by Daniel | Last Updated August 14th, 2022
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Airline credit cards can be a fantastic addition to your wallet and they can potentially provide a ton of added value to travel that you already do.
Now there is a large range of different airline credit cards, from low-cost cards like The Alaska Airlines Credit Card which cost just $75 a year to the more exclusive Delta SkyMiles Reserve card that costs $550 on an annual basis.
Now if you’re not interested in paying such a high price for an airline credit card and want a card that offers a bit more in the way of perks and benefits than some of the cheaper options, there are a few airline credit cards that sit right in the middle in terms of price, signup bonus, and benefits.
In this article, I’m going to review and compare 3 different mid-level airline credit cards that include the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express, the United Quest Credit Card, and the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card.
All of these cards offer a decent sign-up bonus and a variety of different benefits and user perks.
So Who Are These Cards Good For?
Simply put, if you travel on either Delta, United, or Southwest Airlines, either of these cards will provide you with a whole host of added benefits that will make your travel not only more enjoyable but give you the opportunity to earn miles or points for even more value.
Now if you do currently travel with just one of these airlines it may make sense for you to just get one card, as it will provide you the best value on your preferred airline.
But if you travel on multiple airlines it is possible to consider all of these cards so you can take advantage of everything on offer.
But it’s worth noting that it’s not a good idea to apply for more than one credit card at a time as it will have a negative effect on your credit score due to most card issuers performing a hard inquiry to asses what your current credit score is.
Try to wait at least 6 months between credit card applications to avoid any issues.
Annual Fee
Now when it comes to the annual fee for these cards, they are moderately priced in comparison to other airline reward credit cards.
As there are options to get an airline credit card that has no annual fee such as the American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp Card all the way up to paying $550 a year for something like the Delta SkyMiles Reserve card.
So starting with the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express the annual fee is $250, which is just over $20.80 a month and approximately $4.80 each week.
Next up, with the United Quest credit Card the annual fee is exactly the same as the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card, which is $250.
And then finally, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card is the cheapest card on this list with an annual fee of just $149, which works out to be just over $12.40 a month and around $2.86 a week.
Sign-up Bonus
So now let’s take a closer look at what sign-up bonus is currently offered with each card.
Starting first with the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express card it is possible to earn 50,000 bonus miles and 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of card ownership.
And with Delta SkyMiles being valued at about 1.1 cents per mile, this signup bonus is worth approximately $550.
Next up, with the United Quest credit card, the current sign-up bonus is the ability to earn 80,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 in purchases within 3 months of opening the account.
And with United Miles being worth about 1.2 cents per mile, this sign-up bonus is worth around $960.
Finally, with the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card, it is possible to earn 50,000 points after spending just $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of opening the account.
And with Southwest points being worth about 1.4 cents per point, this sign-up bonus is worth approximately $700.
So even though the Southwest card is the cheapest card on this list, it has the second highest signup bonus with the lowest spend requirement to actually receive it.
Earning Points / Miles
Now in the next section of this review, I’m just going to cover each card’s ability to earn points or miles from everyday spending.
And starting with the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express card there are a few decent options to choose from.
First of all, it is possible to earn 3x miles for purchases that are made directly with Delta.
Then purchases that are made directly with hotels will also review 3x miles.
When dining out at restaurants, getting take out or home delivery it is possible to earn 2x miles.
Also, purchases made at US grocery stores will receive 2x miles.
And then everything else will earn 1 mile per dollar spent.
Next up, with the United Quest credit card, there is also a pretty broad range of options to choose from.
The first is 3x miles for United purchases.
Then it is possible to earn 2x miles from the following categories:
- Travel, which includes, airfares, trains, cruise lines, rentals, hotels, and more.
- Dining and home delivery services
- Select streaming services
And then all other purchases will receive 1 mile per dollar spent.
Finally, with the southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card it is possible to earn 3x points for Southwest purchases.
Then for purchases made at the following locations, it is possible to earn 2x points:
- Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners
- Local transit that includes ride shares.
- Select streaming services, phone services, internet, and cable.
