The Delta Amex appears to have an annual fee of $550. Not sure what the cost over the various nickels and dimes are, but for most of us who don't fly often, I suspect they're cheaper. Frequently flyers like yourself may find more value in their programs.
I suspect the same goes for hotels, although I'm curious what sort of things you're counting towards your "better experience" with the larger chains that the "mom and pops" aren't offering, in my (limited) experience, the smaller places are often better, because they can't afford to lose the business and "go the extra mile."
I'm not super familiar with the Fairphones, but it seems you'd be more likely to have a better experience on (eg) FDroid, which is without the Google bloat. I will admit, I have not tried it, though. To the second half of that though, re:Disney/Marvel - they definitely have a bigger budget toward huge actions shots, but storywise, they are often pretty thin, imo.
For pizza - it seems this will vary hugely per person. For instance, my favorite pizza, across all I've ever tried, is still a frozen Jack's pizza. Not quite the cheapest available, but very close.
I guess my point is, the more expensive options can definitely have an appeal for various, valid reasons, but that doesn't invalidate the cheaper options as maybe "better" options for some people.