topic Re: Amex Delta gold in Credit Cards

Amex Delta gold

Bkpisher — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 04:42:29 GMT

So me and my wife are average travelers, we were looking into different airline credit cards. The Delta Gold because of its 80K welcome bonus was enticing. I applied and got approved with a 1K (sad) limit. On one end, I'm a little disappointed in the CL, but on the other end I feel this is a starting gateway to the Amex ecosystem, which I've applied for their other cards and gotten denied in the past. Question is, is this a potential way to build a relationship with them? Or do I need one of their non co-branded cards?

My average score is 691, keep my utilization between 2 to 4% every month

Re: Amex Delta gold

JoeRockhead — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 12:09:06 GMT

Even though you're disappointed in your starting limit, an approval is an approval. With good use (responsible) Amex can be very generous, and limits can grow fast. Being Amex's underwriting is pretty consistent across all cards they issue (compared to other lenders), yes it's a good way build a relationship with them. Congratulations on your approval.

Re: Amex Delta gold

dfwxjer — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 12:51:25 GMT

Congrats on the approval and I'll echo what was said above about them growing quickly.

What's holding your scores back if your utilization is 2-4%? Something in your profile lead to the starter limit.

Re: Amex Delta gold

Bkpisher — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 13:27:28 GMT

I think what it is, I have some late payments that are lingering from about 4 years ago still hitting my report

Re: Amex Delta gold

dfwxjer — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 13:41:55 GMT

Ah yeah that would do it. Hopefully that didn't get you stuck with the $1k limit but worst case just keep using the card and trying for CLIs every 91 days.

Re: Amex Delta gold

coldfusion — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 15:11:27 GMT

@Bkpisher wrote:
So me and my wife are average travelers, we were looking into different airline credit cards. The Delta Gold because of its 80K welcome bonus was enticing. I applied and got approved with a 1K (sad) limit. On one end, I'm a little disappointed in the CL, but on the other end I feel this is a starting gateway to the Amex ecosystem, which I've applied for their other cards and gotten denied in the past. Question is, is this a potential way to build a relationship with them? Or do I need one of their non co-branded cards?

My average score is 691, keep my utilization between 2 to 4% every month

A straightforward way to view your experience so far including the $1K starting limit is that while AMEX takes your reported derogs seriously they also saw enough positives in your profile to give you the chance to prove yourself. Using the card regularly and paying the statement balance in full each month is behavior they very much like to see, just avoid cycling the limit (i.e. running up the balance close to the limit and then immediately paying it off multiple times each month) as that can set off red flags.

After 91 days you can make a CLI request (it would be a soft pull) asking for a limit increase to $3K. By policy the most they would consider is an increase to 3X your starting limit; if you've done your part and ask for $3K there's a realistic chance you'll get all of it but even if not they can still counter with a smaller increase.

Re: Amex Delta gold

biznob — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 16:00:13 GMT

I have 4 cards with AMEX. Hilton, Delta,Cash Preferred, Gold. I believe the cash preferred was my first one. I had a CO account with them back in like 2010, so i was on the blacklist until about 2018 when i got the first approval. It was around 3-4K i believe. All 4 have 25K limits now, so take your time and the CLI's will come.

Re: Amex Delta gold

Yasselife — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 16:16:02 GMT

@Bkpisher

Congrats on the Delta Gold approval; even if the $1K limit feels low, it’s still a solid foot in the door with Amex. Many people start with a modest limit on a co-branded card and see growth over time; especially with consistent use and full, on-time payments. Since you’ve had trouble getting approved for their core cards before, this can definitely be a way to build a relationship and internal score with them.

Use the card regularly, keep utilization low, and after about 6–12 months you can try for a CLI or apply for one of their non-co-branded cards. Amex often uses your existing history with them as part of their decision-making, so this could set you up for better limits and more approvals down the road.

With your utilization already in the 2–4% range, you’re in a good position to make the most of it; just focus on showing consistent, responsible usage and letting your Amex profile season.

Re: Amex Delta gold

Bkpisher — Sat, 16 Aug 2025 22:58:30 GMT

Awesome info/advice! Last question is, now that I have this card, would any further personal cards be a soft pull?