Delta offers free luggage for branded credit card holders

A thin, thin silver lining on the dark cloud of checked baggage fees by Delta Airlines was announced today. According to the airline and American Express, the sponsor of their branded credit card, premium holders of the Delta Gold, Platinum, or Reserve SkyMiles Credit Card will soon be allowed to check one bag for free, a savings of $25 per direction of travel.

Travelers will still need to pay the annual fee on each respective card, however, as well as any incurred interest over the course of the year. So in the end, Delta still lines their pockets with a great deal of money.

It’s worth noting that those with elite status are completely exempt from baggage fees, so if you don’t want to spend the time impacting your credit score (and conversely want to spend the time and money earning status) there’s a way.

Needless to say, our preferred method remains to not check any luggage at all.