Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Review

The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card is an excellent co-branded airline rewards card from Amex and Delta Airlines. The card provides the pinnacle of SkyMiles sophistication, with lounge access, Sky Club membership, an annual companion certificate, upgrades, priority boarding, and more – for a dizzying $550 annual fee.

Take Off with a Huge Welcome Offer

As the pinnacle of the American Express / Delta Air Lines partnership, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve doesn’t skimp on the perks, beginning with the introductory offer. New accounts can earn 60,000 bonus SkyMiles after using their new card to make at least $5,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.

That welcome bonus has a value of around $850 when booking flights through Delta, meaning the luxury-minded traveler can quickly reach the minimum spending requirement by booking a first-class fare with Delta or another SkyTeam alliance partner (and once you see the benefits on offer, you might be wondering where you can sign-up too).

How to Earn Miles

For those that love to fly with Delta, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card is a good but not great option. The card earns 3X miles on all purchases made directly with Delta and 1X miles on all other purchases. Those looking for luxury probably won’t mind too much. Still, for the mile-centric traveler, there might be better value elsewhere.

How to Redeem Miles

Delta SkyMiles provides various redemption options for miles. The easiest way to use miles is through flight bookings with Delta Air Lines booked at Delta.com. Bookings with Delta also have the bonus of featuring no blackout dates, meaning you don’t need to worry about compromising your ideal dates.

You can redeem your SkyMiles not just on Delta flights but also on 30 additional airline partners via SkyTeam. Here’s a list of the current SkyTeam alliance partner carriers:

Other ways to redeem SkyMiles include seat and cabin upgrades through Delta, Delta gift cards, Delta Vacations or Experiences, and incidental fees when flying with Delta. Delta miles are also redeemable for gift cards or purchases made through the Delta SkyMiles Shopping portal.

Related Article: The Ultimate Guide to Delta Air Lines SkyMiles

All the Delta Perks You Need

As mentioned, the Delta Reserve Card from American Express is heavy on the perks, hence the premium price tag. The perks start with the same TakeOff 15 benefit all Amex SkyMiles credit cards enjoy. This feature lets you take 15% off anytime you book Award Travel with miles on Delta flights when using delta.com and the Fly Delta app. There is also the same first-checked bag free, 20% in-flight savings, and Global Entry or TSA Precheck® credits as the Platinum-version of the card.

But there is far more to the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve than basic incidentals with Delta. Take lounge access, for instance. Card members enjoy an impressive selection of lounge options when traveling. First, they enjoy complimentary access to Delta Sky Club®, with two guests permitted for a $50 per person visit. They also enjoy a one-time pair of guest passes for friends or family traveling on the same reservation.

However, the lounge access goes further with complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge when you book your Delta flight with your Reserve Card. The Centurion Lounge and Delta Sky Club combo provides access to two of the most exclusive airport lounges in the world – and with Amex aggressively reducing the eligible cards for Centurion access, this perk cannot be understated.

There are also upgrades: upgrade priority over other Medallion members within the same Medallion level, fare class grouping, and access to complimentary upgrades on Delta-operated services. Finally, cardholders also enjoy a domestic First Class, Delta Comfort+®, or Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon account renewal.

Delta SkyMiles Personal Card Comparison

The Amex Delta Air Lines credit card portfolio is robust, with multiple options for both business and personal use. Not sure which SkyMiles credit card is right for you? Here is a head-to-head comparison of the four Delta consumer credit cards from American Express:

SkyMiles® Blue	Delta SkyMiles® Gold	SkyMiles® Platinum	Delta Reserve
Earn 10K (after spending $1,000 within the first 6 months)*	Earn 65K (after spending $2,000 within the first 6 months)*	Earn 85K (after spending $4,000 within the first 6 months)*	Earn 85K (after spending $6,000 within the first 6 months)*
No annual fee	$99 annual fee ($0 year one)	$250 annual fee	$550 annual fee
2X Miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta and at at restaurants worldwide; 1X on all other purchases.	2X Miles on Delta purchases, at U.S. Supermarkets and at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.; 1X on all other purchases.	3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels; 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets; 1X Miles on all other purchases.	3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with Delta; 1X Miles on all other purchases.
20% inflight savings	20% inflight savings	20% inflight savings	20% inflight savings
No foreign transaction fees	No foreign transaction fees	No foreign transaction fees	No foreign transaction fees
–	First checked bag free	First checked bag free	First checked bag free
–	$100 Delta Flight Credit after spending $10,000 in purchases in a calendar year.	Annual companion certificate	Annual companion certificate
–	–	Priority boarding	Priority boarding and upgrades; complimentary upgrades
–	–	Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck®	Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck®
–	–	Sky Club access for fee	Sky Club & Centurion Lounge access
*See Terms

Status Boost®

Like other SkyMiles credit cards, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card offers access to Delta’s Status Boost®. Spending $30,000 in purchases receives 15,000 Miles Qualification Miles (MQMs). This award is redeemable up to four times yearly, jumpstarting a SkyMiles member towards greater elite statuses.

Other Card Features

Other noteworthy features of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card include EMV chip technology for an extra layer of security when shopping online or in-store, no foreign transaction fees when using the card globally, and American Express network protections:

American Express Ratings

How is Amex as a credit card issuer? Here is a selection of ratings for American Express from experts and the general public:

Should You Apply for the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card?

The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card is an airline reward card geared toward the serious frequent flyer. The annual fee of $550 more than pays for itself. For instance, complimentary access to Delta’s Sky Club has a cash value that exceeds the annual fee. Further perks, such as a companion pass, priority boarding, and a free checked bag, add even more value for cardholders. The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card is an exceptional value if you frequently travel with Delta. For everyone else, however, plenty of great travel rewards cards come with a lower annual fee.