Delta Sky Club lounges recently limited access for nonmembers, making it one of the more exclusive airport lounges out there. Day passes are no longer available for cash or miles. These lounges generally include amenities like complimentary wine, craft beer and spirits, showers to freshen up before the next leg of your journey, comfortable seating, and a variety of food options.
Getting into the lounge generally requires buying an annual membership, earning your way in as a top-tier Medallion member or flying in a premium cabin.
You can also gain immediate or discounted access through certain credit cards. Here are the cards that will get you access so you can escape the hubbub of frustrating airport travel:
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card is one of the fastest and easiest ways to gain access to the Delta Sky Club. Cardholders gain complimentary access to Sky Club Lounges when traveling on a Delta-marketed or operated flight. Cardholders also get four one-time guest passes each year.
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Effective 2/1/25, Reserve Card Members will receive 15 visits per year to the Delta Sky Club. To earn an unlimited number of visits each year, the total eligible purchases on the Card must equal $75,000 or more the previous year. To earn unlimited visits in 2025, you’ll need to spend this amount between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24.
There are also a number of benefits beyond lounge access, including this welcome offer: Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months. Terms Apply.
Cardholders earn 3 miles per $1 spent on Delta purchases and 1 mile per $1 on all other eligible purchases. Cardholders also receive an annual companion certificate, valid for a round-trip ticket on domestic, Caribbean or Central American flights in first class, Comfort + or Main Cabin.
The downside to the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card is the annual fee of $650.
The Platinum Card® from American Express
The Platinum Card® from American Express is a premium credit card with perks and benefits to match. The $695 annual fee might seem intimidating at first, but the benefits can easily be worth more than that.
In addition to Delta Sky Club access, this card gains you access to over 1,200 airport lounges worldwide through the American Express Global Lounge Collection.
Platinum cardholders gain a bevy of other travel benefits to make traveling easier beyond just lounge access. After selecting a participating airline each year, cardholders receive $200 in statement credits. Cardholders can also choose between a $100 fee credit for TSA PreCheck every 4 and a half years or $100 for Global Entry every four years. American Express has also partnered with Uber to offer cardholders free rides in the U.S., up to $15 each month, plus a bonus $20 in December. Terms apply.
Similar to the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, access is changing in February 2025. Cardholders will be limited to 10 visits per year to the Delta Sky Club. Unlimited access can be earned by spending $75,000 or more on the card in the previous calendar year.
The bottom line
Delta may have eliminated daily passes to its Sky Club lounges, but that doesn’t mean access is out of reach. The cards above cater to frequent travelers and those looking to save on lounge access. Sky Clubs are generally a cut above the basic domestic airline lounge, so getting in at a discount could be worth it.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024, including those best for:
