Delta Amex Platinum Review
The Delta Amex Platinum is one of my favorite cards because few others can offer comparable perks at such an affordable price. You’ll want to be a somewhat regular Delta flyer before getting this card, and you’ll also need to ensure that its credits match your spending habits. But if you do, you’ll basically be getting quasi-elite status for free or close to it. That’s because the perks include priority boarding, a free checked bag, and the possibility of seat upgrades—most of the key benefits of entry-level Medallion status—and its $350 fee can be offset with $390 in statement credits and a companion certificate and free checked bags that can add up to hundreds of dollars in value.
This card probably won’t get you into first class (even top-level status holders are finding that difficult these days), but I’ve found Comfort+ upgrades pretty easy to come by on the routes I fly. The extra few inches of space, quicker deplaning, and free drinks in Comfort+ are a nice little perk. And on shorter or less popular routes you might even find yourself in first class.
Despite it being one of my favorite cards, I’d actually recommend you start by picking up Delta’s Gold Amex card first, though, to take advantage of the waived annual fee for the first year and a chance for an extra welcome bonus offer. That also will give you time to assess whether you’re flying Delta often enough to take full advantage of the Platinum’s perks. If you decide to upgrade, though, you’ll end up with one of the best-value airline credit cards on the market.
Quick ratings
4️⃣ #4, Best Cards 2024
💎 Elite card
⬆️ Upgraded travel
🔒 Shopping protections
✈️ Great redemptions
Bonus
60,000 Delta Skymiles is the “typical” offer on this card. The best ever offer on this card is 90k miles. Offers of 80k+ are fairly common, so I wouldn’t recommend signing up for this card with less than an 80k mile bonus. Check out the full offer history from AwardWallet here.
Although I think the Platinum is a better card than Delta’s Gold Amex card, Amex application rules state that you might not be eligible for a bonus on a card if you have or have had a higher-fee card in the same family. So if you get the Platinum first, you will lose the ability to get the Gold’s bonus, losing out on tens of thousands of miles. So, if possible, I recommend getting the Gold first and upgrading after a year. Aim for at least 70k miles on the Gold. The best deals on that card usually come from direct mailings, email, or (especially) offers during checkout while booking flights.
Net fee
Annual fee:
$350
Credits and offsets:
$150 Delta Stays
$10 monthly Resy credit
$10 monthly rideshare credit
Companion certificate on renewal (Main Cabin domestic, Caribbean, or Central American roundtrip; must pay taxes and fees)
Typical net annual fee:
-$250 to $100
If you use the $150 hotel credit, eight of the twelve rideshare credits, and two of the Resy credits, the net fee would be $100.
If you used $300 of the $390 in credits, plus used the companion certificate to save $300 on a flight, the net fee would be net negative: -$250.
Depending on your spending and how much you save on bag fees, the net fee will probably be somewhere in that range.
Earning
3x: Delta (including hotels and rental cars booked through Delta)
3x: Hotels
2x: Restaurants and US supermarkets
1x: All other spending
Perks
TakeOff 15: 15% discount on award flights operated by Delta
Free checked bag (for cardholder and up to 9 companions)
Companion certificate (on a main cabin round-trip flight within the U.S. and to Mexico, the Caribbean or Central America)
PreCheck or Global Entry Credit (every 4 years)
Priority boarding
Hertz Five Star status
MQD Boost: Earn 1 MQD for every $20 spent
MQD Headstart: 2,500 MQD every year
Protections
No foreign transaction fees ✅
Trip Delay Insurance ✅ (12+ hour delay; up to $300/trip)
Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance 🚫
Baggage Insurance ✅
Baggage Delay Insurance 🚫
Rental Car Insurance ✅
Purchase Protection ✅
Return Protection 🚫
Extended Warranty ✅
Cell Phone Insurance ✅
Travel Accident Insurance 🚫
Fine print from the bank available here.
Hacks
Triple miles on rental cars and vacation rentals. The Platinum earns triple miles on Delta purchases, which includes Expedia-based Delta Travel Extras. The card earns 3x on hotels generally, but also earns 3x on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars as Delta purchases on Travel extras.
Bonus MQD’s. If you are after Delta status, Delta normally offers bonus MQD’s through Travel Extras at least a few times per year. The combination of triple miles on Delta purchases and 1 MQD per $20 spent with the Platinum, plus bonus Delta miles and MQD’s through the portal, makes for a powerful combination during those promotions.
Thrifty Traveler. Not sure how to use those Skymiles? Check out Thrifty Traveler for Skymiles award sales.
Points/Rewards
⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
Delta SkyMiles aren’t the most popular reward currency, but they are one of my favorites because how easy it can be redeem them for great value on international economy tickets, especially if you have a Delta card like this one to get 15% off the award cost. It’s also usually pretty easy to dig around the Delta website and find a good Skymiles deal to somewhere in the world. But if you are not flexible or want to fly in business class, the cost in SkyMiles can be exorbitant.
Laziness rating
🦥🦥 (2/5)
If you’re very Delta-centric then you’ll easily get your money’s worth, but to really squeeze value out of this card you’ll want to use the companion certificate and most of the Resy and Rideshare credits (and at just $10 per month, it is easy to fall into the trap of paying money that you otherwise would not have, negating the value of those credits).
The earning structure isn’t optimal, either. Double points at restaurants and grocery stores is okay (but you could earn double that by paying with an Amex Gold), and triple points on hotels is good if you don’t have a co-branded hotel credit card, but by and large you’ll only rarely want to actually use this card for spending.
Given that the rewards are unpredictable, they are also not always easy to redeem. You’ll need to either scour the Delta website to find them or rely on a service like Thrifty Traveler.
Alternatives
If you want a Delta card, it’s better to start with the Delta Gold card, as noted above. If you want fancier perks like SkyClub access, you can upgrade to the Reserve.
Although no other airline offers a credit card that can score you seat upgrades, the United Quest is another excellent mid-tier card. If you’re a United enthusiast, it offers a $125 United credit and up to 10,000 in mileage rebates on award flights for a $250-fee card.
Card pairings
Pair it with the Amex Platinum to get lounge access while flying Delta. Add a high-earning Amex card to earn points that can be converted into Skymiles, like the Gold Card and its 4 points per dollar at restaurants and supermarkets or the Green Card for 3x on dining, travel, and transit.
Or pair it with the Venture X for lounge access while you travel—you won’t get SkyClub access, but you also won’t have to pay a net fee.
Conclusion
While many credit cards offer hotel elite status, few airline cards offer similar perks, especially at this price point. So if you want to upgrade your Delta experience without breaking the Bank, the Platinum card is an excellent option to do so, at least if you can take advantage of most of its benefits.