As with any credit card, you need to manage your travel rewards credit card responsibly in order to avoid costly interest charges and fees, or even damage to your credit. Fortunately, you can configure automatic payments to avoid late fees. And like all reward credit cards, you should avoid interest charges by paying your statement balance in full. If you need to carry a balance, you are better off doing so on a card that doesn’t offer rewards, which will likely have a lower interest rate.

You also need to familiarize yourself with the terms of your card’s rewards and benefits. For example, it will help to know which kinds of purchases offer bonus miles, and what kinds of travel insurance and purchase protection policies your card comes with. For example, the Platinum card comes with a Priority Pass Select membership that gives you access to more than 1,000 airport business lounges.

But to receive these benefits you have to request the Priority Pass Select card and carry it with you. You should also do your best to use the Delta SkyMiles Reserve or Platinum cards enough to earn the MQM bonuses you need to reach the next level of status.

And if you already have elite status, then you may not need many of the Delta-specific benefits such as a free checked bag or priority boarding. In that case, you may be better off with the Platinum Card® from American Express, which offers you 5x points for eligible purchases from Delta and other airlines. And since you can transfer these miles to other airlines, they give you far more flexibility than just earning SkyMiles alone.

To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, please visit this page.

To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Blue Credit Card, please click here.

To view rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this page.

To view rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Credit Card, please visit this page.