Delta SkyMiles Platinum AmEx Review: One Big Perk Pays the Fee
The Bottom Line
4.8
Do you fly Delta Air Lines with someone at least once a year? If so, then this card should pay for itself. If not, look for a cheaper alternative.
Rates, fees and offers
Annual fee
$350
Rewards rate
1x-3x
Bonus offer
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. Terms Apply.
Intro APR
N/A
Ongoing APR
APR: 20.49%-29.49% Variable APR
Cash Advance APR: 29.99%, Variable
Penalty APR: 29.99%, Variable
Balance transfer fee
N/A
Foreign transaction fee
None
More details from American Express
- 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.
- Receive a Companion Certificate on a Main Cabin round-trip flight within the U.S. and to Mexico, the Caribbean, or Central America each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Ticket requires payment of the government-imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for round-trip domestic flights and no more than $250 for round-trip international flights (both for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars each Medallion Qualification Year and get closer to Status with MQD Headstart.
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn $1 Medallion® Qualification Dollar for each $20 of purchases made on your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card in a calendar year and get a boost toward achieving Medallion Status for next Medallion Year.
- 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.
- Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Resy Credit: When you use your enrolled Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $10 back each month in statement credits.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: earn up to $10 in statement credits each month after using your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card on U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- You can check your first bag free on Delta flights, saving up to $70 on a round-trip Delta flight per person. For a family of four that's a potential savings of up to $280 per round-trip flight.
- Receive Zone 5 Priority Boarding on Delta flights; board early, stow your carry-on bag and settle in sooner.
- Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card Members with an eligible ticket will be added to the Complimentary Upgrade list, after Delta SkyMiles Medallion Members and Reserve Card Members.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $350 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Free checked bag
Early boarding
Companion benefit
Cons
Has annual fee
Requires good/excellent credit
Detailed Review
In terms of value, the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card has a lot to offer, even with its steep annual fee of $350.
That's because after your first year it comes with an annual companion certificate — a rare and valuable perk that covers the cost of a round-trip domestic, Mexican, Caribbean or Central American economy ticket for someone flying with you. Such a benefit could save you hundreds of dollars a year, regardless of how much you spend with the card.
For Delta Air Lines devotees, this certificate alone is reason enough to pounce on this card. But if you're on the fence, here's what you need to know.
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card: Basics
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, see this page.
Card type: Airline.
Annual fee: $350.
Welcome offer: 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. Terms Apply.
Rewards:
3 miles per dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta.
3 miles per dollar spent directly with hotels.
2 miles per dollar at restaurants.
2 miles per dollar at U.S. supermarkets.
1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
Terms apply.
NerdWallet values Delta miles at 1.2 cents each. This is a baseline value, drawn from real-world data on hundreds of economy routes, not a maximized value. In other words, you should aim for award redemptions that offer 1.2 cents or more in value from your Delta miles.
Benefits:
Annual companion certificate upon card renewal (good for one round-trip domestic, Mexican, Caribbean or Central American flight in main cabin for someone traveling with you, less some taxes and fees).
First checked bag is free for you and up to 8 other passengers traveling on the same reservation.
Priority boarding.
20% savings on eligible in-flight purchases.
15% savings on Delta flights booked with miles on delta.com or the Fly Delta app.
Fee credit for TSA Precheck or Global Entry.
$150 Delta Stays credit toward prepaid hotels or vacations through Delta.
$120 Resy credit when you enroll, up to $10 each month.
$120 rideshare credit when you enroll, up to $10 each month.
Terms apply (see rates and fees).
Status Boost bonuses: Receive $2,500 Medallion Qualification Dollars each Medallion Qualification Year and get closer to status with MQD Headstart. Earn $1 Medallion Qualification Dollar for each $20 of purchases made on your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card in a calendar year and get a boost toward achieving elevated Medallion Status for next Medallion Year. Terms apply.
(If you’re not a Medallion elite member, you’ll be added to the Complimentary Upgrade list after Delta SkyMiles Medallion members and holders of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. The list includes upgrades to Delta One, First Class and Delta Comfort+ seats. You’ll also get Hertz Five Star Status, which makes you eligible for upgrades — if available— points and more. )
Compare to Other Cards
Benefits and Perks
Companion certificate
This card’s most valuable feature, by a long shot, is its annual companion certificate, which becomes available when you renew your card membership every year.
