Delta Reserve vs. AmEx Platinum: Platinum is Tops for Most Air Travelers
The Platinum Card from American Express has more to offer for those who aren’t committed to Delta.
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Frequent flyers who want to travel in comfort and style — and who aren’t dissuaded by high annual fees — will likely find their needs satisfied by a premium travel card. And two of the best on the market right now are the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and The Platinum Card® from American Express.
Both options come with hefty annual fees, but cardholders can make up the cost by taking advantage of the cards' generous perks. It may be easier to do so with The Platinum Card® from American Express, though, and its $1,500 in annual credits.
Redemption choices are also more varied and valuable with the AmEx Platinum, which allows Membership Points to be transferred to 20 travel loyalty partners. By contrast, miles earned with the Delta Reserve are only good for flights on Delta and its partners.
You’ll also gain access to more airport lounges with AmEx Platinum, a feature that looks even more enticing in light of Delta’s recent restrictions on its Sky Clubs: As of Feb. 1, 2025, Delta Reserve cardholders will receive 15 lounge visits per year rather than unlimited access — unless they can spend $75,000 a year on the card.
on American Express' website
on American Express' website
$650. Terms apply
$695. Terms apply.
Earn 70,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $5,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
Earn 3 miles per dollar on eligible purchases made directly with Delta.
Earn 1 mile on all other eligible purchases.
Terms apply.
5 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express.
5 points per dollar on prepaid hotels booked through American Express.
2 points per dollar on other eligible travel expenses booked through American Express.
1 point per dollar on all other purchases.
Terms apply.
$240 Resy credit, doled out in $20 monthly credits. Enrollment required.
$120 rideshare credit, doled out in $10 monthly credits. Enrollment required.
$200 annual Delta Stays credit for prepaid hotel and vacation rentals booked through delta.com.
Either a $120 Global Entry credit every 4 years, or an $85 TSA PreCheck credit every 4.5 years.
First checked bag free.
Terms apply.
$200 hotel credit.
$240 digital entertainment credit, doled out in $20 monthly credits. Enrollment required.
$155 Walmart+ membership credit.
$200 airline fee credit.*
$200 Uber Cash.
$300 Equinox credit, enrollment required..
$199 CLEAR Plus credit.
Either a $120 Global Entry credit every 4 years, or an $85 TSA PreCheck credit every 4.5 years.
Up to $100 in statement credits for Saks Fifth Avenue purchases, up to $50 twice per year, enrollment required.
$300 SoulCycle at-home bike credit.
Terms apply.
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card is a traditional credit card, unlike The Platinum Card® from American Express, which was originally introduced as a charge card. However, they function in the same way since American Express launched its Pay Over Time feature that charges users interest to maintain a balance on the card.
Why The Platinum Card® from American Express is better for most people
Credits
Most of the annual credits that come with The Platinum Card® from American Express are meant to accommodate the frequent traveler. For instance, cardholders receive $200 a year for hotel bookings, $200 a year for airline fees like checked-bag fees and a fee credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. Cardholders may or may not get much use out of some of the other perks, such as an annual $300 toward an Equinox gym membership. Overall, though, the menu of credits is broad enough to satisfy many people.
Redemption options
Purchases made with The Platinum Card® from American Express earn highly versatile Membership Rewards points. These points can be transferred to 17 airline and 3 hotel partners. Better still, they are worth more than the 1:1 transfer rate with a few airlines and hotels.
American Express's website has calculators that allow you to see how much your Membership Rewards points are worth when transferred to each of the loyalty partners.
Lounge access
If you’re paying the three-figure annual fee for The Platinum Card® from American Express, it’s reasonable to expect a luxurious travel experience. You’ll likely find it in one of the more than 1,400 airport lounges that you’ll have access to when you carry the card. Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card cardholders do get unlimited access to American Express Centurion Lounges when flying Delta, but they will only receive 15 Delta SkyClub visits per year unless they can qualify for unlimited visits after spending $75,000 in a calendar year with the card. The Platinum Card® from American Express allows for 10 Delta SkyClub visits per year unless that same spending requirement is met.
Why you might want the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
Companion certificate
The Delta Reserve will be most rewarding for those who prefer to fly with Delta. Perhaps the biggest draw is the annual companion certificate that’s good for a round-trip flight within the U.S. (including Alaska and Hawaii), Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. To redeem the companion ticket, you and your guest must travel in the same fare class — so if you choose to travel in first class, you get one first-class ticket free.
Your plus-one can also accompany you into the Delta Sky Clubs. Delta Reserve cardholders get four one-time guest passes every year.
Effective 2/1/25, Reserve Card Members will receive 15 visits per year to the Delta Sky Club. To earn an unlimited number of visits each year, the total eligible purchases on the Card must equal $75,000 or more the previous year. To earn unlimited visits in 2025, you’ll need to spend this amount between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24.
Discount on flights
Delta Reserve cardholders get a benefit dubbed TakeOff 15, a 15% discount on Delta flights booked with Delta SkyMiles. This discount will be shown and applied automatically at booking. That means a 50,000-mile flight would only cost you 42,500 miles at checkout. You don't need a Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card in order to get that 15% discount, though: Any Delta co-branded card that charges an annual fee also gives 15% off on award flights.
Elite status
If you care about earning elite status on Delta, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card is the only card of the two that helps you toward that goal. Cardholders earn $2,500 in Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQD), giving a head start toward status each qualifying year. The spending you do on your card gives a status boost, too: You'll earn 1 MQD for every $10 spent.
Which card should you get?
For Delta lovers, Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card is the clear choice over The Platinum Card® from American Express. The Delta companion pass is a rare commodity offered with only one other card: the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card.
However, travelers who aren’t wedded to Delta and who enjoy the best amenities should opt for The Platinum Card® from American Express. It beats the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card in terms of lounge access by, well, a mile. And the annual credits such as a $240 digital entertainment credit toward popular streaming services make The Platinum Card® from American Express even more appealing.
*More from American Express
American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details
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