Pro Tips for a Seamless Upgrade From the Delta Gold Card to the Delta Platinum Card [2024]

If you’ve got a Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card, there’s never been a better time to consider an upgrade. That’s because Delta recently made a number of changes to its family of American Express cards, adding new benefits, but also raising the annual fees. So it’s a good opportunity to sit down and consider whether you’re ready to graduate to a better Delta credit card.

But how exactly do you go about turning in your Delta Gold card for another option, such as the Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card? There are 2 basic ways to do it, and both have their pros and cons. Let’s take a look at each path in detail — and share some important tips — so you can upgrade your Delta credit card like a pro.

Delta Gold Card vs. Delta Platinum Card

When considering the best way to switch your Delta Gold card to a Delta Platinum card, your first question should be whether to upgrade in the first place. The 2 cards share some perks, but the Delta Platinum card has an extra tier of benefits that don’t appear on the Delta Gold card.

Delta Gold Card Benefits

As a Delta Gold card member, you get a first checked bag for free when flying Delta, Main Cabin 1 priority boarding, and 20% back on your inflight purchases. You’ll earn a $200 Delta flight credit after you spend $10,000 on your card in a calendar year, and you won’t pay any foreign transaction fees on overseas purchases.

On the redemption side of the equation, the Delta Gold card comes with the ability to use your SkyMiles for award travel on Delta or partner airlines or to Pay With Miles for any flight available with cash at a fixed rate of 1 cent per mile. Plus, with the card’s TakeOff 15 benefit, you also get 15% off all award travel prices when booking a Delta or Delta Connection-operated flight.

As an added bonus, with the card’s recently added benefits, you now also get up to $100 in Delta Stays credit each year when booking prepaid hotels or vacation rentals through delta.com.

Delta Platinum Card Benefits

If you’re only an occasional Delta flyer, these basic perks of the Delta Gold card are probably all you need. But if you’re looking for a leg up, the extra features of the Delta Platinum card may be enticing.

Those additional benefits include up to $120 in annual Resy credits, up to $120 each year in U.S. ride-share credits, up to $150 annually in Delta Stays credits, and a credit of up to $100 every 4 years for Global Entry or $85 every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck.

On top of all that, after your first year with the card and each year thereafter on your card anniversary, you’ll receive a Main Cabin companion certificate, which was recently enhanced to include more eligible destinations — such as Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, and the Caribbean — in addition to the continental U.S.

Finally, with the Delta Platinum card, you’ll get a $2,500 Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQD) boost each year, and the ability to earn an additional $1 MQD for every $20 in eligible purchases on the card. All of these perks aren’t available on the Delta Gold card, and they may very well be worth paying a higher annual fee each year.

Hot Tip:

The difference in annual fees between the Delta Gold card and the Delta Platinum card is $200 a year. But you’ll more than make up for that additional cost if you can utilize the annual Resy and U.S. ride-share credits available with the Delta Platinum card. And that’s not even taking into account all the card’s additional benefits.

Benefits Comparison

Here’s an overview showing both the similarities and differences:

Benefit	Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card	Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
Inflight Benefits	Free first checked bag (terms apply) Main Cabin 1 priority boarding 20% back on inflight purchases
Earning Rates	2x on Delta purchases 2x at restaurants, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. 2x at U.S. supermarkets	3x on Delta purchases 3x on purchases made directly with hotels 2x at restaurants, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. 2x at U.S. supermarkets
Delta Stays Credit	Up to $100 back annually on eligible prepaid Delta Stays bookings on delta.com	Up to $150 back annually on eligible prepaid Delta Stays bookings on delta.com
Statement and Flight Credits	$200 Delta flight credit after you spend $10,000 on your card in a calendar year	Up to $10 in statement credits each month on eligible Resy purchases Up to $10 in statement credits each month on U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers Up to $85 in statement credits when applying for TSA PreCheck or $100 for Global Entry
TakeOff 15 Benefit	Get 15% off when booking award travel with miles
Foreign Transaction Fee	None (rates & fees)	None (rates & fees)
Authorized User Fee	None (rates & fees)	None (rates & fees)
Travel Protections	Secondary car rental coverage	Secondary car rental coverage Trip delay reimbursement
Cell Phone Protection	None	Up to $800 in reimbursements with a $50 deductible per claim
Annual Companion Certificate	None	After your first year with the card, 1 roundtrip Main Cabin companion ticket to a domestic, Caribbean, Mexico, or Central America destination every year for just the cost of taxes and fees
MQD Boost	None	Earn $1 MQD for each $20 of purchases made on your card in a calendar year, plus $2,500 in MQDs at the start of each year
Annual Fee	$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 (rates & fees)	$350 (rates & fees)

How To Upgrade Your Delta Gold Card

So, you’ve decided to upgrade. What’s the best way to do it?

