Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card review: a mid-tier pick for Delta loyalists

The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card is a great card to have if you frequently fly with Delta Air Lines and value the card’s perks and rewards rates enough to justify its $250 annual fee. Although this fee is relatively high for a travel card, you can offset it with bonus miles you’ll earn by using the card for purchases.

While this card can be incredibly rewarding for Delta’s most loyal customers, there are general travel and other airline-branded cards that come with lower annual fees. If you aren’t a frequent traveler or simply don’t care for the added Delta perks that come with this card, then you might find better value with one of these options. Or, if you’re new to travel rewards cards, a more affordable choice can be a better place to start while you get your bearings.

Quick highlights

• Rewards rate: Earn 3X miles on Delta flights and Delta Vacations® purchases, plus on transactions made directly with hotels; 2x miles at U.S. supermarkets and restaurants, including delivery and takeout in the U.S.; 1X miles on all other eligible purchases.
• Welcome offer: 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in your first six months.
• Annual fee: $250
• Purchase intro APR: N/A
• Balance transfer intro APR: N/A
• Regular APR: 20.99 percent to 29.99 percent (variable)

Current welcome offer

New cardholders can earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in their first six months with the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. Based on Bankrate’s latest mile value estimates, which give Delta SkyMiles an average value of 1.3 cents each, this new bonus could be worth around $650 in Delta travel.

Rewards rate

You’ll earn Delta SkyMiles with every purchase, and you can redeem them for flights and more. This is a tiered rewards card, so select categories have boosted rates that cater to specific spending habits. If you frequently travel with Delta there’s a lot to love with this card. However, if you also like to shop around for better deals before buying, you might find more value with a general travel card that rewards airfare purchases from every airline. 

How you earn

You’ll earn 3X miles on Delta Vacation purchases, Delta flights and hotel bookings made directly with hotels. Plus, you’ll earn 2X miles at U.S. supermarkets and restaurants, including delivery and takeout in the U.S. All other eligible purchases will net you 1X miles. If you’re eligible, you can also enroll in Amex Offers to earn additional rewards and credits with partner merchants.

Earning up to 3X miles is pretty generous, especially considering the card also rewards cardholders with a solid 2X miles for some everyday purchases. You won’t be pressured to only use the card for airfare and hotel bookings. However, other travel credit cards can offer up to 5X points for travel bookings through an issuer’s portal and sometimes carry flat rates of 2X points on all purchases. The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is one example. This could offer more flexibility for earning rewards if you want one credit card to use for every purchase you make. That said, if you consistently fly Delta, it’s hard to compare Delta miles to credit card points that are not transferable to Delta or which carry a lower point valuation.

If you instead opted for a card like the American Express® Green Card, you could earn 3X Membership Rewards points on flights booked with any airline, including Delta. Since you can transfer these points to Delta SkyMiles, it’s effectively the same rewards rate as the SkyMiles Platinum American Express, just with more flexibility.

All information about the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com and has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.

How to redeem

There are numerous options for redeeming your Delta SkyMiles. The most important of which is booking flights with Delta or its travel partners. To redeem, select “Shop With Miles” when searching for flights on delta.com.

You can also redeem SkyMiles to pay for part of a flight, toward Delta Sky Club memberships and purchases (including drinks within each lounge), seat upgrades, Delta Vacations packages, gifts, donations to charity, magazine subscriptions, special event SkyMiles Experiences and SkyMiles Marketplace purchases.

While being saturated for choice isn’t necessarily bad, it can distract you from getting the best value for your miles. Redeeming SkyMiles for flights is the best available route because your miles are most valuable with this option.

Delta doesn’t maintain a fixed award chart, meaning that the amount of miles it charges for a given ticket varies depending on the flight’s time of year, distance, location and airline(s) involved. To find the value of your miles, simply divide the cost of airfare by the amount of miles it requires. Using this method, Bankrate’s latest valuation estimates that each Delta SkyMiles mile is worth 1.3 cents on average.

However, using Delta’s Shop with Miles feature allows you to pay for a portion of your eligible airfare with miles that do offer a consistent value. You can put miles toward your flight in 5,000-mile increments for a $50 discount — meaning your miles are worth 1 cent each this way. This isn’t a low value by any means, so this can be a worthwhile option when you have a handful of miles left to use but can’t afford a full fare with them.

In addition to earning rewards for purchases you make, there are other Delta Platinum Amex benefits for travelers. Many of these are exclusive benefits for Delta customers that you won’t find on general rewards cards, while a select few are widely available on other cards.

You’ll want to familiarize yourself with the offerings below before considering applying for this card because a handful of them require you to spend more in order to make the most of the offering.

Delta flight benefits

When you travel Delta, you can get your first checked bag free and receive Main Cabin 1 priority boarding. You can also earn 20 percent back on purchases like beverages, food and headsets made during your flight when you use your card. This can help reduce the amount you spend on those expenses, which are often costly.

