Delta Platinum Amex Card Review: Big Benefits & 90K Miles

Link: Apply now for the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card

American Express and Delta have had a close relationship for many years, and as part of that, they issue seven co-branded Delta Amex cards, including the Blue, Gold, Platinum, and Reserve cards (with the exception of the Blue product, all the others have both a personal and business version). In this post, I’d like to take a look at one of those cards.

Delta Platinum American Express Card Basics For February 2025

In this post, I’ll review the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card. This is one of Amex’s premium co-branded Delta credit cards, which offers a lot of value for frequent Delta flyers. Given the four personal Delta credit cards, is this the right card for you?

Delta Platinum Amex Bonus of 90,000 SkyMiles

For applications through April 2, 2025, the Platinum Delta SkyMiles Card has a limited time welcome offer of 90,000 bonus SkyMiles after spending $4,000 within the first six months.

I value SkyMiles at 1.1 cents each, so to me, the bonus is worth $990. While Delta SkyMiles is far from my favorite mileage currencies, it does have quite a high floor value, so there are good ways to redeem Delta SkyMiles.

Card Eligibility

The welcome offer on the card is “once in a lifetime,” so it’s not available to you if you currently have the card, or if you’ve had the card in the past. You’re also not eligible for the welcome offer on this card if you have or have had the personal version of the Delta Reserve Amex. However, you are eligible for this card if you’ve had any version of the business Delta Amex cards before.

You can read more about Amex’s general application restrictions here.

Delta Platinum Amex Annual Fee

The Platinum Delta Amex has a $350 annual fee (Rates & Fees). You can add additional users to the card at no extra cost (Rates & Fees).

Earning Miles With Delta Platinum Amex Card

The Delta Platinum Amex offers the following points earning opportunities for spending:

• 3x SkyMiles for purchases directly with Delta
• 3x SkyMiles for purchases made directly with hotels
• 2x SkyMiles at restaurants
• 2x SkyMiles at U.S. supermarkets
• 1x SkyMiles on other eligible purchases

The card has solid bonus categories for a co-branded airline card, but purely in terms of rewards for spending, I think there are still better cards out there for airfare purchases, hotel purchases, restaurant purchases, and grocery store purchases.

Earning Elite Status With Delta Platinum Amex Card

Nowadays, Delta SkyMiles Medallion elite status is earned exclusively based on how many Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs) you rack up. When it comes to earning MQDs through credit card spending, the Delta Platinum Amex can help you earn status:

• Just for having the card, you receive a head start of 2,500 MQDs annually
• For spending on the card, you receive one MQD for every $20 in purchases made on the card in a calendar year

For context, Delta SkyMiles Medallion elite status has the following annual MQD requirements:

• Delta Silver Medallion elite status requires 5,000 MQDs
• Delta Gold Medallion elite status requires 10,000 MQDs
• Delta Platinum Medallion elite status requires 15,000 MQDs
• Delta Diamond Medallion elite status requires 28,000 MQDs

If you’re serious about earning elite status with credit card spending, you’ll want to consider the more premium Delta Reserve Card instead, since it earns MQDs twice as fast — you earn one MQD per $10 spent, rather than one MQD per $20 spent.

No Foreign Transaction Fees

If you are going to put spending on the Delta Platinum Amex, the good news is that there are no foreign transaction fees (Rates & Fees), so you can use the card abroad without paying high fees.

Platinum Delta Amex Card Perks & Benefits

The Platinum Delta Credit Card has a nice welcome offer. In general, I’d say it could be worth putting spending on the card if you’re trying to earn Medallion elite status with Delta SkyMiles. For most people, the reason you’ll want to keep this card long-term is because of the perks and benefits that it offers, which for many people will more than offset the annual fee. Let’s go over some of those benefits.

Annual Companion Certificate

Every year upon renewal of your card you can receive a main cabin round-trip companion certificate. You just have to pay the government-imposed taxes and fees for the companion. This is a great deal that can be worth significantly more than the annual fee in and of itself.

If redeeming the certificate there are some things to be aware of:

• It’s valid for roundtrip main cabin travel within the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii) and to select destinations in the Caribbean or Central America
• You have to pay the government taxes for the second traveler on the reservation
• Companion certificates are only valid for travel in the L, U, T, X, and V fare classes
• You can’t combine a companion certificate with eCoupons
• Travel has to be completed by the expiration date of the certificate
• You have to pay for the ticket using a Delta Amex card

$150 Annual Delta Stays Credit

Just for having the card, you receive a $150 Delta Stays Credit annually. The way this works, you receive $150 in statement credits per calendar year when you use your card to pay for a new Delta Stays prepaid hotel or vacation rental booking on the Delta Stays platform.

While I’m not usually a fan of using airline portals to book hotel stays and vacation rentals, this could prove worthwhile, as you can use it for a hotel stay costing right around $150, if you wanted to. If used right, the value here is considerable.

$120 Annual Rideshare Credit

Just for having the card, you receive up to $120 in rideshare credits annually (enrollment required). The way this works, you can receive up to $10 in statement credits each month after using your card on U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers.

$120 Annual Resy Credit

Just for having the card, you receive up to $120 in Resy credits annually (enrollment required). The way this works, you can receive up to $10 in statement credits each month after using your card on eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants.

First Checked Bag Free

Just for having the Platinum Delta Card you get a first checked bag free. With the ever-increasing cost of a checked bag with Delta, this can really add up.

