Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card review: A top mid-tier pick for Delta loyalists

Besides being an overall terrific card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred excels in two things well to help complement the Delta SkyMiles Platinum. The first is offering a rewards program that allows you to transfer points to travel partners, providing much-needed flexibility to dip into flights outside of Delta when you see a good deal.

The second feature it brings to the table is stronger rewards. Not only does the Chase Sapphire Preferred have more reward categories, but the points you earn are worth more on average. Bankrate’s latest valuations place Chase Ultimate Rewards points at about 2.0 cents each, compared to Delta’s average of 1.2 cents each. And since the Chase Sapphire Preferred doesn’t offer much in the way of travel perks, the Delta SkyMiles Plus still pulls its weight in your wallet. 

The Citi Double Cash Card is a simpler complement to the Delta SkyMiles Platinum compared to the Chase Sapphire Preferred. It earns a flat 2 percent cash back rate on all eligible purchases (1 percent when you make a purchase and another 1 percent when you pay your balance). This makes it an excellent choice for any other purchase you make that isn’t covered by the SkyMiles Platinum. 

Suited for American Airlines travelers, the  Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® offers comparable benefits to the Delta SkyMiles Platinum for a lower annual fee. For the first 12 months, you won't have to pay any annual fee; then, the card's annual fee costs a relatively low $99. However, this card also comes with a welcome offer worth a bit less than the Delta SkyMiles Platinum: For a limited time, earn 80,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $3,500 in purchases within the first 4 months of account opening. You'll also earn 2X miles on eligible American Airlines purchases as well as purchases made at restaurants and gas stations. 

Similar to the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card, this card comes with your first checked bag free for you and up to four travel companions on the same booking, preferred American Airlines boarding and a 25 percent in-flight discount on food and beverages. However, according to Bankrate's valuations, American Airlines miles have a lower average value than Delta SkyMiles at 1.0 cents each, and you won't earn as much for airline purchases. But if you prefer to budget and pay a lower annual fee while still enjoying some travel perks, the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select could be a better choice. 

If you want travel benefits but don’t want to be tied to one airline, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card credit can be an excellent fit. The card has an annual fee of $95, but it offers a generous welcome bonus of 75,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months. While less than the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card, the welcome offer is still a solid bonus. You also get 5X points on travel purchased through the Chase travel portal, 3X points on dining and 2X points on all other travel purchases. 

On top of that, you can earn 10 percent of the points you redeemed in the previous year back on your account anniversary. This means if you redeem 50,000 points in one year, when your next account anniversary rolls around you’ll automatically receive 5,000 points. Plus, you’ll earn more value on travel purchases through Chase Travel. With these benefits, you might be able to shake a ton of value out of the Sapphire Preferred.

However, you would miss out on all the extra airline-specific perks you would get with the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card. If you prefer these extra travel benefits, such as first checked bag free, choosing the Platinum Card might be a more attractive option.

The recommended credit score for the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card is good or higher.  

No, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum no longer offers free or reduced-cost lounge access. 

The primary criteria for a rewards or cash back card’s rating is its rewards value. This includes the card’s average rewards rate, estimated annual rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value and reward redemption value.

To estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings, we first calculate its average rewards rate based on how much it earns in different bonus categories and how closely its categories align with the average person’s spending habits, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Based on this data, we determine a “chargeable” spend (which purchases are likely to be put on a credit card and earn rewards). This includes the following spending by category:

• Groceries: $5,200
• Dining out: $3,000
• Entertainment: $2,500
• Gas: $2,100
• Apparel and services: $1,700

Using this data, we assign a weighting to each of a card’s bonus categories. For example, a card’s grocery rewards rate receives a 23 percent weighting based on how much of the average person’s budget is spent on groceries. We also estimate the redemption value of points or miles from various issuer, airline and hotel rewards programs.

This weighting and rewards valuation allows us to estimate a card’s average annual rewards earnings — how many points or miles you’d earn with a given card if your spending was about average and you used the card for all of your purchases, as well as what those points are worth. We also use point valuations to determine a card’s sign-up bonus value

With these calculations complete, we assign each card a score based on how its average rewards earnings, sign-up bonus value, rewards rate and redemption value stack up against other rewards cards.

We also rate cards based on how much it costs to keep them in your wallet or carry a balance. 

To start, each rewards or cash back card is scored based on whether it offers an intro APR and how its ongoing APR compares to the rates available on other rewards or cash back cards. 

We also score each card based on how its annual fee influences its overall value. 

We consider a card’s annual fee in two ways — how it ranks relative to the fees you’ll find on other cards in the category and how it impacts a card’s overall rewards value. Cards with an annual fee will always be at a slight disadvantage in our scoring system since annual fees inherently cut into your rewards value, but if a card offers terrific value via its ongoing rewards and perks, it can earn a high score even if it carries a high annual fee. 

With this in mind, we rate a card based primarily on how its ongoing rewards value and ongoing perk value (such as annual credits or bonuses) stack up against other cards in the category when you subtract its annual fee.

We rate each card’s flexibility based on the restrictions it imposes on earning and redeeming rewards and factor this rating into a card’s overall score. 

Flexibility factors include whether a card only allows you to earn a high rewards rate on a small amount of spending or requires you to meet a certain earning threshold before you can redeem rewards. We also examine whether your points are worth less when you redeem for some options versus others and whether a card gives you the flexibility to transfer rewards to airline and hotel partners. 

We also score each card’s set of features – its perks and benefits — against five tiers of features to provide a rating. 

We break down these tiers as follows:

• Tier 1 has less than standard card features (an ultra-streamlined card that offers basic utility and next to nothing in the way of ancillary benefits. 
• Tier 2 includes the benefits you’d expect on standard Visa or Mastercard credit cards, such as free access to your credit score, car rental insurance and $0 liability for fraudulent charges. 
• Tier 3 includes “prime card” or better-than-average card features like cellphone insurance, lost luggage insurance, concierge services and purchase protection. 
• Tier 4 includes luxury features such as airport lounge access, elite status with an airline or hotel and credits for expedited security screening membership programs. 
• Tier 5 includes the sort of exemplary benefits you’ll find on top-tier luxury cards, such as high-value travel credits, cardholder memberships and other unique and valuable perks.