Which AMEX Credit Card Is Better, The Delta Skymiles Reserve or Classic Platinum?

by Daniel | Last Updated March 17th, 2022

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If you’re looking for one of the best credit cards available now that can provide you with a ton of different benefits, insurance coverage, and a signup bonus that is worth more than $1,000, then either of the two cards in this review are worth considering.

In this article, I’m going to review and compare both the American Express Platinum card and the Delta Skymiles Reserve card.
I’ll go over what they cost on an annual basis, how much the sign-up bonus is worth, what you can expect to receive each year in terms of benefits and user perks, and then I’ll give you my opinion on each card.

https://youtu.be/PJT8GwCadMc

So Who are these cards good for?

The Platinum Amex Card and the Delta Skymiles Reserve card are both high-end credit cards that have substantial annual fees, and therefore will be suitable for anyone that spends quite a lot of money on their credit card each year and won’t be bothered by the cost to maintain each card.

The Delta Skymiles Reserve card is clearly going to be beneficial to people that travel on Delta quite often and are looking to get even more value out of their experience. 
With the Platinum Amex Card, it is going to appeal to a larger range of people as it is not just focused on one specific airline, but a whole host of different businesses from which you can find value when using the card.

Now initially it might seem obvious that the Amex Platinum card is the better card in terms of overall value, but it is worth taking into account how each card will benefit your situation and which benefits you will actually use.

APR

So now let’s take a closer look at what the APR is for each of these cards and some of the fees you can incur for late or returned payments or getting a cash advance.
And as with most credit cards, these rates will vary depending on what your creditworthiness is and what the Prime rate is at the given time.

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So generally speaking both cards are pretty much the same in terms of their APR and fees incurred by making late payments.

Annual Fee

Now for the next section of this review let’s take look at the only downside of both of these cards which is the annual fee that they charge each year for the privilege of using them.

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So both cards do cost a fair amount to maintain, and if you don’t make use of the benefits and perks of the cards they can end up creating a net loss in terms of value.
But as you will see in the next few sections of this review, if you do take advantage of each card, they can provide a lot more value than the cost of the annual fee. 

Sign-up Bonus

So now let’s see what each card is currently offering in terms of a sign-up bonus and how much each one is worth.

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Besides being a slightly larger sign-up bonus than the Reserve card you will also have twice that amount of time (6 months) to spend the required amount to receive the bonus, which at $6,000 is $1,000 more than what the Reserve card requires you to spend in 3 months to revive its sign-up bonus.

So for this section, the Amex Platinum card has a more valuable sign-up bonus which is easier to achieve in terms of time. 

* And just a side note, I have seen a sign-up bonus of up to 150,00 bonus points as you can see here, and this is just by using a different browser on a different day, and this is worth up to $250 more than the 125,000 points sign up bonus, so it’s worth spending a couple of days looking at what sign-up bonus you can get.

Earning Miles / Points

So for the next section of this review, I’ll go over how you can earn miles with the Reserve card and how you can earn Points with the Platinum card, and then I’ll compare how much value you can receive by just using the card for everyday spending.

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So as an example, if you were to spend $50,000 at the top-earning sections for each card you would earn 150,000 Miles with the Reserve card’s 3x miles per dollar spent, which would be worth approximately $1,650.
With the Platinum card, $50,000 spent at 5x points earnings would give you 250,000 points, which can be worth up to $2,5000, which is almost $1,000 more than what you would earn with the Reserve card.

So for this section, the Platinum card again trumps the Reserve card in terms of points earning potential and value.

Benefits and User Perks 

Now for the interesting part of this review, let’s take a look at all of the different benefits that come with each card and see what the difference is.

Now it can be a bit confusing as to which class of ticket you can actually use this certificate. 
Basically, it will allow you to travel on a domestic Delta flight on either First Class, Comfort+ or Main Cabin ticket.
But there are limitations on which classes you can use this certificate on, for First Class travel you can only book either I and Z classes, with Main Cabin bookings, only L, U, T, X, and V classes are available, and then with Delta Comfort+ travel, you can book in classes W and S only if L, U, T, X, or V classes of service are available in the Main Cabin of that particular flight.

So it is quite conceivable that you might not be able to book a companion certificate ticket on certain flights due to limited class availability.
Now if you do manage to book a flight you will also be subject to taxes and fees that are associated with the ticket, which is limited to a maximum charge of $75. 

So, it is a nice benefit to have, but you will have to spend some time planning and researching what flights you can actually book with this benefit.
But beware, If you cancel the booking for any reason you will not be reimbursed the companion certificate.

Next up, if you spend $25,000 or more on the card within a calendar year, you will basically waive the required amount of Medallion Qualification Dollars to qualify for either Platinum, Gold, or Silver Status.
And if you spend over $30,000 in the given year, you will earn 15,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs), and this is available up to 4 times per year,  so that’s a total of $120,000 spent to receive a maximum of 60,000 MQMs.

Now along with these first two benefits, you will also receive access to both the Amex Centurion Lounge and the Delta Sky Club which you will also receive 2 One Time Guest Passes each year.
And just note that you will only have complimentary access to the Delta Sky Club when you are actually traveling on a Delta-marked flight the same day.

Another benefit that comes with this card is that you get your First Checked Bags Free on Delta flights with a maximum of 9 waivers per reservation, and this can save you up to $30 per bag per one-way trip.
Along with this, you will also get priority boarding on Delta flights. 
As with most travel reward cards, you will also get up to $100 in statement credits that can be used for either TSA PreCheck or Global Entry.

