
Sign up & start saving!
Get our weekly newsletter for the latest in money news, credit card offers + more ways to save
finder.com’s rating: 4.3 / 5
★★★★★
80,000
Miles as welcome offer
Up to 3x
Miles
$550
Annual fee
15.74% to 24.74%
Purchase APR (variable)
Annual fee | $550 |
---|---|
Welcome Offer | 80,000 bonus miles and 20,000 MQMs after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months |
Rewards | 3x miles on direct Delta purchases and 1x miles on all other purchases |
Purchase APR | 15.74% to 24.74% variable |
Balance transfer APR | N/A |
Recommended minimum credit score | 670 |
Issuer | American Express |
Review by
Kliment Dukovski is a credit cards writer. He's written over 600 articles to help readers find and compare the best credit cards. Kliment has also written on money transfers, home loans and more. Previously, he ghostwrote guides and articles on foreign exchange, stock market trading and cryptocurrencies.
American Express automates its online conditional approval, which means you could see a decision on your application in minutes. If further verification is needed, it could take a few business days up to a few weeks to get a decision.
After approval, you should receive your new card by mail within 10 business days.
The value of SkyMiles® varies by the product or service you redeem them for. Here’s an example of redemption values from the provider website at the time of writing:
Medallion Qualification Miles are a way to earn higher Medallion tiers in the Delta SkyMiles® Loyalty Program. You generally earn 1 MQM for each mile in your trip with Delta and its partners, with higher MQM rewards in first and business class.
You can also achieve higher Medallion tiers by collecting Medallion Qualification Segments and Medallion Qualification Dollars.
The card’s companion certificate is especially valuable if redeemed for a domestic first-class flight. Our March 2019 analysis finds it could be worth over $1,000, which easily covers the card’s annual fee.
This isn’t the only Delta card with a companion certificate. The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card offers one too, albeit only for domestic Main Cabin round-trip flights.
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
★★★★★
Rates & feesGo to site |
---|
Minimum credit score 670 |
Annual fee $550 |
Purchase APR 15.74% to 24.74% variable |
Balance transfer APR N/A |
Rewards 3x miles on direct Delta purchases and 1x miles on all other purchases |
Welcome offer 80,000 bonus miles and 20,000 MQMs after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months |
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
★★★★★
Rates & feesGo to site |
---|
Minimum credit score 670 |
Annual fee $0 intro annual fee for the first year ($99 thereafter) |
Purchase APR 15.74% to 24.74% variable |
Balance transfer APR N/A |
Rewards 2x miles on Delta purchases, restaurants and at US supermarkets and 1x miles on all other purchases |
Welcome offer 70,000 miles after spending $2,000 in the first 3 months |
United℠ Explorer Card
★★★★★
Rates & feesGo to site |
---|
Minimum credit score 670 |
Annual fee $0 intro annual fee for the first year ($95 thereafter) |
Purchase APR 16.49% to 23.49% variable |
Balance transfer APR 16.49% to 23.49% variable |
Rewards 2x miles at restaurants, hotels and United and 1.5x miles on all other purchases |
Welcome offer 40,000 miles after spending $2,000 in the first 3 months, plus 25,000 miles after spending $10,000 in the first 6 months |
Compare even more credit cards
The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card is priced at a premium: $550 a year. But if you’re a frequent Delta flyer and you like traveling in style, the card’s value could far outweigh the cost.
To break even on the annual fee with rewards alone, you’ll need 39,286 miles. This is based on our March 2021 analysis that values each Delta mile at 1.4 cents each.
You can earn these miles by spending:
According to our March 2021 valuation, 80,000 miles are worth $880 — an excellent value. That’s similar to what you’ll earn with many premium cards.
The following benefits could give you a stellar annual value of more than $2,321:
Benefit | Estimated annual value |
---|---|
Complimentary Delta Sky Club access | $545 |
Annual companion certificate | $1,261 |
First checked bag free | $300 |
Main Cabin 1 priority boarding | $150 |
In-flight savings | $40 |
Global Entry/TSA Pre✓® application fee credit | $25 |
Note this is a conservative estimate, as it doesn’t include benefits like access to the Centurion lounge, Status Boost MQMs, travel insurance and purchase protection.
You’ll find superb lounges in Delta Sky Club’s portfolio. Newer lounges include those at Newark Liberty International Airport and Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport. Consider visiting the Sky Club at the Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which comes with an open-air Sky Deck.
While Delta sold single-visit passes, entry to the Delta Sky Club was $59. With the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, you get complimentary access.
To apply for the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, you must be:
Prepare to provide such information as your:
The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card is a premium card, which means you’ll have a better chance of approval if you apply with a good to excellent credit score of 670 or higher. Applying with a higher credit score will potentially get you a larger credit line and a lower APR on purchases.
Customers say they love the opportunity to boost miles, the card’s companion certificate and all the other airline rewards. Still, you’ll find complaints online about ultimately low credit limits, which customers say made reaching Medallion Status difficult. At least one Redditor warns that it’s only great if you spend a lot, given its steep annual fee.
The American Express Company has been accredited with the Better Business Bureau since 1948 and earns an overall A+ rating as of October 2020. However, 90% of its reviews are negative and it has nearly 3,400 customer complaints. Amex cardholders in general complain of rude customer service reps, missing statement credit and issues disputing charges.
The company earns a Trustpilot score of 2 out of 5 as of October 2020. Many negative reviews cite unhelpful customer service and inflexible company policies. Positive reviews say the company employs pleasant customer service representatives. Overall, your mileage may vary with American Express customer support.
In addition to the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card you can apply for the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card or Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card to earn 2x miles at restaurants.
After the end of each month, you’ll see your miles in your Delta SkyMiles account within eight to 12 weeks. Log in to this account to redeem your rewards.
Redeem miles for rewards such as:
You can find great deals on Delta flights — for example, on Main Cabin flights to Canada and Delta One international flights.
Also, keep an eye out for high-value partner flights. Delta is a member of the SkyTeam alliance, and it partners with non-alliance carriers like WestJet and Virgin Atlantic.
Travelers who are loyal to Delta should find the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card more than adequate. It comes with a generous welcome offer, accelerated earnings toward SkyMiles Medallion Status and travel perks like discounted Delta Sky Club access and a free companion certificate annually.
But if you spend more than $30,000 on purchases a year, you might get even higher status with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card.
★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
★★★★★ — Poor
Our team evaluates credit cards to determine their value against similar cards on the market.
We rank card types — travel, cash back, business — on a set of factors that are most relevant to that type of card. We create these rankings to help you narrow down a credit card that best suits your spending and budget.
Images: AmericanExpress.com