There are several reasons why you might choose to sign up for a Delta Air Lines cobranded credit card. The airline offers a complete line of credit cards through banking partner American Express, which range from one with no annual fee and limited benefits to a card that costs hundreds of dollars but comes along with premium perks like upgrades and lounge access. However, one of the other most important reasons for seeking out a 
Delta Air Lines
cobranded credit card is if you are looking to earn elite status.
Some of the most premium Delta Air Lines credit cards come along with elite status boosters that allow you to get to elite status significantly quicker. Qualification for Medallion status, Delta’s unique elite status scheme, is determined by a SkyMiles member’s amount of Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs). These can be earned in several ways, with the principal way of accruing them being by purchasing tickets on Delta Air Lines flights.
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While there are some other ways to accrue MQDs, such as through booking Delta Vacation packages, earning on cobranded credit cards is one of the best ways to boost your chances of earning status without flying more. There are multiple different kinds of cobranded credit cards offered by Delta which do offer status-boosting benefits, but deciding which of these many options may be best for you can be somewhat difficult. In this article, we will take a deeper look at the airline-cobranded credit cards offered by Delta, and we will attempt to evaluate under what circumstances you might want to sign up for each one.
The Delta Air Lines SkyMiles Platinum Card
The Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card is a valuable option for those looking to enhance their inflight experience and earn elite status, especially if they are frequent Delta travelers. The card itself offers elevated mileage accrual rates, multiple different travel perks, and faster access to Delta’s elite Medallion status. The card comes along with an annual fee of $350, but the benefits will easily outweigh this cost if one efficiently uses all the card’s benefits.
Photo: American Express
As mentioned, one of the biggest advantages of the Delta Platinum Card is its ability to help cardholders get Delta Medallion Status quicker, which offers benefits like free upgrades, priority boarding and waived fees. As of 2025, Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) are now the only requirement for earning Delta status, which replaces the older system of flight segments and flight miles. The Delta Platinum Card provides a $2,500 MQD Headstart each year, and it automatically gives cardholders a boost towards earning elite status. Those with a Platinum Card can earn 1 MQD for each $20 spent on card purchases, meaning that one who spends $12,500 annually on the card would be eligible to earn an additional 625 MQDs.
SkyMiles
- Countries
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United States
- Established Date
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1981
The SkyMiles Platinum Card does come along with a few other benefits, including 90,000 additional miles which are awarded after one spends $4,000 in the first six months. Delta passengers are offered 3 miles per dollar on all purchases made with Delta Air Lines and booked directly with hotels. Delta passengers are also offered 2 miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide, supermarkets (in the US) and eligible takeout/delivery services. Customers will earn one mile per dollar on all other purchases.
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These two cards offer a myriad of benefits.
With this card, getting elite status could not be easier. Customers will start by receiving a $2,500 MQD Headstart, and, since Silver Medallion status only requires an additional $2,500 MQDs, one can simply take a few Delta flights and get your way there. Earning status with the MQD accrual feature on the card alone, however, is a little more challenging as it would require spending $50,000 on the card.
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A deeper look at the Delta Platinum Business American Express Card
The SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express card offers a similar set of travel perks, earning rates and elite status benefits to customers, with them having key differences in spending categories but relatively few differences when it comes to elite status acceleration. Both of these cards provide a $2,500 MQD earning headstart at the beginning of the year, which gets them closer to earning Medallion status.
The Delta Platinum Business Card also offers holders an additional MQD per $20 spent on all purchases. However, as businesses tend to make significantly larger purchases than people individually, the SkyMiles Business Platinum Card will likely be better for those making large purchases, as it offers 1.5 miles per dollar spent on purchases over $5,000. Therefore, despite coming along with numerous benefits, it is still important to note that the Delta Platinum Business American Express Card does not really bring all that much more to the table than the Platinum personal card.
A deeper look at the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card
For those looking for a premium travel experience, the Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card will likely be the best way to go. This top-tier airline credit card was designed for frequent Delta travelers, especially those in search of elite status benefits and lounge access. Offering an annual fee of $650, there are quite a few perks which come along with this exclusive card, including access to the Delta Sky Club and the Centurion Lounge.
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The Benefits You Get As A Delta SkyMiles Silver Medallion Member
Being a SkyMiles Silver Medallion member can be rewarding.
Each year, Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card members will be given a first-class companion certificate, and they will be offered accelerated access to Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs). Similarly, members will be offered a $2,500 MQD head start, which will offer you the same status boost as any of Delta’s Platinum cards. However, the MQD boost offered to customers for spending on their cards is significantly higher. For each $10 spent on the card, customers will be eligible to earn a single MQD, meaning they can double the amount that they can accrue in comparison to those with Platinum cards.
Photo: American Express
At the same time, passengers will be able to access the many benefits of having a SkyMiles Reserve Card, which includes lounge access, guest passes and travel companion certificates. Customers with this card can also enjoy a broad range of annual Delta credits, and will rarely be charged bag or same-day change fees.
A quick look at the Delta SkyMiles Business Reserve Card
The Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Personal American Express Card share a number of premium benefits, but they do differ when it comes to their earnings structures and travel credits. However, they do not offer customers different elite status-earning benefits in comparison to the personal Reserve Card. Reserve Business Card holders are eligible to earn 1.5 miles per $1 spent on transit, US-based shipping and office supplies.
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The Reserve Business Card offers passengers a higher $250 Delta Stays credit in comparison to a $200 credit offered by the Personal Card. The Reserve Business Card offers customers 15 complimentary Delta Sky Club visits per year, with unlimited visits for those that spend $75,000 on the card within a year. The Reserve Business Card does also offer more generous trip delay insurance and cancellation coverage, according to American Express.
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The answer is not as straightforward as it may seem.
As a result, there really is not all that much of a difference when it comes to all four different Delta Air Lines credit cards which come along with elite status-boosting schemes, and one should really just tailor their decision to their personal spending habits. Furthermore, consumers should thoroughly examine their spending and travel habits to identify which of these four cards will allow them to maximize their rewards. The one thing that customers may want to consider is that the Delta Reserve cards offer slightly higher rates of mileage accrual for the amount spent by individual passengers. At the end of the day, all of these cards can help you improve your travel experience and achieve your elite status goals faster.
