Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card Review

DELTA SKYMILES® PLATINUM BENEFITS

The CardName combines the benefits of a travel rewards credit card with flying perks that may make you feel like a jetsetter. American Express is a CardRatings advertiser.

The card's Delta SkyMiles and the airline's Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) help you save on flights and gain even more benefits. Use your Delta SkyMiles to get discounted or free flights on Delta; as long as you have at least 5,000 miles per passenger, you're able to book your flight and get a discount. For instance, if you have 5,000 miles, you can get $50 off. If you have 10,000 miles, that's $100 off.

Meanwhile, the MQM program is a status program for Delta's most loyal customers. Gaining Medallion Status lets flyers gain more perks, such as complimentary upgrades and waived fees.

The MQM program has four levels: Diamond, Platinum, Gold and Silver. As Medallion Status members gain MQMs, they move up to the next level with more perks.

As a welcome bonus, new CardName cardholders can earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new card in your first six months. Plus, earn up to 20,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion Status. (MQMs are used to determine Medallion Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.)

On an ongoing basis, cardholders earn 3X miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels, 2X miles at restaurants and at U.S. supermarkets, and 1X mile on all other eligible purchases.

You can also enjoy fee reimbursement for a Global Entry or Pre✓® application (enrollment required). There is a AnnualFees annual fee, but the card's many benefits easily help to offset it. See Rates and Fees.

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DELTA SKYMILES® PLATINUM TRAVEL PERKS

The CardName offers a generous rewards program, particularly when it comes to the opportunity to regularly earn MQMs, but another aspect that sets this card apart is its travel-related perks. Some major travel benefits include:

AMERICAN EXPRESS DELTA SKYMILES® PLATINUM FOREIGN TRANSACTION FEE

If you frequently travel abroad you'll be pleased to know that this card doesn't charge fees on foreign transactions. Some cards charge as much as 3% on foreign transactions, which could really add up if you spend in a foreign currency often. For example, say you spend $10,000 abroad a year, you'd be looking at an extra $300 in fees each year if you were using a card that charged a 3% foreign transaction fee. With the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Card, that's money in your pocket. See Rates and Fees.

DELTA SKYMILES® PLATINUM CARD COMPANION TICKET

Cardholders receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of the card. (Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights - for itineraries with up to four flight segments - is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.) That alone could offset the AnnualFees annual fee.

DELTA SKYMILES® PLATINUM SKY CLUB

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum cardholder get discounted Delta Sky Club access. For a discounted fee of $50 per person, you and up to two traveling companions can relax before your flight in the Delta Sky Club. In the club, you can enjoy complimentary snacks, beverages, WiFi access, satellite TV, newspapers and magazines. Not a bad way to spend a lengthy layover, right?

DELTA SKYMILES® PLATINUM GLOBAL ENTRY AND TSA PRECHECK REIMBURSEMENT

Stay focused on getting where you need to go with complimentary Global Entry or TSA Pre✓® membership (enrollment required). Receive either a statement credit available every four years after you apply for Global Entry ($100) or a statement credit available every 4.5 years after you apply for a five year TSA Pre✓® membership (up to $85). If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA Pre✓®.

DELTA SKYMILES® PLATINUM CARD BAGGAGE INSURANCE

This card also gives you peace of mind when traveling thanks to included baggage insurance. When you purchase the entire fare for a common carrier ticket on your card, the card provides coverage for lost, damaged or stolen carry-on baggage.

POTENTIAL DOWNSIDES OF THE DELTA SKYMILES® PLATINUM CARD

The CardName charges a AnnualFees annual fee. Unlike some cards, this one doesn't waive the first year's fee so you'll have to decide whether the card's generous rewards program and perks offset that higher-than-typical (but still not exorbitant) annual fee. This card is also specifically for Delta flyers, so a different travel rewards card might be better for you if you don't often fly Delta.

DELTA SKYMILES® PLATINUM CARDHOLDER SCORES

Cardaratings conducts a survey annually to learn what actual cardholders think of their cards. Here are the results:

HOW DELTA SKYMILES® PLATINUM COMPARES TO OTHER CARDS

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum vs. CardName

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If you fly Delta and want a Delta-affiliated card, but the Platinum card's annual fee is a little too much for your budget, there is another option.

