Reader Question: Shoud I Keep or Cancel My Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card

Several months ago, I wrote a post detailing my response to someone asking bout canceling their Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card.

I’ve since received some questions about some other Delta Amex Cards. I bet that others have similar concerns: should I keep, cancel, (or get) credit card X? So, let’s talk about it as a group!

Today, we’ll take a look at the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card.

(Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.)

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card

First, let’s be clear about the star of our show. The Delta ecosystem has several “platinum” terms floating around. There’s Platinum Medallion status. (That’s not a credit card.) There’s the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card. (We’re not talking about that.) There’s the The Platinum Card® from American Express and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, which come with Delta Sky Club access and other airline benefits. (We’re not talking about those, either.)

The card of the hour, personal/consumer Delta Amex Platinum, looks like this:

That card is our main topic today.

Delta Amex Card Basics

The Platinum Amex carries a $350 annual fee; there are no annual fees for authorized users on your account. There are no foreign transaction fees. (See rates and fees.)

The card earns redeemable Delta SkyMiles. Its bonus points earnings are as follows:

• 3X on eligible purchases made with Delta Air Lines
• 3X on purchases made directly with hotels
• 2X at restaurants worldwide (including takeout and delivery in the United States)
• 2X at U.S. supermarkets
• 1X on all other eligible purchases

The Delta SkyMiles Amex earns $1 Medallion Qualification Dollar (MQD) for every $20 of eligible purchases placed on the card.

Delta Travel Benefits

• Free first checked bag for you and up to eight others on traveling your itinerary/reservation. (Maximum nine waivers per reservation.)
• 20% statement credit on purchases made aboard Delta Air Lines flights (on premium food, eligible pre-purchased meals, beverages, etc)
• Zone 5 boarding (formerly Main Cabin 1)
• Pay with Miles eligibility
• Cardholders receive $2,500 Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQD) each Medallion Qualification Year.
• TakeOff 15: Cardholders are entitled to 15% discounts when redeeming SkyMiles for eligible award flights.
• Beginning the second year of holding the card, members receive, upon renewal, a certificate for a free (except for taxes and fees) companion coach qualifying fare on Delta.
• Non-elites who hold the Delta Reserve card will be eligible for complimentary domestic upgrades (US 50) to Delta One, first class, and Comfort Plus
• The card no longer gives members access to Delta Sky Clubs

Statement Credit Benefits

• Earn up to $150 in annual statement credits on eligible prepaid Delta Stays bookings on delta.com. (Think hotels and vacation rentals.)
• Earn up to $10 in statement credits each month (up to $120 annually) on U.S. rideshare purchases made with Uber, Lyft, Curb, Revel, and Alto. Enrollment is required and terms apply.
• Earn up to $120 each year (up to $10 each month) in statement credits for purchases made with U.S. Resy restaurants.
• Earn up to $120 for your Global Entry application fee every four years or TSA PreCheck application fee every 4.5 years when paying with your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card.

(If you’re interested in the card, you can earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new card within six (6) months of being approved for card membership. (Terms apply.) Learn here how to apply.)

Quick Caveat

As usual: each person’s budget, travel preferences, and travel goals are unique. My reasons for having or not having a particular travel rewards card might not align with yours. I know some people who love, love, love earning SkyMiles and nothing but SkyMiles. They don’t want to mess with other points/miles currencies. It’s too much hassle and confusion. If it makes them happy, great. I prefer other strategies (flexible points and cashback).

I don’t know your living, financial, geographical, dietary, mental, emotional, and physical situations. So, I’ve tried laying all of this out in a way that’s as helpful as possible — and hopefully gets your gears turning on how the features benefit you — or don’t.

That said, some of my usual wiseacre comments offering opinions might make cameo appearances.

