People who are frequent Delta airline flyers and want a travel card with a great rewards program will benefit the most from the American Express Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card. In spite of a high annual fee, this card offers multiple perks that cardholders may find beneficial.
With this card, you earn three miles on every dollar spent making purchases through Delta. This includes seat upgrades, lounge passes, food, drinks and more. For every other purchase, you earn one mile per dollar. You also get complimentary access to Delta Sky Miles Club lounge and the Centurion lounge, where you can relax before boarding a Delta flight and enjoy amenities like WiFi, showers, food and drinks, power stations and much more.
The American Express Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card offers a welcome bonus of 50,000 miles, 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) and $100 back in statement credit for eligible purchases at the U.S. restaurants when you spend $3,000 within three months of account opening. The MQMs you earn with this card get you closer to achieving Delta’s Medallion status, which lets you enjoy elite travel benefits. You also get a companion pass, which can be redeemed for a free round-trip Delta flight.
A good travel card with a great rewards program for frequent Delta flyers.
Understanding the pros and cons will give you a clear picture of the American Express Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card's benefits and drawbacks. In turn, this can help you decide if the card belongs in your wallet.
If you want to compare the American Express Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card with other travel cards, MoneyGeek has you covered. Don’t miss the best travel cards of 2021 to see which card is the best fit for your needs.
Looking over the bonuses and rewards structure of this card will help you decide if it offers more value than other cards of the same category.
You get 50,000 bonus miles and 10,000 MQMs when you spend $3,000 within three months of opening an account. You also get $100 back as a statement credit when making eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants.
With this card, you get three miles on spending one dollar making purchases with Delta airlines, such as buying seat upgrades, in-flight entertainment and many more. On every other purchase, you get one mile per dollar spent.
You’ll earn 15,000 MQMs when you spend $30,000 with this card in a year, up to four times. That means if you spend $120,000 in a year with this card, you’ll get 60,000 MQMs, which may help you achieve Medallion status.
This card allows you access to luxury lounges like the Delta SkyMiles Club lounge and Centurion lounge, which offer amenities like WiFi, showers, power stations and much more. You also get two Sky Club one-time guest passes every year.
The American Express Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card offers some additional features that may be beneficial for you.
You can get the Medallion Qualification Dollar (MQDs) requirements for Silver, Platinum or Gold Medallion status waived if you spend at least $25,000 in a calendar year with this card.
Knowing the fees and charges of the American Express Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card can help you use this card more effectively as well as allow you to determine if the fees make sense for your financial needs.
Regular APR
This card charges a variable APR of 15.74%-24.74%, higher than the average APR. You have to pay your balance in full every month to avoid accruing interest charges on your balance.
Annual Fee
With a high annual fee of $550, this card may be an expensive option compared to other cards of the same category. However, paying this annual fee may be worth it if you utilize the rewards program fully.
Cash Advance Fee
When taking out a cash advance with this card, you either pay $10 or 5% of the total amount, whichever is greater, as a cash advance fee.
You can find this information on your credit card issuer’s website, mobile app or the Credit Card Agreement Database maintained by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Additionally, if you want to compare one of your current cards with the American Express Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card, you can look at the billing information on your current credit card.
It is important to consider your history with credit cards while getting this card, as your spending habits may differ based on how many cards you own.
Maximizing your rewards with only the American Express Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card in your wallet would be easy since you would be using it for making everyday purchases and travel purchases through Delta airlines.
As a result, you will reach the spending requirement for the welcome bonus sooner. The rewards you earn with this card will outweigh the hefty annual fee associated with it. However, the high APR of this card means you won’t be able to carry a balance forward every month and need to pay in full to avoid accruing high interest charges on your balance.
Since this card offers a high reward rate on travel purchases, you may want to keep it only for those purchases while using your other cards for everyday purchases. Also, the card has no foreign transaction fees, making it ideal to use while traveling internationally.
With maximum travel-related usage, you may be able to outweigh the high annual fee by earning many rewards with this card. This will make it easier for you to pay the annual fees of other cards that you own.
We follow a six-step process to review credit cards, and our methodology involves collecting credit card information, standardizing data points, potential cardholder profiles, considering annual and introductory bonuses, establishing the card values and reviewing data monthly to reprocess rankings.
While the American Express Delta SkyMiles Reserve is a great travel rewards card and it offers a good rewards program for frequent Delta flyers, it has a high annual fee compared to other cards of the same category. Analyzing this card as well as one of its competitors can help you determine if it’s the right card for you.
American Express Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card
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The following frequently asked questions about American Express Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card will help you understand many other important details about the card.
If you are not convinced that the American Express Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card is right for you, then you can take a look at other travel cards and compare their features to see if any of them are a better fit for your needs. If you would prefer a different type of card, you can also compare cash back, rewards, gas and business cards.
