Is the Delta Platinum Amex worth it? For many, yes. Here’s how to be sure it’s right for you

Delta recently revamped their credit card offering and made their Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card a lot more attractive to both casual and power users alike. Whether you’re a Delta frequent flyer or casual user, the card has a good value proposition for many different kinds of people. The card doesn’t have a terribly strong earning rate for rewards, but the ancillary benefits more than make up for that. This card could make sense to have and to hold, but not for necessarily everyday use.

For whom is the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card worth it?

One of the main reasons people consider an airline credit card is the perks that you can get by flying with the airline or rewards for using your card in everyday spending. This card shines with Delta Air Lines related benefits including checked bag waivers, priority boarding, achieving elite status, a companion pass for free travel, access to the upgrade list and more. 

The rewards earned aren’t great, but they’re also not subpar. Overall, it’s a good card for someone who wants to increase their relationship with one of the world’s largest airlines.

Someone pursuing elite status with Delta

Chances are that if you’re flying enough to take advantage of all the benefits of the Delta Platinum American Express card, you’re going to be knocking on the door of elite status soon. Simply holding the card will get you a $2,500 MQD (Medallion Qualifying Dollars) boost each year, enough to get you halfway to Silver Medallion status. 

If you’re racking up spend through purchases, you can also add $1 MQD for every $20 spent on the card. While it may not be a ton of MQDs, for every $10,000 spent on the card you’ll net $500 MQD.

People who can make use of the monthly rebates

Every month you’ll earn $10 in credit for rideshare services and $10 for Resy purchases in the U.S. There’s also a $150 credit that comes after booking a prepaid hotel or vacation package via the Delta Stays website. 

While the $150 comes in one fell swoop, the $120 for rideshare and Resy restaurants come in $10 monthly chunks, and if you don’t use them each month, you’ll lose them. If there are restaurants that participate in the Resy network nearby where you live, then this could be an easy redemption. Otherwise, make sure to not forget to use them every month.

People who are on Delta planes fairly often

If you’re a casual Delta flyer then you’re probably not considering applying for this card anyway, but it goes without saying that the person getting the most benefits from this card is someone who flies with Delta on the regular.

The companion pass that comes with the card is good for a round trip flight in the Main Cabin to the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America, so you can take a trip with a friend or loved one each year. You’ll earn miles and MQD for the trip as the primary cardholder but the guest will not be eligible to earn any miles.

The other fringe benefits of the card such as the TakeOff15 discount, free checked bags, priority boarding, complimentary Medallion upgrades and elite status boost will all benefit you only when you’re flying on Delta.

For whom is the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card not worth it?

If you don’t think that you’ll be able to achieve elite status and you’re just looking for some basic flight benefits, the card might be a little too expensive and too powerful for the general user. Also, if you value using airport lounges when you travel, know that the card offers zero ability to enter the Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. In the past you had the ability to purchase day passes at a reduced rate, but that benefit has been discontinued.

Big Spenders

For those looking to spend multiples of tens of thousands of dollars a year, there are other personal cards that could provide more value. Apart from the 3 miles per dollar at hotels and the 2 miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets, 1 mile per dollar of eligible purchases.

There are many cards on the market that offer multipliers for all purchases no matter the source. The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card earns 2x miles on everyday purchases and 10x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. The American Express® Gold Card earns 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.) and 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x), along with 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com, giving you the chance to earn potentially thousands more rewards each and every year.

To view rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, see this page. 

Travelers who value flexibility in your reward choices

All Delta credit cards from American Express earn only one type of reward, Delta SkyMiles. Those miles can be used on Delta flights and flights with the Delta partners, but offer poor redemption values elsewhere.

If you enjoy the flexibility of using your rewards on multiple airlines, hotels, or even just for cash back, you’ll want to consider a card that earns a flexible reward currency. Look for cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou points, or Capital One Venture X Miles. All of these will allow you the flexibility to redeem however you like.

How to Maximize Rewards with the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card

Since this card earns bonuses of 3 miles per dollar at hotels and 2X miles on dining, make sure that you’re pulling out this card to pay at all your hotels and restaurants. This will make sure that you’re earning as many SkyMiles as possible. Don’t forget that this card also works to earn 2X miles on supermarkets in the U.S., offering you the ability to earn even more.

Another pro tip is to set up alerts to remind you about using your monthly credits. You could set a reminder every 15th of the month telling you to “use my Delta Amex credits,” that way not a single one goes to waste.

Finally, don’t miss out on the welcome bonus. Currently there is a limited time offer of 90,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months. If you don’t hit this number, you will have missed out on a huge number of miles for your future travel. If you’re worried you are getting close but you don’t know how much more you have to spend, call the number on the back of the card or contact Amex via chat. They’ll be able to give you the amount you need to achieve your bonus.

The takeaway

While the annual fee might be a turn-off for many applicants, the benefits have the ability to strongly outweigh the price. Between the rideshare, restaurant, hotel, and Global Entry credits you’re earning well over the annual fee, a total of $490 back every year. Those credits don’t even take into account the money you’ll save by taking a friend or loved one with you on a vacation somewhere nice with the annual companion pass. Overall this card makes a solid choice for those looking to increase their flight benefits with Delta Air Lines.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the companion pass difficult to use?

While there are certain restrictions on where and when you can use the pass, using it is quite simple. When you log into your Delta account the certificate will be automatically loaded for you in the “certificates and eCredits” section of the website. 

Simply make your booking like you would as normal, and the computer will automatically apply the certificate discount for you. Make sure to give yourself plenty of advance notice to get the best pricing and availability for flights.

How do I apply the Take Off15 discount?

There are no special promotion codes or special code to enter to use the 15% discount on Delta flights. When you are logged into your SkyMiles account, the system will automatically detect that you have a Delta SkyMiles Platinum credit card and the 15% will come off the top. If you’re not seeing the discount, make sure that you’re redeeming for Delta flights and not for one of their partners.

Do the miles I earn with the credit card expire?

There’s no rush to use the miles you earn since Delta got rid of their expiration of their SkyMiles quite some time back. This gives you the chance to build up a balance to save for the flight of your dreams without feeling the FOMO of having to use your miles before a certain date.

Please note that card details are accurate as of the publish date, but are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the issuer. Please contact the card issuer to verify rates, fees, and benefits before applying. 

Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefits guide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.