Call American Express

One option is to call American Express at the number on the back of your Delta Gold card and ask to be upgraded to a Delta Platinum card. A phone agent will check your eligibility, as your account needs to be in good standing, and you’ll need to have had your existing card open for at least a year before upgrading.

If you qualify, the agent can approve you for an upgrade in a few minutes, and you’ll receive your new card within 7 to 10 business days. You’ll then pay a prorated annual fee for the remainder of your membership year with the card.

Now, while this may be the easiest way to upgrade, it’s not necessarily the best. You generally won’t get a welcome bonus offer for upgrading directly instead of applying for a new card. So by upgrading this way, you’re forfeiting any potential welcome offer you might be eligible for if you were to apply for a brand new Delta Platinum card instead.

Even worse, when you upgrade directly like this, you’re also forfeiting any future welcome bonus offer on the Delta Platinum card. American Express only allows you to earn a welcome offer on a card if you’ve never had that card before, and upgrading without a bonus counts as having had the card. So if you were to eventually cancel the card and apply for it again in the future, you wouldn’t be able to get the bonus then either.

Apply via a Targeted Offer

There are times when you might be targeted for an upgrade bonus offer. While these offers aren’t available to everyone, if you’re targeted for one, they typically appear when you’re logged into your online American Express account or in the Amex app, or you may get an offer via email.

I personally received an upgrade offer like this just recently. In my case, it was to upgrade my small business Delta SkyMiles^® Gold Business American Express Card to a Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum Business American Express Card. (Yes, Delta business cards can be upgraded in the same way as personal Delta cards.)

While upgrade offers usually aren’t as lucrative as standard welcome offers, they can sometimes make it worth upgrading directly instead of going through the hassle of applying for a new card.

Additional Reasons To Upgrade

There are also other reasons you might want to directly upgrade your current Delta Gold card to a Delta Platinum card. Upgrading a card generally doesn’t result in a new inquiry on your credit report, while a new application likely will. And, if you’ve already had a Delta Platinum card in the past, you’re probably not eligible to get the welcome bonus offer again under the application rules of American Express. So in that case, it makes sense to upgrade without a bonus offer (or to take advantage of a targeted upgrade bonus offer).

Bottom Line:

While there are some situations where it makes sense to upgrade your card directly, you’re typically losing out on the new card’s welcome offer by doing so, and even potentially making yourself ineligible for getting a bonus offer later down the line. In most cases, there’s a better way.

Apply for a New Delta Platinum Card, Then Cancel Your Delta Gold Card

If you’re willing to do a little extra work to pick up a lot of extra SkyMiles, you’ll want to apply for a new Delta Platinum card instead of upgrading your current Delta Gold card in order to take advantage of the card’s welcome offer.

Ideally, you’ll want to apply for a new Delta Platinum card before canceling your current Delta Gold card, just to be certain you’re approved for the new card — and its welcome bonus offer — before getting rid of the old one. Amex doesn’t have any restrictions about having both a Delta Gold card and a Delta Platinum card at the same time, so it’s fine to apply for the new card even while you still have the old one.

However, there are 2 caveats to keep in mind. First, Amex does limit customers to an overall total of 5 open American Express credit card accounts at any given time. This includes both personal credit cards and business credit cards but doesn’t apply to the issuer’s charge cards. So if you already have 5 Amex credit cards, you’re going to need to close 1 first in order to apply for a new Delta Platinum card.

Second, if your credit score has taken a hit since the last time you applied for a credit card, perhaps as a result of taking out new debt such as a car loan or mortgage, you may not qualify for a new card (though you may be able to get an upgrade). Or if you’re already at the maximum limit of how much credit Amex is willing to extend to you, getting a new card without closing the old one first might be tricky (though sometimes Amex is willing to move your existing credit around in order to open a new account).

