For frequent Delta Air Lines flyers looking to advance to the next elite status level, the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card is one of the premium options among the Delta SkyMiles credit card options and provides significant value. 

For Delta customers who need a little assistance achieving their elite status goals, the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card is a good option. When you renew your card each year, you’ll receive a domestic companion certificate. You can also buy Sky Club access when flying Delta on a per-visit basis, and your first checked bag is always free. 

Each time you spend up to $25,000 on purchases with your Platinum Card in a single calendar year, you’ll earn 10,000 MQMs up to 2 times per year. The following welcome bonus is also available to new cardholders: 90,000 bonus miles after making $4,000 in purchases within the first six months.

One of the best benefits of this card is that every time you renew your membership, you’ll receive a Delta Companion Certificate in your SkyMiles account. For just the cost of taxes and fees, the certificate may be used to reserve a domestic round-trip companion flight in the Main Cabin.

You can’t fly in First Class because only Main Cabin flights in certain fare classes are eligible for the companion ticket benefit, but you can still save a lot of money by purchasing two tickets for the price of one. To get the most out of this card, try to use the companion benefit on a flight that costs at least $250.

Brief highlights

• Rewards: Earn 3X miles for Delta flights and Delta Vacations® purchases, as well as for direct hotel purchases; 2X miles for supermarkets and restaurants in the United States, including delivery and takeout; and 1X miles for all other eligible purchases.
• Offer: After spending $4,000 in the first six months, you will receive a bonus of 90,000 miles.
• Cost per year: $250
• APR at first purchase: N/A
• APR for balance transfers: N/A
• Regular APR: variable, ranging from 20.24 to 29.24 percent

Earning rewards

Use your American Express Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card on any purchase to earn rewards. Earn three times as many miles when booking Delta Vacations, flights, and hotels (directly through the hotel). Additionally, you can earn 2X miles at American supermarkets and restaurants, including takeout and delivery. All other eligible purchases will net you 1X miles.

If you’re a die-hard Delta supporter, you’ll value the chance to earn 3X miles. As a result of offering 5X points for travel booked through the Capital One Travel portal and 2X miles on all other purchases, other travel credit cards, such as the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, may offer greater flexibility for earning rewards. Anyone who doesn’t favor one airline over others should consider getting a non-branded travel card. It’s difficult to compare Delta miles to credit card points that aren’t transferable to Delta, though, if you frequently fly Delta.

Instead, you could earn 3X Membership Rewards points on flights booked with any airline, including Delta, if you chose a card like the American Express Green card. It is essentially the same rewards rate as the SkyMiles Platinum American Express with more flexibility because you can transfer these points to Delta SkyMiles.

Redeeming rewards

Your Delta SkyMiles can be redeemed in a variety of ways. Booking flights with Delta or its travel partners comes first, of course. On Delta.com, simply choose “Shop With Miles” when looking for flights.  Additionally, you can use SkyMiles to purchase Delta Sky Club memberships and items (including drinks in each lounge), seat upgrades, Delta Vacations packages, gifts, charitable contributions, magazine subscriptions, SkyMiles Experiences for special events, and SkyMiles Marketplace purchases.

To earn additional rewards and credits from partner merchants, you can also sign up for Amex Offers if you meet the requirements.

Key cardholder perks

There are additional benefits for travelers with Delta Platinum Amex in addition to helping you save on flights.

Travel benefits

• When you travel on a Delta flight, your first checked bag is free.
• On Delta flights, get priority boarding for Main Cabin 1.
• When your card is renewed each year, you’ll receive a domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion ticket (applicable fees apply; not valid for flights outside the continental United States). You’ll also receive application fee credits for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, including up to a $100 statement credit for Global Entry application fees, when you apply through an authorized enrollment provider.
• When taking a Delta flight, you can enter the Delta Sky Club for $50 each.
• With Status Boost®, you can accumulate up to 20,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) annually. You can earn 10,000 MQMs twice a year after you charge $25,000 in purchases to your card in a calendar year, moving you one step closer to medallion status. MQMs are distinct from miles accrued for travel. They are used to determine medallion status.
• Additionally, the card offers baggage insurance, trip delay insurance, damage and loss insurance for rental cars, and a 24-hour Delta Platinum global assistance phone hotline.

Purchase Benefits

Get an extended warranty and purchase protection for up to 90 days after the purchase date on covered items with warranties of five years or less.

Entertainment benefits

Through American Express Experiences, you can gain access to special ticket presales and events that are only open to cardholders, such as concerts, sporting events, and Broadway performances.

