A few days ago Delta and American Express introduced the best ever sign-up offer for the Platinum Delta SkyMiles Card. The current, publicly available, sign-up bonus is 70,000 SkyMiles + 10,000 EQM after spending $4,000 in the first 4 months. Additionally, card holders receive a $100 statement credit after making a single Delta purchase in the first 4 months.
Overall the current offer for this card is absolutely incredible. It’s interesting to think the sign-up bonus for this card a few years ago was just 35,000 SkyMiles! The American Express Platinum Delta SkyMiles card offers some great benefits which help justify the $195 annual fee (not waived for the first year), but I’m not sure the benefits are good enough to justify opening a new account.
American Express Platinum Delta SkyMiles Card Benefits
This card offers some very good benefits despite its somewhat high annual fee. Delta frequent fliers definitely benefit most from this card, but even the occasional Delta flyer can find value in the card.
- $195 Annual Fee
- 70,000 Delta SkyMiles after spending $4,000 in the first 4 months.
- 10,000 Elite Qualifying Miles after spending $4,000 in the first 4 months.
- $1,000 Statement credit after making a Delta purchase in the first 4 months.
- Earn 1 Delta SkyMile per $1 spent on all purchases.
- Earn 2 Delta SkyMiles per $1 spent with Delta
- Annual Miles Boost Opportunity:
- 10,000 bonus SkyMiles and 10,000 EQM after spending $25,000 in a calendar year.
- This benefit doubles as you spend $50,000 in a calendar year.
- Free checked bag on Delta operated flights which includes travel companions.
- Discounts on your Delta SkyClub Membership and on-board purchases.
- Free Companion Ticket Annually starting with your second card member year.
To me the best benefits from this card are the opportunities to earn EQM and the annual free companion ticket. It’s always nice to earn SkyMiles, but SkyMiles are becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to use. Many joke the currency should be renamed SkyPesos, but I think even that name overstates how valuable the miles are. The worst part is that Delta has a nasty history of devaluing the award chart without notice. If you’re opening this card for the 70,000 SkyMiles alone make sure to have a specific redemption in mind.
The current offer also includes 10,000 EQM after spending $4,000 in the first 4 months. That’s an incredible opportunity to boost a Delta frequent flyer to the next loyalty tier. I’ve been Delta Medallion Gold for 6 months now and find upgrades clear much more frequently than on American as an AAdvantage Platinum Elite.
Should You Open The Platinum Delta SkyMiles Card?
The current limited time offer is very strong and ends on 7/5/17. If this card has been on your radar for now is definitely the time to sign-up. If you haven’t considered this card before it’s important to consider two things before opening. First, you must consider how valuable the 10,000 EQM and 70,000 SkyMiles are to you. If you think at the end of the year that you’ll be “on the bubble” for the next elite level then this card is worth opening. If you don’t need a card that earns additional EQM then perhaps the American Express Gold SkyMiles card is a better option.
The second thing to consider is how long you see yourself holding this card open. Card holders only receive the first companion ticket certificate after paying the second annual fee ($195). Card holders then receive a companion certificate each following year in perpetuity. The companion certificate is valid for one, round-trip, economy flight, to/from the lower 48 states. Residents of Alaska, Hawaii, and US territories may also use the certificate on round trips from their home state. There is no limit to how expensive the fare is, but you must book together and book in the L, U, X, T, or V fare class. This benefit, if used correctly, could easily help justifying paying $390 in annual fees prior to receiving the first certificate. From then on you can easily “profit” from keeping this card open for years to come.
Will I Open The Platinum Delta SkyMiles Card?
No.
I’m not saying the American Express Platinum Delta SkyMiles card is a bad card, its just not for me. I’m not going for Delta Elite Status this year so I have no reason for EQM. It would be nice to earn the 70,000 SkyMiles, but for much less out-of-pocket cost I could earn 60,000 SkyMiles with the American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles card.
Additionally, I’ve long though the regular American Express Platinum card is a better option for Delta frequent flyers. Not only does the card earn more valuable Membership Rewards points, but it also grants Delta passengers access to Delta SkyClubs at no extra cost.
Lastly, I just opened the United MileagePlus Explorer card which puts me uncomfortably close to hitting Chase’s dreaded 5/24 rule. I don’t see myself opening any new credit cards till at least the end of the year.
Final Thoughts
As I mentioned earlier, anyone who’s already interested in American Express Platinum Delta SkyMiles card should definitely take advantage of this offer. American Express currently offers “once per lifetime” sign-up bonuses and this offer is definitely worth taking advantage of. It’s hard to tell if an offer like this will come back for a long time.
For everyone else this offer alone doesn’t justify opening this card at the moment. If you see yourself holding onto the card for years to come then it’s worth considering for the annual companion certificate. However, the certificate comes with a lot of limitations and using the certificate may be more difficult than expected.
All of that being said, I’m really hesitant to hold on to Delta SkyMiles for an extended period of time at the moment. Delta has done away with published award charts which allow the airline to charge seemingly whatever they want for award flights. There are definitely some sweet spots in Delta’s current unpublished award chart, but I don’t spend enough time on Delta’s website or know enough about SkyTeam to even start down that rabbit hole. For now I’m planning on sticking with American Airlines as my primary airline and StarAlliance airlines for award flights!
