American Express Delta SkyMiles Platinum
American Express, American Express, $350 annual fee. Earns Delta SkyMiles, valued at 1.20¢ a point.
Rates checked against the issuer 2026-08. Foreign transaction fee: none.
The short version
- Best at: nothing in particular — no category puts it in the top three of the catalogue.
- A year's rewards: about $454, or $104 after the fee.
- Weighing it up against: Delta SkyMiles Gold.
Is the annual fee worth it?
It earns about $454 a year on the illustrative household's spending, which is $104 once the fee is paid. The best card with no fee, American Express Blue Business Plus, nets $1,058 on the same spending — so this card is $954 a year behind. On earning alone it does not catch up at any level of spending this looks at — its credits and perks have to make up the difference, or the fee is not paying for itself.
Price its credits, perks and sign-up bonus your way — tick what you would use and say what it is worth to you.
Priced on an illustrative household spending $2,205 a month on a card — the assumption, in full. Credits and perks are not priced: they are worth their face value only if you would have spent that money anyway.
What it earns, category by category
| Earns on | Rate | ConditionsWhat the issuer attaches to this rate: a spending cap, a category you have to switch on, or a booking you have to make through its travel portal. |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | 3x | Delta only. Delta purchases only |
| Hotels | 3x | |
| Restaurants & Bars, Food Delivery | 2x | |
| Groceries | 2x | US supermarkets only |
| Everything else | 1x |
Where a year's rewards come from
| Spending on | Earns a yearWhat this card earns on each kind of spending over a year, for the illustrative household on the method page. Before the annual fee. |
|---|---|
| Groceries | $144 |
| Restaurants & Bars | $86 |
| Everything Else | $72 |
| Hotels | $32 |
| Gas Stations | $22 |
| Online Shopping | $22 |
Priced on an illustrative household spending $2,205 a month on a card — the assumption, in full. Credits and perks are not priced: they are worth their face value only if you would have spent that money anyway.
Protections and travel benefits
From the issuer's own benefit summary as of 2026-09. These are read from summaries rather than the full guide to benefits, which has the exclusions — check it before relying on one.
- Purchase protection — up to $1,000 per claim, 90 days
- Extended warranty
- Free checked bag
- Global Entry / TSA PreCheck
What the issuer lists besides rewards
- Annual companion certificate for a domestic Delta flight
- First checked bag free and priority boarding
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit
- Purchase protection up to $1,000 per claim for 90 days after you buy
- Extended warranty adds a year to manufacturer warranties of five years or less
Similar cards
- American Express Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Card — annual fee $350 a year
- Chase United Quest — annual fee $350 a year
- Bank of America Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite — annual fee $395 a year
- Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business — annual fee $299 a year
- Every airline card, ranked
- When an annual fee pays for itself
- The best two- and three-card combinations
Point values: published industry valuations, read 2026-09. How every number here is worked out.