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Is Delta Airlines your preferred airline? Why not be rewarded for it with the Delta Reserve® Credit Card from American Express?
You can earn 75,000 Bonus Miles and 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Offer Expires 10/30/2019.
In addition, you can earn 2X miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta & 1X mile for every eligible dollar spent on purchases.
To list a few of the many perks you can expect: a complimentary Delta Sky Club® Access in which you can enter the Delta Sky Club® at no cost and bring up to two guests for an exclusive rate of $29 per person per visit, an annual Delta Reserve Annual Companion Certificate where you can receive a Domestic First Class, Delta Comfort+® or Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card., & concierge service available to you day or night as a personal resource for many different aspects of your life.
Table of Contents
Delta Reserve from American Express Summary
 The Delta Reserve® Credit Card from American Express offers 5,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. You can earn 2X miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta. Earn 1X mile for every eligible dollar spent on purchases. This card does come with a $450 Annual Fee ($550 if application is received on or after 1/30/2020). Seems hefty but perks like being able to check your first bag free on Delta flights -that's a savings of up to $240 per round trip for a family of four. In addition, you can enjoy a Domestic First Class, Delta Comfort+® or Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your card & enter Delta Sky Club® at no cost and bring up to two guests for an exclusive rate of $29 per person per visit. |
| Bonus Available | 75,000 Bonus Miles and 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Offer Expires 10/30/2019. |
| *Bonus Value | $840* |
| Travel Credit | No travel credit. But you get a companion certificate every year when you renew your card membership. |
| Ongoing Rewards/Benefits | Get 2 miles for every $1 spent on purchases made directly with Delta and 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
You (and up to 8 travel companions) get your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Receive Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding on Delta flights. Enjoy 20% inflight savings in the form of statement credits on eligible purchases. Earn 15,000 bonus SkyMiles and 15,000 MQMs when you spend $30,000 within a calendar year. Earn another 15,000 bonus SkyMiles and 15,000 MQMs after spending $60,000. |
| Foreign Transaction Fees | No |
| Airport Lounge Access | Complimentary Delta Sky Club access. |
| Annual Fee | $450 Annual Fee ($550 if application is received on or after 1/30/2020) |
Recommended Free Credit Score (Get Free Score) 690 – 850 (Good – Excellent)
PROS
- Welcome bonus
- Annual companion certificate
- Delta Sky Club access
- First checked bag free
- Priority boarding
- Partner airlines
- No foreign transaction fees
CONS
- Premium annual fee
Editor’s Alternate Pick
 The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®! You'll earn 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide; 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. And when you redeem your points for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards, you'll get 25% more value! |
75,000 Bonus SkyMiles + 10,000 MQMs Offer
Get the benefit of the Delta Reserve card’s 75,000 bonus SkyMiles + 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) offer now! We value the 75,000 SkyMiles at around $840.
To qualify, you must spend at least $5,000 to your card within the first 3 months of your account opening. Compare this to other top credit card bonuses that are being offered.
Here are some ideas on meeting the spending requirement:
| • Plastiq - Using Plastiq allows you to pay for your personal expenses such as rent, tuition, mortgage, auto lease etc. Although they charge a 2.5% processing fee for using your credit card, this will contribute to the card bonus that you will receive. There is also a referral program that allows you to earn "Free-Free Dollars" that goes towards processing fees as well. |
| • Funding Checking Accounts - When it comes to funding a checking account, opening your initial deposit with a credit card is the usual way to go about it. However, if you want to have more opportunities, you should open a checking account that offers a sign-up bonus. This allows you to work towards bonuses from not one but two different sources instead. Banks like Chase, Huntington Bank, TD Bank and BBVA offers credit card funding, and for your opening deposit, you can often fund anywhere from $50-$1000 with a credit card, depending on the bank. |
| • Gift Card Purchases With Using a Credit Card - Another way to acquire the bonus is using your credit card to purchase gift cards. Buying a a gift card or an individual merchant card typically do not require a purchase fee and are used towards leisure, so gift cards are ideal. However, gift cards such as a Visa or American Express do incur purchase fees because they can be spent anywhere, but gift cards that are specifically for a certain online shopping site such as Amazon or eBay don't. |
| As for a Citi Credit Card, you should call customer service and ask them to lower your Cash Advance limit to $0 before making any purchases because Citi tends to read gift card purchases as a Cash Advance. Ideally, you should do this with any card just to be safe. Lastly, there is such thing as a discounted gift card which can be purchased on Raise or eBay. If you use a credit card often for everyday purchases, it can build your credit score that will contribute towards paying for things such as bills and taxes. |
| |
What Are Delta SkyMiles Worth?
Similar to other airline-branded credit cards, the value of the miles you earn will depend on how you use them. Approximately, one Delta SkyMiles is worth $0.012. This is slightly valued higher than the industry average of $0.01 per point.
Here are some of the best ways to redeem your SkyMiles:
- Flights with Delta
- Flights with partner airlines
- Upgrades
- Hotel stays
- Car rentals
- Vacation packages
- Exclusive experiences
- Merchandise
- Gift cards
- Charity donations
To get the most out of your points, make sure you use them toward award flights through Delta or their partners.
