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Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card review
Last updated:
A valuable companion for frequent Delta flyers and world travelers — even if it’s a little pricey.
finder.com’s rating: 4.0 / 5.0
★★★★★
- Get this card if you want excellent travel benefits and Delta perks.
- Pick something else if you don’t fly Delta often or you don’t need bonus rewards for Medallion Status.
- Apply with a good to excellent credit score of 670 or higher.
60,000
Miles as welcome offer
Up to 3x
Miles
$250
Annual fee
15.74% to 24.74%
Purchase APR (variable)
Details
| Product Name | Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card |
|---|---|
| Card type | American Express |
| Annual fee | $250 |
| Purchase APR | 15.74% to 24.74% variable |
| Balance transfer APR | 15.74% to 24.74% variable |
| Balance transfer fee | $5 or 3% of the transaction, whichever is greater |
| Cash advance rate | 25.24% variable |
| Cash advance fee | $10 or 5% of the cash advance amount, whichever is greater |
| Penalty APR | 29.24% variable |
| Foreign transaction fee | None |
| Interest free period | Up to 25 days |
| Late payment fee | Up to $40 |
| Returned payment fee | Up to $40 |
| Additional cardholder fee | $0 |
| Rates & fees | rates & fees |
Expert review
Review by
Kliment Dukovski
kliment.dukovski@findercrew.comKliment Dukovski is a credit cards writer. He's written over 600 articles to help readers find and compare the best credit cards. Kliment has also written on money transfers, home loans and more. Previously, he ghostwrote guides and articles on foreign exchange, stock market trading and cryptocurrencies.
Expert review
As part of the Delta line refresh, this card has a new $250 annual fee. For the price, however, you’ll now enjoy 3x miles on eligible Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels, 2x miles on restaurants and US supermarkets, 1x miles on everything else and a welcome offer of 60,000 miles and 5,000 MQMs.
You’ll also get a suite of Delta perks, including an annual companion certificate, free checked baggage, priority boarding, special pricing for Delta Sky Club access and inflight savings. New to the fray is a $100 statement credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry
These tweaks and new additions to the earning rate have transformed the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card from a card best for regular Delta flyers into one far more beneficial for general travel spending.
The perks
Welcome offer.
Get 60,000 bonus miles and 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after your account is open. Plus, you’ll earn $100 after making a Delta purchase in the same timeframe.
What are Medallion Qualification Miles?
Collect Medallion Qualification Miles to achieve higher Medallion Status tiers in the Delta SkyMiles® frequent flier program.
- Silver. 25,000 MQMs
- Gold. 50,000 MQMs
- Platinum. 75,000 MQMs
- Diamond. 125,000 MQMs
You can also achieve higher status by collecting Medallion Qualification Segments (MQSs) and Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs). To learn more about Medallion Status, check out the Delta website.
Earn miles.
Earn 3 miles per dollar spent on eligible Delta purchases like flight tickets, food or beverages and movies, and on purchases made directly with hotels. You can also earn 2x miles on purchases made at restaurants and US supermarkets. Earn 1 mile per dollar spent on other eligible purchases. Redeem miles for flights on Delta and Delta’s partner airlines.
- Buy a $250 Delta gift card for 35,700 miles — 0.70 cents per mile.
- Buy a $60 American Tourister 4 Spinner 21″ suitcase for 16,300 miles — 0.36 cents per mile.
- Buy a $849 Apple MacBook Air 13″ for 201,500 miles — 0.42 cents per mile.
- Buy round-trip domestic fares. Fares worth $130 start at 10,000 miles — 1.30 cents per mile. Taxes and fees are not included.
Status boost.
When you spend $25,000 or more on purchases in a calendar year you’ll earn 10,000 Medallion Qualifying Miles. You can earn this bonus twice, provided you hit the $25,000 spending requirement twice in a calendar year. This will help you achieve a Silver Medallion Status, which will give you exclusive benefits.
Companion certificate.
Each year you renew your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, you’ll receive a domestic main cabin round-trip companion certificate. This allows you take a guest on a round-trip domestic flight for only the cost of taxes and fees.
How much are SkyMiles® worth?
The value of SkyMiles® depends on the service or product that you wish to redeem them for. For example according to the SkyMiles® website as of June 2018, you could use your miles to:
To make the most of your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, you may want to redeem your miles only for flights, as they have the highest value per mile.
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card companion certificate: A great value
The companion certificate can be worth hundreds of dollars, helping you cover the card’s annual fee.
The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card isn’t the only Delta product with a companion certificate. You’ll also find the benefit with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card.
How to earn Delta SkyMiles quickly
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Reduced price for Delta Sky Clubs®.
You can buy reduced-price entry into the Delta Sky Club® for $39 — and bring up to two guests for $39 each. Normally, a Single Visit Pass costs $59. Unfortunately, this price jumped up from $29 during the recent Delta card refresh. If you often visit Delta Sky Clubs®, consider the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, which gives you complimentary access.
First checked bag free.
For up to nine passengers traveling on the same reservation as the cardholder, first checked bag fees are waived. Save up to $60 per round trip.
TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fee credit.
This card offers a $100 statement credit toward the application fee of TSA PreCheck or Global Entry every four years.
Priority boarding.
Settle into your seat sooner with a Main Cabin 1 priority boarding for you and up to eight passengers traveling on your reservation.
No foreign transaction fees.
Since this is a travel card, use it freely when traveling abroad and you won’t pay any international transaction fees.
