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Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $4,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
Credit Score ranges are based on FICO? credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
Our quick take: The Delta SkyMiles? Platinum American Express Card (terms apply, see rates and fees) offers card members the ability to earn Delta miles while securing frequent flyer perks like a free checked bag and priority boarding, and the card’s Status Boost feature can help you earn Delta elite status without even flying.
Pros:
- Earn 3 miles for every dollar you spend on eligible Delta purchases made directly with hotels
- Earn 2 miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and U.S. supermarkets, and 1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases
- First checked bag is free on Delta flights for you and up to eight companions
- Status Boost feature lets you earn Medallion? Qualification Miles (MQMs) toward elite status
- Up to $100 fee statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck? (enrollment required)
- Annual companion certificate after your first card member anniversary
- No foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees)
- Terms apply
Cons:
- $350 annual fee (see rates and fees)
- Delta SkyMiles aren’t the most valuable frequent flyer miles
- Status Boost requires at least $25,000 in annual spending up to two times per calendar year to earn bonus MQMs
Current welcome bonus: Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $4,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
Best for: Delta enthusiasts who want the option to earn elite status just by spending money on an airline credit card.
Digging into the Delta Platinum card
The Delta SkyMiles? Platinum American Express Card isn’t for casual Delta flyers, as it charges a $350 annual fee. But there are plenty of reasons the card is well worth the cost to people who fly on Delta regularly.
The card earns 3 miles for every dollar you spend on eligible Delta and purchases made directly with hotels as well as 2 miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets, and 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases. But since you can earn Delta miles with cheaper credit cards — and more valuable travel rewards with other cards entirely — the real value of this card lies in its perks.
Frequent flyer benefits include a free checked bag for the card member and up to eight others on the same reservation when flying Delta, priority boarding, a 20% discount via statement credits on eligible in-flight purchases and $50 per-visit passes to Delta Sky Clubs (from now until 12/31/23. Effective 1/1/24, this benefit will no longer be available). Card members can also benefit from the card’s ability to earn bonus MQMs toward Delta elite status as well as its various travel protections.
Delta SkyMiles? Platinum American Express Card members also receive up to $100 in statement credits toward the application fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck? membership. And starting when you renew the card for the second year and every year thereafter, you’ll receive an annual companion certificate that can be used on any Delta round-trip domestic Main Cabin fare.
Advantages of the Delta Platinum card
While the Delta SkyMiles? Platinum American Express Card has a number of useful features, one of the most important is the pathway to elite status it can create. Thanks to the card’s Status Boost feature, card members can earn 10,000 Delta Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after spending $25,000 in purchases on the card each calendar year, up to two times per year.
That means if you spend $50,000 on the Delta SkyMiles? Platinum American Express Card in the calendar year, you’ll earn 20,000 MQMs, which would be just 5,000 MQMs short of Delta Silver elite status — without even taking into consideration the MQMs earned from the current welcome offer. Normally to earn Delta status you need to spend a certain number of Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) on flights with the airline as well, but when you spend $25,000 in a calendar year with the Delta SkyMiles? Platinum American Express Card, that requirement is waived for any elite status level up through Delta Platinum status.
These MQMs can help you get Delta elite status, or help you climb up to the next elite status level if you’re already a frequent Delta flyer. And it’s a feature that’s not available on less-expensive Delta credit cards, including the Delta SkyMiles? Gold American Express Card.
However, this Status Boost benefit will only be available through the end of 2023. Effective Jan. 1, 2024, this benefit will no longer be available, and there will be a new way to earn Medallion Status with the card.
Other features of the Delta SkyMiles? Platinum American Express Card can save you money, especially the free first checked bag when flying Delta for you and up to eight people on the same reservation. Since checked bags on Delta flights normally cost $30 apiece in each direction, this card benefit could potentially lead to as much as $270 in savings for a large group traveling together on a single flight.
Card members will also receive a roundtrip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your card for a domestic roundtrip main cabin ticket, fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck? and an exclusive rate of $50 per person per visit to enter the Delta Sky Club for you and up to two guests when traveling on a Delta flight until 12/31/23.
Disadvantages of the Delta Platinum card
The biggest downside of the Delta SkyMiles? Platinum American Express Card is its $350 annual fee, which likely isn’t worth it if you rarely fly Delta and can’t take advantage of all the card’s perks. The annual fee may also make this card a nonstarter if you aren’t interested in earning elite status with Delta.
Another major downside of all Delta credit cards is the fact that the airline no longer has an award chart, so there’s no way to know in advance how many miles you’ll need for a flight redemption. While dynamic award pricing has sadly become the norm across most major US carriers, the cost of Delta’s award flights is all over the place, and it can — and does — frequently change from day to day.
That’s not to say there aren’t any great deals with Delta SkyMiles. There are, but the program makes it difficult to plan ahead, and frequent flyer websites like The Points Guy value Delta SkyMiles lower than other major flexible point programs such as Chase Ultimate Rewards? and American Express Membership Rewards?.
Other credit cards similar to the Delta Platinum Amex card
If you want to earn Delta SkyMiles, there are several different Delta credit cards to consider. One option is the Delta SkyMiles? Gold American Express Card, which offers fewer benefits but charges a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 (see rates and fees). The other option is the Delta SkyMiles? Reserve American Express Card, which has a much higher $650 annual fee (see rates and fees) but comes with a Delta Sky Club membership. Effective 2/1/25, Reserve card members will receive 10 visits per year to the Delta Sky Club; to earn an unlimited number of visits each year starting on 2/1/25, the total eligible purchases on the card must equal $75,000 or more between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24, and each calendar year thereafter.
Also, keep in mind that Delta is a transfer partner of the American Express Membership Rewards program. This means any points you earn on a card like the American Express? Gold Card or The Platinum Card? from American Express can be transferred to Delta SkyMiles at any time, as well as 20 other airline and hotel programs, which could be a better option if you’re not committed to Delta as an airline.
Should you get the Delta Platinum card?
If you love flying with Delta or you live in a Delta hub like Atlanta or Minneapolis, earning miles in the Delta SkyMiles program makes a lot of sense. The Delta SkyMiles? Platinum American Express Card makes flying Delta even easier since you earn miles for each dollar you spend, and even get the chance to earn elite qualifying miles toward Delta elite status.
Of course, if you aren’t a regular Delta flyer, you should look elsewhere for another option, even if you want to earn Delta SkyMiles. But if you think the perks and travel protections of the Delta SkyMiles? Platinum American Express Card are a good fit for you, it’s worth considering whether it might have a place in your purse or wallet.
We receive compensation from our partners for Featured Offer placements, which impacts how and where their offer is displayed.
Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $4,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
Credit Score ranges are based on FICO? credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
To view rates and fees for Delta SkyMiles? Platinum American Express Card, please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for Delta SkyMiles? Gold American Express Card, please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for Delta SkyMiles? Reserve American Express Card, please visit this page.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines, hotel chain, or other commercial entity and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of such entities.
This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended and should not be understood to constitute financial, investment, insurance or legal advice. All individuals are encouraged to seek advice from a qualified financial professional before making any financial, insurance or investment decisions.
Note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed or may no longer be available.
