Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card review

If you fly Delta Air Lines often and want to rack up miles and work toward elite status with a business credit card, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express Card could be a smart option for your wallet – but it’s definitely not a fit for everyone.

Though the card comes with a decent rewards rate on Delta purchases, direct hotel bookings and U.S. shipping and transit — as well as a boosted rate on eligible large purchases — its annual fee may be tough to offset for the average small-business owner.

The card’s annual bonus certainly helps justify the cost, but unless you spend heavily in the card’s bonus categories, it may end up costing you. While annual fees can absolutely be worth it depending on your spending habits, in the case of the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Card, the fee is a major downside.

High annual fee

While this card does come with an introductory bonus and the potential for ongoing rewards, you will need to pay a $350 annual fee that is not waived the first year. However, this high fee is easier to justify when you factor in perks like an annual companion pass and other travel and business benefits.

On the plus side, the card comes with no foreign transaction fees, making it a viable option for those who travel abroad.

Updated welcome bonus

New cardholders can earn 70,000 bonus miles after spending $6,000 with the card in the first six months. That’s still a solid increase from previous new cardholder offers of 65,000 bonus miles after spending $6,000 in the same timeframe, but a step down from the previous 100,000-mile bonus with an $8,000 spending requirement in the first six months.

This is also a solid bonus compared to other co-branded airline business rewards cards, worth around $840 based on Bankrate’s latest points and miles valuations, which give Delta SkyMiles a value of 1.2 cents per mile on average. Based on this value, the new welcome offer alone could offset the card’s annual fee for two years with rewards to spare.

If you’ve been on the fence about getting a Delta business card, this offer could make it the perfect time to apply.

Less-than-stellar ongoing rewards

Once you get the card, you can start racking up miles rather quickly, both via the card’s welcome bonus and its ongoing rewards. Not only will you earn 3 miles per dollar on eligible purchases made directly with Delta, but you’ll also receive 3 miles per dollar on purchases made directly with hotels and 1.5 miles per dollar on eligible transit and U.S. shipping purchases of $5,000 or more.

For purchases that fall outside of these bonus rewards categories, you can earn 1.5 miles per dollar on single eligible purchases of $5,000 or more (up to 50,000 additional miles annually) and 1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases. This boosted rewards rate on large purchases is a unique feature that, though only useful for a subset of small-business owners, gives the card a slight advantage over many airline credit cards. Such cards usually offer just 1% back outside of their designated bonus categories.

That said, when you consider the card’s overall low rewards rate along with the annual fee that you have to pay right off the bat, it’s easy to see why you might skip the Platinum Delta card unless you spend a lot on Delta flights every year, especially if you don’t frequently make large purchases.

Annual companion pass

One frequently overlooked benefit of this card is the round-trip companion airfare you receive each year upon renewal for a Main Cabin flight within the U.S. or to Mexico, the Caribbean or Central America. While you do have to pay any taxes and fees associated with the free companion fare (no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights and no more than $250 for roundtrip international flights, both for itineraries with up to four flight segments), this perk can pay off handsomely if you’re able to use it for an expensive flight and you planned to pay for at least one flight already.

Valuable airline perks

Cardholders also receive valuable perks from Delta, including Zone 5 Priority Boarding, a 20% discount on in-flight purchases, 15% savings on award travel booked through Delta (not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees) and no foreign transaction fees.

Additional perks to be aware of include a $120 Resy (up to $10 per month in statement credits on eligible Resy purchases) and up to $10 back each month on U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Perhaps most impressive, you can get an annual statement credit of up to $200 when you use your card to book prepaid hotels or vacation rentals through Delta Stays on delta.com.

You’ll also enjoy car rental insurance, extended warranties, purchase protection, ticket presales and VIP events, car purchase discounts, discounts on travel packages, return protection and ShopRunner service.

Special perks for business owners

Since this is a business card at heart, it comes with several benefits that apply to business specifically. For starters, you get free cards for employees and the ability to set individual spending limits. Business owners also get special account management tools that allow them to set up alerts, manage receipts, designate an account manager and track their spending.

Cardholders may also qualify for extra savings on eligible business purchases.

The downsides (and upsides) of Delta SkyMiles

When it comes to investing in the Delta SkyMiles program, it’s important to know this frequent flyer program has its downsides. One of the biggest pitfalls of the program is the fact it doesn’t come with an awards chart. Without an awards chart, it’s hard to know how many miles you’ll need for a flight until you’re ready to redeem.

It’s also important to note that international Delta flights (and flights with its partners) can come with large fuel surcharges and taxes that add hundreds of dollars to the cost of an awards ticket.

Finally, Delta doesn’t offer stopovers or open-jaw flights through its frequent flyer program. However, since one-way fares are allowed, you can create your own open-jaw by booking two one-way flights.

On the upside, Delta does offer some creative ways to use miles. This includes a “Miles + Cash” option for some flights and the ability to upgrade using miles in some cases.

In addition, Delta lets you redeem rewards for hotels, car rentals, gift cards, some merchandise and select experiences (though the value for most of these redemption options is poor). Delta miles also never expire as long as your account is active, which means you won’t have to worry about using them until you’re ready.

Why get the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express Card?

• You want to earn Delta status and plan to spend a lot on this card to help you get there.
• You want special perks like priority boarding and a free checked bag.
• You fly Delta often, so you plan to spend a lot with the airline anyway.

How to use the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express Card:

• Spend at least $6,000 with your card in the first six months of account opening to earn the introductory bonus.
• Distribute free employee cards to make it easier to rack up miles on all your business purchases.
• Use your card for all Delta flights and hotel purchases to score 3X miles on your purchases.

Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express Card, please click here.

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