Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card review: One of the best business travel rewards cards for global businesses devoted to Delta Airlines

Quick highlights

• Rewards rate: 3X miles on Delta and hotel purchases; 1.5X miles on eligible transit and U.S. shipping purchases, plus single eligible purchases over $5,000 (up to $100K in purchases); 1X miles on all other purchases
• Welcome offer: 70,000 Bonus Miles after spending $6,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership
• Annual fee: $350
• Purchase intro APR: N/A
• Balance transfer intro APR: N/A
• Regular APR: 20.24% - 29.24% Variable APR

Current welcome offer

The Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business card is currently providing a 70,000 Bonus Miles after spending $6,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.  Previously, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card had a limited-time offer of 100,000 Bonus Miles after spending $8,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months, a much more generous offer. 

Based on Bankrate’s latest mile valuations, which give Delta SkyMiles a value of 1.2 cents each on average, we estimate this offer is worth just over $1,200 in Delta flights. If you've been considering a Delta-focused business card, now could be the time to apply since this offer is one of the highest we've seen in a while.

Rewards rate

The Delta Skymiles Business Platinum Card earns Delta SkyMiles rewards on a tiered-rewards rate structure. These travel rewards work like normal airline credit card miles, but there are a few more reward currencies to keep track of if you want to reach elite Medallion Status.

How you earn

You’ll earn 3X miles on purchases made directly with hotels and eligible Delta spending — including flights, seat upgrades, in-flight purchases and more. You'll also earn 1.5X miles on on eligible transit and U.S. shipping purchases, and, like most rewards cards, the SkyMiles Business Platinum earns 1X mile on all other purchases. However, single eligible purchases over $5,000 will earn 1.5X miles, up to $100K in purchases.  

There are a few other ways to earn miles as well. If Delta isn’t offering the best deal, you can also earn miles for airfare with any of Delta’s airline partners. When you’re on the ground, the Delta SkyMiles Dining program is a handy way to earn frequent flyer miles on business meals. You can earn 1 mile per $2 spent — or up to 5 miles per dollar, depending on your membership level.

How to redeem

Of course, redeeming your SkyMiles to book travel is the optimal choice. Choosing “Pay with Miles” lets you upgrade seats or book flights with Delta and partner airlines to over 1,000 destinations with no blackout dates. You can also use miles to book vacation packages, hotel rooms, rental cars and more. If you’re just shy of the required miles, you also have the option of using “Pay with Miles + Cash.”

There are a few other redemption methods, but they aren’t as useful or versatile as general-purpose travel card rewards, such as Capital One miles. For example, you can’t transfer miles to partner airlines. However, you can use Delta miles outside travel for charitable donations or gifts, magazine subscriptions, travel experiences and merchandise.

When you use “Pay with Miles + Cash”, Delta allows you to redeem in 5,000-point increments for $50 discounts. Delta considers SkyMiles to be worth 1 cent in this case, but they don’t use an award chart like other airlines — meaning your point value varies based on the flight cost, your origin and destination, flight class and time of year.

To get a better idea of your rewards’ value before choosing a card, keep in mind that Bankrate gives Delta SkyMiles a 1.2 cents per mile market value when booking flights — which is on the low side when compared to some of the top airline and credit card rewards programs.

The Amex Delta Platinum Business card delivers a higher number of benefits than its sibling card, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card, including standout travel insurance, an annual companion certificate and Status Boost features.

Companion certificate

You’ll receive a Companion Certificate on Main Cabin domestic, Caribbean, or Central American roundtrip flights each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of 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). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.

This can be an especially valuable perk when you use it on more expensive flights. 

Travel perks

On top of Zone 5 Priority Boarding, the Delta Platinum Business card offers several premium travel benefits to justify its annual fee:

• Travel protections when you pay with your card: Trip-delay insurance (up to $300 per trip, two claims per eligible card annually, for eligible delays)*, baggage insurance (up to $1,250 for carry-on, $500 for checked luggage) and car rental loss and damage insurance**.
• Other savings and credits: First checked bag free on Delta flights (up to $60), 20 percent savings on eligible in-flight purchases (as a statement credit), 15 percent savings on award travel on Delta flights (not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees), $120 Resy Credit (up to $10 per month in statement credits on eligible Resy purchases using your enrolled card), earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment Required, and 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.

The biggest kicker when considering the Amex Delta Platinum Business card is its $350 annual fee. This may seem reasonable considering its valuable rewards and tertiary benefits, but some cardholders may be opposed to a business rewards card with such a high fee.