The Advantages

• Generous Bonus Offer for New Cardholders: You can earn 90,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on qualifying purchases with your new card in the first six months (the offer expires on 3/29/23). The bonus miles alone are worth $720 when used to book a Delta flight at our average valuation of 1.44 cents per mile.
• Excellent Travel Benefits: This card offers a variety of travel benefits, the annual travel companion certificate being one of the most notable. Each year, upon renewal, cardholders are entitled to a domestic main cabin round-trip companion certificate. You can potentially save hundreds of dollars or more annually by using this certificate, which only requires you to pay $75 in applicable taxes and fees in order to bring a companion with you. Additionally, cardholders are entitled to a free first-checked bag for themselves and up to nine additional passengers traveling on the same reservation. Additionally, there are benefits like priority boarding for main cabin 1 and $39 access to Delta Sky Club lounges.
• Earn up to 20,000 Medallion(R) Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost(R) annually for the chance to receive greater rewards. You can earn 10,000 MQMs up to twice per year after you charge $25,000 in purchases to your Card in a calendar year, moving you one step closer to Medallion(R) Status. Unlike miles you earn for flights, MQMs are used to determine Medallion(R) Status. An additional 10,000 MQMs will be given if the card’s eligible purchases total $50,000 or more during the same calendar year.

The Disadvantages

• No Free Lounge Access: Free lounge access, sometimes to thousands of lounges worldwide, is a common feature of premium travel cards. This card will charge $39 per person for you and up to two guests at the Delta Sky Club. Even though those are special rates for cardholders, if you use airport lounges frequently, the costs could mount quickly.
• $250 Annual Fee: The Delta Reserve card, for instance, has a $550 annual fee, making this card’s $250 annual fee one of the lower costs for travel cards. However, it’s probably not worthwhile if you don’t use enough of the advantages to make up for its $250 annual fee.

How to Increase Rewards

Rewards can be greatly increased by using this card for all of your Delta travel expenses and fully utilizing all of its benefits.

When you are approved for the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Amex, if you aren’t already a member of the Delta SkyMiles rewards program, you will be given a rewards number. General SkyMiles rewards members earn an additional 5 miles for every dollar spent on Delta flights in addition to the 3 miles per dollar spent on purchases made through Delta. 

The companion pass, which is this card’s best feature, should also be used. If you use it for one trip per year, you might get enough value to make the annual fee worthwhile. Rewards will be increased even further by the card’s additional perks, which include free checked bags, priority boarding, and discounts on in-flight purchases.

Standard Case

With this card, a couple that vacations twice annually could earn 4,368 miles, which are typically worth $67 when used for travel and nearly $300 in savings thanks to the complimentary companion pass.

Assuming they pay the maximum taxes and fees of $75 per round-trip ticket with the companion pass, a couple using this card’s companion pass who take two round-trip flights annually would save $289 or more on airfare. They would then earn 3 miles per dollar spent on flights using this card. 

The miles accrued from additional spending on those two trips, regular spending, and the 100,000-mile welcome bonus are not included in this calculation. Additionally, it excludes the free checked bags both ways, which could increase the card’s value by an additional $120. 

Goal-Oriented Case

Families who frequently fly together will benefit even more from this card. Consider a scenario where a family of four makes two domestic trips each year at the national average fare.  We’ll further assume that one of those round-trip tickets is booked using the annual companion certificate, leaving seven more to be bought. You would spend $2,548 on airfare with round-trip tickets costing $364, which translates to nearly 7,644 points when paid with the card. 

When redeemed for domestic Delta flights, those are worth approximately $118. Similar to the above scenario, using the companion pass would also result in savings of an additional $289 or more (the net cost after the $75 in fees, which are the cardholder’s responsibility, are subtracted from the $364 fare). Assuming the family checked bags on every flight, the free checked bag for each member of the family would be of even greater assistance, increasing the card’s value by $480.

Again, we’re going to assume that you get three miles for every dollar you spend with this card on purchases from Delta. The miles you would accumulate from spending money on things other than flights are not included.

Who should use the Delta Platinum Amex Card?

For devoted Delta flyers who want a way to achieve elite status with Delta sooner, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card is a great option. Your progress toward obtaining a long list of benefits with the Delta loyalty program will be aided by the MQMs you can acquire through the status boost bonuses. Additionally, Delta will waive the Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) spend requirement up to Platinum status if you use the card for $25,000 in a single calendar year.

Additionally, the card might quickly pay for itself if you fly frequently enough to take advantage of the perks like free checked bags, discounted SkyClub access, and TSA PreCheck/Global Entry credit.

Finally, this card will quickly save you money if you travel abroad because it has no foreign transaction fees.

Bottom line

For frequent Delta flyers, the Platinum Delta SkyMiles card is a wise investment thanks to its opulent benefits and sizable bonus offer.  The companion pass, however, significantly raises the annual value of this card and is its best feature.

The less expensive Delta SkyMiles Gold Amex card might be a better option for those who won’t use the companion pass or other premium perks. It charges a $99 annual fee and provides the same 2 miles for every $1 spent at restaurants and American supermarkets as this card. The rewards rate is the same for purchases made through Delta, and all other purchases earn one mile for every $1 spent. 

If you’re seeking more freedom with how you earn rewards for travel and don’t want to be limited to Delta, you might consider a card like the American Express Platinum card. There is a $550 annual fee, but you get 5 points for every dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express travel. You can also transfer your points to other travel partners, like Delta, through this program.