Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card Review

The Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card is worth a look for loyal Delta flyers. The co-branded airline card is a home run for individuals who regularly fly with Delta Air Lines and need a boost to reach elite status, as you’ll receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars (MQDs) each year. Plus, you’ll earn $1 MQD for each $20 of purchases made with your card. A large welcome offer can potentially cover several award flights with Delta or partner airlines.

At $350, the annual fee is expensive, but the Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card offers a handful of benefits to help you recoup the upfront cost. The card provides the first check bag free on Delta flights booked with your card for you and up to eight passengers on the same reservation. At $60 on a round-trip per person, the baggage perk is valuable enough to cover the annual fee. The Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card includes airline benefits like an annual companion certificate, in-flight discounts and a 15% discount on Delta award flights.

This is a card to consider if you do most of your flying on Delta. For more elite airline benefits and perks, you may want to consider a top-tier co-branded card like the Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card.

• Generous welcome offer

  The Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card comes with a large welcome offer for cardholders who meet its spending requirements.

  You can earn 60,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Miles are worth approximately 1.5 cents, depending on how you redeem them, making the welcome offer worth around $935.

• Earn 3X miles on Delta and hotel purchases

  The Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card is ideal for frequent Delta flyers because of its high earning rate with the airline. It’s also a solid card for foodies, whether you prefer to dine out or prepare meals in the comfort of your own home.

  You’ll earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.

• Redeem miles for a good value

  Delta SkMiles are a valuable currency, and you can stretch them a long way, depending on how you use them. You can redeem miles several ways, but they’re worth the most when booking award flights through the airline. We estimate that SkyMiles are worth around 1.5 cents per mile, with an especially good value on international and business class flights.

• Elite status boost

  Cardholders who enroll in the Delta SkyMiles program can get a big boost toward Delta Medallion status, which unlocks access to additional perks like:

  • Free upgrades
  • Priority check-in
  • Boarding and security screening
  • Waived baggage fees
  • Other airline and partner benefits

  Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card cardholders receive $2,500 MQDs each Medallion Qualification year. This can get you halfway toward Silver status with Delta, which requires $5,000 MQDs.

• Annual companion ticket

  Cardholders receive a domestic, Caribbean or Central American main cabin round-trip companion certificate upon card renewal each year. Note that payment of the government-imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply.

  It’s a valuable benefit for frequent Delta flyers but pales in comparison to the companion certificate offered with the Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card. With that card, your companion can join you in Delta’s first class and Delta Comfort+ cabins.

• First checked bag free on Delta flights

  Primary cardholders receive the first checked bag free for themselves and up to nine eligible passengers on the same reservation. That’s a savings of up to $70 per person on round-trip flights. If you fly Delta frequently or with other people, this one card benefit may offer enough value alone to justify the card’s annual fee.

• 15% off on Delta award flights

  The card also includes an automatic discount on Delta Award flights that can help you stretch your miles farther. You’ll get 15% off on eligible award flights with Delta when booked through delta.com or the Fly Delta App. The discount only applies to the miles portion of award tickets and doesn’t apply to taxes or fees. The discount is not available for partner-operated flights.

• Global Entry/TSA Precheck credit

  Cardholders can receive a statement credit to cover application fees for select trusted traveler programs, like TSA Precheck and Global Entry. Upon enrollment, you can receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($100) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck® (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) and pay the application fee with your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.

• High annual fee

  At $350, the Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card‘s annual fee is higher than the average airline credit card. The card offers enough value for individuals who take advantage of the card’s perks, but the upfront cost may be higher than you want to spend to have a card. If this is the case, you may want to check out the lower fee Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card or the no-annual-fee Delta SkyMiles^® Blue American Express Card.

• Rewards are limited to Delta

  As a cobranded airline card, most of the benefits and rewards of the card are tied to Delta. If your goal is to earn rewards for free flights without loyalty to a specific airline, a general travel card like the American Express^® Gold Card may be a better choice.

• Limited travel protections

  This card doesn’t come with all the travel protections you’d expect from an airline card. You do get baggage insurance, secondary car rental loss and damage insurance and extended warranty protection, though. However, the card lacks trip interruption insurance and baggage delay reimbursement, for example

  The Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card offers the same protections plus trip cancellation and interruption insurance and cell phone protection. The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card comes with more benefits, including primary rental car insurance.

• No complimentary Sky Club access

  Airport lounges provide a comfortable space away from the noise of the airport to relax and enjoy elevated amenities like private restrooms and complimentary snacks and beverages. Unfortunately, while the card offers discounted Sky Club access, you still have to pay $50 per person to enter the lounge.

  If free Sky Club access is a must for you, you should check out the Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card or The Platinum Card^® from American Express.

Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card

 
The Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card is geared towards Delta loyalists who want access to luxury benefits. The card carries a $650 annual fee, so it’s not for the casual traveler. But it could be a great choice for those who fly Delta often and will take advantage of its elite perks, including complimentary Delta Sky Club and Centurion Lounge access.

Like the Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card, it comes with an annual companion certificate, but it’s good for domestic First Class, Delta Comfort+ or Main Cabin round-trip flights. Other card perks include the first checked bag free, complimentary and priority upgrades and various discounts and travel protections.

The Platinum Card^® from American Express

 
If you’re looking for luxury travel benefits and more flexible rewards not limited to one airline, consider The Platinum Card^® from American Express. The card gains you entry to the American Express Membership Rewards program and a host of redemption options. You can transfer points to more than 15 airline and hotel partner programs, including Delta SkyMiles.

The Platinum Card^® from American Express has a $695 annual fee, among the highest you’ll find, but it comes with more than a handful of annual credits that can make up for that fee. Also, among its plethora of luxury travel benefits, you’ll get access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection, which includes Delta SkyClub lounges.

Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card

 
The Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card has a lower barrier of entry than the $350-annual-fee Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card. It’s perfect for travelers who prefer flying with Delta but want to avoid the larger fees of premium co-branded cards. The card comes with a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150.

The card offers some of the same benefits as the Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card. You’ll get 15% off award flights booked through delta.com and the Fly Delta App, 20% off in-flight purchases and your first checked bag free. You’ll also have a chance to earn up to a $100 annual Delta Stays credit on eligible prepaid Delta Stays bookings on delta.com. Plus, it comes with a $200 Delta flight credit after $10,000 in card spending each calendar year.

If you want to earn miles on your spending while getting a boost to elite status, and you can take advantage of its airline perks, then the Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card could be the one for you. However, you won’t get complimentary lounge access with the card.

If you aren’t loyal to one airline, want to earn more points per dollar spent on airfare and hotels and get free access to airport lounges around the world, then The Platinum Card^® from American Express may be a better fit.