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Beginning Monday, SunTrust Banks Inc. will offer a cobranded Delta Air Lines Visa check card that will enable holders to earn Delta miles on all signature-debit purchases, the Atlanta-based companies announced Monday. The SunTrust SkyMiles Check Card will be available in three varieties: Two for consumers (classic and platinum) and one for small and midsize businesses. Classic cardholders earn one mile for every $2 spent with the card and 2,500 bonus miles for their first purchase. The annual card fee is $20. Platinum and business cardholders earn one mile per $1 spent, 5,000 bonus miles for their first purchase and a complimentary Delta Sky Club day pass. The annual fee for those cards is $55. Existing SunTrust checking-account customers can upgrade to the SkyMiles card. This will be the first time Delta has offered miles through a debit card. Delta has a cobranded credit card agreement with American Express Co. (CardLine, 12/11/08). "Delta has been interested in doing a debit card branding for some time," Hugh Gallagher, SunTrust senior vice president for deposit product management, tells CardLine. "It's a pretty good matchup between [both] in terms of their [SkyMiles] members and our clients." Both organizations have strong customer bases in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic portions of the country, Gallagher adds.
