Is the Aeroplan® Card worth the higher annual fee?

The Aeroplan® Card costs $195/yr vs $150/yr for the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $45 gap must be offset by higher earn rates, welcome offers, or credits you will use (the Aeroplan® Card also lists travel credits, dining credits).

Which card earns more rewards, the Aeroplan® Card or Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card?

Both cards earn 1X on everyday purchases. The difference is in bonus categories — check the earn rate comparison above for a full breakdown.

What benefits does the Aeroplan® Card have that the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card doesn't?

The Aeroplan® Card offers travel credits, dining credits. The Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card offers travel credits.

Should I get the Aeroplan® Card or the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card?

Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card has a lower $150/yr fee; the Aeroplan® Card must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $195/yr.

Aeroplan® Card vs Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card

Annual fees: Aeroplan® Card $195/yr, Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card $150/yr. Strongest bonus categories: Aeroplan® Card on travel, Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card on dining.

Card data as of November 13, 2026.

Credit card comparison
Overview
	Aeroplan® Card Chase · $195/yr	Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card American Express · $150/yr
Annual fee	$195	$150 Lowest Waived first year
Welcome offerCurrent public offer	75,000 points	As high as 80,000 miles — offers vary
Rewards	Aeroplan Loyalty Program	Delta SkyMiles
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Network	Mastercard World Elite	American Express
Earn ratesPer $1 spent
Travel	3x Highest	1x
Dining	2x	2x
Gas Stations	2x Highest	1x
Grocery Stores	2x	2x
Everything else	1x	1x
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
Travel	$120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck/NEXUS · $120 every 4 years	$200 Delta flight credit $100 Delta Stays 20% inflight purchases · $20 per transaction
Rideshare & transit	—	$10/mo rideshare · $10 monthly
Dining & delivery	DoorDash DashPass	—
Other credits	Up to $100 in Air Canada credits · $50 every 6 months Credit Journey	—
Perks & access— means none on record
Hotel status & programs	Automatic Aeroplan 25K Status Aeroplan 35K Status at $75,000 spend	—
Airline perks	15% off Air Canada flight redemptions Free First Checked Bags	First checked bag free for cardholder plus 8 companions Zone 5 Priority Boarding on Delta flights
Other perks	No foreign transaction fees Mastercard 24/7 Concierge	Amex Offers Early access to concerts and events 24/7 global travel assistance TakeOff 15 No foreign transaction fees
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
Trip insurance	Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance · up to $1,500 Trip Delay Reimbursement · up to $500	—
Baggage	Baggage Delay Insurance · up to $100	Baggage insurance up to $1,250 for carry-on items
Rental car	Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver	Secondary car rental insurance coverage
Purchase & returns	Purchase Protection · up to $500 24/7 Fraud Monitoring	Purchase protection for new items
Extended warranty	—	Extended warranty adds 1 year to manufacturer warranty
Other protections	Roadside Assistance	Zero liability protection on fraudulent charges
Pros & cons
Pros	—	First checked bag free for you + 8 companions; second checked bag free on domestic Delta flights Priority boarding in Main Cabin 1 $120 rideshare credit ($10/month after first renewal; enrollment required) 2X miles on Delta, restaurants, and supermarkets No foreign transaction fees
Cons	—	$150 annual fee after first year ($0 intro year) No companion certificate included No Delta Sky Club access Only 1X on most purchases SkyMiles have variable redemption value
	Card details	Card details

Aeroplan® Card
Chase · $195/yr
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
American Express · $150/yr

Overview

Annual fee: Aeroplan® Card
$195
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
$150
Lowest
Waived first year
Welcome offerCurrent public offer: Aeroplan® Card
75,000 points
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
As high as 80,000 miles — offers vary
Rewards: Aeroplan® Card
Aeroplan Loyalty Program
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
Delta SkyMiles
Foreign transaction fee: Aeroplan® Card
None
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
None
Network: Aeroplan® Card
Mastercard World Elite
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
American Express

Earn ratesPer $1 spent

Travel: Aeroplan® Card
3x
Highest
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
1x
Dining: Aeroplan® Card
2x
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
2x
Gas Stations: Aeroplan® Card
2x
Highest
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
1x
Grocery Stores: Aeroplan® Card
2x
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
2x
Everything else: Aeroplan® Card
1x
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
1x

Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record

Travel: Aeroplan® Card
$120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck/NEXUS · $120 every 4 years
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
$200 Delta flight credit
$100 Delta Stays
20% inflight purchases · $20 per transaction
Rideshare & transit: Aeroplan® Card
—
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
$10/mo rideshare · $10 monthly
Dining & delivery: Aeroplan® Card
DoorDash DashPass
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
—
Other credits: Aeroplan® Card
Up to $100 in Air Canada credits · $50 every 6 months
Credit Journey
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
—

