Welcome to a regular feature on the Eye of the Flyer blog. This blog series covers in a “rookie” way either a Delta or travel related theme and attempts to break down to a basic level each topic. You can read up on all the previous posts HERE. Now on to our featured topic.
Lots of people who come to our blog are Delta flyers. Some hold elite status, some don’t. It seems most readers have at least one Delta Amex. But given there are seven different Delta Amex cards available, it’s easy to confuse them.
As I’ve bemoaned before, things get extra confusing given how many Delta- and American Express-related products or features have the word “Platinum” or “Gold” in their titles.
And people sometimes ask us “Which card is better? The consumer/personal Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card or Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card? How are they different?
For the most part, the cards are very similar — except one is meant for personal/consumer purchases and the other for business spending.
Here’s a chart comparing the two cards’ major benefits and features. Their differences are highlighted in red. We also have links to some articles outlining certain card features and benefits.
| Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card | Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card | |
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| Personal/Consumer or Business Card? | Personal/Consumer | Business |
| Annual Fee | $250 (Rates and Fees.) | $250 (Rates and Fees.) |
| Additional Cardholders | No additional charge. No benefits extended. (Rates and Fees.) | Free. No benefits extended. (Rates and Fees.) |
| Current Welcome Offer | Learn more here | Learn more here |
| What Type of Points Does It Earn? | Delta SkyMiles | Delta SkyMiles |
| Basic Points Earnings | 3X on Delta Air Lines purchases
3X on purchases made directly with hotels 2X on at restaurants worldwide 2X at US supermarkets 1X on other eligible purchases |
3X on Delta Air Lines purchases
1.5X on single purchases of $5,000 or more, up to $50,000 SkyMiles per calendar year. 1X on other eligible purchases |
| Transfer Points to Other Programs? | No. | No. |
| Global Entry or TSA Pre√ Application Credit Every Four Years (Up to $100) | Yes. | Yes. |
| Delta Sky Club Access (When Flying Delta) | $39 for cardholders.
Bring up to two guests for $39 per person. |
$39 for cardholders.
Bring up to two guests for $39 per person. |
| Eligible Spending Counts Toward Delta MQD Waiver | Yes. | Yes. |
| Earn Delta Medallion Qualification Miles (MQM)Boosts Through Credit Card Spend | Yes. 10,000 bonus MQM after spending $25,000 on purchases on your card during a calendar year. Another 10,000 bonus MQM after spending an additional $25,000 on purchases during a calendar year.
(Long story short: spending $50,000 on purchases gets you 20,000 bonus MQM.)
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Yes. 10,000 bonus MQM after spending $25,000 on purchases on your card during a calendar year. Another 10,000 bonus MQM after spending an additional $25,000 on purchases during a calendar year.
(Long story short: spending $50,000 on purchases gets you 20,000 bonus MQM.) |
| Complimentary First Checked Bag Free When Flying Delta Air Lines | Yes for cardholder and up to eight others on same confirmation number/PNR. | Yes for cardholder and up to eight others on same confirmation number/PNR. |
| 20% Statement Credit on Onboard Purchases Made During Delta Air Lines Flights (i.e. Premium Snacks, Alcoholic Beverages.) | Yes. | Yes. |
| Companion Certificate for Eligible Delta Air Lines Flights | Yes, beginning second year of cardmembership. | Yes, beginning second year of cardmembership. |
| “Priority Boarding” (Main Cabin 1) on Delta Air Lines Flights When Flying Coach | Yes. | Yes. |
| No Foreign Transaction Fees | Yes. | Yes. |
| Trip Delay Insurance | Yes. Applies to covered reasons if a trip is delayed by more than 12 hours. Maximum of $300 per trip, maximum two claims per eligible account per 12 consecutive month period. Terms, conditions, and limits apply. | Yes. Applies to covered reasons if a trip is delayed by more than 12 hours. Maximum of $300 per trip, maximum two claims per eligible account per 12 consecutive month period. Terms, conditions, and limits apply. |
| Rates & Fees | See applicable rates and fees. | See applicable rates and fees. |
The Differences
Let’s breakdown where the cards differ, shall we?
