Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card overview
The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card is a good choice for Delta loyalists who need a little help reaching their elite status goals. This card offers valuable perks, including a domestic companion certificate each year after renewing your card, the ability to purchase Sky Club access when flying Delta on a per-visit basis, and your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Card rating*: ⭐⭐⭐½
*Card rating is based on the opinion of TPG's editors 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 has attractive perks for Delta loyalists in exchange for a $350 annual fee (see rates and fees), including an annual companion certificate (Main Cabin domestic, Caribbean, or Central American roundtrip flights each year after renewal of your card), solid earning rates and other perks.
In February, Delta refreshed its credit card lineup, increasing annual fees, introducing new perks, enhancing existing benefits and restricting lounge access across the board. If you were looking at this card previously, there are several changes you'll want to keep in mind.
The recommended credit score for this card is at least 670.
The Delta Platinum Amex is a good fit if you're chasing Delta Medallion elite status thanks to its earning structure for Medallion Qualification Dollars.
Delta Platinum Amex pros and cons
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Delta Platinum Amex welcome offer
The Delta Platinum Amex currently earns 85,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new card in your first six months.
Based on TPG's valuation of Delta miles at 1.15 cents each, this bonus is worth $978. This is only 5,000 fewer miles than the best welcome offer we've seen, so now is a great time to apply for the card.
However, you likely won't be eligible for this welcome offer if you have the Delta Amex Platinum or have had it before. Amex may also consider the number of American Express cards you've opened and closed and other factors when deciding whether you're eligible to earn the welcome offer.
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Luckily, Amex will notify you if you aren't eligible for a welcome offer, displaying a message soon after submitting your application. So, don't ignore any messages or warnings that appear after you hit submit.
Related: A complete guide to Amex one-welcome offer-per-lifetime restrictions
Delta Platinum Amex benefits
The Delta Platinum Amex offers many perks for Delta flyers, and we will take a closer look at all of the card's perks and benefits.
Elite status perks
Delta has overhauled how its credit cards help cardmembers 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 how many MQDs can be earned through credit card spending.
They also receive an MQD boost of 2,500 MQDs each year.
Annual companion certificate
The other primary benefit offered by the Delta Platinum Amex is an annual companion certificate. You'll receive this perk each year after your account renewal.
The Delta companion certificate is valid for round-trip, main cabin domestic travel booked in fare classes L, U, T, X or V. All you'll need to pay for the companion ticket is taxes and fees. Note that this excludes the carrier's basic economy tickets (which are booked into E fare class) and most higher-priced economy classes.
This certificate covers travel to all 50 U.S. 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 fee.
Related: What happens if you've used your companion certificate for a canceled flight?
Other travel perks
The Delta Platinum Amex also offers several other benefits you may find helpful, including Hertz Five Star status*, an annual up to $120 Resy statement credit (up to $10 monthly), an annual up to $120 ride-hailing statement credit (up to $10 monthly), an annual $150 Delta Stays statement credit, a 15% discount off award redemptions for Delta flights, first checked bag free for up to eight companions on the same flight, priority boarding, 20% off inflight purchases as statement credit (excluding Wi-Fi purchases), $100 statement credit for Global Entry every 4 years or up to $85 for TSA PreCheck every 4.5 years, and no foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees). Enrollment is required for select benefits.
Related: How to maximize the new statement credits on the Delta Amex cards
Fortunately, Delta ties benefits such as the checked baggage allowance and priority boarding to your Delta SkyMiles account. So, you don't need to book flights with your Delta Platinum Amex to get access to these perks.
Additionally, cardmembers who are not SkyMiles Medallion Members are eligible to receive complimentary upgrades for Delta One (within the U.S.), First Class, and Delta Comfort+ after Medallion Members.
*Enrollment in the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Program is required
Related: 4 reasons why the Amex Platinum might be the ideal credit card for Delta flyers
Earning miles on the Delta Platinum Amex
You'll earn Delta SkyMiles when you make eligible purchases with the Delta Platinum Amex. In particular, you'll earn Delta miles with your card as follows:
- 3 miles per dollar on purchases made directly with Delta and at hotels
- 2 miles per dollar on purchases made at restaurants (including takeover and delivery) and U.S. supermarkets
- 1 mile per dollar on other eligible purchases
Since TPG's valuations peg the value of value Delta miles at 1.15 cents each, you'll get an effective return of roughly 3.4% on purchases with Delta and at hotels, 2.3% on purchases at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets, and 1.15% on other purchases. Though a loyal Delta traveler may enjoy earning bonus SkyMiles on these purchases, none of these returns are close to the best you can do in these categories.
Related: 9 Delta SkyMiles sweet spots worth saving up for
Redeeming miles on the Delta Platinum Amex
Delta's SkyMiles program doesn't have the best reputation among points and miles buffs. After all, Delta has devalued its miles many times over the years. And Delta doesn't publish an official award chart, meaning award costs can skyrocket overnight. But there are still some great ways to get value from the Delta SkyMiles program.
For example, Delta has frequent flash sales. In the past, we've seen deals like domestic awards from 2,000 SkyMiles one-way, awards to Alaska for as little as 5,000 SkyMiles round-trip, transcontinental awards from 10,000 SkyMiles round-trip and flights to Europe from 16,000 SkyMiles round-trip.
Consider snagging some great sweet spots when using SkyMiles to fly Delta partner airlines. This includes awards on SkyTeam partners such as Air France and Korean Air, but the program also has some non-alliance partners, including Air Tahiti Nui.
Just note that some partner awards don't show on Delta's website, including awards on Air Europa, Air Tahiti Nui, Czech Airlines and Kenya Airways. As a result, you'll want to use ExpertFlyer (owned by TPG's parent company, Red Ventures) or another SkyTeam website like Flying Blue to find availability before calling to book awards on these partners.
TPG's former executive director Scott Mayerowitz often utilizes Delta SkyMiles for domestic trips 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 because you fly (or plan to fly) Delta frequently, you may also be interested in these options.
- If you want Delta perks with a lower annual fee, The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card is a good choice for getting Delta perks, like a free checked bag, but with a lower annual fee of $150 ($0 introductory fee for the first year; see rates and fees). For more information, check out our full Delta SkyMiles Gold Amex review.
- If you want Delta Sky Club access: The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card has a higher annual fee of $650 (see rates and fees) but offers more Delta perks, including lounge access. For more information, check out our full review of the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Amex.
- If you want a card with more flexible rewards: The Platinum Card® from American Express gives you excellent travel benefits like comprehensive airport lounge access and earns rewards that you can transfer to any of American Express' travel partners. For more information, check out our full review of the Amex Platinum.
For additional options, check out our full list of best airline credit cards and best American Express credit cards.
Read more: Best Amex credit cards
Bottom line
The Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card can be a great addition to your wallet if Delta is your carrier of choice. Its annual fee may seem high compared to the lower-annual-fee Delta Gold Amex, but you get useful benefits in return, like the annual companion certificate that can provide significant value.
However, holding the card may be hard to justify if you don't fly Delta often enough to maximize this card's benefits.
Remember that to maximize your overall travel earning strategy, you'll likely want to pair the Delta Platinum with other cards offering higher bonus spending categories.
Apply here: Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card
For rates and fees of the Delta Platinum Amex, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta Gold Amex, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta Reserve Amex, click here.
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
