Delta’s $350 Platinum Business Amex Skips Lounges

The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card costs $350 per year and doesn’t include Delta Sky Club access, but it stacks benefits many frequent Delta business flyers can actually use—especially an annual companion certificate, free checked bags

The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card doesn’t open the door most business travelers hope for. There’s no Delta Sky Club access. But for a certain kind of Delta loyalist—someone who flies multiple times a year and wants tangible perks without paying for lounge time—the card can still feel like a bargain.

At $350 annually, the pitch is straightforward: you’re buying airline-specific value. Delta-linked rewards flow directly into SkyMiles. and the benefits are designed to show up in the moments that cost real money—checking bags. using priority boarding. booking Delta award travel. and offsetting the bill with credits.

The card also comes with a clear advantage for small-business owners chasing elite status. It offers multiple ways to earn Delta Medallion status, including a head start through Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) automatically each calendar year and additional MQDs earned through card spending.

This is also where the annual companion certificate enters the story like a payoff. Each year after renewing your card, cardmembers receive a companion certificate valid for a round-trip Main Cabin ticket. It can be used on flights to all 50 U.S. states, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America.

For many travelers. that one benefit is what can justify the annual fee by itself—especially because it’s tangible and doesn’t require a complex redemption strategy. As TPG director of partnerships Sophia Fen put it. “My favorite perks are the annual companion pass and 15% off award travel. Having Resy and ride-hailing benefits are also an added bonus that I often forget about until I see the credits. which is always a nice surprise!”.

Beyond the certificate, the basics matter. Cardmembers get their first checked bag free on Delta-operated flights worldwide and a second checked bag free on domestic U.S. flights. The benefit can extend to up to eight additional travelers on the same reservation. On top of that. the card provides Zone 5 of 8 priority boarding. designed to help travelers secure overhead bin space before general boarding begins.

For status-seekers, the card offers: 2,500 MQDs automatically each calendar year, plus 1 MQD for every $20 spent on the card. It’s a structure that can reduce how much flying is needed to reach elite tiers.

Delta award travel discounts are another lever. Through Delta’s TakeOff 15 benefit, cardmembers receive a 15% discount on the number of miles required for Delta-operated award flights when booking through delta.com or the Fly Delta app and paying taxes and fees on the card.

Then there are the credits—breakdowns that can soften the $350 annual fee. The card includes a Delta Stays statement credit of up to $200 back annually on eligible prepaid Delta Stays bookings. It also offers a Resy statement credit of up to $120 annually per calendar year (up to $10 monthly) at U.S. Resy restaurants, and a ride-hailing statement credit of up to $120 annually with select U.S. ride-hailing providers (up to $10 monthly), with enrollment required for select benefits.

Travel-related perks round it out as well. including a Global Entry fee credit every four years (up to $120) or TSA PreCheck fee credit (up to $85). Cardholders also receive complimentary Hertz Five Star status. a mid-tier elite status. with enrollment required in the Hertz Gold+ Rewards Program. There’s also 20% back on eligible Delta inflight purchases, plus complimentary upgrades after Medallion members when available. At Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), the card provides a TSA PreCheck entrance at Terminal A.

All of this is balanced—because the drawbacks are equally clear. The biggest downside is the annual fee itself: occasional flyers may struggle to extract enough value year after year. More importantly for some travelers. the card does not include Delta Sky Club access. unlike the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card.

There’s also the rewards commitment. The Platinum Business Amex earns Delta SkyMiles rather than flexible transferable rewards. which can feel limiting if you prefer to spread loyalty across multiple airlines. And while the card offers bonus categories, most everyday spending earns just 1 mile per dollar spent.

The welcome offer is also defined. New cardmembers can earn 100,000 bonus miles after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. The offer is available until July 15. Based on TPG’s June 2026 valuations, which value Delta SkyMiles at 1.2 cents apiece, that offer is worth approximately $1,200. The card is subject to Amex’s once-per-lifetime welcome offer policy. meaning if you’ve previously had this card. you may not be eligible for the bonus again. American Express may also consider overall relationship with the issuer when determining welcome offer eligibility.

If you already have the Gold Business card on your radar, it’s a useful comparison point. The Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card carries a $150 annual fee ($0 introductory annual fee the first year) and includes first checked bag free. second checked bag free on domestic Delta flights. priority boarding. and TakeOff 15 award flight discounts. The Platinum Business version adds the annual companion certificate. MQD headstart. MQD earning through spending. additional statement credits. and complimentary upgrades when available.

So the real question becomes who this card is for. The answer. as the benefits stack suggest. is business owners who can reliably use Delta perks and who want an assist toward Medallion status. If you check bags regularly. fly Delta multiple times a year. and can use the included statement credits. the $350 annual fee can pay for itself.

If you don’t, the lack of lounge access and the fee can quickly feel like dead weight. But for travelers who treat Delta as the default—not a backup—the Delta Platinum Business Amex turns routine travel into a set of predictable wins: an annual companion ticket. checked bags without hassle. priority boarding. and credits that keep the math from slipping.

Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business Amex Delta Medallion status annual companion certificate free checked bags priority boarding TakeOff 15 Delta Stays credit Resy credit ride-hailing credit Global Entry credit TSA PreCheck credit Hertz Five Star status