SkyMiles/Points Earnings

The Delta Platinum Amex’s earnings are OK if you’re really into SkyMiles. (It’s certainly better than Delta’s top-shelf Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. That earns 3X SkyMiles on eligible Delta purchases and 1X on all other eligible purchases. That’s it. But the Delta Reserve also comes with a host of benefits such as Sky Club access, upgrade priority, an improved Companion Certificate, and more.)

But unless there’s an Amex Offer, I don’t put a dollar of spending on my Delta Platinum. My go-to card for those is the American Express® Gold Card. That earns 4X Membership Rewards® points at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X. Includes takeout and delivery in the U.S.) It also earns 4X at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).

Plenty of other cards also yield better earnings on dining and supermarket purchases.

Earning Medallion Status

(This feature is also on the personal and business versions of the Delta Platinum SkyMiles® and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express cards.)

Like many airlines, the Delta Platinum Amex can help cardholders earn elite status.

First, here are the current Medallion MQD thresholds.

• Silver: $5,000 MQD
• Gold: $10,000 MQD
• Platinum: $15,000 MQD
• Diamond: $28,000 MQD

The Delta Platinum Amex gives members $2,500 MQD just for holding the card. That’s halfway to Silver without getting out of your bed. (And, yes, you can stack three other Delta cards to earn $10,000 MQD without spending a dime on Delta flights.) The $2,500 MQD headstart is one of the major reasons I hold the Delta Platinum.

But you have to spend a lot of spending on your Delta Amex Platinum to earn Medallion status if you spend a chunk of money on qualifying flights. The card earns $1 MQD for every $20 of eligible purchases. If you want to Silver status purely through your Delta Platinum Card, you need to spend $50,000 on purchases — and that takes into account your $2,500 MQD headstart.

Yuck.

If you have that much money to spend on credit cards and are interested in Delta status, here’s what I recommend: buy actual Delta or partner airline tickets. Put your spending on a card that earns flexible points such as Membership Rewards Points, Chase Points, Capital One Miles, cashback, etc.

Companion Certificate

This is the other major reason I have the Delta Platinum Amex. Starting the second year of membership, you receive one certificate each year you hold the card; this is good for a free eligible companion Main Cabin trip on Delta. (Excludes taxes and fees.) You can use the cert to visit the U.S. 50 and select Caribbean destinations.

However, the Companion Certificate is kind of a double-edged sword. It’s only valid for select roundtrip fare classes. Unless your schedule is somewhat flexible and you’re not 100% opposed to taking late-night or early-morning flights, you risk being disappointed in this perk.

This post goes fairly in-depth about Companion Certificates.

TakeOff 15

(This feature is on the personal and business versions of the Delta Gold SkyMiles®, Delta Platinum SkyMiles®, and Delta Reserve Amex cards.)

Cardholders receive a 15% discount when redeeming SkyMiles for eligible award reservations.

TakeOff 15 can be very valuable if you have a stockpile of SkyMiles. Let’s say SkyMiles are worth a penny each. Saving 30,000 SkyMiles on a booking is basically worth around $300. It can make premium or group reservations more affordable — and the card more valuable.

But SkyMiles redemptions aren’t exactly famous for their amazing value, at least compared to other airlines. It’s usually the opposite. If you think this card will consistently score you fantastic award trips, you’re barking up the wrong tree. Use a card offering flexible points and enjoy better, cheaper redemptions. If you’re really just after TakeOff 15, look into the lower-tier Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card. Those come with many of the “standard” Delta travel benefits, too.

Free First Checked Bag

(This feature is on the personal and business versions of the Delta Gold SkyMiles®, Delta Platinum SkyMiles®, and Delta Reserve Amex cards.)

If you don’t have Medallion status, this perk could be very valuable. Delta charges $35 for each non-elite passenger’s first checked bag. Let’s say you travel with four people on your reservation and everyone checks at least one bag. Using this example, the Delta Platinum Amex saves you $140 one way — or $280 roundtrip. And that’s for one trip. If you and your squad travel two or three times a year, you’re coming out way ahead of the $350 annual fee. (See rates and fees.)

