Delta SkyMiles Platinum Credit Card Review

The Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card is best for travelers who fly Delta frequently enough and value getting a boost toward the airline’s elite traveling status—and all its perks—enough to feel the card is worth the $250 annual fee.

Cardholders earn 3 miles per $1 spent on hotels and Delta purchases as well as 2 miles per $1 spent on restaurants worldwide and on U.S. supermarket purchases, which makes this card a good choice for frequent flyers who have the spending power to pile up Delta SkyMiles and take advantage of them.

Pros Explained

• Welcome offer boost toward elite status: New cardholders will receive 40,000 miles and 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after spending $2,000 within the first three months of opening the account. This is a significant amount of miles that could be worth $616.
• Comforting travel perks: You’ll get a free checked bag benefit for up to nine people on the same itinerary, a fee credit toward Global Entry or TSA Precheck, plus priority boarding and entry into Delta Sky Clubs (for a fee).

Cons Explained

• High annual fee: This card’s annual fee is on the high side among airline credit cards, and it may be hard to justify if you don’t fly Delta often or need this card’s help to achieve elite status with the airline.
• Fee for lounge access: Cardholders will have to pay a $39 day pass fee to access Delta’s Sky Club lounges. If you travel often and plan to utilize Delta’s lounges, you may want to look for another card because the day pass fees can quickly add up.

Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card Welcome Offer

You can earn 40,000 bonus miles and 5,000 MQMs when you spend $2,000 on your card within three months of opening a new account.

This is a decent bonus that aligns with what comparable airline credit cards are giving new cardholders. According to our valuation calculations, Delta SkyMiles are worth 1.54 cents each, which means this welcome offer is worth about $616 in airfare, although redemption values can vary.

Earning Points & Rewards

Besides rewarding you for Delta travel, this card also lets you earn extra miles on some everyday purchases. You’ll earn:

• 3 miles per $1 spent on purchases made directly with hotels
• 3 miles per $1 spent on Delta purchases
• 2 miles per $1 spent at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets
• 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases 

When you spend $25,000 or more on this card in a calendar year, you’ll receive 10,000 MQMs to use toward elite status that year. Those MQMs can give you a boost toward status with Delta’s frequent flyer program. If you manage to spend $50,000 on your card within a calendar year, you’ll get another 10,000 MQMs. Those 20,000 MQMs plus the initial $5,000 from the welcome offer will put you at Silver status.

Redeeming Rewards

Like many other frequent flyer programs, Delta doesn’t issue an award chart. This makes it difficult for consumers to know how many miles they’ll need for an award flight. However, there are plenty of good deals to be had. 

Generally speaking, round-trip domestic flights start at 30,000 miles in economy, whereas round-trip international flights will set you back 60,000 miles or more in economy. You can use miles to fly a premium cabin, including Delta One, although you’ll pay several hundred thousand miles for this type of redemption.

Delta’s Pay with Miles option also lets you exchange miles for cash discounts on airfare—$50 for every 5,000 miles you redeem. Just remember that you can only trade miles in increments of 5,000, so be thoughtful when redeeming. For example, say a flight costs $311. You would need to redeem 35,000 miles to cover the full cost of that fare, essentially wasting $39 worth of miles. Instead, you could redeem 30,000 miles for a $300 discount and pay the remaining $11 with your credit card.

In addition to flights, you can also use miles for: 

• Seat upgrades
• Delta Sky Club membership
• Delta vacation packages
• Delta SkyMiles experiences
• Delta gift cards
• Shopping in the Delta SkyMiles marketplace
• Magazine subscriptions

How to Get the Most Out of This Card

To get the most out of rewards earned with this card, you should strive to be as flexible as possible with your travel plans. If you’re willing to consider multiple destinations and dates, you’ll be able to compare pricing and get a better value from your miles.

After your first year, the card begins to pay for itself if you take advantage of the annual companion certificate, which covers the roundtrip cost for someone flying domestically with you.

You should also check out the Delta SkyMiles Deals page, which includes all of Delta’s award sales in one place. These deals change all the time and are only good for specific airports, however, so you’ll need to be flexible and check back often until you find a deal that fits with your plans.

Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card’s Excellent Perks

There are many benefits that credit cards offer, but a few stand out to our editors’ as going beyond what’s often offered by travel credit cards. Including the following:

• Airline companion pass: This card comes with a companion certificate you can redeem for a round-trip flight in Main Cabin economy upon renewal of your account. (You’ll still be on the hook for up to $75 in taxes and fees.) 
• Free checked bag: You’ll receive a free checked bag on Delta marketed and operated flights, and this perk applies to up to eight additional people on your itinerary.
• Global Entry/TSA Precheck application fee reimbursement: Basic cardholders will receive a credit of up to $100 for TSA Precheck every 4.5 years or Global Entry every 4 years. 
• Priority boarding: Receive Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding on Delta flights. This perk is good for the cardholder and up to eight companions on the same itinerary. 
• Airport lounge access: Cardholders and authorized users can gain access to Delta Sky Clubs for a discounted rate of $39 each when they’re flying with Delta or a partner airline.
• Insurance coverage for lost or damaged luggage: You’re covered for the cost to replace lost luggage on a trip paid for with the card for up to $500 for checked bags and $1,250 for carry-on.

Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card’s Other Features

• Discounts on in-flight purchases
• Rental car collision insurance (secondary to your own policy)
• Extended warranties
• Insurance for stolen or damaged purchases

Customer Experience

American Express earned the top spot out of 11 credit card companies in J.D. Power’s 2020 Credit Card Satisfaction Study, which considered the user experiences of more than 29,000 credit card customers nationwide. They scored 838 out of 1,000 possible points, and the average was 810.

American Express also has a helpful mobile app that makes it easy to track your spending and pay your bill. For the full frequent flyer experience, however, you should download the Delta app since it allows you to track your rewards, search for award airfare, and access a digital boarding pass from your smartphone.

Security Features

American Express offers industry-standard security features for its credit cards, including account monitoring and alerts and zero liability for fraudulent purchases.

Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card’s Fees 

The annual fee on this credit card is steep, but it’s worth the investment if you can take advantage of all the cardholder perks you’ll receive. As you might expect with an airline travel card, this one doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees.