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If you’re an avid traveler, especially with Delta Airlines, American Express is currently offering a stunning bonus featuring the Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card. You can earn 50,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Offer Expires 8/15/2019.
With the Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card, you’ll have the ability to earn 2x miles for every $1 spend on qualifying Delta flights and vacation packages, and earn 1x mile for every $1 spent on eligible purchases.
The hefty annual fee may outweigh your desire for Medallion status, so check out the lower annual fee Gold Delta Skymiles Card from American Express, which has checked bag and priority boarding perks. If you’re only looking for the 2x miles bonus from this card, check out the American Express Blue Delta SkyMiles card!
* The Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card is issued by American Express. They also offer great sign-up bonuses for their credit cards. You can also compare this card with other credit card bonuses!
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Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card
 The Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card offers 50,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Offer Expires 8/15/2019. You can earn 2X miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta. Earn 1X mile on every eligible dollar spent on purchases. You'll also receive 50% back in the form of statement credits on purchases made directly with Delta with your Card within the first 3 months, up to $500 back. This card comes with a $195 annual fee, but for each round trip Delta flight, you can check your first bag for free and save up to $60. |
| Bonus Available | 50,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Offer Expires 8/15/2019. |
| *Bonus Value | |
| Travel Credit | No travel credit. But, you’ll get an annual companion certificate. |
| Ongoing Rewards/Benefits | 2 miles for every $1 spent on purchases made directly with Delta and 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
You (and up to 8 travel companions) get your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Receive Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding on Delta flights. Enjoy 20% inflight savings in the form of statement credits on eligible purchases. Earn 10,000 bonus miles and 10,000 MQMs after you spend $25,000 within a calendar year. Earn another 10,000 bonus miles and 10,000 MQMs after spending $50,000 in a calendar year. |
| Foreign Transaction Fees | No |
| Airport Lounge Access | Receive a rate of $29 per person per visit to enter the Delta Sky Club for you and up to two guests when traveling on a Delta flight. |
| Annual Fee | $195 |
Recommended Free Credit Score (Get Free Score) 690 – 850 (Good – Excellent)
PROS
- Annual companion certificate
- Medallion status benefits
- First checked bag free
- Priority boarding
- Partner airlines
- No foreign exchange fees
CONS
- Annual fee
- Good-Excellent credit needed to qualify
Editor’s Alternate Pick
 The American Express® Gold Card offers 35,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $2,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 3 months. You'll have the opportunity to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points when you dine at restaurants worldwide & at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X); 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com. This card has an annual fee of $250 with no foreign transaction fees. Some benefits including earning up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Boxed, and participating Shake Shack locations. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. In addition, a $100 Airline Fee Credit: up to $100 in statement credits per calendar year for incidental fees at one selected qualifying airline. |
Bonus Miles
Here are some ideas on meeting the spending requirement:
| • Plastiq - Using Plastiq allows you to pay for your personal expenses such as rent, tuition, mortgage, auto lease etc. Although they charge a 2.5% processing fee for using your credit card, this will contribute to the card bonus that you will receive. There is also a referral program that allows you to earn "Free-Free Dollars" that goes towards processing fees as well. |
| • Funding Checking Accounts - When it comes to funding a checking account, opening your initial deposit with a credit card is the usual way to go about it. However, if you want to have more opportunities, you should open a checking account that offers a sign-up bonus. This allows you to work towards bonuses from not one but two different sources instead. Banks like Chase, Huntington Bank, TD Bank and BBVA offers credit card funding, and for your opening deposit, you can often fund anywhere from $50-$1000 with a credit card, depending on the bank. |
| • Gift Card Purchases With Using a Credit Card - Another way to acquire the bonus is using your credit card to purchase gift cards. Buying a a gift card or an individual merchant card typically do not require a purchase fee and are used towards leisure, so gift cards are ideal. However, gift cards such as a Visa or American Express do incur purchase fees because they can be spent anywhere, but gift cards that are specifically for a certain online shopping site such as Amazon or eBay don't. |
| As for a Citi Credit Card, you should call customer service and ask them to lower your Cash Advance limit to $0 before making any purchases because Citi tends to read gift card purchases as a Cash Advance. Ideally, you should do this with any card just to be safe. Lastly, there is such thing as a discounted gift card which can be purchased on Raise or eBay. If you use a credit card often for everyday purchases, it can build your credit score that will contribute towards paying for things such as bills and taxes. |
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What Are Delta SkyMiles Worth?
Similar to other airline-branded credit cards, the value of the miles you earn will depend on how you use them. Approximately, one Delta SkyMiles is worth $0.012. This is slightly valued higher than the industry average of $0.01 per point.
Here are some of the best ways to redeem your SkyMiles:
- Flights with Delta
- Flights with partner airlines
- Upgrades
- Hotel stays
- Car rentals
- Vacation packages
- Exclusive experiences
- Merchandise
- Gift cards
- Charity donations
To get the most out of your points, make sure you use them toward award flights through Delta or their partners.