But it might not necessarily save a lot of money if you’re a Medallion member.

That’s just Main Cabin and Comfort+. You get three free checked bags in First Class.

Zone 5 Boarding

(This feature is on the personal and business versions of the Delta Gold SkyMiles®, Delta Platinum SkyMiles®, and Delta Reserve Amex cards.)

Here’s another benefit that may or may not be worth it. (For reference, today’s “Zone 5” was yesterday’s “Main Cabin 1.”)

Diamond Medallion members get Zone 2 boarding (just ask ’em, they’ll tell you they should be in Zone 1 🙂 ). So, this benefit is worthless to them. Platinum and Gold Medallions get Zone 4 (formerly “Sky Priority boarding”). Silvers get Zone 5.

And all of this assumes you’re not in First Class (or Comfort+, if you’re not Diamond).

But if you have no status, Zone 5 can be valuable if you regularly carry on your bag and/or purchase Basic Economy tickets. (Basic Economy usually boards last.)

This gives you some kind of priority boarding without Delta status, so it might be worth something.

20% Savings on Inflight Purchases

(This feature is on the personal and business versions of the Delta Gold SkyMiles®, Delta Platinum SkyMiles®, and Delta Reserve Amex cards.)

This depends on how often you’re in First Class or Comfort+. Passengers in those seats receive complimentary alcoholic beverages. If you’re in Main Cabin and/or enjoy buying the Delta Market boxes or Flight Fuel boxes, then the 20% statement credits can add up if you take advantage of them enough.

Complimentary Upgrades

(This feature is also on the personal and business versions of the Delta Platinum SkyMiles® and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express cards.)

Cardmembers may receive complimentary upgrades to Comfort+ and First Class — after Medallions have been cleared for their upgrades.

This alone should not be your reason to get the card. You’ll be sorely disappointed. In fact, just assume you won’t be upgraded. I have Delta status and assume I’ll never be upgraded. That’s usually what ends up happening.

That said, it’s not entirely unheard of for Delta Platinum Amex members to get upgraded. A friend of mine holds the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card and recently was upgraded to Comfort+. On a Saturday from Sioux Falls to Minneapolis. But it was better than Main Cabin! I’ve heard tales of other Delta Amex cardholders without status getting upgrades.

Resy Credit

(This feature is also on the personal and business versions of the Delta Platinum SkyMiles® and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express cards.)

I recently wrote about the Resy credit and how easy it is to use it.

But that depends on whether or not you have any participating Resy restaurants near you. And if you’re willing to eat what they serve. And if their price tags are in your budget. (You won’t find fast food in Resy.)

If you normally spend $40 on dinner at a non-Resy restaurant, going out of your way to save $10 on a more expensive meal may not make a lot of sense (unless you want to treat yourself).

Delta Stays Credit

(This feature is on the personal and business versions of the Delta Gold SkyMiles®, Delta Platinum SkyMiles®, and Delta Reserve Amex cards, though its statement credit amounts vary by card.)

I think this is an undervalued feature. You can earn up to $150 each calendar year on eligible reservations made through Delta Stays. (Here’s my experience.) Depending on where and when you book a stay, you can end up in a nice hotel for relatively little money out-of-pocket.

Rideshare Credit

(This feature is also on the personal and business versions of the Delta Platinum SkyMiles® and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express cards.)

Delta Amex Platinum members can earn up to $10 a month in statement credit for eligible U.S. rideshare purchases.

This is good if you regularly use rideshare services. I know some people who constantly use Uber or Lyft. I know others who never do.

The rideshare credit does not work for Uber Eats. (Source: Me. I’ve tried.)

Final Approach

I hold the Delta Platinum Amex because I value the $2,500 MQD deposit and Companion Certificate. Those are the main selling points for me. I also can find ways to use the Delta Stays and Resy credits.

What do you think? Is the Delta Amex Platinum Card a keep in your wallet?

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Business Platinum American Express Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, please visit this link.