• This benefit is limited to the primary cardmember and anyone traveling on the same reservation with them (up to nine people)
• You don’t have to pay for your flight with your Delta Amex, though you do need to have your SkyMiles number in the reservation.

Depending on how many bags you’re checking, a single trip could pay for the card annual fee.

Priority Boarding

You receive priority boarding just for having the Delta Platinum Amex. This helps maximize your odds of finding space for your carry-on and getting to your seat sooner. To receive this benefit, you’ll need to ensure the primary cardmember’s SkyMiles number is linked to the reservation.

This benefit is valid for a total of up to nine people traveling on the same reservation with the primary cardmember.

20% Delta Inflight Savings

If you have the Platinum Delta Amex then you can save 20% in the form of a statement credit for eligible pre-purchased meals, and in-flight purchases of food, alcoholic beverages, and audio headsets, on Delta flights. Allow 8-12 weeks for the statement credit to post.

TSA PreCheck Or Global Entry Credit

The Platinum Delta Amex offers a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit. This benefit applies once every 4.5 years for the application fee for TSA PreCheck, or once every four years for the application fee for Global Entry. This can save you time both at security and immigration, and is something I highly recommend signing up for if eligible. (Enrollment required)

Delta Pay With Miles

Delta has a Pay With Miles feature, where if you have a Delta co-branded credit card you can redeem miles for one cent each toward a Delta flight purchase (in increments of 5,000 miles per $50). That’s not the best deal in the world, though this is a feature that’s exclusively available to those with an eligible Delta Amex card.

Some people find this to be useful since they can redeem their miles toward flights, and then they still earn elite miles for taking those flights.

15% Savings On SkyMiles Award Flights

With the TakeOff 15 perk (exclusively for those with select Delta Amex cards), you can save 15% on the cost of a SkyMiles award ticket when traveling exclusively on Delta. Delta SkyMiles award pricing is dynamic, and generally you’ll find that each mile gets you a bit over a cent toward the cost of a ticket.

Saving 15% on these awards is valuable, and means that you’ll generally get somewhere around 1.2-1.3 cents of value per mile (or sometimes even more). In many cases this will end up being a better value than using the Pay With Miles option, so it’s a real perk of the card.

Amex Offers

One of the great features of Amex cards is access to Amex Offers, which offers savings or bonus points on purchases with all kinds of retailers. There’s huge value to be had in getting as many Amex cards as possible, so that you can get these offers on multiple cards.

Amex Offers could save you hundreds of dollars per year. You can access these offers by logging into your account and scrolling down to the bottom of your account summary page.

Is The Delta Platinum Amex Worth It?

The Platinum Delta Credit Card isn’t necessarily the best card for the casual Delta flyer, and it’s also not a card I’d recommend putting much spending on, unless you value the MQDs that you can earn with the card. Even if you value MQDs, you’re better off with the more premium card, since you can earn them twice as fast.

However, this card has solid perks, ranging from a companion certificate, to a first checked bag free, to priority boarding, to savings on flight purchases, to access to exclusive award redemption opportunities, to valuable statement credits, and more.

Bigger picture, is the card worth it, though? There are a few things to consider.

Want A Business Credit Card Instead?

If the Delta Platinum Amex sounds interesting to you but you are instead looking for a card for your small business, consider the Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum Business American Express Card.

Most of the benefits of the card are the same. The only significant difference is that the business card earns 1.5x miles on purchases of over $5,000 (up to 50,000 bonus miles annually), while the personal card offers 2x miles at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets (both cards offer 3x miles on Delta purchases and hotel purchases).

The business version of the card also offers an annual Delta Stays credit of up to $200, rather than one of up to $150, so it’s arguably more lucrative.

Quick Comparison: Platinum Delta Amex Vs. Gold Delta Amex

How Does The Delta Reserve Card Compare?

For the very frequent Delta flyer, there’s the Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card (review), which has a $650 annual fee (Rates & Fees). What differentiates this card?

• The card offers Delta Sky Club access (up to 15 visits per year, unless you spend at least $75,000 per year on the card) and Amex Centurion Lounge access when traveling on Delta same day
• The card offers a companion certificate that is valid for first class as well
• Having the card gets you upgrade priority over those in the same elite tier and fare class who don’t have the Reserve Card
• The card earns MQDs twice as fast, so is the best card for spending your way to Delta status

Earn Amex Membership Rewards Points

If you are looking to earn Delta SkyMiles through credit card spending then consider using a card earning Amex Membership Rewards points. These points can be transferred to Delta SkyMiles at a 1:1 ratio, and you can in many cases earn points at a much faster rate.

For example:

• The American Express® Green Card (review) offers 3x points on dining and travel
• The American Express® Gold Card (review) offers 4x points at restaurants (on up to $50k per calendar year and then 1x) and at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25K per calendar year, and then 1x), and 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or at amextravel.com

Furthermore, earning Amex points gives you more flexibility to redeem in other ways, given all the great uses of Membership Rewards points.

The information and associated card details on this page for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Bottom Line

The Delta Platinum Amex offers solid perks for those who fly Delta frequently, especially Medallion members. For many, the annual companion certificate will more than justify the annual fee in and of itself, without even accounting for all of the other perks. Some will also get value from the 2,500 MQDs that are offered annually just for having the card.

The annual fee on this card is potentially quite easy to justify, thanks to all the credits you can earn with rideshares, Resy, and even Delta Stays.

If you want to learn more about the Platinum Delta Amex Card or apply, follow this link.

The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (Rates & Fees), and Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card (Rates & Fees).