The certificate gets you one main cabin round trip for someone traveling on the same itinerary as you. The only expenses you'll have to cover for that flight are taxes and fees, but those are capped at $80 for domestic flights, or $250 for flights to Mexico, the Caribbean or Central America.
Used strategically, this certificate could save you a lot of money each year, especially if you tend to travel during peak season when flights get expensive.
There are a few restrictions, though. The Delta Companion Certificate can't be used on basic economy fares, and not all flights have availability. The lowest Delta fare classes are generally among the first to sell out, so you'll want to book early to be safe.
The Companion Certificate is only valid on round-trip tickets, and both travelers must be booked at the same time and on the same reservation.
A way to work toward elite status
Not all airline cards help you get closer to elite status — which gets you several perks reserved for loyal flyers — but the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card does. You can do that by spending: Earn $1 Medallion Qualification Dollar for each $20 of purchases in a calendar year and get a boost toward achieving elevated Medallion Status for next Medallion Year. Terms apply.
Potentially valuable statement credits
The Delta Stays, Resy and ridesharing credits add up to $390 in potential savings per year, which more than offsets the annual fee. If these are services you already use, these helpful discounts will make the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card even more valuable. You must enroll, and be aware that these credits are doled out in monthly use-it-or-lose-it increments. Terms apply.
How it compares with other Delta cards
In the Delta credit card family, the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card is the second-most-premium option. It offers plenty of rich benefits, but doesn't carry the highest annual fee. If you're looking for a Delta card with a different mix of benefits, you have plenty of options. Check out NerdWallet's comparison of Delta credit cards for more information.
Here's how these cards stack up at a glance. (Table shows current earning rates and benefits. See this article for changes that took effect in February 2023.)
Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card (Annual fee: $0.) |
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Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card (Annual fee: $0 intro for the first year, then $150.) |
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Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card (Annual fee: $350.) |
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Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (Annual fee: $650.) |
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*Effective 2/1/25, Reserve Card Members will receive 15 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club. To earn an unlimited number of visits each year, the total eligible purchases on the card must equal $75,000 or more the previous year. To earn unlimited visits in 2025, you’ll need to spend this amount between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24.
Drawbacks and Considerations
Relatively high annual fee
The Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card has a markedly lower fee, and it earns points in similar categories. You get 2 points per dollar spent on travel and dining purchases, and 1.5 points for every dollar spent on all other purchases. It also offers $200 in statement credits, including up to $100 for a Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fee and up to $100 for airline incidentals, such as seat upgrades, checked bags and day passes to lounges. This card won't get you into a Delta Sky Club, but it could help you cover the cost of staying in a different lounge. There's also a great bonus offer.
If you opened a Delta American Express card account before Feb. 1, 2024, the new annual fees will go into effect at your next renewal date on or after May 1, 2024.
No lounge access
The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card has some razzle-dazzle, but if you're looking for lounge benefits, you'll be disappointed. With its relatively high annual fee, you might expect at least a few one-time lounge passes to be included — or least a discount on day passes? But effective January 2024, Sky Club access is no longer available for Platinum cardholders.
If lounge access is your top priority, go with another Platinum card instead — namely, The Platinum Card® from American Express. It offers access to more than 1,200 airport lounges worldwide, including Delta's Sky Club lounges (when you're flying Delta), along with a bevy of other benefits. The annual fee is huge, but for perpetual travelers who can take advantage of everything it offers, it could be worth the cost. Terms apply (see rates and fees).
For more options, check out NerdWallet's list of best credit card offers.
‘Coupon book’ benefits
You need to put in some work to get money back with this card, as some of the statement credits only pay out in small monthly increments. If you don’t frequently use ridesharing services or Resy, those perks won’t resonate with you. As you consider this card, examine your current spending habits to see if it’s a match.
How To Decide If It's Right For You
For those who can't make good use of its companion certificate benefit and rewards categories, the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card likely isn't a good fit. But if you can use the certificate to cover one big trip each year, and if the rewards and benefits you'd get on the card outweigh the annual fee, it should be at the top of your list.
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, see this page.
Earn 2 points per dollar spent on travel and dining purchases, and 1.5 points for every dollar spent on all other purchases. Plus, get $200 in statement credits, including up to $100 for a Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fee and up to $100 for airline incidentals.
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Methodology
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