In-flight savings.
Get 20% savings as a statement credit when you make in-flight purchases of food, beverages and audio headsets.
Baggage, trip delay and car rental insurance.
Receive insurance on eligible car rentals, protecting you from liability for loss or damage. And eligible delays to your trip and lost, damaged or stolen baggage is covered when you purchase your transportation fare with your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card.
Global assistance.
When you travel more than 100 miles from home, you get 24/7 access to legal, medical, financial or any other emergency service you may require.
Purchase protection.
You bought an item and you don’t like it, but now you can get a refund even if the merchant won’t take it back within 90 days of the purchase date. Get 2-day free shipping with ShopRunner and protection against damage and theft of your phone or other eligible items.
You’ll find gems among the Delta Sky Clubs®.
Delta has been renovating its Sky Clubs®, and you’ll find superb lounges in its portfolio. A few of the newer lounges include those at Newark Liberty International Airport and Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport. Consider visiting the Sky Club® at the Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which comes with an open-air Sky Deck®.
A Single Visit Pass to a Delta Sky Club® costs $59. With the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, you can buy a pass for $39.
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Case study: Jon’s experience
Jon Brodsky
Finder CEO, USA
I’ve been using the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card for several years after switching away from the Amex Platinum Card. Delta is my primary airline, so I wanted a card that’d let me earn miles for the routes I travel constantly.
The thing I love most about this card is that the miles just show up in my Delta account, where I can then share them with my family so we can book reward travel. When I’ve used credit card concierge services in the past to book my travel, I always had a hard time converting points to miles and found it super frustrating.
I also love the lack of foreign transaction fees for overseas travel (difficulty in getting Amex cards accepted elsewhere notwithstanding), the free checked bag and the priority boarding even when I don’t have status. And the Pay with Miles option for flights, which lets you split the cost between miles and cash, is really convenient.
The downside of the card is that my wife, who’s on my account, doesn’t get the free bag or priority boarding that I get unless she’s traveling with me. And I’ve never used my free companion tickets. Every time I’ve considered them, the cost of buying the full-price ticket required for the free one is way more money than simply buying two tickets on Flight Finder.
What to watch out for
Annual fee.
The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card comes with a $250 annual fee.
Not as widely accepted overseas.
Because this is an American Express card, you may have limited opportunities to use it overseas.
Steep penalty for late payments.
Making late or returned payments could cost you a penalty APR as high as 29.24% variable. You may also incur late and returned-payment fees as high as $40.
Taxes and fees on companion certificate.
You’ll receive an annual round-trip companion certificate for a domestic flight, but you need to pay taxes and fees up to $75 out of pocket.
High APR on purchases and balance transfers.
All Amex Delta cards have relatively high APR ranges on purchases and balance transfers when compared to other cards. The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card has a 15.74% to 24.74% variable APR, while the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, for example, has a 13.99% to 23.99% variable APR (see rates & fees).
What should I know before I apply?
To apply for the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, you must be:
- At least 18 years old.
- A US resident.
You’ll need to provide information, including:
- Your full name and contact information.
- Your Social Security number and date of birth.
- Your annual income and source of income.
What credit score do I need?
Apply with a good to excellent credit score of 670 or higher. You’ll have a better chance of being approved for the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card if you have a stable income in addition to a high credit score.
What do customers say about the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card?
Customers love the companion certificate, the Status Boost and the overall travel perks that come with the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card. Inflexible company policies and poor customer support are cited in most customer complaints.
Trustpilot has given American Express a TrustScore of 3.1 out of 10, while the Better Business Bureau (BBB) has rated the credit company with an A+. Customers have given American Express a composite score of 3.78 out of 5 on the BBB website.
Back to topHow to apply for the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
- Click Apply now.
- Complete the application form.
- Review your application and submit it.
How long will it take to get my Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card?
You’ll likely find out whether you’ve been approved quickly thanks to American Express’s automated preapproval system. If further review is needed, it could take up to several weeks to get a decision.
Upon approval, you’ll receive the card within 7 to 10 business days.
I got the credit card. Now what?
- Pay on time. Create an account on the American Express website or download the Amex® mobile app to set up automatic payments.
- Avoid paying interest. After the close of each billing cycle, you have a grace period of 25 days to pay your balance. If you do, you won’t pay interest on your purchases.
- Avoid paying fees. Though the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card comes with no foreign transaction fees, you will pay a fee on balance transfers and cash advances. Late and returned payments also come with hefty fees up to $40.
- Make balance transfers quickly. You can only initiate balance transfers within 60 days days after opening your account.
- Enroll in ShopRunner. Get 2-day free shipping from more than 100 online retailers. If you don’t like the item, return it for free.
- Contact customer service. For any questions you may have, call American Express customer service at 1-800-528-4800 or chat with a customer representative on the Amex website.
Want to earn more SkyMiles?
Another Delta card — the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card — earns 2 miles per dollar spent at restaurants. This card has no annual fee (see rates & fees), and you can easily clear the welcome offer for additional miles.
Bottom line
If you spend less than $25,000 on purchases with your Delta card per year, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card may be a better option. Otherwise, you’ll find that the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card is a powerful travel card with a strong welcome offer, useful perks for Delta customers that can offset the annual fee and a robust suite of travel protections.
You may want to compare other credit cards before settling to find one that best suits your needs.
Frequently asked questions
Images: AmericanExpress.com
Travel card ratings
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★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
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