Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Review

Limited-Time Offer: Earn 125,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000. Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 in purchases with your new Card, and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card, both within your first 6 months. Ends 07/15/2026.

Annual Fee: $650

(Rates & Fees)

3xmiles on Delta purchases

1xmiles on all other eligible purchases

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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.

Why We Like This Card

This card is an exclusive tool catering to frequent flyers seeking premium travel benefits when flying Delta. With an impressive welcome offer, it's a card that rewards big spenders.

The card provides complimentary access to Delta Sky Club lounges when traveling on a same-day Delta flight (limited to 15 visits per year unless they spend $75k or more on the card per calendar year) and the Amex Centurion lounge. And with 4 one-time guest passes, this can help make the airport experience that much better.

For those focused on status, the card offers a $2,500 MQD boost, helping you reach your status goals ever so fast. This MQD boost stacks with other boosts provided by other eligible Amex Delta cards. Additionally, for every $10 spent, you earn 1 Medallion® Qualification Dollar, propelling you even closer to coveted Medallion Status.

With generous benefits on Delta flights, this card helps significantly improve the overall flying experience. Cardholders get a 15% discount on award travel, upgrade priority, and access to the upgrade list for non-Delta status members.

To help offset the annual fee, there are several great features. These benefits include an annual Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a First Class, Delta Comfort+®, or Main Cabin round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card, with only taxes and fees to pay. Other enticing new perks include a $240 Resy Credit (up to $20 per month on eligible Resy purchases) and a $120 Rideshare Credit (up to $10 in statement credits on U.S. rideshare purchases), offering monthly statement credits that cater to dining and transportation preferences.

Despite its hefty annual fee, this card offers a slew of benefits (that aren't all covered here) that might be worth considering for some frequent flyers.

Other Benefits

• Delta SkyMiles(R) Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion(R) Year to the
• Delta Sky Club(R) when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you'll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion
• Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
• Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion(R) Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion(R) Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion
• Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion(R) Lounge availability), and Escape
• Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles(R) Reserve American Express Card. To access Sidecar by The Centurion(R) Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion(R) Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
• Receive $2,500 Medallion(R) Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles(R) Reserve American Express Card with MQD
• Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
• Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main domestic, Caribbean, or Central
• American round-trip flight each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments).
• Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
• $240 Resy Credit: Earn up to $20 in statement credits each month at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay with your enrolled Delta SkyMiles(R) Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases.
• Global Dining Access by Resy gives you special access to participating U.S. Resy restaurants when you add your Delta SkyMiles(R) Reserve American Express Card to your Resy profile. Access to exclusive reservations, premium dining experiences, Priority Notify, and more, all from Resy.com or the Resy app.
• $120 Rideshare Credit: With your $120 Rideshare Credit, earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles(R) Reserve American Express Card for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment Required.
• Check your first bag for free on Delta flights worldwide and get a second bag free when flying domestically.
• Delta SkyMiles(R) Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award
• Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
• With your Delta SkyMiles(R) Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.

Delta SkyMiles Reserve card at a glance

The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card is the premium personal Delta SkyMiles credit card for travelers who fly Delta often enough to use lounge access, checked-bag benefits, Medallion Qualification Dollar boosts, and Delta-specific statement credits. The card carries a $650 annual fee and currently has a limited-time welcome offer of up to 125,000 bonus miles after meeting the published spending requirements by the July 15, 2026 offer end date.

• Annual fee: $650.
• Earning rates: 3x miles on Delta purchases and 1x miles on other eligible purchases.
• Airport lounge access: 15 Delta Sky Club visits each Medallion Year when flying Delta, with unlimited Delta Sky Club access after $75,000 in eligible purchases in a calendar year, plus Centurion Lounge access when booking an eligible Delta flight with the Reserve Card.
• Status help: $2,500 MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases with MQD Boost.
• Published statement-credit categories include up to $240 in Resy credits, up to $200 in Delta Stays credits, and up to $120 in rideshare credits each year, with enrollment required for select benefits.

Who the Delta Reserve card is best for

The strongest fit is a frequent Delta flyer who wants premium airport benefits more than everyday spending bonuses. The Reserve card is built around Delta Sky Club access, eligible Centurion Lounge access, upgrade priority, checked-bag savings, TakeOff 15 award discounts on Delta-operated award flights, and an annual Companion Certificate after card renewal.

It can also make sense for travelers chasing Delta Medallion status because MQD Headstart and MQD Boost can reduce the gap to the next status tier. If you already buy Delta flights, check bags, visit lounges, and can use the Resy, rideshare, and Delta Stays credits naturally, the Reserve card has a clearer path to offsetting its annual fee.

Who should skip the Delta Reserve card

Skip or downgrade the Delta Reserve card if you rarely fly Delta, do not value lounge access, or would need to force monthly statement-credit usage just to justify the fee. It is not the broadest everyday rewards card: the public earning structure is simple at 3x on Delta purchases and 1x on other eligible purchases, while lower-fee Delta cards offer restaurant, supermarket, or hotel earning categories that may fit occasional Delta flyers better.

Delta Reserve vs Delta Gold and Platinum cards

Searchers comparing Delta SkyMiles cards usually want to know whether the Reserve card is worth stepping up from Gold or Platinum. Based on Delta's current personal-card comparison, Gold is the lower-fee entry point, Platinum adds stronger Delta and hotel earning plus MQD tools, and Reserve is the premium choice for lounge access, the highest MQD Boost rate among the personal cards, and a Companion Certificate eligible for Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round trips in the covered regions after renewal.

How to offset the $650 annual fee

The Delta Reserve card is easiest to justify when the benefits replace spending you would make anyway. The cleanest offsets are the annual Companion Certificate after renewal, Delta Sky Club and eligible Centurion Lounge visits, checked-bag savings for Delta trips, and published statement credits for Resy, rideshare, and Delta Stays. Travelers who do not already use those categories should be careful about treating the credits as face value.

The card also has practical travel protections and convenience benefits listed by American Express, including no foreign transaction fees, Pay with Miles, Zone 5 priority boarding, a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit, baggage insurance, and trip-delay insurance, subject to the published benefit terms.

Using Delta SkyMiles with Roame

If you earn Delta SkyMiles from the Reserve card, pair the card with an award-search workflow instead of redeeming blindly. Use Roame flight search to compare award availability, then set award alerts when your travel dates are flexible. The Reserve card's TakeOff 15 benefit can make Delta-operated award flights cheaper in miles, but partner flights and taxes and fees are excluded under the published terms.

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