The Delta Platinum Business card’s value cements it as the middle-of-the-road SkyMiles business option. For instance, it beats the $150 annual fee ($0 introductory annual fee for the first year) SkyMiles Gold Business card, mainly thanks to its companion certificate, trip delay insurance, and other perks. However, if you want higher-tier Delta benefits or more flexible rewards and redemption possibilities, you should consider another Delta Skymiles Card or a comparable Amex Card.
Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Amex Card vs. Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
The Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express card has stronger Medallion Status-earning features, so it may be a better fit if that's a priority. And though the SkyMiles Reserve Business Card carries a higher annual fee ($650) than the SkyMiles Platinum Business, it also offers few more perks, like its companion ticket.
Additionally, Reserve Business cardholders can earn 1.5X miles on any spending beyond $150,000 per calendar year, compared to the Platinum Business' 1.5X rewards rate on purchases over $5,000, up to 100,000 miles. That gives a faster boost but limited earnings overall for those who are big business spenders.
If you're willing to pay a higher annual fee to get lounge access, then the Reserve version will make more sense for you. That also holds true for people who buy upgraded Delta tickets often and who continuously spend hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to earn the 1.5X accelerated rewards rate after spending $150,000.
Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Amex Card vs. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
For those not loyal to a Delta co-branded card, an alternate business travel card such as The Business Platinum Card® from American Express might offer better rewards value, flexibility and non-travel bonus categories based on your business’ spending. American Express Travel offers 5 Membership Rewards® points per dollar for flights and prepaid hotels with AmexTravel.com, 1.5 points per dollar for purchases of $5,000 or more in select business categories and 1 point for every dollar spent on other eligible purchases. Included in these business categories are U.S. construction material hardware suppliers, U.S. electronic goods retailers and software and cloud system purchases (up to $2 million worth of these purchases per calendar year; 1 point thereafter). You can transfer your Amex Membership Rewards points to Delta and other airline and hotel loyalty programs, extending your flight options beyond those of the SkyMiles Platinum Business Card.
Even though the card comes with an annual fee of $695, you'll get benefits like access to Priority Pass memberships and airport lounges via the Global Lounge Collection, which includes access to Delta Sky Clubs when you fly with Delta. As an added benefit, you'll also receive a fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership, as well as Gold elite status with hotel programs such as Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors.
Although the annual fee isn't cheap, the benefits and annual credits more than make up for it, making it a good option for frequent business travelers. It could prove to be a better choice than the Skymiles Platinum Business Card if you can justify the fee.
Best cards to pair with this card
American Express business cards or personal cards are the best cards to pair with the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business card, thanks to the partnership between the issuer and Delta Air Lines. You can transfer Amex Membership Rewards to Delta SkyMiles at a 1:1 ratio and you can find special deals on Delta flights through the American Express travel portal.
If you want to earn rewards on a majority of your purchases and pool those rewards together in the same SkyMiles account, any American Express card that includes rewards categories not included on the SkyMiles Platinum Business card will be a good choice. The American Express® Business Gold Card provides great bonus category coverage for business expenses outside travel (like eligible U.S. gas stations, U.S. purchases made from electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers), as well as airfare through the Amex travel portal if you need to fly outside the SkyTeam alliance partners.