SkyMiles SkyTeam & Non-Alliance Partners Include
- Aeroflot
- Aerolineas Argentinas
- Aeromexico
- Air Europa
- Air France
- Air Tahiti nui
- Alitalia
- China Airlines
- China Eastern
- China Southern
- Czech Airlines
- Garuda Indonesia
- GOL
- Hawaiian Airlines
- Jet Airways
- Kenya Airways
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
- Korean Air
- Mandarin Airlines
- Middle East Airlines
- Saudia Airlines
- Shanghai Airlines
- Tarom Airlines
- Vietnam Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
- Virgin Australia
- WestJet
- Xiamen Airlines
Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card Key Features
Receive one domestic Main Cabin roundtrip companion certificate every year when you renew your account. Cross-country flights can be pretty steep these days. So this perk could easily negate the card’s $195 annual fee.
You’ll be responsible for the government imposed taxes and fees.
First checked bag free. You, and up to 8 travel companions, get your first checked bag free. One checked bag is up to $30 a pop, one-way. So the maximum you could be saving with this perk is $540 (for 9 people) on a roundtrip flight.
Main Cabin 1 priority boarding. This means getting on the plane earlier and having first dibs on overhead bin space for your hand luggage.
Inflight discount. Receive a 20% savings in the form of statement credit on eligible pre-purchased meals and inflight food, alcoholic beverages and headset purchases.
Get an exclusive Delta Sky Club rate of $29 per person per visit. For you and up to 2 guests when traveling on the same Delta flight. These lounges offer a place to work, relax and enjoy complimentary snacks, beverages and WiFi.
Earn bonus miles and MQMs when you spend certain amounts in one calendar year:
| Spend Threshold | Bonus SkyMiles | Bonus MQMs |
| $25,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| $50,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 |
Regardless of when your card account was opened, the calendar year for these benefits will end on December 31.
This card has the ability to waive the requirements for the Medallion Qualification Dollar (MQD) for the Silver, Gold and Platinum status tiers if you spend at least $25,000 for that year. However, for Diamond status, you will need to spend at least $250,000 for the year.
Medallion status is the ultimate goal for flyers because it offers unlimited complimentary ticket upgrades. Each medallion tier also earns more miles and benefits.
Make purchases abroad without worrying about foreign transaction fees with the Platinum Delta SkyMiles card.
Bottom Line
The Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card has great travel and shopping benefits, such as discounted Sky Club access, Miles Boost, and more. One of the biggest reasons to apply for this card is the Medallion status that will help you get unlimited ticket upgrades. I recommend applying for this card.
If priority boarding and checked bag features is all you need, I suggest checking out the Gold Delta SkyMiles because it comes at a lower cost.
If you’re interested in more credit cards like this, check out our list of American Express credit cards. Take a look at our complete list of credit card bonus promotions for great offers like this one!
(Visit American Express for more details)
What’s The Competition?
Below are some of the top competitors to the Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card to consider.
- Delta card at half the cost: Gold Delta Skymiles Credit Card from American Express
- Non-airline travel cards at half the cost: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
- Premium travel cards at twice the cost: Chase Sapphire Reserve and The Platinum Card from American Express.
 The Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express offers 30,000 Bonus Miles after you use your new Card to make $1,000 in purchases within your first 3 months and a $50 Statement Credit after you make a Delta purchase with your new Card within your first 3 months. You'll earn 2X miles for every dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta; 1X mile for every eligible dollar you spend on purchases. In addition, you'll receive 50% back in the form of statement credits on purchases made directly with Delta with your Card within the first 3 months, up to $300 back. There is a $95 annual fee, however, there is a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year. Now, you'll get a savings of up to $240 per round trip for a family of four by being able to check your first bag free on Delta flights. |
 The Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card offers a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening (equal to $500 in travel). Named ‘The Best Travel Card' by CNBC, 2018. You're able to earn 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Plus earn 10X miles on thousands of hotels, through January 2020; learn more at hotels.com/venture. This card does come with a $95 annual fee, however, there is a $0 intro annual fee for the first year. Enjoy no foreign transaction fees and receive up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre?®. |
 With the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: • Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards® • 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. • Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel |
 The The Platinum Card® from American Express offers 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases in your first 3 months. This card comes with an annual fee of $550, but you cardholders can enjoy Uber VIP status and free rides in the U.S. up to $15 each month, plus a bonus $20 in December. That can be up to $200 in annual Uber savings. Furthermore, you'll receive $200 Airline Fee Credit, up to $200 per calendar year in baggage fees and more at one qualifying airline. Plus, up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue on your Platinum Card® & receive complimentary benefits with an average total value of $550 with Fine Hotels & Resorts. In addition, you can earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel & on prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com. |
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