The Delta Platinum card is currently offering up to 90,000 as a welcome bonus, but you have to go through the application and won’t find out your exact offer until the final step. If you decide not to accept it, it won’t affect your credit score, so it may be worth a try.

If you’re trying to decide which Delta card is right for you, see our comparison article:

This is a very strong offer, and I’ve added it to our best offers list:

AMEX Platinum Delta SkyMile Credit Card Overview

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Full review

AMEX Delta Platinum Card

First two checked bags free; $390 in annual reimbursement + a companion ticket, solid Delta perks

  • Welcome bonus: 80,000 miles (spend $4,000 in 6 months) + 20,000 miles (spend another $2,000 in 6 months)
  • Rewards: Delta purchases, hotel purchases 3x, restaurants and supermarkets 2x, everything else 1x
  • Redemption: Can be redeemed for Delta flights and SkyTeam partner flight tickets; redemptions get 15% off
  • Annual fee: $350（Some legacy cardholders: $250）
  • Apply now>>

Highlights

  • $10 monthly rideshare credit: Works with Uber, Lyft, Curb, Revel, Alto, and Via, limited to the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Enrollment is required for this benefit (enrollment link).
  • $10 monthly dining credit on Resy.com: Use after creating a resy.com account and making eligible dining purchases. Enrollment is required (enrollment link).
  • $150 hotel credit: You must use this card on delta.com/stays, Delta’s own travel portal.
  • Complimentary Hertz Five Star status: Registration is required at delta.com/mypromos/eligible and delta.com/hertz.
  • Added to the upgrade list: However, it ranks behind Delta elite members and Reserve cardholders.
  • Automatic MQD boost: Reduces the spending needed to pursue elite status by $2,500.
  • Earn MQDs through card spending: Earn $1 MQD for every $20 spent, so in theory you can qualify for elite status through spending alone.
  • 【New】 Take 15 benefit: When you use this card to book award tickets on Delta-operated flights, you can get a 15% off discount. Benefit details
  • Big-spending bonus: Spend $25,000 in a calendar year and earn an extra 10,000 MQM (used toward elite status).
  • Global Entry TSA Pre Credit: Reimbursement for the application fee.
  • Renewal benefit: one Companion Certificate: Expanded eligible destinations include the 48 contiguous U.S. states plus Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America. Starting in your second year, after you pay the annual fee, you’ll receive one Companion Certificate (CP). With this CP, you can bring one companion on a Delta flight for free. Restrictions on using the CP include: round-trip economy travel within the 48 contiguous U.S. states only, ticket purchase more than 14 days before departure, both the main ticket and companion’s taxes must be paid with this card, a stay of 3-30 days at the destination is required, and eligible fare classes are L, U, T, X, and V. For full terms and instructions, see: Delta’s official explanation
  • Delta flight benefits: Priority boarding, first checked bag free, 20% off inflight purchases, and discounted lounge access when flying Delta.
  • Borrow miles: AMEX has added a new benefit to this card. If you don’t currently have enough Delta miles to book an award, you can borrow miles to ticket it first, then pay them back within six months with no fee. Any unpaid balance after that will be charged at 2.5c/mile. This is good news if you need to book quickly, and since Delta is an MR transfer partner, you could potentially transfer points later to repay it. However, I haven’t seen an official page for this yet; only some cardholders seem to have received information about this benefit.

AMEX card benefits

  • AMEX offer: Amazon spend 20 get 20 back, Walmart 15-5, phone bill 75-10. Generous AMEX often sends cardholders strong Offers that let you earn cash back while spending. See also: Recent Great AMEX Offers, Past Great AMEX Offers Summary, and AMEX OFFER Explained
  • Small Business Day: AMEX credit cards can participate every year in Small Business Day promotions, with extra rewards at eligible merchants. See: Introduction to the Small Business Day promotion
  • High credit limits: AMEX is very generous with customers and often gives much higher limits than other banks.
  • 3x credit limit increase: On day 61 after opening an AMEX card, you may be able to request a credit limit increase to three times your original limit through the website.
  • Free ShopRunner membership: Enjoy free 2-day shipping at many online stores. For details, see: official link
  • Extended warranty: Items purchased in full with an AMEX card get the manufacturer’s warranty extended by one additional year.
  • Free credit report: Cardholders can check their EX credit score for free. See: Comparison of free credit scores

Cons

  • The annual fee is a bit high, the companion ticket doesn’t arrive until the second year, and there are quite a few usage restrictions.
  • Unless you spend a lot with Delta, you may be better off earning miles with the no-annual-fee AMEX EveryDay Card (1.2x-2.4x) or the annual-fee EveryDay Preferred Card (1.5x-4.5x)

About Delta SkyMile:

  • Value: Delta miles are worth about 1.4 cent/mile. The main reason is that award pricing changes frequently, so redemptions are less stable than programs like AA and UA.
  • Redemptions: Starting at 35,000 miles for one-way US-China flights, 5,500 for one-way domestic US flights, 7,500 for one-way domestic China flights, and 80,000 for business class between the US and Australia. A great sweet spot for short domestic US flights, especially for people living on the West Coast and in the Northeast.
  • More: For more on earning and redeeming miles, see: Delta SkyMile Introduction 1; Introduction 2; Introduction 3

My Take

From a mileage-use perspective: Delta’s award pricing is not especially stable, and the mileage cost can swing up and down in a way that can be frustrating. Fuel surcharges are also relatively high. That said, Delta miles can still be excellent if used well. For example, Delta miles can be used to book SkyTeam partner flights, and redeeming for China Eastern flights for parents traveling between China and the US can work very well. Since it’s a Chinese airline, communication is easier. Delta’s great-value domestic redemption opportunities are also often much better than AA and UA. Another point: Delta’s international flight meals, service, and business class quality are all noticeably better than AA and UA.

If you’re still not sure whether to apply, I recommend reading:

If you’re deciding among the different Delta cards, see our detailed analysis:

Application

Important: Delta-family cards now have same-family application restrictions. If you previously applied for the higher-annual-fee Delta Reserve, then applying for this card later will not earn a welcome bonus.

This card is a Delta co-branded credit card. During the application, you need to enter your Delta account number (if you don’t have one, one will be assigned automatically), but it’s still a good idea to register for a Delta membership in advance.

  • AMEX official application status check link
  • For the same AMEX credit card, the public welcome bonus is generally available only once (once-per-lifetime restriction)
  • You can call the reconsideration line (800-528-4800, 877-399-3083, 866-314-0237) to speed up credit card approval or request a review of a denied application.
  • AMEX limits you to 4 credit cards and 10 charge cards total.
  • You can apply for a total of two AMEX credit cards every 90 days, excluding charge cards.
  • After you submit your application, a pop-up may appear telling you that you are not eligible for the welcome bonus. In that case, it is usually best not to continue with the application (detailed analysis)
  • More about applying for AMEX credit cards

Application Link