Bottom Line

The Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business card is an excellent choice if you plan to fly Delta once or twice per year. The 70,000-point sign-up bonus will help you build points to get started, and the annual companion certificate (in the main cabin) alone can be worth the annual fee of $350. The three main statement credits can also justify the annual fee, along with several other perks. If you fly Delta more than twice per year, it might be worth looking into the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business card for better benefits—though it comes with a higher annual fee—and a higher sign-up bonus.

Why You Might Want This Card

The Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business card comes with a 70,000-point sign-up bonus for $6,000 in purchases in your first six months. It’s the mid-tier business card out of the three that Delta and American Express offer. While it has a $350 annual fee, the benefits beyond the sign-up bonus make it a valuable card if you fly Delta once or twice per year. Since it’s a business card, it won’t affect your 5/24 status. However, remember that American Express only offers sign-up bonuses once per lifetime for each card, so if the current 60,000-point sign-up bonus doesn’t appeal to you, you may want to wait for an elevated offer (we’ve seen it as high as 100,000 points).

The companion certificate is the most significant perk, granting a free annual round-trip flight for a companion in the main cabin within the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, or Central America. Depending on your destination, this benefit alone can justify the annual fee. Add in $200 in Delta Stay credits, $120 in rideshare credits, and $120 in Resy credits, and the total perks can easily offset the $350 annual fee. Other perks include complimentary Hertz 5-star status, a 15% discount on award travel, addition to the complimentary upgrade list, Zone 5 priority boarding, your first checked bag free, credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, and decent trip delay, baggage, and car rental insurance.

Exceptions To The Rule

Here are some exceptions where the card might not be good for you:

• You don’t fly Delta each year to take advantage of the companion certificate.
• You wouldn’t use the credits to offset the $350 annual fee.
• You want the card but prefer to wait for a higher sign-up bonus

About Delta SkyMiles

• Delta SkyMiles are super easy to accumulate with American Express cards, whether they're specific for earning SkyMiles or American Express cards that have completely transferable and instant 1:1 ratio Amex points.

Redeeming SkyMiles isn’t difficult, but you might find that their value isn't as high as you'd think -- especially if you do a side-by-side comparison with our personal favorite, United. Delta’s redeeming quality, however, is the fact that they fly to over 325 locations. So sometimes when you want to go somewhere that United doesn't, you’ll find Delta’s got your back.

When Delta removed its online reward charts in 2015, no one was happy. Now, the more flexible you are, the more value you can squeeze out of your Miles -- especially when Delta runs one of its regular award sales that offer some deep discounts in economy and Delta One.

But the real ace up the sleeve here is booking international Business or First Class using alliances like China Eastern or one of their non-alliance partners like Virgin Atlantic. This can be done for fewer points than if you booked directly through the Delta website -- as long as the flight is operated by Delta, Delta Connections or Virgin Atlantic. Searching around for Delta’s flash sales based on region or utilizing one of their partners can get you a pretty impressive trip.

Where Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Fits In This Point Ecosystem

Among Delta’s three business cards, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business card falls in the middle, with a $350 annual fee and a 70,000-mile sign-up bonus. The top-tier option is the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business card, which has a $650 annual fee but offers a larger sign-up bonus (currently 80,000 miles) and greater benefits to offset that fee. Both the Platinum and Reserve cards include a companion certificate; with the Platinum, your companion flies in the main cabin, while the Reserve allows First Class or Comfort+. Both cards also include several of the same statement credits, although the Platinum card’s credits are slightly lower.

There’s also the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business card, which has a $150 annual fee and a 60,000-mile sign-up bonus, but it does not offer a companion certificate. It does include a $200 flight credit after spending $10,000 in a year, but as with any high spending threshold, we usually recommend opening another card to earn a new sign-up bonus rather than putting all that spending on one card.

Personal Experience