Delta SkyMiles Platinum

Here's the pitch for the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card: you get an annual companion certificate that can save you $200-$500+ on a single domestic ticket, and the card costs $350 per year. If you fly Delta with another human being even once a year, the math basically does itself.

Sitting in the middle of the Delta/Amex lineup between the Gold ($150) and Reserve ($650), the Platinum is the sweet spot card. It bumps your earning to 3X on Delta and hotels, gives your whole travel party free checked bags, tosses in a $2,500 MQD head start for Medallion status chasers, and — most importantly — hands you that companion cert every anniversary. For couples, travel buddies, and families who fly Delta, this is the card that actually saves real, tangible money.

• Annual Companion Certificate — Buy one round-trip domestic, Caribbean, or Central American ticket and get a companion ticket for just taxes and fees ($22-$250). Valid in Delta Main (Main Cabin) only; Basic fares don't qualify. This is the headline act.
• First checked bag free for the cardholder and up to 8 companions on the same reservation — yes, eight people. Since June 2026 you (the cardholder) also check a second bag free on domestic Delta flights.
• Priority boarding on Delta flights
• $2,500 MQD Head Start deposited into your SkyMiles account each Medallion Qualification Year — a real boost toward Silver, Gold, or Platinum Medallion status. MQD Boost adds $1 MQD for every $20 you spend on the card.
• Up to $390 a year in statement credits — up to $150 on prepaid hotels or vacation rentals booked through Delta Stays, plus up to $10 a month each at U.S. Resy restaurants and on U.S. rideshare (those two need enrollment).
• 20% back on Delta in-flight purchases
• No foreign transaction fees
• Global Entry / TSA PreCheck credit ($120 for Global Entry every 4 years, or up to $85 for TSA PreCheck)

Annual Fee: $350 per year.

Foreign Transaction Fees: None.

Other Fees: Standard Amex fee structure — late payment fees up to $40, returned payment fees up to $40, and a cash advance fee of $10 or 5% (whichever is greater).

$350 sounds like a lot until you use the companion cert on a $400 round-trip ticket and basically fly your partner for free. Add the free checked bags for up to 9 people and the MQD head start, and most frequent Delta flyers aren't just breaking even — they're coming out well ahead.

The current public offer: as high as 90,000 bonus SkyMiles plus a $300 statement credit after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 6 months. Welcome offers vary, so Amex shows you your actual number when you apply, and you may not get the top one. The offer ends November 4, 2026.

At roughly 1.2 cents per SkyMile, 90,000 miles is worth about $1,080, and the $300 credit brings the full package to roughly $1,380. By that math it beats the 100,000-mile offers Amex ran earlier in 2026 (about $1,200 at the same rate), but it's an as high as offer, so check the number Amex actually shows you before you commit. These elevated Delta Amex offers come and go; if you were going to get this card anyway, 90K plus $300 is a solid time to jump.

The jump from the Gold's 2X on Delta (and plain 1X on hotels) to 3X on both is meaningful if you're booking flights and hotel stays regularly. Dining and supermarkets stay at 2X — identical to the Gold. The 1X on everything else is still just okay, but let's be honest: you're not carrying this card for its earning rates. You're carrying it for that companion cert.

SkyMiles redemption options are the same as on the Delta Gold and Reserve cards — no special perks here for being Platinum:

• Delta flights: Book award flights through delta.com — best value, especially with the 15% SkyMiles discount
• Delta Vacations: Use miles toward flight + hotel packages
• Seat upgrades: Upgrade to Delta Comfort or Delta First with miles
• Delta Sky Club: Delta no longer sells one-time Sky Club passes, so you can't use miles to buy yourself a single visit. If you're a Club member, though, you can pay a guest's entry with 5,000 miles instead of $50.
• Hotels, rental cars and experiences: Miles also cover Delta Stays hotels, Delta car rentals, and bids on SkyMiles Experiences — handy in a pinch, but like airport sushi, rarely the best choice

SkyMiles are not transferable to partner airlines. Your best move is always redeeming directly for Delta flights, where dynamic pricing occasionally serves up solid domestic deals.

• Companion Certificate: The reason this card exists. Earned on each card anniversary, it covers one companion on a round-trip domestic, Caribbean, or Central American flight for just taxes and fees ($22-$250). Delta Main (Main Cabin) only; Basic fares don't qualify.
• $150 Delta Stays credit: Up to $150 back each year on prepaid hotels or vacation rentals booked through Delta Stays on delta.com.
• $120 Resy credit: Up to $10 a month at U.S. Resy restaurants. Enrollment required.
• $120 rideshare credit: Up to $10 a month on U.S. rideshare with select providers. Enrollment required.
• Free checked bags: First bag free for the cardholder and up to 8 travel companions on the same reservation. Traveling with a group? That's potentially hundreds in saved bag fees. On domestic Delta flights, your own second bag is free too.
• $2,500 MQD Head Start: Applied automatically each qualification year. If you're grinding toward Medallion status, this shortcut is real. MQD Boost adds $1 MQD for every $20 you spend on the card.
• 20% in-flight savings: Statement credit on food and beverages
• Global Entry / TSA PreCheck credit: $120 for Global Entry every 4 years, or up to $85 for TSA PreCheck

At $350, the Delta Platinum and United Quest go head-to-head — both hand back statement credits, but it comes down to one question: companion cert or a United flight credit? The Platinum's companion cert can be worth $200-$500+ in a single use. The Quest's $200 United credit is guaranteed but smaller. If you travel with a partner, the Platinum wins. If you fly solo and want a sure-thing flight credit (plus 4X on United purchases), the Quest has the edge. The Citi Executive at $695 gives you lounge access but no companion cert and costs nearly twice as much.

• Couples and travel partners who fly Delta domestically — the companion cert was literally designed for you.
• Families and groups who benefit from free checked bags for up to 9 travelers on the same itinerary. That's a lot of saved baggage fees.
• Delta loyalists chasing Medallion status who want the $2,500 MQD head start to close the gap.
• Frequent Delta flyers who want the 3X bump on Delta and hotel purchases.

Who should skip it: solo travelers who rarely fly with companions (the companion cert just sits there unused), anyone who needs lounge access (step up to the Reserve), or travelers who don't fly Delta enough to justify $350/year. If you're solo, the Gold at $150 gives you most of the same everyday earning and costs $200 less.