Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card Review [2024]: Never Pay for a Bag on Delta Again

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If you’re looking for a credit card to earn valuable frequent-flyer miles that you can use on any SkyTeam Alliance airline, then this could be the one for you.
Updated April 11, 2024
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The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card is a widely respected credit card for its perks. This business card has a wide array of features, including a healthy welcome offer, travel insurance, and a free checked bag when flying Delta. If you’re in the market for a business credit card that will earn valuable frequent-flyer miles, this card may suit your needs.

In this Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express Card review, you’ll learn about both the benefits and drawbacks of this card.

Earn Valuable Frequent Flyer Miles

4.6

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card

Current Offer

Earn 65,000 bonus miles after you spend $6,000 in purchases in your first 6 months

Annual Fee

$350

Rewards Rate

1.5X miles on eligible transit and U.S. shipping purchases, plus single eligible purchases of $5,000 or more; and 1X mile per $1 spent on other eligible purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks
Card Details

In this Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Amex review

Who should get the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express Card?

This card is the small business version of the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card. That means the perfect candidate for the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express Card is an owner of a small- to medium-sized business looking for a card to earn valuable frequent-flyer miles. While there are a vast amount of business credit cards for travel, this card can both improve your experience flying with Delta Air Lines and boost your SkyMiles.

Some people shy away from airline credit cards if they don’t fly frequently. But the Delta Platinum Business Card could make back the money spent on the annual fee fairly quickly, so it could be a good fit even for less-frequent Delta flyers.

Card basics

Card type Travel / Business
Card issuer American Express
Annual fee $350 (Terms apply)
Welcome Bonus Earn 65,000 bonus miles after you spend $6,000 in purchases in your first 6 months
Rewards rate 1.5X miles on eligible transit and U.S. shipping purchases, plus single eligible purchases of $5,000 or more; and 1X mile per $1 spent on other eligible purchases
Recommended credit score Excellent, Good
Foreign transaction fee None

Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Amex benefits and perks

  • Generous welcome bonus: Earn 65,000 bonus miles after you spend $6,000 in purchases in your first 6 months after account opening.
  • Get a major status boost: You'll receive $2,500 Medallion Qualification Dollars each Medallion Qualification Year and can earn $1 MQD for each $20 of purchases. Elite status comes with perks such as Sky Club membership, upgrade certificates, bonus miles, and baggage fee waivers.
  • Free checked bags: You’ll get your first checked bag free when flying Delta. This can be a large money saver, even if you only fly a few times a year.
  • Companion certificate: Renew your card after your first year and you’ll get a companion certificate. This certificate is essentially a “buy one, get one free” for a main cabin domestic, Caribbean, or Central American flight. This is a perfect way to save money on flying with a client or significant other. Be aware the certificate does have terms and conditions to abide by.
  • Insurance coverage: The Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Credit Card covers you during your travels with baggage insurance, a roadside assistance hotline, and car rental loss and damage insurance (secondary coverage).123 Plus if your flight is delayed more than 12 hours, you can also be reimbursed for up to $300 in unexpected expenses per trip.4
  • Cell phone protection: If you pay your cell phone bill in full with this card, you receive cell phone protection for stolen or damaged cell phones. This includes up to $800 per claim on up to two claims per card account per 12-month period. A $50 deductible per claim may apply.5
  • Early boarding: When traveling on Delta flights, you’ll receive Main Cabin 1 priority boarding. For some, this is vital to a better flying experience because it gives you a bit more time to settle into your seat.
  • In-flight discounts: You’ll get 20% in-flight savings on eligible purchases, such as food or drinks, when you fly with Delta.
  • TakeOff 15: New and existing cardmembers can get a 15% discount when booking Award Travel with miles on Delta flights. This discount does not apply to partner-operated flights or taxes and fees.
  • Global Entry or TSA PreCheck: You also get a statement credit of up to $100 every 4 years for Global Entry or up to $85 every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck.

Drawbacks of this card

  • Has annual fee: This is a premium travel card and as such it does have a $350 annual fee. But if you travel regularly on Delta, enjoy the perks of this card, and want the accelerated MQD earning, then this card could be worth the fee.

Earning & redeeming Delta SkyMiles

Best ways to earn

Categories Rewards rate
Eligible transit and U.S. shipping purchases, plus single eligible purchases of $5,000 or more 1.5X
All other eligible purchases 1X

If you’re looking to earn a significant amount of Delta SkyMiles for your next trip, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Credit Card can be great for your SkyMiles balance. However, if you’d rather have more robust spending categories for earning rewards, you might be better off with a different card in the long run. There are other great Delta credit cards that could help you continue earning SkyMiles in a way that best matches both your travel and spending habits.

