Delta Platinum is now offering the highest-ever welcome bonus of up to 90,000 miles + $300. The cash portion is fixed, while the miles portion requires you to submit an application; you only find out at the very end how many bonus miles you can get. If you decline, it will not affect your credit score, so everyone can give it a try.

If you want to figure out which Delta card is best for you, check out our comparison article

This is a very good offer, so I added it to the rankings

AMEX Platinum Delta SkyMiles 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: 90,000 miles + $300 (spend $4,000 in six 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: Can be used with Uber, Lyft, Curb, Revel, Alto, and Via, valid only in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Note that you need to enroll in this benefit (enrollment link)
  • $10 monthly dining credit on Resy.com: Use it for dining purchases after creating a resy.com account. Enrollment required (enrollment link)
  • $150 hotel booking credit: You must use this card to make purchases on delta.com/stays, Delta’s own travel site
  • Hertz Five Star status: You need to enroll at delta.com/mypromos/eligible and delta.com/hertz. Sign up
  • Added to the upgrade list: But ranked behind Delta elite status and Reserve cards
  • Direct MQD bonus: Helps reduce the $2,500 spend needed to qualify for elite status
  • Earn MQDs from card spend: Earn 1 MQD for every $20 spent; in theory, you can reach elite status through spending alone
  • [New] Take 15 benefit: Use this card to book Delta-operated award tickets and get 15% off. Benefit details
  • Big spend bonus: Spend $25,000 per year and get an extra 10,000 MQM (used toward elite status upgrades)
  • Global Entry TSA PreCheck credit: Reimburses the application fee
  • Renewal bonus: one Companion Certificate: Expanded use area: can be used in the 48 contiguous U.S. states + Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America. Starting in the second year, once you pay the annual fee, you can receive one Companion Certificate (CP). With this CP, you can bring one companion to fly Delta for free. CP usage restrictions are as follows: only round-trip economy tickets to the 48 contiguous U.S. states, must be booked more than 14 days before departure, you must pay for the ticket and the companion’s taxes with this credit card, the destination stay must be 3-30 days, and eligible fare classes are L, U, T, X, V. For the full terms and how to use it, see: Delta’s official explanation
  • Delta flight perks: When flying Delta, you can enjoy priority boarding, one free checked bag, 20% off inflight shopping, and lounge discounts
  • Mileage borrowing: AMEX has added a new benefit to this card. If you don’t have enough Delta miles to issue a ticket, you can borrow miles and use them to book first; as long as you pay them back within six months, there is no fee. Any unpaid balance will be charged at 2.5 cents per mile. This is great news for people who need to book quickly, and because Delta is a Membership Rewards transfer partner, you should be able to transfer points later to pay it back if needed. However, there is still no official page; only some cardholders have received this benefit notice.

AMEX card benefits

  • AMEX Offers: Amazon spend $20, get $20 back; Walmart spend $15, get $5 back; phone bill spend $75, get $10 back. Generous AMEX often sends cardholders great offers that let you earn cash back while spending. See also: Recent good AMEX Offers, A roundup of past good AMEX Offers, AMEX Offer explained
  • Small Business Day: Every year, AMEX credit cards can take part in the Small Business Day event, which offers extra rewards at participating merchants. See: Small Business Day event overview
  • High credit limits: AMEX is very generous with customers and often gives credit limits much higher than other banks
  • 3x credit limit increase: After holding an AMEX card for 61 days, you can request a limit increase to up to three times your current limit through the website
  • Free ShopRunner membership: Enjoy free two-day shipping from many online retailers. See details at: official website
  • Extended warranty: Items purchased in full with an AMEX card automatically get an extra one year of manufacturer warranty
  • Free report: Cardholders can check their EX credit bureau score for free. See: comparison of free credit scores

Cons

  • The annual fee on this card is a bit high, the companion ticket doesn’t arrive until the second year, and there are quite a few restrictions on how it can be used
  • Unless you spend a lot on Delta, it’s better to earn miles with the no-annual-fee AMEX EveryDay Card (1.2x-2.4x) or the annual-fee EveryDay Preferred Card (1.5x-4.5x)

Delta SkyMiles Overview:

  • Value: Miles are worth about 1.4 cents per mile, mainly because the award chart changes frequently and redemptions are not as stable as AA, UA, and other programs
  • Redemptions: As little as 35,000 for one-way China-U.S., 5,500 for one-way within the U.S., 7,500 for one-way within China, and 80,000 for U.S.-Australia business class. A great tool for short domestic U.S. trips, especially for readers in the West Coast and Northeast
  • More: For mileage earning and redemption tips, see: Delta SkyMiles Overview 1; Overview 2; Overview 3

My take

From a miles-redemption perspective: Delta miles are not especially stable in their award chart, and the mileage required can swing up and down, which is pretty exhausting. Fuel surcharges are also relatively high. That said, if you know how to use Delta miles well, they can be very rewarding. For example, Delta miles can be redeemed for SkyTeam partner flights, and redeeming them for China Eastern flights for parents traveling back and forth between China and the US is still a very good option. After all, it’s their home-country airline, so communication is hassle-free. Delta’s great-value domestic redemption options are also much more favorable than AA and UA. Another point: Delta’s international-flight meals, service, and business-class product are all noticeably better than AA and UA.

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

If you’re torn about which Delta card to choose, see our detailed analysis:

Application

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

This card is a Delta co-branded credit card. When applying, you need to enter your own Delta account number (if you don’t have one, one will be assigned automatically), so it’s still a good idea to register for a Delta membership on the official site first.

  • 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