Delta Amex Platinum Review
Tl;dr: Get quasi-elite status on Delta with a card that earns solid benefits and could have a net negative fee depending on your spending.
As I wrote a little while ago, I’m a Delta frequent flyer and I really like my co-branded Amex Gold card, especially after some recent changes made to the card. But after looking at the airline’s new premium co-branded card options, I’ve come away convinced that the Platinum card is not only perhaps the best co-branded airline cards out there, but may be flying under the radar as one of the better cards on the market overall. Let’s talk about why.
Solid bonus offer–if you time it right
The revamped card launched with an impressive 90k mile bonus offer, but on Delta.com it has settled back at the standard 50k mile offer.
Historically, Delta welcome offers have been very dynamic, with a low base offer but frequent increased offers depending on when you check the Delta or Amex site, or if you receive a special offer in your physical or electronic mailbox.
We may not see the 90k launch offer again soon or often, but I saw an 80k offer on the Amex website (not the Delta website) just a few days ago, and 80k miles is a very solid offer that could potentially net you two tickets to Europe. Personally, I would hate to receive less than 80k for this card, but certainly wouldn’t consider an offer under 70k as those “elevated” offers have historically available quite regularly.
An annual fee that could be more than offset by credits
The platinum’s hefty $350 annual fee may seem intimidating at first, especially when it, unlike its golden cousin, isn’t waived for the first year.
But you get $150 back in statement credits for hotels booked via Delta, worth more or less the full $150 for most people if they stay a few nights in a hotel each year. You also get $10 in statement credits for ride-share purchases (Uber, Lyft, etc.) each month. I take at least one ride each month for one reason or another, so that’s worth the full $120 for me, meaning the card gets $270 in value against that $350 fee, making the net fee just $80.
The other credits are a bit tougher to use, but could easily make the net fee go negative.
The big one is the free companion certificate on renewal each year, which allows you to fly with a friend in Main Cabin for just the taxes and fees, no more than $80 domestically or $250 internationally (the benefit is limited to domestic flights and those to the Caribbean and Central America). If you fly with a companion regularly, this could be very valuable. For instance, if I wanted to fly with Shawn to Boston, tickets are $330 each, but we could both fly for around $400 with this benefit, saving roughly $120, and making the card profitable to hold. (Note that this perk only applies starting in the second year, so it won’t offset the first year’s fee.)
Finally, you can get $10 back each month for spending at a restaurant in the Resy network. Although this could add up to $120 each year if you eat at those places, the network is somewhat limited and tends to be upscale, so I wouldn’t expect to earn more than $10-30 from this benefit unless it was inducing me to spend more than I otherwise would have.
Of course, if you would otherwise be paying to check bags you’d be saving $70 per round trip per person, quickly making the investment in the card pencil out.
Quasi elite status
Delta’s lowest-level status, Silver Medallion, offers: complimentary upgrades, a free checked bag, priority check-in, priority boarding, a Medallion customer service line, and Hertz Five Star status, among other smaller benefits.
The Delta Platinum card offers: complimentary upgrades, a free checked bag, priority boarding, and Hertz Five Star status.
While you won’t get the Medallion customer service benefits, this card alone replicates most of the benefits of low-level status. Although cardholders are last in line to receive upgrades, that may not make a huge difference. As a Silver Medallion, I have been upgraded to Comfort+ on most (maybe 75%+) of my flights, but have only received one first class upgrade (on a short flight in the middle of the night). At least on the routes I’m flying, Comfort+ usually has plenty of upgrade space available, and I would expect cardholders to have a pretty decent success rate in getting upgraded to that level. As with Medallion status, cardholders can even get upgraded with a traveling companion.
Shortcut to Medallion status
If you want to get Medallion status, or boost the status you already have, the Platinum card also offers a “Headstart” of 2,500 Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs), halfway to Silver status (you can get the other half by adding the Delta Amex Reserve, but we’ll talk more about that in a future post). Your spending on the card also “boosts” your MQD balance by earning 1 MQD for every $20 you spend on the card.
Respectable earning rates
The Delta Platinum offers triple miles on Delta purchases and hotels paid directly to the hotel, and double miles at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets. The card earns one mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.
The 3x rate on hotels is among the best available, competitive with industry leaders like the Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x), Wells Fargo Autograph Journey (5x), Amex Green card (3x), and Bilt Mastercard (4x on Rent Day). Although I prefer to use a good hotel card or rent an Airbnb when possible, this would be a good option when those alternatives are not competitive on price. The 2x at grocery stores is better than most premium travel cards other than the Amex Gold (4x) and Citi Premier (3x). Although double miles on dining is unimpressive in the premium card space, it may be worth using for those looking to squeeze in a few extra MQDs in addition to miles (same goes for the base 1x rate).
Solid protections and perks
The benefits on this card include trip delay insurance, baggage insurance, car rental protection, extended warranty protection, and purchase protection.
Plus, in addition to the credits and perks mentioned above, cardholders receive 15% of award redemptions on Delta-operated flights, 20% back on in-flight purchases, and a fee credit toward TSA PreCheck or Global Entry.
Is it lazy?
You’ll need to do a little work to get the most value out of this card. If you regularly use rideshare, you’ll only need to book one or two hotel nights to recoup $270 of the $350 annual fee. But if you want to go further, you’ll need to be attentive to the Resy restaurants (if any) in your area and find a sweet-spot fare for you and a companion that ends up saving you significant money compared to competitor fares on a flight you would have taken even without the card.
Conclusion
Even if you only get $270 of value from the card, the $80 net fee may well be worth it for even occasional Delta travelers. You’ll get elite-like perks including free checked bags, a discount on SkyMiles redemptions, and opportunities for even greater value through savings at Resy restaurants, free TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, and free upgrades and checked bags for not only you but a traveling companion (who can fly free-ish once a year). Delta Medallion members will also find it easier to maintain their status with the card offering a large chunk of Medallion Qualification Dollars for free and the ability to earn more via spend. Overall, I think this may be the best airline card out there and a very solid keeper card for anyone who flies Delta on a fairly regular basis.