Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card Review
The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card is a good choice for Delta loyalists who need some help achieving their elite status goals. This card offers valuable benefits, including a domestic companion certificate each year upon renewal of your card, the ability to purchase Sky Club access per visit when flying Delta, and your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐½
*The card rating is based on the opinion of the TPG editorial staff and is not influenced by the card issuer.
The Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card is one of the best credit cards for Delta travelers. It offers attractive benefits to Delta loyalists in exchange for a $350 annual contribution (see rates and benefits), including an annual companion certificate, solid earning rates and other benefits.
In February 2024, Delta revamped its credit card lineup, increased annual fees, introduced new benefits, expanded existing benefits and limited lounge access across the board. So there are several changes you’ll want to keep in mind as you look at this map earlier.
The recommended credit score for this card is at least 670.
The Delta Platinum Amex is a great choice if you’re chasing Delta Medallion elite status thanks to its Medallion Qualifying Dollars earning structure.
Delta Platinum Amex pros and cons
| Plus points | Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
Delta Platinum Amex Welcome Offer
The Delta Platinum Amex currently earns 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases on your new card in the first six months of opening your account. Offer ends March 27.
Based on TPG’s valuation of Delta miles at 1.2 cents each, this bonus is worth $1,080, which is about the best offer we’ve seen for this card. However, you probably won’t qualify for this welcome offer if you have or previously had the Delta Amex Platinum. Amex may also consider the number of American Express cards you have opened and closed and other factors when determining whether you qualify for the Welcome Offer.
Fortunately, Amex will notify you if you don’t qualify for a welcome offer, displaying a message shortly after submitting your application. So don’t ignore any messages or warnings that appear after you click Send.
Daily newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for the latest news, in-depth guides and exclusive offers from the experts at TPG
Related: A Complete Guide to Amex Restrictions for One Welcome Offer Per Lifetime
Delta Platinum Amex Benefits
The Delta Platinum Amex offers many benefits for Delta flyers, and we’ll take a closer look at all the perks and benefits of the card.
Benefits of Elite Status
Delta has overhauled the way its credit cards help cardholders earn elite status with one metric: Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs). Delta Platinum Amex cardholders earn 1 MQD for every $20 spent, with no limit on the number of MQDs that can be earned through credit card spend.
They also receive an MQD boost of 2,500 MQDs every year.
Related: How to Earn Delta Medallion Elite Status Without Flying
Annual supervisor certificate
The other primary benefit provided by the Delta Platinum Amex is an annual supervisor certificate. You will receive this benefit every year after renewing your account.
The Delta companion certificate is valid for round-trip and domestic travel in the main cabin booked in fare classes L, U, T, X or V. All you have to pay for the companion ticket are taxes and fees. Please note that this excludes the carrier’s basic economy tickets (which are booked in the E fare class) and most higher-priced economy classes.
Previously, you had to travel within the 48 contiguous American states; now this certificate covers travel to all 50 US states (including Hawaii and Alaska), Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.
If you use this certificate for expensive flights, you can easily cover most (or all) of the card’s annual cost.
Related: What happens if you used your companion certificate for a canceled flight?
Other travel benefits
The Delta Platinum Amex also offers several other benefits that you may find useful, including Hertz Five Star status, an annual Resy credit of up to $120 ($10 per month), an annual up to $120 ride credit ($10 per month ), an annual $150 Delta credit. Lodging credit, 15% off award redemptions for Delta flights, first checked bag free for up to eight companions, priority boarding in Main Cabin 1, 20% off onboard purchases as statement credit, up to $100 Global Entry credit every 4 years or up to $85 for TSA PreCheck every 4.5 years, and no foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees).
Fortunately, Delta links benefits like checked baggage allowance and priority boarding to your Delta SkyMiles account. So you don’t have to book flights with your Delta Platinum Amex to access these benefits.
Additionally, cardholders who are not SkyMiles Medallion members are eligible for complimentary upgrades to Delta One (within the US), First Class and Delta Comfort+ after Medallion members.
Related: 4 Reasons Why the Amex Platinum Could Be the Ideal Credit Card for Delta Flyers
Earn miles on the Delta Platinum Amex
You’ll earn Delta SkyMiles when you make qualifying purchases with the Delta Platinum Amex. Specifically, here’s how to earn Delta Miles with your card:
- 3 miles per dollar on purchases directly from Delta and at hotels
- 2 miles per dollar on purchases at restaurants (including takeout and delivery) and US supermarkets
- 1 mile per dollar on other qualifying purchases
Since TPG’s valuations peg the value of Delta Miles at 1.2 cents each, you get an effective return of approximately 3.6% on purchases at Delta and hotels, 2.4% on purchases at restaurants and US supermarkets , and 1.2% on other purchases. While a loyal Delta traveler would love to earn bonus SkyMiles on these purchases, none of these returns come close to the best you can get in these categories.
Related: 9 Delta SkyMiles sweet spots worth saving for
Redeem miles on the Delta Platinum Amex
Delta’s SkyMiles program doesn’t have the best reputation among points and miles enthusiasts. After all, Delta has devalued its miles many times over the years. And Delta doesn’t publish an official compensation schedule, meaning compensation costs can skyrocket overnight. But there are still some great ways to get value from the Delta SkyMiles program.
For example, Delta regularly has flash sales. In the past we’ve seen deals like domestic awards from 2,000 SkyMiles one way, awards to Alaska for just 5,000 SkyMiles round trip, transcontinental awards from 10,000 SkyMiles round trip and flights to Europe from 16,000 SkyMiles round trip.
Consider finding some sweet spots when using SkyMiles to fly on Delta partner airlines. This includes prizes for SkyTeam partners such as Air France and Korean Air, but the program also features some non-alliance partners, including Air Tahiti Nui.
Please note that some partner prices are not shown on Delta’s website, including prices from Air Europa, Air Tahiti Nui, Czech Airlines and Kenya Airways. Therefore, you will need to use ExpertFlyer (owned by TPG’s parent company, Red Ventures) or another SkyTeam website such as Flying Blue to find out availability before calling to book awards with these partners.
Scott Mayerowitz, former TPG executive, often used Delta SkyMiles for domestic travel with his family, taking advantage of flight deals.
Related: How to Earn and Maximize 100,000 Delta SkyMiles
Which cards compete with the Delta Platinum Amex?
If you are interested in the Delta Platinum Amex Since you fly (or plan to fly) Delta regularly, you may also be interested in these options.
For more options, check out our full list of the best airline credit cards and the best American Express credit cards.
Read more: Best Amex Credit Cards
Is the Delta Platinum Amex worth it?
This card is great if you want Delta benefits like an annual companion certificate and a free checked bag. It’s also good for earning bonus miles on your Delta flights and hotel, restaurant and grocery purchases. However, the annual fee can be difficult to justify if you don’t fly Delta often enough to maximize the benefits of this card.
In short
The Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card can be a great addition to your wallet if Delta is your carrier of choice. The annual fee may seem high compared to the lower annual fee Delta Gold Amexbut you get useful benefits in return, such as the annual supervisor certificate that can provide significant value.
Keep in mind that to maximize your overall travel earning strategy, you’ll probably want to combine the Delta Platinum with other cards that offer higher bonus spending categories.
Submit your application here: Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card
For Delta Platinum Amex rates and fees, click here.
For Delta Gold Amex rates and fees, click here.
For Delta Reserve Amex rates and fees, click here.
For Amex Platinum rates and fees, click here.