And everything else will earn 1 point per dollar spent.
Benefits and User Perks
So now let’s take a look at what benefits and perks actually come with these cards and what the difference is between each card.
Starting first with the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express card the most valuable benefit that this card offers is the ‘Annual Companion Certificate‘.
With this it is possible to receive a free domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate after renewing the card for the following year, and for each year thereafter.
And just this benefit can quite easily offset the cost of the annual fee, and if you would like to learn more about what exactly the Delta Companion Certificate entails, check out this article where I go into detail about everything you need to know.
Next up, it is possible to get your first check bag free on Delta Marked flights for you and up to nine people per reservation.
Then there is a $100 credit for use on either Global Entry or TSA Precheck.
When flying on a Delta flight it is possible to receive a 20% discount on inflight food, beverage, and audio headset purchases, and this will be credited to you in the form of a statement credit.
There is also Priority Boarding for you and up to 9 people that are flying on the same reservation.
It is then possible to receive an exclusive rate of $39 to the Delta Sky Club.
And this is the cost per person for you and up to 2 people traveling on the same Delta reservation.
Then as part of the sign-up bonus, it is possible to receive 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles.
If you spend $25,000 on the card within a calendar year, it is possible to earn an additional10,000 MQMs.
And this is available 2 times each year, so spending $50,000 within a 12-month period will get you a total of 20,000 MQMs.
Next up, with the United Quest credit card, there are also quite a lot of benefits and perks on offer.
First of all, there is a $125 annual United purchase credit that can be used for any United purchase.
Then when flying on a United flight it is possible to get both your first and second checked bags free of charge.
And this is available for you the cardholder and one additional companion traveling on the same reservation.
Each year there is a $100 credit that can be used for either Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS.
When flying on a United-operated flight it is possible to receive 25% back on food, beverages, or WiFi purchases.
There is similar Priority boarding to the Delta card for you and any companions that are booked on the same reservation as you.
Now if you have MileagePlus Premier status and travel on an award ticket, you and one travel companion will be eligible for Complimentary Premier Upgrades on select United flights assuming there is availability.
Each card anniversary it is possible to earn 5,000 miles if you book a United award flight with your own miles.
And this is available 2 times each year.
There is access to The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection which provides benefits such as daily breakfast for two, a credit worth up to $100, early check-in, and late check-out upon availability.
And to receive these benefits you will need to book through LHRCollection.com
Each year there is a one-year complimentary DashPass.
And finally, when you spend a total of $12,000 on the card it is possible to receive 500 Premier qualifying points, with a maximum of 3,000 PQPs in a calendar year, and PQPs help you to gain MileagePlus Premier status.
Now with the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card, there is a $75 Southwest annual travel credit.
On each card anniversary, it is possible to receive 7,500 points, which are worth about $105.
Throughout the year there is the ability to receive 4 Upgraded Boardings assuming there is availability for the flight you are on.
On Southwest flights, it is possible to receive 25% back on inflight purchases.
For every $10,000 that is spent on the card it is possible to earn 1,500 tier qualifying points that help to bring you towards A-List status.
Similar to the Quest card there is also a one-year complimentary DashPass.
Your first and second checked bag will be free on Southwest flights.
And finally, there are no change fees if you need to change your Southwest flight.
Insurance Related Benefits
Now for the next section of this review, I’m going to go over all of the insurance-related coverage that comes with each of these cards.
And starting with the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express there is Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance that covers up to $50,000 in the event of damage or theft of a rental vehicle.
And this is Secondary coverage.
Then there is Cell Phone Protection which covers up to $800 per claim with a maximum of 2 claims in a 12-month period, and each claim will be subject to a $50 fee.
With Trip Delay Insurance it is possible to receive up to $300 per trip if the trip is delayed for more than 12 hours, and this can be claimed no more than 2 times in a 12-month period.
There is a Baggage Insurance Plan that covers up to $1,250 for carry-on Baggage and $500 for checked baggage if it is lost, damaged, or stolen by the carrier.
