Updated
Feb 28, 2022 Some offers mentioned on this page may be outdated. To confirm offers and credit card details, check the issuer’s website.
Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card
What we like:
Huge sign-up bonus for new cardmembers
| Intro Offer | 75,000 bonus miles, 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles(and a $100 statement credit) after spending $3,000 within three months |
| Rewards Rates | 2x miles per $1 spent on purchases made directly with Delta 1x miles per $1 spent on everyday purchases like gas, groceries, and restaurants |
| Regular APR | 17.99% – 26.99% variable |
| Annual Fee | $195 |
Card Details
Pros
- There are a number of great travel perks like a $100 flight credit, an annual companion certificate, a free checked bag, boarding perks, and other great travel-related benefits
- The credit card offers a huge sign-up bonus to new cardholders
- Great Amexperks like purchase protection, roadside assistance, baggage insurance, extended warranty, travel insurance, and access to Amex presale tickets and Amex priority seating
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- High annual fee of $195
- You only get 1X point for most purchases—which is a low rate for an expensive card
- You have to spend a lot of money to earn certain status points.
- You can only use your travel benefits on flights with Delta and its partners.
Recommended Credit Score
Excellent
Our Thoughts On the Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express
The Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express is aimed at frequent travelers who routinely fly with Delta Airlines and want a card that helps them save on travel and access travel perks. If you don’t want to be loyal to one airline, you should check out our other best travel credit cards.
In this review:
Delta Platinum Amex Benefits
Travel Perks
If you travel frequently with Delta Airlines, you can save quite a bit with the Platinum Delta SkyMiles card. When you sign up for a new card, you’ll get:
- An annual companion ticket (round-trip, domestic flights only)
- Free first checked bag
- No foreign transaction fees
These benefits alone will add up to big savings even if you just travel once on Delta with a companion. But the card will also provide you with main cabin 1 priority boarding, discounted Delta Sky Club access, 20% in-flight savings, and various forms of travel insurance, including baggage insurance, car rental damage insurance, and access to a global assist hotline.
Welcome Bonus
In addition to all the travel perks, this Delta card comes with a great sign-up bonus. For a short time, you can earn 75,000 bonus miles, 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs), and a $100 statement credit. This welcome offer more than makes up for the card’s high annual fee.
Earn Miles for Upgraded Status
SkyMiles are rewards miles that you earn on everyday purchases, and they never expire. The Platinum SkyMiles card generates miles an admittedly low rate of 1 mile per $1 spent on regular purchases and 2 miles per $1 spent on Delta purchases.
However, the card also allows you to earn MQMs if you spend enough in a calendar year or when you fly with Delta Airlines. MQMs add up to give you one of four levels of elite status where you can access different perks and benefits. For example, members get things like free unlimited complimentary upgrades on flights, priority boarding, waived baggage fees, priority security line access, and priority handling for international flights.
Currently, if you spend at least $25,000 on your card in a year, you get a miles boost of 10,000 bonus miles and 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles.
Shopping Benefits
You can shop with confidence with this card. You get an extended warranty policy that guarantees items you buy for an extra year. It covers you for $10,000 per occurrence of $50,000 per year. You also get purchase protection that covers you for $1,000 per occurrence or $50,000 per year. Finally, you get return protection, which covers you for 90 days after you purchase something for up to $300 per item and $1,000 per card.
Downsides of the Delta Platinum Amex
The high annual fee makes the card a good deal only for frequent Delta Airlines travelers. However, like most co-branded airline credit cards, you’re limited in how you can use rewards.
Although Delta does allow you to transfer points to any of their 30+ airline partners, the card’s inflexible rewards make it hard to book travel and you could end up paying more money just to travel with one of these airlines. For that reason, its really only a good deal if you want Delta status upgrades.
Additionally, the card’s rewards rate is well below average for a card with such a high annual fee.
If you want things like free baggage and priority boarding, you can also get those with the cheaper Gold Delta Skymiles credit card that’s offered by American Express. It waives the annual fee in your first year and then is only $95 per year after that.
Another disappointing downside of the card is that you don’t get complimentary airport lounge access, which would be expected with a card of this price.
How it Compares to Similar Cards
Platinum Delta SkyMiles vs Gold Delta SkyMiles Card
American Express also offers a second Delta credit card. The Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card has no annual fee in the first year and a $95 annual fee after that. It provides you with 60,000 bonus miles if you spend $2,000 on your card in the first three months. You also get a $50 credit after you make a purchase with Delta on your card in the first 3 months. The card is very similar to the Platinum card except it doesn’t offer Medallion bonus points, which means that you won’t be able to get as many upgrades. However, that isn’t important to all cardholders, especially if they only fly on Delta once per year. If that’s you, you could save a significant amount by getting the Gold card instead.
Platinum Delta SkyMiles vs Capital One Venture
The Capital One Venture card is a great travel rewards card. It offers no annual fee in the first year and $95 after that. It provides you with 50,000 bonus miles if you spend $3,000 on the card in the first 3 months. It’s rewards are much better than the Premium Delta SkyMiles card since it gives you 2 miles for every dollar you spend and 10 miles for every dollar you spend on hotels until January, 2020. The card also comes with a fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck, and it also allows you to book travel more flexibly since you aren’t limited to flying on Delta flights.
Bottom Line: Is the Delta Platinum Amex Card Right for You?
If you’re a frequent Delta flyer, you’re likely to take advantage of the perks offered by this card, so it may be worth it. However, there are better travel rewards cards that allow you to earn more miles per dollar spent, lower annual fees, or more flexible rewards. For that reason, this Amex card isn’t the right choice for many potential cardholders. Before you apply, ask yourself how many times you’ll fly Delta in the coming year to decide if it’s right for you.