Platinum Delta Skymiles Business Credit Card Review
American Express is the sole provider of Delta co-branded credit cards. They offer three versions of Delta co-branded business cards: Gold, Platinum, and Reserve. Today we are going to review the Platinum Delta Skymiles Business credit card which is the best of the three.
Current Welcome Bonus vs Historical High
The current welcome bonus is:
- 70,000 Miles & 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after spending $3,000 within the first three months.
- Limited time increased offer ends 9/19/18
A $100 statement credit after you make any Delta purchase within the first 3 months
The current, increased offer, matches the historical high for the card.
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Bonus Restrictions
Note that American Express currently has a “one bonus, per product, per lifetime” policy. You are only eligible for this bonus if you have not had this card before.
American Express also limits the amount of credit cards that you can have to 5 cards at one time (occasionally 6). This does not include charge cards.
American Express does sometimes have targeted offers with no once per lifetime language. Reports say people are able to get the bonus a second time when using these offers.
Earning Structure
The Platinum Delta Skymiles Business credit card by American Express comes with the following earning structure:
- 2X miles on purchases directly with Delta
- 1X miles on all other purchases
Cardmember Perks
The American Express Platinum Delta Skymiles Business card has quite a few nice perks. They are as follows:
- A domestic main cabin round-trip companion certificate each year, upon renewal of your card.
- Earn 10,000 bonus miles and 10,000 MQMs each calendar year when you spend $25,000. You get the same bonus at $50,000 in spend as well.
- First checked bag free
- 20% off Delta in flight purchases
- Priority boarding
- No foreign transaction fees
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Fees
The American Express Platinum Delta Skymiles Business card comes with a $195 annual fee which is NOT waived the first year.
Welcome Bonus Value – $910 ($715 net)
Delta Skymiles are valued at $0.013 a piece giving 70,000 miles a value of $910. The net value is $715 after taking the $195 annual fee into account.
This does not include the $100 statement credit that you receive after making a Delta purchase. Purchasing a gift card from Delta or a $3 can of Pringles on board will trigger the full $100 credit. Make sure to take that into account for your calculations as well.
Summary
The Platinum Delta Skymiles Business Credit Card from American Express comes with a ton of perks, a highly competitive welcome bonus, but an underwhelming spending structure. The lackluster spending structure is improved if you are able to hit the $25,000 and $50,000 bonus levels each year.
The welcome bonus offer matches the card’s highest ever public offer. The offer is also one of the best airline co-branded credit card offers out there. That is enough miles for up to 3 domestic round trip flights at the saver level.
The bonus Skymiles and MQMs at the $25,000 and $50,000 spending levels make this a good card for large spenders. It is also helpful for anyone chasing Delta status.
The card comes with a few nice perks for the $195 annual fee. The companion ticket each year isn’t quite a BOGO offer since you have to pay the taxes and fees but it will still save you some money on a trip with two cash flights. Getting free checked bags and priority boarding are nice for anyone who frequents Delta but doesn’t have status.
The earning structure is one of the sore spots of the card. If you are able to earn the large spend bonuses then you can get a return of 1.4 Skymiles per dollar on un-bonused spend. That is an overall return of 1.82% at a 1.3 cent per mile valuation. That return isn’t terrible but it also doesn’t factor the MQM bonuses in at all.
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Long Term Keeper
The card is a long term keeper for anyone who is chasing Delta status and is able to hit the spending bonus thresholds. If you are able to get more than $195 out of the companion certificate it could be a long term keeper as well. That would mean you get the other perks like priority boarding and access to Amex Offers for “free”.
Conclusion
American Express Platinum Delta Skymiles Business card is the best Delta business credit card out there. It offers the best bang for your buck in terms of value from the annual fee.
It is a great card for anyone who is able to hit the spending bonuses. The spending bonuses make it a compelling card for everyday spend. The card also makes the re-qualification for Delta status a little easier.
The perks of the card will most likely offset the annual fee each year. That is unless you struggle to find a use for the companion certificate. If that is the case then this may not be the best option for you long term.
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Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