Maximizing your redemptions

As for redeeming Delta SkyMiles, there’s a long-standing debate about the value of one Delta mile. However, the general consensus among points and miles geeks is that you want to achieve at least a redemption value of 1.41 cents per point or mile when using your rewards to get the most out of them.

So, how do you determine the value of your SkyMiles when you’re looking at your redemption options? To determine the value of your miles, you can use this formula: (Cash price of flight with taxes and fees) / (number of miles needed) = value of one mile.

For example, say a round-trip flight from Los Angeles to New York normally costs $500, including taxes and fees. If you can use 40,000 SkyMiles to book it, the miles valuation would be $500 / 35,000 SkyMiles = 1.42 cents per mile — this is a good deal. Therefore, you can see that you should be aiming to spend no more than 40,000 Delta SkyMiles for a good value on this airfare.

However, if that same flight is charging 74,000 Delta SkyMiles, that redemption would look like this: $500 / 74,000 = 0.68 cents per mile. This is a bad deal.

To get the most out of your rewards, it’s imperative to not only earn your points and miles effectively but to also spend effectively as well.

Delta SkyMiles American Express Card transfer partners

You don't have to limit yourself to Delta flights to get the most from this card's rewards. Delta is a member of the SkyTeam Alliance, which has over 20 airline partners. You can choose to use your miles to book award flights with the following partners:

  • Aerolíneas Argentinas
  • Aeroméxico
  • Air Europa
  • Air France
  • China Airlines
  • China Eastern
  • Czech Airlines
  • Delta Airlines
  • Garuda Indonesia
  • ITA Airways
  • Kenya Airways
  • KLM
  • Korean Air
  • Middle East Airlines
  • Saudia Airlines
  • TAROM
  • Vietnam Airlines
  • Virgin Atlantic
  • XiamenAir

Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Amex FAQs

What qualifies as a Delta purchase?

Purchases made with Delta include flights booked on Delta.com; Sky Club membership or passes; Delta Vacations packages; seat upgrades; in-flight purchases, like food, beverages, and audio headsets; and more.

Can you have two Delta Amex cards?

Yes, you can. And while some of the benefits may overlap (e.g., free checked bags), having multiple Delta Amex cards may help you earn more SkyMiles faster.

Is the Amex Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Credit Card worth it?

The card is very much worth it for two simple factors: the welcome bonus and the companion certificate. Even if you only take three round-trip flights per year, you can almost make back the annual fee with the free checked bags alone.

How much is 1,000 Delta SkyMiles worth?

The value of 1,000 Delta SkyMiles varies on a number of factors. However, you can very simply calculate the value of each mile you’re spending by taking the dollar amount spent and dividing it by the number of miles needed:

(Cash price of flight with taxes and fees) / (number of miles needed) = value of one mile.

You can then multiply the value of one mile by 1,000 to get your worth.

Generally, you want to aim to get more than one cent per mile when redeeming for flights. Miles can also be worth more if you use them to upgrade to a first-class or business seat on a transatlantic flight. How you redeem makes a big difference in the value of Delta SkyMiles.

Does the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express Card have a foreign transaction fee?

No, it does not. And neither do any of the cards on our list of the best airline credit cards.

Other cards to consider

The Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express Card is a great card for business owners to get started with. However, it isn't the only small business credit card that earns travel rewards and it isn't the only credit card offer from Delta.

If you fly a lot, an alternate card to consider is the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card. This card has a $650 annual fee, but the generous welcome offer can help offset the cost. Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $10,000 in purchases in your first 6 months. You'll also enjoy premium perks like airport lounge access, priority boarding, a companion certificate, and more. Note that select benefits require enrollment.

If the Platinum card feels like too much to you, then consider the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card. While this card is very similar, it’s a smaller investment, with a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, $150 per year thereafter, but it still comes with some perks. Plus it offers a welcome bonus. Earn 55,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases in your first 6 months.

Earn Valuable Frequent Flyer Miles

4.6

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card

Why We Like It

Earn 65,000 bonus miles after you spend $6,000 in purchases in your first 6 months

See rates and fees | Terms Apply

See how these cards compare:

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
  • Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $10,000 in purchases in your first 6 months
  • 3X points on eligible purchases made directly with Delta
  • Complimentary Delta Sky Club and Centurion Lounge access
  • $650 annual fee. Terms apply.
  • See rates and fees | Terms Apply
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card
  • Earn 55,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases in your first 6 months
  • Earn 2X points on purchases at Delta and restaurants, and on eligible U.S. shipping purchases and eligible U.S. advertising in select media up to $50,000 per category, per year
  • First checked bag free + priority boarding
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • $0 intro annual fee for the first year, $150 per year thereafter. Terms apply.
  • See rates and fees | Terms Apply

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