Domestic companion ticket

Every year upon renewal of your card, you'll be eligible to receive a domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion ticket (not valid for flights outside of the continental United States; applicable fees apply), which might be useful if you wish to bring a friend or family member with you on an excursion. This is a solid bonus for card membership and, depending on the flight, could help you save a few hundred dollars.

Enhanced airport experience

Through application fee credits, you can get Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (up to $100 in statement credit for Global Entry application fees if you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider or TSA PreCheck worth up to $85 in value at no extra cost. If approved for Global Entry, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost). A Delta flight also gives you access to the Delta Sky Club for $50 per person for you and up to two guests each visit, although Delta is discontinuing this perk on Jan. 1, 2024. These benefits can make your airport experience go smoothly, without having to wait in lengthy queues or with crowds at the gate.

If you're a fan of the Delta Sky Club, though, be sure to take advantage of the access benefit while you can since you only have through Dec. 31, 2023 to do so. It's a small blessing, but the feature can at least get you through most of the holiday travel period.

Medallion status boost

Status Boost® allows you to earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) per year. You can earn 10,000 MQMs twice per year if you spend $25,000 on your card in a calendar year, which would get you closer to your next Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different from rewards you earn toward flights. This benefit requires quite a bit of spending to maximize, but travel enthusiasts will admire the status boost which comes with a healthy bunch of perks of its own.

Unfortunately, Delta is also axing this benefit as well, giving you until Dec. 31, 2023, to take advantage of Status Boost. The airline announced it will be creating a new way to earn Medallion Status with this card, but this feature's expiration date probably won't affect the MQMs you earn with it from your 2023 spending since the Status Boost spending deadline is the end of the calendar year anyway.

Travel insurance and protections

Trip delay insurance is a great perk on any travel rewards credit card. It provides up to $300 in reimbursement if your flight is delayed more than 12 hours under a covered reason (maximum two claims per 12-consecutive month period). The car rental damage and loss insurance covers you for damage or theft when you reserve and pay for a rental with the card. If your bag is lost or damaged while traveling, the baggage insurance will reimburse you up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage, per covered trip. Also, the 24/7 Delta Platinum global assist phone hotline is available to help you with any travel issues that may arise while abroad. These coverages bring a ton of value to this card. Not just monetary value in the event you use them, but travel can be an exhaustive endeavor labored with events that are entirely out of your control. The Delta SkyMiles Platinum card and its rich portfolio of perks takes some of the stress away by potentially covering you for some of those events.

Purchase benefits

Get protection on covered purchases for up to 90 days from the purchase date up to $1,000 per item and up to $50,000 per year. You’ll only be covered by the purchase amount up to the $1,000 limit in a covered event as a result of damage or theft. You’ll also receive an extended warranty of 1 year for warranties of five years or less on covered purchases. While you don't necessarily ever want to need these coverages, they bring a lot of peace of mind to using your card.

Entertainment benefits

Get access to exclusive ticket presales and cardmember-only events like concerts, sporting events and Broadway shows through American Express Experiences.

Amex Offers

Eligible cardholders can benefit from exclusive American Express offers to earn additional statement credits for purchases with select merchants. Enrollment for each offer is required and can be done online or in the Amex app. Some offers include a percentage of your purchase back as a statement credit or a set dollar value back for purchasing a certain amount with the retailer using your Amex card.

The Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card has a 20.99 percent to 29.99 percent variable APR. Although your APR could climb pretty high with this card, the card’s lowest APR is just a fraction over the current average credit card interest rate. If you do miss a payment, the penalty APR is 29.99 percent plus a $40 late fee.

The annual fee is $250 for this card. If you don’t take advantage of any of the card’s perks and only rely on rewards earned via spending to offset the annual fee, you’ll need to spend around $6,400 in your 3X categories every year to break even if you redeem your miles at the 1.3-cent-per-mile Bankrate value (about $695 per month if redeemed via Pay with Miles). That’s a lot to spend just to cover the annual fee, so how much you value the card’s perks will be key in determining whether it’s worthwhile for you.

As expected for a travel card, there are no foreign transaction fees or over-limit fees.

*Based on our formula used to calculate each card’s average rewards rates and average ongoing rewards value, using Bureau of Labor Statistics spending data and an assumed $15,900 yearly spend over three years ($1,325 per month).

If your spending habits match those of the average cardholder and you use the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card for all of your purchases, you may be able to outpace the cost of your annual fee with rewards. To determine whether you can come out on top like the example in the chart, calculate your estimated annual expenses and multiply them by category with each rewards rate on the SkyMiles Platinum card. This should give you a rough idea of how much you can earn with the card and whether or not it’s worth it for you.

The Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card has plenty of perks, but the value of those benefits isn’t the same for everyone. If you make frequent trips with Delta and want to earn generous rewards for your travel spending that you can easily use on airfare, then this is a great card for you. But if you’re looking for a more flexible rewards program that rewards you for a broader range of hotel and airfare expenses, then it might not be your best option. In this case, you should consider cards branded with a different airline or a general travel rewards card.

Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card vs. Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard

If you aren’t particularly excited about Delta or aren’t historically one of their frequent flyers, you might consider looking into other airline credit cards. At the very least, you should be aware of what other airlines are offering to gauge how valuable the Delta cards really are by comparison. The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®, for example, provides benefits to American Airlines frequent flyers. These include 50,000 bonus miles after making $2,500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening and 2X miles on eligible American Airlines purchases as well as purchases made at restaurants and gas stations. Plus, there’s no annual fee for the first 12 months. After that, it’s only $99.

The AAdvantage Platinum Select can’t keep pace with the SkyMiles Platinum card’s rewards rate for airfare and doesn’t offer any boosted rewards for hotel bookings. Although the AAdvantage Platinum could be an affordable option to earn some rewards for American Airlines flights, it doesn’t carry much value for the travel spending you’ll do once you arrive at your destination. However, it does come with your first checked bag free for you and up to four travel companions on the same booking, preferred American Airlines boarding and a 25 percent in-flight discount on food and beverages. These benefits compare well with some offered on the Delta SkyMiles Platinum.

If you prefer to budget and spend less in order to earn a welcome bonus and pay a lower annual fee, the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select is a better choice. However, if you don't mind paying a higher annual fee in order to have access to more travel perks and more generous rewards rates, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum can be a better choice. 

Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

If you want travel benefits but don’t want to be tied to one airline, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card credit can be a great fit for you. The card has an annual fee of $95, but the 60,000 bonus points after making $4,000 in transactions within the first three months are worth up to $750 when redeemed for travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. You also get 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3X points on dining and 2X points on all other travel purchases.

Earning and redeeming points with your Sapphire Preferred is also much more favorable for the user because you can bring a ton of added value to your card with Chase’s account anniversary offer. You can earn 10 percent of the points you redeemed in the previous year back on your account anniversary. This means if you redeem 50,000 points in one year, when your next account anniversary rolls around you’ll automatically receive 5,000 points. Plus, you’ll earn 25 percent more value on travel purchases through Chase Ultimate Rewards. If you’re the type of cardholder to do a lot of spending and redeeming you might be able to shake a ton of value out of the Sapphire Preferred.

However, you would miss out on all of the extra airline perks you would get with the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card, such as the annual companion certificate, MQD waiver, Delta Sky Club access (for $50 per person; feature available until Dec. 31, 2023), free priority boarding and a credit towards TSA PreCheck and Global Entry. The Sapphire Preferred only offers a $50 annual hotel stay credit. If these extra travel benefits are important to you, then it would be more beneficial to choose the Platinum Card rather than the Sapphire Preferred Card.

Best cards to pair with this card

This card can be a great addition to your wallet since you can rack up SkyMiles on purchases for airfare and hotel stays as well as restaurant and U.S. supermarket purchases. Loyal Delta customers will favor how easy it can be to earn plenty of miles just from everyday purchases and their travel spending. But if you’re not particularly loyal to Delta, it could make sense to hold another airline credit card, or a travel rewards card that earns transferable points for more flexibility.

To maximize all your purchases, and especially ones that don’t fall into the travel, grocery stores and restaurants category, you might look into getting a cash back credit card with no annual fee that earns a decent rewards rate at a boosted flat-rate. For instance, the Citi® Double Cash Card earns 2 percent back on all of your spending (1 percent when you buy, another 1 percent when you pay your statement). This could be a great card to earn some cash back in categories that your SkyMiles Platinum card only earns 1X miles in.

If you fly with Delta at least a couple of times a year, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card may be worth the annual fee. The $50 Delta Sky Club lounge access (at least through the end of 2023) and priority boarding alone could make your airport and in-flight experience go more smoothly, plus the waived checked bag fee for the first bag on each flight is another nice perk that’s valued at roughly $30 each way.

However, if you fly with various airlines throughout the year and would rather weigh your options to find the best price, you may be better off getting a more versatile travel rewards credit card. Or, if your spending habits are more focused on non-travel categories, a cash back credit card with no annual fee may be a better fit.

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Platinum, please click here.

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.

The information about the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.

Access to Delta Sky Club® at a rate of $50 per person per visit for you and up to two guests or immediate family when traveling on a Delta flight available from now until Dec. 31, 2023. Effective Jan. 1, 2024, this benefit will no longer be available.

10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Delta Platinum Card, up to two times, is possible through Dec. 31, 2023. Effective Jan. 1, 2024, 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.