| Rewards Rating: | 4.7 / 5 |
| Rewards Value: | 5.0 |
| Annual Percentage Rate: | 3.0 |
| Rewards Flexibility: | 4.0 |
| Features: | 4.0 |
| Issuer Customer Experience | 5.0 |
In a Nutshell:
High-rolling customers of Delta Airlines will be well-served by the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card elite benefits, though the card is probably beyond the means of most cardholders.
Rewards Rate
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Introductory Bonus Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in your first 6 months |  |
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Rewards Redemption
Cons
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American Express Customer Service Ratings
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Other Notable Features: Annual companion certificate, first checked bag free on Delta flights, priority boarding, preferred seating, no foreign transaction fee (See rates and fees), discount Delta Sky Club access (including two companions), 20 percent discount on Delta in-flight purchases (in the form of a statement credit), discounts on travel packages, lowest hotel rates guarantee, car rental insurance, baggage insurance, extended warranty, trip delay insurance, purchase protection, ticket presales and VIP events, $0 fraud liability, year-end summary, global assist hotline, car purchase discounts, ShopRunner membership
If Delta Air Lines is your carrier of choice – or if you’re looking for a travel credit card that will help you save up miles to use with an international carrier that has a large network of partner airlines – the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card may be worth a look.
The card carries a valuable annual companion certificate and several noteworthy travel perks. The opportunity to achieve elite status faster than you can with other airline cards is an especially attractive benefit (you can earn up to 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs)* after you spend $25,000 in a calendar year up to two times through December 31, 2023).
However, everyday users will likely find it extremely difficult to meet the exorbitant spending requirements to get there.
Decent rewards scheme
The Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card offers a decent rewards earning scheme, offering bonus miles on more than just Delta purchases. Airfare purchased directly from Delta and purchases made directly with hotels fetch 3 miles per dollar, while purchases at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets earn 2 miles per dollar.
All other eligible purchases get you 1 mile per dollar. This is more generous than many airline cards, which only offer rewards on purchases made directly with the airline, and with the addition of a couple of popular everyday rewards categories, it should be a bit easier for you to earn enough miles to score a free ticket.
Annual companion certificate
With the Platinum Delta SkyMiles credit card, you’ll snag a companion certificate each year for as long as you remain a cardholder, which means you can invite a friend or family member to join you on an eligible round-trip domestic flight. Taxes and fees still apply, but the ticket itself more than cancels out the card’s high annual fee. The certificate is automatically issued to your account following your card renewal – there’s nothing more you need to do, except pick your lucky travel buddy.
New introductory bonus
You can earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in your first six months with the card. In terms of total miles, this is a slight downgrade compared to the card’s previous bonus offer of 85,000 miles for spending $4,000 in the same amount of time..
Bankrate’s latest airline mile valuations give Delta SkyMiles a value of around 1.3 cents per mile on average, so we estimate that 50,000 miles are worth roughly $650 in Delta travel — enough to offset at least a couple of years’ worth of annual fees with plenty left over for flights. This value could also end up being higher since the card gets you 15% off when you use miles to book award travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app (not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees).
A potential downside to the new offer is that it doesn’t include any Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs), whereas previous offers have come with 5,000 MQMs. The latest offer requires that you spend $30,000 annually in purchases on your card in order to earn up to 60,000 MQMs, which is 15,000 MQMs up to four times per year. While all that spending will certainly nudge you toward the 75,000 MQMs required to reach Platinum Medallion status, you may prefer to wait to apply when this card is featuring a more generous offer. Platinum elite status comes with benefits like unlimited complimentary upgrades (restrictions apply), preferential pricing for CLEAR Membership (which fast-tracks your way through airport security) and more.
Relatively high annual fee
The credit card’s $250 annual fee is more than twice what you’ll pay for the lion’s share of cards in the travel category. Unlike many other cobranded airline cards, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card’s annual fee isn’t waived for the first year. Meanwhile, its variable APR means applicants with even good credit scores may be saddled with a higher-than-average APR. In other words, you’d better think twice about getting this card if you normally carry a balance from month to month.
Card perks
The Delta SkyMiles Platinum Amex offers a vast array of extras when flying with Delta, including your first checked bag free, priority boarding, preferred seating, discounts on travel packages and more. You can also get access to Delta Sky Club* lounges for you and up to two guests when traveling on a Delta flight at a cost of $50 per person until December 31, 2023, and 20% back as a statement credit if you use your card for eligible Delta in-flight purchases.
Delta also has 31 partner airlines, bringing the total number of countries served to 170. That’s more than enough to put a dent in your travel bucket list! It’s worth noting, though, that partner airlines may impose surcharges and that some perks – like the free checked bag and priority boarding – only apply to Delta flights.
Why get the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card?
- You regularly fly with Delta or one of its partner airlines, a list that includes Virgin Atlantic, Jet Airways and Aeroméxico.
- You’re planning a honeymoon or other special trip and are itching to get your hands on Delta’s valuable companion pass.
- You want to save potentially hundreds of dollars (or more) on checked bags.
- You often travel internationally and want to save money on American Express’ usual 2.7-percent foreign transaction fee.
How to use the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card:
- Spend at least $3,000 within the first six months to earn the card’s introductory bonus.
- For triple the miles, use your Platinum Delta SkyMiles card to pay for all eligible Delta and hotel purchases.
- Use your card at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets for the double mileage bonus.
- Rack up MQMs by booking Delta fares in first class, business class and premium economy.
- Pay your balance in full every month to stop excessive interest charges from accruing.
Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card, please click here.
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*Effective 1/1/24, this benefit will no longer be available.
*Effective 1/1/24, this benefit will no longer be available, and there will be a new way to earn toward Medallion Status with the Card. Learn more at delta.com/skymilesprogramchanges.
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