Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card

Rewards by category

Our take

The Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card is the $350 middle tier of Delta's Amex lineup, and it only makes sense if the perks — not the earn rates — carry the fee. It earns 3x miles on purchases made directly with Delta and at hotels, plus 2x at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets, which works out to roughly 3.3% and 2.2% back at SwipeCaddy's 1.1-cent valuation of SkyMiles. Solid, but nothing here out-earns a good cash-back card by much.

Read the hotel line carefully: 3x applies only when the charge is made directly with the hotel — paying at check-in counts, even if you reserved through a third party, but prepay through an online travel agency or a vacation package and the stay earns 1x. And unlike the Delta Gold, there is no first-year fee waiver: the $350 is due up front, and the advertised welcome offer is Amex's variable 'as high as 90,000 miles' format ($3,000 spend in 6 months), where your actual number is only revealed at application.

The fee math runs through the perks. The annual Companion Certificate — a Delta Main round-trip within the U.S. or to Mexico, the Caribbean, or Central America each renewal — can cover the $350 by itself on one booking. Stack the $120 rideshare and $120 Resy credits (each drips out $10 a month, and the rideshare one requires enrollment), the $150 Delta Stays credit, free first checked bag, and $2,500 of MQD Headstart toward Medallion status, and a Delta loyalist comes out well ahead. A casual flyer will not use enough of it.

In a wallet, it replaces the Delta Gold rather than joining it: the same 2x dining and U.S. supermarket categories, one extra mile on Delta and direct-booked hotels, and a perk stack that has to justify $350 against Gold's $150. Put it on top for Delta purchases and hotels you pay directly; keep a flat-rate card for everything else, because the 1x base is worth only about 1.1 cents on the dollar.

The math

Run $250 a month of hotels through this card and you're earning about $99 a year at our conservative valuations. Against the $350 annual fee, that top rate needs roughly $2,250 a month of hotels spend before it beats a no-fee flat 2% card.

Store bonuses

• Delta Air Lines3x

Key benefits

• Annual Companion Certificate after renewal: Delta Main round-trip within the U.S. or to Mexico, the Caribbean, or Central America (govt taxes/fees of no more than $80 domestic or $250 international apply)
• $2,500 MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year, plus $1 MQD per $20 spent toward Delta status
• TakeOff 15: 15% off award travel booked with miles on Delta flights via delta.com or the Fly Delta app
• $120 rideshare credit: up to $10 back in statement credits each month with select providers (enrollment required)
• $120 Resy credit: up to $10 in statement credits each month at qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants
• $150 Delta Stays credit per calendar year on prepaid bookings at delta.com/stays
• First checked bag free and Priority Boarding on Delta flights
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit every 4 years
• 20% back on Delta in-flight purchases as a statement credit

Common questions

Does Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card have an annual fee?

Yes — $350 per year.

What does Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card earn on hotels?

3x on hotels.

What rewards does Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card earn on everything else?

1x on all other purchases, in Delta SkyMiles.

Is the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card worth the $350 annual fee?

Only if you use the perks. The annual Companion Certificate on a Delta Main domestic round-trip can offset the fee by itself, and the $120 rideshare, $120 Resy, and $150 Delta Stays credits stack on top. On earn rates alone — 3x on Delta and direct-booked hotels, about 3.3% back at 1.1 cents per mile — it does not clear $350; a couple of Delta trips a year plus the certificate is the break-even profile.

How does the 3x on hotels actually work on the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card?

The 3x applies to purchases charged directly with the hotel — paying at check-in or check-out counts, even if you reserved the room through a third party. Prepaying through an online travel agency or as part of a vacation package drops the stay to 1x, and on-site extras like spas or hotel restaurants are excluded from the hotel bonus.

What is the difference between the Delta SkyMiles Platinum and the Delta SkyMiles Gold?

Platinum charges $350 with no first-year waiver versus Gold's $0-intro-then-$150, and it upgrades Delta purchases from 2x to 3x, adds 3x on direct-booked hotels, the annual Companion Certificate, $2,500 of MQD Headstart toward Medallion status, and the rideshare, Resy, and Delta Stays credits. Both earn 2x at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets, so the fee gap is paid back by perks, not by everyday earning.

Related reading

• How we value points and miles (and why our numbers are lower than everyone else's)SwipeCaddy ranks cards by reward rate × a conservative cash value per point: 1¢ for cash back and transferable points (Chase, Amex, Citi, Capital One, Bilt), 1.1–1.3¢ for airline miles, 0.4–1.4¢ for hotel points, and 0.8–0.9¢ for store currencies. Optimistic transfer values are recorded for context but never ranked, because most people never achieve them.