Compare the Features and Benefits of Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and
Chase Sapphire Reserve®

The Delta SkyMiles Platinum Amex card sits squarely between the ultra-premium (Reserve) and base-level annual-fee (Gold) Delta cards. While the $350 annual fee is still a sizable sum to consider, there’s a mile-long list of benefits for Delta loyalists.

With the Delta Platinum card, it’s not only easy to rack up thousands of SkyMiles from card spend alone, but you could spend your way to the finish line of Medallion status.

You’ll earn 3x bonus miles on Delta purchases and hotel bookings; 2x miles at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets; and 1x miles on all other eligible purchases.

For those that need a hand with reaching the next Delta Medallion® elite status level, this card earns 1 MQD (Medallion Qualifying Dollars) for every $20 spent on eligible purchases with your Card plus $2,500 MQDs each year – just for holding the card!

With your growing balance of Delta SkyMiles, you can book Delta award flights — and enjoy a 15% discount for being a cardholder. Beyond earning and redeeming miles, there are great ways to save money through the a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit every 4.5 years, a first free checked bag on Delta flights, cell phone protection, trip coverage, and purchase protections.

Another key benefit that may move the needle for you is the annual roundtrip companion certificate, good for domestic, Caribbean, or Central American roundtrip flights in the Main Cabin. You’ll receive this reward after paying your card’s annual fee every account anniversary (after account opening). This allows you to book a second flight for a friend or family member for the cost of government imposed taxes and fees. Pick your route wisely, as you can easily save hundreds of dollars (and pay for the $350 annual fee) with the certificate alone. (Terms apply.)

And you’ll also receive up to $390 in statement credits each year with up to $10 per month in statement credits on eligible Resy purchases using your enrolled Card, up to $10 back in statement credits each month on U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers after you pay with your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card (Enrollment Required) and up to $150 back annually on eligible prepaid Delta Stays bookings on delta.com. (Terms apply)

In summary, if you like flying Delta but don’t think you can justify the cost of the higher annual fee for the Reserve level card, the Delta Platinum card may be the perfect fit for your travel needs.

Rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card

The Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card is the one that, in a sense, started it all. While rewards cards have been around for decades, The Chase Sapphire Reserve quickly became a must-have upon its launch in 2016. With a huge bonus offer, the Priority Pass airport lounge access, the easy to use $300 travel credits, and 3X Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on all dining and travel made it an easy sell.

Today, it remains one of the strongest travel credit cards on the market, even if other cards like the newer Capital One Venture X and The Platinum Card® from American Express both get solid market share.

The beauty of the Chase Sapphire Reserve lies in its simplicity.

The $300 annual travel credit works itself off without you even noticing, since travel purchases are automatically applied. With the Venture X, for instance, you also get a $300 annual travel credit but can only use it in the Capital One portal.

Then the Chase Sapphire Reserve is just plain “easy” when it comes to earning, knowing that just about every possible travel or dining purchase (including eligible delivery services) will earn 3X Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

And to that end, with a MilesTalk value of 1.75 cents per point when used via transfer partners like World of Hyatt or for First and Business Class airfare via its many airline partners, you know you’ll get value for those points you earn. In fact, your travel and dining purchases (earning 3X points) have a minimum return on spend value of 4.5% (if you redeem through Chase Travel at 1.5 cents each or an average redemption yield of around 5.25% (3X * 1.75) when you use the Ultimate Rewards airline and hotel partners.

The card is also full of the most important benefits, namely the Priority Pass select membership for airport lounge access for you and 2 guests, including Priority Pass experiences (but not airport restaurants) as well as primary collision/damage coverage on car rentals and trip delay coverage that kicks in after just a 6 hour delay as well as lost luggage insurance. And then there are the somewhat smaller but still valuable perks like your Global Entry fee reimbursement and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Travel(SM) and Chase dining purchases.

And of course, there’s that huge bonus when you spend $4,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening….

So yes, it does have a high annual fee, but after the $300 travel credit, it’s effectively just $250 which the card gives you back via it’s earn rate, redemption rate (1.5 cents per point at Chase Travel) and rich benefits.