Luckily, there are no annual employee card fees and no foreign transaction fees. Plus, there are plenty of travel discounts to help offset the cost. Its travel companion certificate alone could be enough to offset the annual fee, depending on the flight. Otherwise, you’d need to spend a little over $11,500 each year on Delta travel or hotel bookings to recoup your annual fee (based on Bankrate’s 1.2-cent-per-mile estimated value).

There is also no intro APR offer before the ongoing 20.24% - 29.24% Variable APR, which isn’t uncommon for airline-specific business rewards cards. That could be a drawback compared to other business rewards cards offering a zero-interest period for business owners who want time to pay down new purchases.

Bankrate credit cards writer Ryan Flanigan thought he was going to keep the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express Card for only a year, but he had a change of heart after using its credits and perks.

I use this card for all the benefits and to help me achieve status when needed. Getting free checked bags, upgrades and Hertz loyalty status all give me needed value while traveling. Getting a discount on award redemptions also helps keep travel costs reasonable. I initially planned on keeping it for just a year, but with the recent additions of a companion certificate and Delta Stays, Resy and rideshare credits, the card now pays for itself. You have to jump through a couple of hoops to use it properly, but the long-term value is definitely there.

— Ryan Flanigan, Writer, Credit Cards

The Delta Platinum Business card’s value cements it as the middle-of-the-road SkyMiles business option. For instance, it beats the $150 annual fee ($0 introductory annual fee for the first year) SkyMiles Gold Business card, mainly thanks to its companion certificate, trip delay insurance, and other perks. However, if you want higher-tier Delta benefits or more flexible rewards and redemption possibilities, you should consider another Delta Skymiles Card or a comparable Amex Card.

Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Amex Card vs. Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card

The Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express card has stronger Medallion Status-earning features, so it may be a better fit if that's a priority. And though the SkyMiles Reserve Business Card carries a higher annual fee ($650) than the SkyMiles Platinum Business, it also offers few more perks, like its companion ticket.

Additionally, Reserve Business cardholders can earn 1.5X miles on any spending beyond $150,000 per calendar year, compared to the Platinum Business' 1.5X rewards rate on purchases over $5,000, up to 100,000 miles. That gives a faster boost but limited earnings overall for those who are big business spenders.

If you're willing to pay a higher annual fee to get lounge access, then the Reserve version will make more sense for you. That also holds true for people who buy upgraded Delta tickets often and who continuously spend hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to earn the 1.5X accelerated rewards rate after spending $150,000.

Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Amex Card vs. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

For those not loyal to a Delta co-branded card, an alternate business travel card such as The Business Platinum Card® from American Express might offer better rewards value, flexibility and non-travel bonus categories based on your business’ spending. American Express Travel offers 5 Membership Rewards® points per dollar for flights and prepaid hotels with AmexTravel.com, 1.5 points per dollar for purchases of $5,000 or more in select business categories and 1 point for every dollar spent on other eligible purchases. Included in these business categories are U.S. construction material hardware suppliers, U.S. electronic goods retailers and software and cloud system purchases (up to $2 million worth of these purchases per calendar year; 1 point thereafter). You can transfer your Amex Membership Rewards points to Delta and other airline and hotel loyalty programs, extending your flight options beyond those of the SkyMiles Platinum Business Card. 

Even though the card comes with an annual fee of $695, you'll get benefits like access to Priority Pass memberships and airport lounges via the Global Lounge Collection, which includes access to Delta Sky Clubs when you fly with Delta. As an added benefit, you'll also receive a fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership, as well as Gold elite status with hotel programs such as Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors. 

Although the annual fee isn't cheap, the benefits and annual credits more than make up for it, making it a good option for frequent business travelers. It could prove to be a better choice than the Skymiles Platinum Business Card if you can justify the fee.

Best cards to pair with this card

American Express business cards or personal cards are the best cards to pair with the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business card, thanks to the partnership between the issuer and Delta Air Lines. You can transfer Amex Membership Rewards to Delta SkyMiles at a 1:1 ratio and you can find special deals on Delta flights through the American Express travel portal.

If you want to earn rewards on a majority of your purchases and pool those rewards together in the same SkyMiles account, any American Express card that includes rewards categories not included on the SkyMiles Platinum Business card will be a good choice. The American Express® Business Gold Card provides great bonus category coverage for business expenses outside travel (like eligible U.S. gas stations, U.S. purchases made from electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers), as well as airfare through the Amex travel portal if you need to fly outside the SkyTeam alliance partners.

The Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express Card offers the best value to dedicated Delta flyers, especially business owners who can make the most of the hotel purchase rewards and the myriad travel benefits. But if your business operations don’t lean on Delta airline benefits, other business travel cards — even other American Express cards — may provide more flexible rewards and bonus categories.

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

**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. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

*Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.