The CardName has a much cheaper annual membership fee of AnnualFees It earns a bit less on purchases, but in similar categories: earn 2X miles on Delta purchases, at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets.

The welcome offers are different as well. With the SkyMiles® Gold card, new cardholders can earn 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card in your first six months. Additionally, earn a $100 Delta Flight Credit to use toward future travel after you spend $10,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year. Otherwise, the SkyMiles® Gold doesn't offer as many travel perks as its Platinum cousin, but that's to be expected considering the differences in annual fees.

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred®

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You may find that a travel rewards credit card that's not limited to one airline is a better choice for you. In that case, you might want to check out the CardName which has a more affordable AnnualFees annual fee, and awards you with: 5X total points on all travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards® portal; 3X points on dining, including eligible delivery services and takeout; 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs); 3X points on select streaming services; 2X points on travel purchases; and 1X point on all other purchases. The card also rewards you with 60,000 bonus Ultimate Rewards points when you spend $4,000 with the card in the first three months.

One benefit that sets the Sapphire Preferred® apart from other travel rewards cards is that the points are worth 25% more when you redeem them for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, making the welcome bonus alone worth $750.

The card also allows you a 1:1 point transfer to participating airline and hotel loyalty programs. An important note: Delta is not one of the partner loyalty programs for which you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, so if Delta is exclusively your airline, you might be better off with the CardName.

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum vs. Citi Premier® Card

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The first major difference between the CardName and the CardName is that the CardName has a smaller annual fee. It's AnnualFees versus the CardName's AnnualFees fee. Citi is a CardRatings advertiser.

The CardName has a generous rewards program, offering three points per $1 spent on hotels, air travel and at gas stations. You'll also get three points per $1 for restaurants and supermarkets and one point per $1 on all other purchases.

Another thing to like – the welcome bonus of 60,000 points new cardholders earn after spending $4,000 in the first three months is worth $600 in gift cards or travel when redeemed through the ThankYou portal; plus, for a limited time, earn 10 points per $1 on hotels, car rentals and attractions (excluding air travel) booked via the Citi Travel portal through June 30, 2024. Not too shabby. There are also no foreign transaction fees, and you'll probably enjoy Citi's 24/7 personal concierge service.

In fact, there's a lot to like about CardName, but since it's not connected to an airline like Delta, you don't get flight-related perks like that the CardName offers. There's no free checked bags, waived fees or discounted access to an airline club at the airport with this card. There are airlines you can transfer your points to, but mostly, they're international airlines, like Turkish Airlines and Thai Airways; however, if you travel internationally a lot, and you're not wedded to a certain airline like Delta, you may still feel like you're flying high with the CardName.

IS DELTA SKYMILES® PLATINUM WORTH IT?

The CardName was made for the regular Delta customer. The card offers miles that you can use to board Delta flights, but what really makes this card stand out is the opportunity to earn some bonus status miles, MQMs in Delta-speak. Any frequent flyer knows that status miles are as good as gold.

If you regularly fly Delta you may find having the CardName will make travel that much easier, and that offsetting the annual fee will be a cinch thanks to its numerous travel perks.

Survey Methodology: CardRatings commissioned Op4G in September and October 2022 to conduct surveys among 1,554 cardholders nationwide. CardRatings website analytics from Jan. 1, 2022-Aug. 31, 2022 were used to determine a selection of the most popular cards and additional cards were included to add survey breadth. Responses to each of nine questions were given on a scale of 1-10 and respondents' scores were then averaged under broad topics. To determine the overall score, responses from questions 1-8 were summed and the answer to "How likely are you to recommend this card to a friend, coworker or family member?" was double weighted. "Current Scores" reflect scores from the most recent survey (2022); "Past Scores" reflect scores from the 2021 survey.

To see rates and fees of American Express cards mentioned in this post, please see the following links: CardName (See Rates and Fees); CardName (See Rates and Fees)