Since 2010, Delta Airlines and American Express have had a co-branded credit card arrangement. Not such a big deal, say you?

You would be wrong, dear reader. It is a huge deal.

 1. In 2018, eight percent — 8% — of all Amex traffic was on this card.

 2. The Delta Skymiles/Amex card came out of the gate hot making more than $1.4B in gross revenue for Delta in 2010.

 3. In 2018, that revenue number is $4B.

 4. That percentage of Delta’s profits is more than 35%!

Delta/Amex issues three cards:

Gold — $95 annual fee

Platinum — $195 annual fee

Reserve — $450 annual fee < free companion ticket, 20% savings on in-flight purchases, Delta Sky Club, boarding priority

So, there you have it, dear reader. It surprised the Hell out of me how important this one deal is to the financial performance of Delta Airlines. Wow!

But, hey, what the Hell do I really know anyway? I’m just a Big Red Car. Great weekend coming up. Go work that Delta/Amex credit card. Merry Christmas, y’all!