In either case, you can either close your existing Delta Gold card ahead of applying for a new Delta Platinum card, or you can apply for the Delta Platinum card and then call Amex if there’s an issue, and work with them to close an existing card or move credit around to make room for the new account if it’s needed.

Hot Tip:

If you close your Delta Gold card account first, you don’t need to worry about losing your existing SkyMiles. Any SkyMiles already in your Delta SkyMiles account are safe and will still be there even after closing your card. SkyMiles earned from your new Delta Platinum card can then be added to the same SkyMiles account.

How Much Is the Delta Platinum Card Welcome Offer Worth?

Why is it so important to make sure you aren’t missing out on a credit card welcome offer when you upgrade? Because snagging a great welcome offer is the quickest way to earn a big stash of miles right out of the gate.

While just having a credit card is a terrific way to earn points or miles on everything you buy each day, you’ll also get a great head start on an upcoming trip if you make sure to apply for a card with a welcome offer when you’re eligible for it, and then complete the minimum spending requirement in the allotted time.

The welcome offer on the Delta Platinum card changes regularly, but you can find the latest offer below:

Earn 50,000 miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases in the first 6 months.

Who Should Upgrade to the Delta Platinum Card?

If you’re not sure whether an upgrade from the Delta Gold card to the Delta Platinum card makes sense for you, here are 5 questions you can ask yourself when making your decision.

1. Are You a Regular Delta Flyer?

The Delta Platinum card is really only a good fit for travelers who find themselves on a Delta plane more than a few times a year. If you tend to switch airlines each time you fly and aren’t particularly loyal to Delta, then you’re probably fine keeping a Delta Gold card and taking advantage of its benefits.

2. Can You Utilize the Monthly Credits of the Delta Platinum Card?

In order to really get full value from the Delta Platinum card, you’re going to want to be able to take advantage of as many benefits as possible, especially the monthly credits, since those can literally put money back into your pocket. If you’re not likely to be able to utilize at least a majority of those credits, then you might want to stick with your Delta Gold card for the moment.

3. Are You Chasing Delta Elite Status?

With this year’s changes to the Delta elite status program, it is now possible to earn an unlimited number of Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) through credit card purchases. But the Delta Gold card doesn’t offer this feature — it’s only available on the higher-end Delta cards, such as the Delta Platinum card. So if you’re looking to make it to a higher tier of Delta status this year, an upgrade may be in order.

4. Do You Need Cell Phone Protection?

Everyone drops and cracks their cell phone from time to time, or you can be unlucky enough to have one stolen from you. The Delta Gold card doesn’t provide any coverage if and when that happens, but with the Delta Platinum card, you’ll be reimbursed for the costs of repairing or replacing your damaged or stolen cell phone, up to a maximum of $800 per claim with a $50 deductible, so long as you paid your cell phone bill with the card in the previous month before the incident.

5. Will You Fly With a Companion?

While you won’t get an Annual Companion Certificate until the start of your second year with the Delta Platinum card, once you have it, you can now use it to take a companion on a roundtrip flight in Main Cabin to more destinations, including anywhere in the U.S. (including Alaska and Hawaii), the Caribbean, or to Central America. You’ll only have to pay the taxes and fees for your companion, with a maximum of $80 for roundtrip domestic flights, and no more than $250 for roundtrip international flights. That’s a perk that isn’t available on the Delta Gold card.

Final Thoughts

With all the recent changes in Delta credit cards, now’s the time to consider if your current Delta Gold card is still the right fit for your lifestyle. It could be the case that paying more for the extra benefits of the Delta Platinum card makes sense.

But if you decide to upgrade to the Delta Platinum card, make sure you’re getting the most for it by applying for a new card and earning a welcome bonus offer (if you’re eligible for one) instead of upgrading your existing card directly. It’ll take a little extra time and effort, but it’s worth it to avoid leaving a nice haul of SkyMiles on the table.

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For the car rental loss and damage insurance benefit of the Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

For the car rental loss and damage insurance benefit of the Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

For the trip delay insurance benefit of the Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

For the cell phone protection benefit of the Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card, coverage for a stolen or damaged eligible cellular wireless telephone is subject to the terms, conditions, exclusions and limits of liability of this benefit. The maximum liability is $800, per claim, per eligible card account. Each claim is subject to a $50 deductible. Coverage is limited to two (2) claims per eligible card account per 12 month period. Eligibility and benefit level varies by Card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.