Pros and cons
- Fixed 3% at U.S. supermarkets, online retail, and gas
- No annual fee and no categories to activate
- Cash you can use for anything
- Great for everyday household spending
- Category caps ($6,000/yr each)
- 1% on dining and general spend
- No travel or airline perks
- 2x SkyMiles on Delta and at restaurants
- No annual fee
- No blackout dates on Delta awards, plus Pay with Miles options
- A fit for casual Delta flyers
- Miles locked to Delta, and SkyMiles value is modest
- No free checked bag or priority boarding (higher tiers only)
- Only 1x on most spend
- Little value if you don’t fly Delta
Where each one wins
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday earning | Blue Cash Everyday | 3% groceries/online/gas as flexible cash vs the Delta card’s 1x. |
| Airline value | Delta SkyMiles Blue | Earns SkyMiles for Delta flyers. |
| Reward flexibility | Blue Cash Everyday | Cash anywhere vs Delta-only miles. |
| Annual fee | Tie | Both $0. |
| Perks | Neither | No-fee tiers; Delta’s bag/boarding perks require a higher card. |
The verdict
If you want the most usable everyday value, the Blue Cash Everyday is the stronger free card, fixed 3% on groceries, online shopping, and gas as cash beats a couple of SkyMiles on non-Delta spend, and you can spend the rewards on anything. For most households, it’s the better default.
If you fly Delta occasionally and prefer to bank miles, the Delta SkyMiles Blue is a reasonable free way to do it, especially with Pay with Miles flexibility, but its no-fee tier skips the checked-bag and boarding perks that make Delta cards shine, so the value is thin unless you fly Delta with some regularity. Flexible cash leans Blue Cash Everyday; Delta loyalty leans Delta Blue.