Is the Delta Gold Card a credit card?

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is not a Visa or a Mastercard – it is on the American Express network. This means the Delta Gold Card has a bit less worldwide acceptance than a Visa or a Mastercard but should still be usable at most merchants within the U.S.

In general, it doesn’t matter much what network your credit card is on unless you’re focusing specifically on international travel. In that case, you’re best served by getting a Visa or Mastercard credit card with no foreign transaction fees. But for all other purposes, all four major credit card networks have comparable benefits and card offers. It’s best to compare individual cards on a case-by-case basis rather than focusing on a specific network.... read full answer

The Gold Delta Skymiles card is an American Express credit card meaning it is accepted at 8.5 million merchant locations in the U.S. and in 160+ countries and territories abroad.

Aside from the U.S., the countries where American Express is accepted most include Canada, Australia, the UK, India and Mexico.

Most major retailers in the U.S. accept American Express, however, things change abroad, as American Express charges stores, or merchants, higher fees than other credit card networks like Visa, Mastercard, and Discover.

Four major types of credit cards are Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. These are the major credit card networks, which most credit cards belong to, and they dictate where cards can be used as well as what secondary benefits cards offer. Fundamentally, the credit cards on these networks work the same way, however.... read full answer

4 Types of Credit Cards

1. Visa credit cards
2. Mastercard credit cards
3. American Express credit cards
4. Discover credit cards

Overall, Visa and Mastercard credit cards have the greatest worldwide acceptance, but American Express and Discover cards still have very broad coverage. When it comes to benefits, different networks provide different perks like rental car insurance, travel insurance and purchase protection. But which network benefits a card has is often left up to the issuing bank or credit union.

There are other nuances to these four types of credit cards, too. For example, American Express and Discover are the only two networks that issue their own credit cards. All cards on the Visa and Mastercard networks are issued by separate banks and credit unions.

Other Types of Credit Cards

Aside from the four types of credit cards split up by network, there are a lot of other categories that could be considered “types” of credit cards. For example, there are secured cards that require a deposit and unsecured cards that don’t. Similarly, some cards offer rewards, some are partnered with specific merchants, some have special financing deals, and some are only available to students or businesses.

You can learn more about the different types of credit cards on WalletHub.