Perks & access— means none on record

Hotel status & programs: Aeroplan® Card
Automatic Aeroplan 25K Status
Aeroplan 35K Status at $75,000 spend
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
—
Airline perks: Aeroplan® Card
15% off Air Canada flight redemptions
Free First Checked Bags
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
First checked bag free for cardholder plus 8 companions
Zone 5 Priority Boarding on Delta flights
Other perks: Aeroplan® Card
No foreign transaction fees
Mastercard 24/7 Concierge
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
Amex Offers
Early access to concerts and events
24/7 global travel assistance
TakeOff 15
No foreign transaction fees

Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record

Trip insurance: Aeroplan® Card
Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance · up to $1,500
Trip Delay Reimbursement · up to $500
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
—
Baggage: Aeroplan® Card
Baggage Delay Insurance · up to $100
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
Baggage insurance up to $1,250 for carry-on items
Rental car: Aeroplan® Card
Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
Secondary car rental insurance coverage
Purchase & returns: Aeroplan® Card
Purchase Protection · up to $500
24/7 Fraud Monitoring
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
Purchase protection for new items
Extended warranty: Aeroplan® Card
—
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
Extended warranty adds 1 year to manufacturer warranty
Other protections: Aeroplan® Card
Roadside Assistance
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
Zero liability protection on fraudulent charges

Pros & cons

Pros: Aeroplan® Card
—
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
First checked bag free for you + 8 companions; second checked bag free on domestic Delta flights
Priority boarding in Main Cabin 1
$120 rideshare credit ($10/month after first renewal; enrollment required)
2X miles on Delta, restaurants, and supermarkets
No foreign transaction fees
Cons: Aeroplan® Card
—
Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card
$150 annual fee after first year ($0 intro year)
No companion certificate included
No Delta Sky Club access
Only 1X on most purchases
SkyMiles have variable redemption value

Card details

Add a 3rd or 4th card to this comparison →

Category-by-Category Winner

The Aeroplan® Card wins in 2 of 2 categories. The Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card leads in 0.

Travel

Aeroplan® Card earns 3X vs 1X

Gas Stations

Aeroplan® Card earns 2X vs 1X

Year One vs Ongoing Value

Modeled net value (bonus categories at unconditional rates, caps applied). Spend mix: dining 15%, groceries 15%, gas 10%, travel 10%, everything else 50%. Statement credits use the same recurring usable estimates as each card's detail page; first-year-only credits count in year one only. Welcome offers valued at each card's program rate shown on this page.

Modeled value is close across spend levels — especially once statement credits are counted.

Scenario	Aeroplan® Card	Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card	Ongoing winner	Year-one winner
Light spender: $1,000/month	Rewards: $250 Credits (our usable estimate): $93 − Annual fee ($195) Ongoing: $148 Year one: $1,123	Rewards: $187 Credits (our usable estimate): $182 − Annual fee ($150) Ongoing: $219 Year one: $369	Close — depends on how much of the credits you use	Aeroplan® Card
Heavy spender: $4,000/month	Rewards: $998 Credits (our usable estimate): $93 − Annual fee ($195) Ongoing: $896 Year one: $1,871	Rewards: $749 Credits (our usable estimate): $182 − Annual fee ($150) Ongoing: $781 Year one: $931	Aeroplan® Card	Aeroplan® Card

Is the Fee Difference Worth It?

The Aeroplan® Card costs $195/yr — that's $45 more than the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card ($150/yr). To justify that gap, you need to extract at least $45 in annual value from the card's higher earn rates and benefits.

The Aeroplan® Card includes travel credits, dining credits, Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit, free checked bags. Those perks are not included in the earn-rate scenario table above — compare their dollar value to the $45 fee gap for your own usage.

Bottom line: Use the year-one vs ongoing table for modeled earn value at your spend level. The $45 fee gap means the Aeroplan® Card needs roughly $45 more in annual rewards (or credits you will use) to break even on travel and dining and everyday spend.

What You Give Up

Choosing one card means missing out on these benefits from the other.

Choosing Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card means losing:

-Global Entry credit

The Bottom Line

Modeled value is close across spend levels — especially once statement credits are counted.

Published annual fees: Aeroplan® Card $195/yr, Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card $150/yr — a $45 difference before welcome offers and credits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Aeroplan® Card worth the higher annual fee?: The Aeroplan® Card costs $195/yr vs $150/yr for the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $45 gap must be offset by higher earn rates, welcome offers, or credits you will use (the Aeroplan® Card also lists travel credits, dining credits).
Which card earns more rewards, the Aeroplan® Card or Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card?: Both cards earn 1X on everyday purchases. The difference is in bonus categories — check the earn rate comparison above for a full breakdown.
What benefits does the Aeroplan® Card have that the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card doesn't?: The Aeroplan® Card offers travel credits, dining credits. The Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card offers travel credits.
Should I get the Aeroplan® Card or the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card?: Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card has a lower $150/yr fee; the Aeroplan® Card must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $195/yr.

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Official issuer pages: Chase cards · American Express cards

Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; catalog last published November 13, 2026, and each card page shows when its terms were last checked. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.