SkyMiles SkyTeam & Non-Alliance Partners Include
- Aeroflot
- Aerolineas Argentinas
- Aeromexico
- Air Europa
- Air France
- Air Tahiti nui
- Alitalia
- China Airlines
- China Eastern
- China Southern
- Czech Airlines
- Garuda Indonesia
- GOL
- Hawaiian Airlines
- Jet Airways
- Kenya Airways
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
- Korean Air
- Mandarin Airlines
- Middle East Airlines
- Saudia Airlines
- Shanghai Airlines
- Tarom Airlines
- Vietnam Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
- Virgin Australia
- WestJet
- Xiamen Airlines
Delta Reserve Card Top Features
Receive one domestic First Class, Comfort+ or Main Cabin roundtrip companion certificate every year when you renew your account. Long distance domestic flights are getting more expensive nowadays, so this perk could easily negate the card’s annual fee.
This benefit is better compared to the lower fee Platinum Delta SkyMiles Card from American Express, where the certificate is for Main Cabin only.
First checked bag free. You, and up to 8 travel companions, get your first checked bag free. One checked bag is up to $30 a pop, one-way. So the maximum you could be saving with this perk is $540 (for 9 people) on a roundtrip flight.
Main Cabin 1 priority boarding. This means getting on the plane earlier and having first dibs on overhead bin space for your hand luggage.
Inflight discount. Receive a 20% savings in the form of statement credit on eligible pre-purchased meals and inflight food, alcoholic beverages and headset purchases.
Get unlimited complimentary access to Delta Sky Club every year you’re a cardmember. Bring up to 2 guests with you at a discounted rate of $29 per person. These lounges offer a place to work, relax and enjoy complimentary snacks, beverages and WiFi.
Without the Delta Reserve card, you would have to pay $500+ a year for unlimited individual access. So this benefit alone more than covers the card’s annual cost.
Both the Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express and Platinum Delta SkyMiles cards only offer a discounted rate ($29) per visit to Delta Sky Clubs.
Only these ultra premium cards also cover access to Delta Sky Clubs: The Platinum Card from American Express and The Business Platinum Card from American Express. These cards also cover many other lounge networks, including the Centurion Lounges.
Earn bonus miles and MQMs when you spend certain amounts in one calendar year:
| Spend Threshold | Bonus SkyMiles | Bonus MQMs |
| $25,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| $50,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 |
Regardless of when your card account was opened, the calendar year for these benefits will end on December 31.
This card has the ability to waive the requirements for the Medallion Qualification Dollar (MQD) for the Silver, Gold and Platinum status tiers if you spend at least $25,000 for that year. However, for Diamond status, you will need to spend at least $250,000 for the year.
Medallion status is the ultimate goal for flyers because it offers unlimited complimentary ticket upgrades. Each medallion tier also earns more miles and benefits.
Make purchases abroad without worrying about foreign transaction fees with the Delta Reserve card.
Bottom Line
If you’re traveling frequently with Delta Airlines, it’s a no-brainer to reap the perks of benefits with the Delta Reserve Credit Card from American Express! You can enjoy several benefits across your travels, shopping & entertainment, and much more!
If you’re interested in what more Amex has to offer, see our list of the latest American Express Credit Card Promotions! For a more variety, see our list of the latest credit card promotions!
(Visit American Express for more details)
What’s The Competition?
Below are some of the top alternatives to the Delta Reserve credit card from American Express you should consider.
Lower Tier Delta Card
If the premium annual fee with the Delta Reserve card is a little bit out of reach, consider the Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express. Common perks include free first checked bags, priority boarding and 2X Delta Skymiles on spending.
 The Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express offers 60,000 Bonus Miles after you use your new Card to make $2,000 in purchases within your first 3 months and a $50 Statement Credit after you make a Delta purchase with your new Card within your first 3 months. Offer expires 10/30/2019. You'll earn 2X miles for every dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta; 1X mile for every eligible dollar you spend on purchases. In addition, you'll receive 50% back in the form of statement credits on purchases made directly with Delta with your Card within the first 3 months, up to $300 back. There is a $95 annual fee, however, there is a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year (See Rates & Fees). Now, you'll get a savings of up to $240 per round trip for a family of four by being able to check your first bag free on Delta flights. |
Premium Card Alternatives
The luxury travel perks may be important to you, so check out these top tier travel cards:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®! You'll earn 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide; 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. And when you redeem your points for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards, you'll get 25% more value! |
 The The Platinum Card® from American Express offers 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases in your first 3 months. This card comes with an annual fee of $550 (See Rates & Fees), but you cardholders can enjoy Uber VIP status and free rides in the U.S. up to $15 each month, plus a bonus $20 in December. That can be up to $200 in annual Uber savings. Furthermore, you'll receive $200 Airline Fee Credit, up to $200 per calendar year in baggage fees and more at one qualifying airline. Plus, up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue on your Platinum Card® & receive complimentary benefits with an average total value of $550 with Fine Hotels & Resorts. In addition, you can earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel & on prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com. |
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