And finally, you will receive 20% back for inflight purchases on Delta flights that include food, beverages, and audio headsets.

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So first of all, there is a $300 credit that can be used for Equinox Gym Memberships or through their digital fitness app, and this is credited to your account in increments of $25 each month.

If you like to get around using Uber or ordering food via Uber eats, you will get $200 in Uber Cash that is credited to your account in $15 allotments from January through December, with an additional $20 added in December.
With up to $240 in Digital Statement Credits each year, you can receive up to $20 back each month when you sign up to The New York Times, Audible, Sirius XM, or Peacock.
If you book a hotel through American Express Travel at the Fine Hotels + Resorts or the Hotel Collection, you will receive up to $200 in statement credits.

Each year, you will be able to select a Qualifying Airline of your choice that will refund you up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year for any incidental fees that you incur when flying with them, and this can include checked bags and in-flight refreshments, and for this to be valid you do actually have to pay for the incidental fees with the actual card.

You can now also get a $179 statement credit that can be used for CLEAR membership, which basically helps you get through airport security quicker, and I’ve used my CLEAR membership a couple of times, and it has been pretty good so far, it did make getting through security quicker than it would normally take.

If you shop at Walmart you will be able to get a credit of $155 that can be used towards Walmart + membership, and this basically provides you with free same-day shipping on delivery orders that are over $35, which Walmart usually charges between $7.95-$9.95.
If your order is below $35 you will need to pay a reduced amount of $5.99.

Each year you will have the opportunity to receive a total of $100 that can be used at Saks Fifth Avenue, and this is provided in $50 allotments every 6 months.
You will get the same $100 credit that can be used for either TSA PreCheck or Global Entry.

Then you will have access to the Global Lounge Collection which is basically a selection of different airport Lounges that pretty much covers the world and includes the Amex Centurion Lounge, Delta Sky Club, and the Lufthansa lounge.
Along with this, you will also receive a free Priority Pass Select membership that is valued at $429, and this will give you access to over 1,400 airport lounges from all over the world.

Now with all of these perks, you will also get Marriot Bonvoy Gold Elite Status, Hilton Honors Gold Status, and Premier Car Rental Status at Avis, Hertz, and National car rentals.
Another benefit that is only available with the Platinum card is access to the Cruise Privileges Program which allows you to get up to $300 in shipboard credits on 11 different Cruise Partners.

And then finally you will get additional benefits with the Fine Hotels & Resorts Program and The Hotel Collection when you make a booking through American Express Travel.

So for this section, it is quite clear that the Amex Platinum card offers a fair bit more in terms of benefits, but as I mentioned before, it’s worth looking at each of these benefits and considering if you will actually use all of them.

Insurance Related Benefits 

Now for the last section of this review, I’ll go over all of the insurance-related coverage you can expect to receive with each card. 
And both cards offer most of the same coverage, besides one difference which I’ll cover at the end of this section.

So to begin with, both cards receive Car Rental Loss And Damage Insurance that covers up to a total of $75,000 for Damage or Theft of a rental vehicle.

Both cards also have the same Extended Warranty Protection that provides cardholders with 1 extra year of coverage on warranties that are 5 years or less and from within the United States.
And coverage is up to $10,000 per item and $50,000 per calendar year.

Again you will receive the same Purchase Protection on both cards that gives you an additional 90 days of coverage from the date of purchase, and covers stolen, damaged, or lost items up to $10,000 per occurrence and $50,000 per calendar year.

You will also receive Return Protection that covers up to 90 days for items that a merchant won’t take back, and this covers up to $300 per item and a maximum of $1,000 per calendar year.
There is the same Trip Delay insurance on both cards that covers up to $500 per trip in the event that your trip is delayed for more than 6 hours, and each card is limited to a maximum of 2 claims in a 12-month period. 

You will receive Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance on both cards that cover you for up to $10,000 per trip and $20,000 per eligible card per 12-month period.
Each card comes with Cell Phone Protection that covers up to $800 per claim with a maximum of 2 claims per 1 month period, and each claim carries a $50 deductible fee.

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Differences 

So the only difference between these two cards when it comes to insurance coverage is the Baggage Insurance Plan.
And this covers you in the event that your luggage is either lost, damaged, or stolen, and it covers you and your direct family (which includes children that are under 23 and dependent that are traveling on the same flight as you.
Basically, the Reserve card offers up to $500 per covered person for check-in baggage and up to $1,250 for carry-on luggage.
Whereas, with the Platinum Amex Card you will receive up to $2,000 for checked-in baggage and $3,000 for carry-on luggage per person.

Final Thoughts

So what are my overall thoughts about the American Express Platinum card and the Delta Skymiles Reserve card? 

Clearly, the American Express card is superior in almost every aspect, especially value.
It offers a lot more benefits than the Reserve card does, its sign-up bonus is worth about $150 more, and you can earn substantially more with points when spending in the top tier of points earning categories as it earns 5x points versus the Reserves card 3x miles.

If you can manage the extra $145 each year (or $2.78 per week) for the Platinum card, I would personally choose that card.
I’ve had the Platinum Amex Card now going 5 years and have been quite happy with all of the benefits and value I have been able to squeeze out of the card.

Anyway, that pretty much wraps it up.
But I’d be interested to know what you think of these cards?
Do you prefer one card more than the other?

Now If both of these cards are a bit too pricey for you, why not check out my review of the more affordable American Express Gold card here.