Personal/Consumer vs. Business
The consumer/personal Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card is meant for non-business purchases. If you don’t have a business and want a Delta Platinum Amex, this is the card to get. Although it’s very possible you do have a business.
If you want to rack up SkyMiles for purchases made for your business, then consider going with the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card. Though if it’s points you covet — and the benefits don’t mean to you — you’re probably better off getting a small business card with (many, many) more bonus categories. (Think the Ink Cash, the Ink Preferred, etc.)
You’ll see why in a second.
Bonus Points Categories
When it comes to earning bonus points, the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card is the better of the two. By far.
Consider that the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card really has only one bonus category: 3X on Delta Air Lines purchases. (The 1.5X on $5,000 purchases is great — but I don’t know how many of us regularly spend five grand in one purchase.)
It’s missing three bonus categories that the personal card offers:
- 3X on purchases made directly with hotels
- 2X on at restaurants worldwide
- 2X at US supermarkets
Small business owners sometimes travel, so awarding those purchases (i.e. hotel spending) seems like a no-brainer. Same with restaurants; businesses wine and dine clients. Awarding those purchases should be a given — even if’s just 2X.
But on top of that, they don’t offer bonus points for categories where businesses pour a lot of other money: office supply stores, internet and cell phone providers, shipping providers, etc. I think the Delta Amex folks should take a look at the Ink cards or even the American Express® Business Gold Card if they want to make a serious run of getting small businesses interested in their cards.
Final Approach
The consumer/personal Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express Card are very similar. Their big differences lie in the target clients: one card is for consumers and the other businesses. That alone pretty much decides which card is “better” for your needs.
But their points earning structures are, in my opinion markedly different. I wish the Delta business Platinum card made it more our whiles to hold the card.
To see rates and fees for the American Express® Business Gold Card, please visit this link.
To see rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, please visit this link. Terms apply.
To see rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, please visit this link. Terms apply.
Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Are you sure the 1.5x on $5k purchases is available on the Consumer Platinum card too? I don’t see that mentioned on the website.
I thought I saw that on the website but double checked and, low and behold, it’s not there. Maybe I dreamt it. Thanks for the heads up.
Platinum card used to be 10,000 MQMs for $25,000 spend. It is now 12,500 MQMs for $25,000 spend as of 1/1/21.
Technically, the 10,000 MQM is the standing offer and what appears on the cards’ landing pages. The 12,500 MQM is a special promotion for 2021 only (at least, as of now).
However, I just added something to both columns noting the promotion. Thanks for the suggestion.
Am I reading the chart above correctly? I wasn’t aware that both cards offer 1.5 miles on purchases of $5K or more.
This side by side comparison is very helpful. Will you also compare the Reserve & Biz Reserve in a future post? And, please indicate if there are current, or have historically been, higher bonuses for new card applications.
I amended the 1.5X/$5K notation, thanks. I’d be happy to compare to Reserve and business Reserve. I love writing these kinds of posts and hope people find them helpful. Thanks for the suggestion on higher bonuses.
I love the AmEx Delta Gold Biz card because it almost always has a Dell 10% CB deal. With this I easily cove the $250 annual fee each year. I also shoot to spend the $10k in order to get the $100 airfare credit. To me this is more valuable than the Platinum card as I also have a Reserve personal card that I use for the MQMs.
It looks like at least one of the deficiencies of the business card has been corrected; in particular, purchases made directly with a hotel on the platinum business also yield 3x miles, just like the personal card. Not sure about the other categories, however. Looking at recent reviews from TPG, it appears as though the 2x restaurant/supermarket for the personal card remains the lone advantage for the personal card.