Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

For Delta loyalists who want a VIP experience, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card is your best option. I’m a huge fan of Delta and I fly them almost exclusively when I’m traveling around the United States. I find them to have the best in-flight experience, food, entertainment, and seats.

If you’re a Delta fan and fly them a lot, then I really think the Reserve card is must to have. While it has the highest annual fee, it also has most comprehensive set of benefits, including Sky Club access, upgrade priority, and faster elite status earning. It’s very much worth the cost and I have gotten way more value out of it than the fee.

Here’s my review of the card!

Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card Overview

The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card is Delta’s premium card that offers frequent travelers a host of benefits and perks and is meant for people who fly a lot on the airline and want more perks as well as faster elite status earning. The annual fee is $650 (See Rates and Fees.) but I think the perks of the card outweigh the cost.

This card offers:

• 70,000 Bonus Miles after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months.
• 3x miles on Delta purchases
• 1x miles on all other spending
• 15 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and unlimited visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
• Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge when you book a Delta flight with your Reserve Card.
• Free checked bag on Delta flights
• Earn 1 MQD for every $10 spent on the card
• Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year
• A domestic First Class, Delta Comfort+, or Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate
• Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
• Up to $240 Resy credit (up to $20 monthly in statement credits)
• Up to $120 Rideshare credit(up to $10 monthly in statement credits)
• Up to $200 Delta Stays credit
• 15% off Award Flight redemption through delta.com and the Fly Delta app
• 20% back on eligible in-flight purchases in the form of a statement credit

In short, there’s a lot of perks with this card and I find that, unlike a lot of other premium cards, they are useful perks! I love the the MQD boost, the hotel credit, the the 15% back on award redemptions, and especially the lounge access. I tend to use the majority of the perks on this card, making the value of it well worth the fee.

Using Your Delta Points

Delta uses dynamic pricing for their rewards. That means that the number of points it takes to book a flight isn’t a set number. Instead, the rate varies based on the cash price of a flight. You can also redeem your points as cash at checkout at the rate of 1 cent per mile but I never find that a good redemption and only rarely ever do that. I only ever do this if I am low on points and don’t have enough to redeem a flight but want to save money off the cash price.

The 15% off on award redemptions makes flights a lot more affordable so be sure to have your card connected to your SkyMiles account. If you are flexible with your dates, you can use their award calendar to see the best points fare as mixing and matching your dates can lead to better deals.

Additionally, Delta offers a lot of award sales so keep an eye out for them. Thrifty Traveler and Point.me are two good websites that can send you alerts. I find Delta miles to be the best for U.S. domestic economy and comfort plus redemptions. Unless there’s a sale, I never book for business or international flights. The redemption value is terrible.

Is the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Worth It?

If you’re a frequent Delta flyer who values lounge access, wants to earn elite status quickly, and appreciates upgrade priority, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card can be worth every penny. For casual travelers, however, the $650 fee will be hard to justify, especially with limited category bonuses.

Pros:

• Sky Club access and Centurion Lounge access with Delta flights
• Companion certificate
• MQDs at double the Platinum earning rate
• Upgrade priority
• Free checked bag and priority boarding
• 15% off award flights

Cons:

• High annual fee
• Few bonus categories for everyday spending
• Lounge access has visit limits

***

The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card is for the most dedicated Delta travelers who want the best experience possible. Between lounge access, upgrade priority, and rapid MQD earning, it offers elite-level travel without having to fly your way there entirely. If you’re in airports and on Delta planes regularly, the Reserve delivers unmatched perks.

Click here to learn more and sign up!

If the fee is too high or you don’t fly Delta enough, check out the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card or Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card which may better suit your needs at a lower cost.

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

If you fly Delta frequently and want to earn toward elite status while enjoying more travel perks than their Gold card offers but don’t want to pay the high fee of the Reserve, the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card is likely the best fit for you. It’s a step up in both annual fee and benefits, giving you tools to reach Medallion status faster, plus credits that can offset travel costs.

Here’s my review of the card!

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card Overview

The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card has an annual fee of $350. That is a pretty high annual fee for a lot of people but I would say that if you fly the airline enough to hit their gold status then you are definitely going to want this card over their other ones as it will give you a lot of perks and make your Delta flying experience better.

This card offers:

• Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
• 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 points on all other purchases
• Companion Certificate on a Main Cabin round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card.
• $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year
• 1 MQD for each $20 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
• $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee
• 15% off award travel redemptions on Delta flights
• $120 Resy credit
• $120 Rideshare credit
• Free checked bags

How to Redeem Delta SkyMiles

Delta uses dynamic pricing for their rewards. That means that the number of points it takes to book a flight isn’t a set number. Instead, the rate varies based on the cash price of a flight. You can also redeem your points as cash at checkout at the rate of 1 cent per mile but I never find that a good redemption and only rarely ever do that. I only ever do this if I am low on points and don’t have enough to redeem a flight but want to save money off the cash price.

The 15% off on award redemptions makes flights a lot more affordable so be sure to have your card connected to your SkyMiles account. If you are flexible with your dates, you can use their award calendar to see the best points fare as mixing and matching your dates can lead to better deals.

Additionally, Delta offers a lot of award sales so keep an eye out for them. Thrifty Traveler and Point.me are two good websites that can send you alerts. I find Delta miles to be the best for U.S. domestic economy and comfort plus redemptions. Unless there’s a sale, I never book for business or international flights. The redemption value is terrible.

Is the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Worth It?

For regular Delta flyers aiming for Medallion status, the The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card is a clear upgrade from the Gold card. The companion certificate alone can offset the annual fee. Add in the TSA PreCheck credit, higher earning rates, and MQD boosts, statement credits, and the 15% off rewards and the card pays for itself. I’m a huge fan of this one. I have the business version of it as I have the Reserve for personal use since I am heavy Delta flier but if you’re not, then get this Platinum card.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Companion certificate each year
• MQD earning through card spend
• Higher earn rates on Delta and hotel purchases
• TSA PreCheck/Global Entry credit
• Free checked bag for you and companions
• 15% off award flights

Cons:

• Higher annual fee at $350
• No Sky Club lounge access
• Companion certificate is domestic main cabin only

***

The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card is best for travelers who fly Delta often and are either chasing or maintaining Medallion status. Between the companion certificate, free checked bags, and the ability to earn MQDs on spending, it offers more than enough perks to justify the higher fee for frequent flyers. If you want lounge access or premium upgrades, however, you might want to look at the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card card instead.

Click here to learn more and sign up!