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Savvy travelers can score outsized value from the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, which comes loaded with statement credits and valuable flight perks if you fly Delta Air Lines.
The headline benefit: an annual companion certificate that allows you to bring a travel buddy with you on a round-trip flight for select Delta economy routes, starting with your first cardholder anniversary. They’ll just need to pay taxes and fees.
However, that perk doesn’t come cheap, with the card’s pricey $350 annual fee (see rates and fees). New applicants can offset that fee with a generous welcome offer: Earn 80,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases with your new Card, and an additional 20,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $2,000 in purchases on the Card, both within your first 6 months. Ends 04/01/2026. Terms Apply.
If you’re considering applying for the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, make sure you’ll get enough value to offset the annual fee. Here’s how to decide.
» Learn more: The complete guide to the Delta SkyMiles program
The annual fee is worth it if you:
Frequently check bags with Delta
Cardmembers and up to eight travel companions on the same itinerary get a free checked bag and priority boarding on Delta flights when the card is used to pay for the trip. Delta checked bag fees typically start at $35 each way. If you check bags on at least five round-trip itineraries, you easily make up this card’s annual fee. If you travel with family or friends, you can earn back the fee even faster. Terms apply.
Have a travel buddy
After renewing your card membership each year, you’ll get a Delta companion certificate that allows someone else to join you for just taxes and fees. There are some restrictions: The certificate is only valid for round-trip Main Cabin flights, and not all flights have availability. Eligible routes include flights between the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America.
Are chasing Medallion status
You can get Delta Medallion status by accumulating Medallion Qualification Dollars. One way to earn MQDs is through spending on Delta credit cards, and this one offers 1 MQD per $20 spent on the card. Cardholders also get a 2,500 MQD head start at the beginning of each year — halfway to Silver Medallion status.
Are a world traveler
The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card has no foreign transaction fees. On many cards, these fees can add around 3% on top of every purchase, meaning this card can offer decent savings to frequent international travelers. Terms apply.
Want to speed through the airport
This card comes with a statement credit that will cover either the TSA PreCheck application fee once every 4.5 years or the Global Entry application fee once every four years. Keep in mind that Global Entry comes with TSA PreCheck, so it’s not necessarily an either-or choice. Terms apply.
The card comes with monthly $10 credits for both Resy, a restaurant booking platform, and rideshare purchases. If you use the two credits each month, you can get an extra $240 in value from the card. Enrollment required. Terms apply.
Don’t mind booking third-party hotel stays
When booking through Delta Stays, you can get a $150 credit toward prepaid hotels or vacations. While you won’t earn hotel points or receive hotel elite benefits, this can come in handy in situations like booking an airport hotel before an early-morning flight.
Value the card’s other perks
Priority boarding, 20% back on in-flight food and drink purchases, elite status with Hertz, trip delay insurance and extended warranty protections on purchases can be very valuable to cardmembers who make the most of them. Plus, if you use Delta SkyMiles, you can get 15% off award bookings with Delta. Terms apply.
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The annual fee is not worth it if you:
Carry a balance or incur late fees
Interest charges and late fees can cost you more than the rewards you accrue. If you cannot pay off the balance in full every month, this isn't the card for you.
Don’t often fly Delta, dine out (or order takeout), grocery shop or book directly with hotels
Spending in these categories earns you bonus points on the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, including 3x on Delta and hotel bookings as well as 2x at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets. If you don’t make these kinds of charges often, consider a card with a lower annual fee. Terms apply.
Already have a more rewarding card
If you have cards that pay even more bonus points for dining, travel or other bonus categories where you spend most, using this card could be costing you points. For example, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and the American Express Platinum Card® give you more points for some purchases, and their flexible points currencies are more convenient than the sometimes-hard-to-use SkyMiles.
» Learn more: The complete guide to redeeming Delta SkyMiles
The bottom line
Some travelers will have no problems justifying the $350 annual fee on this card. Checked bag perks, a boost toward Medallion status, an annual companion pass, statement credits, and bonus miles on Delta travel and hotels can make the fee worthwhile. But if these perks don’t align with your spending habits, you can do better elsewhere.
Insurance Benefit: Trip Delay Insurance
- Up to $300 per Covered Trip that is delayed for more than 12 hours; and 2 claims per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period.
- Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply.
- Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.
- Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
American Express Insurance Benefit: Purchase Protection
- When an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase with their Eligible Card, Purchase Protection can help protect their Covered Purchases for up to 90 days from the Covered Purchase date if it is stolen or accidentally damaged. The coverage is limited up to $1,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year.
- 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.
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, see this page.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2026:
- Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
- Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Luxury perks: American Express Platinum Card®
- Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
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