Then with Purchase Protection, it is possible to receive up to 90 days of coverage on new purchases if they are stolen or accidentally damaged, and coverage is for up to $1,000 per occurrence and $50,000 per calendar year.
And then finally there is Extended Warranty protection that provides 1 additional year of coverage on warranties that are 5 years or less, and this covers up to $10,000 per item and $50,000 per lender year.
Next up, with the United Quest credit card, there is also quite a decent list of options in terms of insurance coverage.
There is an Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver that provides primary coverage and can provide up to the actual cash value of a rental vehicle in case of theft or any collision damage.
If your travel is delayed for more than 12 hours by a common carrier it is possible to receive up to $500 per ticket with Trip Delay Reimbursement.
There is then Baggage Delay Insurance that provides up to $100 a day for 3 days if any luggage is delayed for more than 6 hours by a passenger carrier.
Similar to this is Lost Luggage Reimbursement which provides up to $3,000 per passenger if your luggage is damaged or lost by the carrier.
With Purchase Protection there is coverage of up to 120 days for new purchases, and this covers up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per year.
Then there is Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance that covers up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip if the trip is canceled or cut short for a covered reason.
With Extended Warranty Protection it is possible to receive 1 extra year of coverage on warranties that are 3 years or less.
And finally, with the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card there are just 4 options that are offered for coverage and are the same as what comes with the Quest card.
These are:
- Lost Luggage Reimbursement of up to $3,000 per passenger
- Baggage Delay Insurance of up to $100 a day for 3 days for delays of 6 hours or more
- Extended Warranty Protection of one extra year on warranties that are 3 years or less
- Purchase Protection of 120 days for up to 500 per claim and $50,000 per account
APR
So for the last part of this review let’s take a quick look at what the current APR is for each card and what associated fees they charge for transactions like a cash advance or balance transfer.
And starting first with the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express the APR for purchases is between 17.99% to 26.99%.
If you ever get a cash advance (which I don’t recommend) the APR will be 27.49% and will also incur a fee of either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever amount ends up being more.
Any late payments or payments that are returned by your bank will almost certainly put you on a Penalty APR of 29.99% and result in a penalty fee of up to $40 for each occurrence.
And as this is a travel credit card there are no foreign transaction fees.
Next up, with the United Quest credit Card, the APR for purchases and Balance Transfers is currently between 18.74% to 25.74%.
If you actually do a balance transfer there will also be a fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever amount ends up being more.
A Cash Advance has an APR of 27.24% and a fee of either $10 or 5% of the amount of each Cash advance, again whichever amount is more.
Failure to make a minimum payment when it is due or having a payment returned by your bank will result in a Penalty APR of 29.99% and will also incur a fee of up to $40 for each penalty.
And just like the previous card, there are no foreign transactions fees.
Finally, with the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card the APR for Purchases and Balance Transfers is between 17.49% to 24.49%.
With a Balance transfer also incurring a fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer.
A cash advance will have an APR of 26.49% and a fee of either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance.
The Penalty APR of 29.99% is the same as the previous 2 cards and has the same fee of up to $40 for each occurrence.
And finally, there are no foreign transactions fees.
Final Thoughts
So that pretty much covers everything there is to know about these three credit cards.
And they all offer some fantastic benefits and user perks.
In terms of value for the sign-up bonus, the United Quest offers the most value with the ability to earn 80,000 miles which is worth about $960.
With the cheapest card on this list, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority card comes in second with 50,000 bonus points that are worth around $700 in value.
And then finally the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Amex card has the lowest value sign-up bonus which is 50,000 miles that are worth about $550.
Now if I were to choose a card I would personally chose the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Amex card.
First of all because it offers a companion certificate each anniversary year which can be quite valuable, and is a really nice to have.
I also tend to fly with Delta more than the other airlines which helps make my decision a little easier.
But I must say that both of the other cards still offer some fantastic value and are most certainly worth considering if the benefits and perks align with your needs.
Now if you’re interested in 3 of the best hotel reward credit cards that are available now, check out this article here, where I review and compare the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, the World of Hyatt Credit Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card.