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Is Delta Airlines your preferred airline? Why not be rewarded for it with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card? You can earn 50,000 bonus miles and 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Plus, earn up to $100 back in statement credits for eligible purchases at US restaurants with your card within the first 3 months of membership.
In addition, you can earn 3X miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta as well as 1X mile for every eligible dollar spent on purchases.
Additional perks also include 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, and more!
Continue reading below to see more perks and benefits fro this card!
* The Delta SkyMiles Reserve is issued by American Express. They also offer great sign-up bonuses. You can also compare this card with other credit card bonuses!
Table of Contents
Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card Summary
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| Bonus Available | Earn 50,000 bonus miles and 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Plus, earn up to $100 back in statement credits for eligible purchases at US restaurants with your card within the first 3 months of membership. |
| *Bonus Value | $600 |
| Travel Credit | No travel credit, but you get:
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| Ongoing Rewards/Benefits | Get 3X miles for every $1 spent on purchases made directly with Delta and 1X 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. Accelerate your path to Medallion Status, with Status Boost®. Plus, in 2021 you can earn even more bonus MQMs to help you reach Medallion Status. If you don’t have Medallion Status, your Card adds you to the Complimentary Upgrade list, after Medallion Members. |
| Foreign Transaction Fees | No (see rates & fees) |
| Airport Lounge Access | Complimentary Delta Sky Club access;
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| Annual Fee | $550 (see rates & fees) |
* Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by HustlerMoneyBlog and not the card issuer.
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 100,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,250 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards. You'll earn 2X points on dining including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out and travel. Plus, earn 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases.. And when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, you'll get 25% more value! You get unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee & reduced service fees on orders over $12 for a minimum of one year on qualifying food purchases with DashPass, DoorDash's subscription service. Activate by 12/31/21. This card carries a $95 annual fee. |
60,000 Bonus SkyMiles + 10K MQMs Offer
Get the benefit of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card card’s 60,000 bonus miles and 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) offer now! We value the 60,000 SkyMiles at around $600.
To qualify, you must meet the spend requirement. 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. |
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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
* Visit Delta.com for an updated list of partners.
Delta SkyMiles 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 SkyMiles® Reserve American Express 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 SkyMiles® Reserve American Express 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 SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card! 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!
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What’s The Competition?
* Below are some of the top competitors to the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to consider.
 The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card offers 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Plus, earn up to $50 back in statement credits for eligible purchases at US restaurants with your card within the first 3 months of membership. Earn now. Travel when you're ready. After you spend $10,000 in purchases in a calendar year, you will receive a $100 Delta Flight Credit on your Card to inspire your next travel. You'll earn 2X Miles on Delta purchases at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery, and at U.S. supermarkets; 1X mile for every eligible dollar you spend on purchases. Earn now. Travel when you're ready. After you spend $10,000 in purchases in a calendar year, you will receive a $100 Delta Flight Credit to inspire your next travel. There is a $99 annual fee, however, there is a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year (See Rates & Fees). Now, you'll get get more savings with your first checked bag for free on Delta flights. |
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card offers 100,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,250 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards. You'll earn 2X points on dining including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out and travel. Plus, earn 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases.. And when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, you'll get 25% more value! You get unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee & reduced service fees on orders over $12 for a minimum of one year on qualifying food purchases with DashPass, DoorDash's subscription service. Activate by 12/31/21. This card carries a $95 annual fee. |
 The Platinum Card® from American Express offers 75,000 Membership Rewards Points after you spend $5,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. You'll earn: • 10X points on eligible purchases on your new Card at U.S. Gas Stations and U.S. Supermarkets, on up to $15,000 in combined purchases, during your first 6 months of Card Membership. That's an additional 9 points on top of the 1 point you earn for these purchases. • 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel. Starting January 1, 2021, earn 5X points on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. • 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com. This card comes with an annual fee of $550 (See Rates & Fees), but you cardholders can enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member and Additional Centurion Cards only. 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. |
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