4.8
Do you fly Delta Air Lines with someone at least once a year? If so, then this card should pay for itself. If not, look for a cheaper alternative.
$350
20.99%-29.99% Variable APR
N/A
$350
20.99%-29.99% Variable APR
Annual fee
$350
Rewards rate
1x-3x
Bonus offer
Earn 50,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
Intro APR
N/A
Ongoing APR
APR: 20.99%-29.99% Variable APR
Cash Advance APR: 29.99%, Variable
Penalty APR: 29.99%, Variable
Balance transfer fee
N/A
Foreign transaction fee
None
In terms of value, the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card has a lot to offer, even with its steep annual fee of $350.
That's because after your first year it comes with an annual companion certificate — a rare and valuable perk that covers the cost of a round-trip domestic, Caribbean or Central American economy ticket for someone flying with you. Such a benefit could save you hundreds of dollars a year, regardless of how much you spend with the card.
For Delta Air Lines devotees, this certificate alone is reason enough to pounce on this card. But if you're on the fence, here's what you need to know.
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, see this page.
Card type: Airline.
Annual fee: $350.
Welcome offer: Earn 50,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
Rewards:
3 miles per dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta.
3 miles per dollar spent directly with hotels.
2 miles per dollar at restaurants.
2 miles per dollar at U.S. supermarkets.
1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
Terms apply.
NerdWallet values Delta miles at 1.2 cents each. This is a baseline value, drawn from real-world data on hundreds of economy routes, not a maximized value. In other words, you should aim for award redemptions that offer 1.2 cents or more in value from your Delta miles.
Benefits:
Annual companion certificate upon card renewal (good for one round-trip domestic, Caribbean or Central American flight in main cabin for someone traveling with you, less some taxes and fees).
First checked bag is free for you and up to 8 other passengers traveling on the same reservation.
Priority boarding.
20% savings on eligible in-flight purchases.
15% savings on Delta flights booked with miles on delta.com or the Fly Delta app.
Fee credit for TSA Precheck or Global Entry.
$150 Delta Stays credit toward prepaid hotels or vacations through Delta.
$120 Resy credit when you enroll, up to $10 each month.
$120 rideshare credit when you enroll, up to $10 each month.
Terms apply (see rates and fees).
Status Boost bonuses: Receive $2,500 Medallion Qualification Dollars each Medallion Qualification Year and get closer to status with MQD Headstart. Earn $1 Medallion Qualification Dollar for each $20 of purchases made on your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card in a calendar year and get a boost toward achieving elevated Medallion Status for next Medallion Year. Terms apply.
(If you’re not a Medallion elite member, you’ll be added to the Complimentary Upgrade list after Delta SkyMiles Medallion members and holders of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. The list includes upgrades to Delta One, First Class and Delta Comfort+ seats. You’ll also get Hertz Five Star Status, which makes you eligible for upgrades — if available— points and more. )
This card’s most valuable feature, by a long shot, is its annual companion certificate, which becomes available when you renew your card membership every year.
The certificate gets you one main cabin round trip for someone traveling on the same itinerary as you. The only expenses you'll have to cover for that flight are taxes and fees, but those are capped at $80 for domestic flights, or $250 for Caribbean or Central American flights.
Used strategically, this certificate could save you a lot of money each year, especially if you tend to travel during peak season when flights get expensive.
There are a few restrictions, though. The Delta Companion Certificate can't be used on basic economy fares, and not all flights have availability. The lowest Delta fare classes are generally among the first to sell out, so you'll want to book early to be safe.
The Companion Certificate is only valid on round-trip tickets, and both travelers must be booked at the same time and on the same reservation.
Not all airline cards help you get closer to elite status — which gets you several perks reserved for loyal flyers — but the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card does. You can do that by spending: Earn $1 Medallion Qualification Dollar for each $20 of purchases in a calendar year and get a boost toward achieving elevated Medallion Status for next Medallion Year. Terms apply.
The Delta Stays, Resy and ridesharing credits add up to $390 in potential savings per year, which more than offsets the annual fee. If these are services you already use, these helpful discounts will make the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card even more valuable. You must enroll, and be aware that these credits are doled out in monthly use-it-or-lose-it increments. Terms apply.
In the Delta credit card family, the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card is the second-most-premium option. It offers plenty of rich benefits, but doesn't carry the highest annual fee. If you're looking for a Delta card with a different mix of benefits, you have plenty of options. Check out NerdWallet's comparison of Delta credit cards for more information.
Here's how these cards stack up at a glance. (Table shows current earning rates and benefits. See this article for changes that took effect in February 2023.)
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*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.
The Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card has a markedly lower fee, and it earns points in similar categories. You get 2 points per dollar spent on travel and dining purchases, and 1.5 points for every dollar spent on all other purchases. It also offers $200 in statement credits, including up to $100 for a Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fee and up to $100 for airline incidentals, such as seat upgrades, checked bags and day passes to lounges. This card won't get you into a Delta Sky Club, but it could help you cover the cost of staying in a different lounge. There's also a great bonus offer.
If you opened a Delta American Express card account before Feb. 1, 2024, the new annual fees will go into effect at your next renewal date on or after May 1, 2024.
The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card has some razzle-dazzle, but if you're looking for lounge benefits, you'll be disappointed. With its relatively high annual fee, you might expect at least a few one-time lounge passes to be included — or least a discount on day passes? But effective January 2024, Sky Club access is no longer available for Platinum cardholders.
If lounge access is your top priority, go with another Platinum card instead — namely, The Platinum Card® from American Express. It offers access to more than 1,200 airport lounges worldwide, including Delta's Sky Club lounges (when you're flying Delta), along with a bevy of other benefits. The annual fee is huge, but for perpetual travelers who can take advantage of everything it offers, it could be worth the cost. Terms apply (see rates and fees).
For more options, check out NerdWallet's list of best credit card offers.
You need to put in some work to get money back with this card, as some of the statement credits only pay out in small monthly increments. If you don’t frequently use ridesharing services or Resy, those perks won’t resonate with you. As you consider this card, examine your current spending habits to see if it’s a match.
Earn 2 points per dollar spent on travel and dining purchases, and 1.5 points for every dollar spent on all other purchases. Plus, get $200 in statement credits, including up to $100 for a Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fee and up to $100 for airline incidentals.
For those who can't make good use of its companion certificate benefit and rewards categories, the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card likely isn't a good fit. But if you can use the certificate to cover one big trip each year, and if the rewards and benefits you'd get on the card outweigh the annual fee, it should be at the top of your list.
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, see this page.
NerdWallet reviews credit cards with an eye toward both the quantitative and qualitative features of a card. Quantitative features are those that boil down to dollars and cents, such as fees, interest rates, rewards (including earning rates and redemption values) and the cash value of benefits and perks. Qualitative factors are those that affect how easy or difficult it is for a typical cardholder to get good value from the card. They include such things as the ease of application, simplicity of the rewards structure, the likelihood of using certain features, and whether a card is well-suited to everyday use or is best reserved for specific purchases. Our star ratings serve as a general gauge of how each card compares with others in its class, but star ratings are intended to be just one consideration when a consumer is choosing a credit card. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.