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For devoted Delta travelers seeking a VIP experience, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card is your top choice. I’m an avid Delta supporter and tend to fly with them almost exclusively while traveling within the United States. I consider them to offer the finest in-flight experience, meals, entertainment, and seating.
If you’re a fan of Delta and frequently travel with them, I genuinely believe that the Reserve card is essential. Although it comes with the highest annual fee, it also presents the most extensive range of benefits, such as Sky Club access, priority for upgrades, and quicker accumulation of elite status. The cost is more than justified, and I have gained significantly more value from it than what the fee entails.
Here’s my assessment of the card!
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Overview of the Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card
The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card is Delta’s elite card that provides frequent flyers with a multitude of benefits and privileges, designed for those who travel often with the airline and desire additional perks as well as expedited elite status accumulation. The annual fee is $650 (See Rates and Fees.) but I believe that the advantages of the card surpass the expense.
This card includes:
- Acquire 125,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 on qualifying purchases using your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Expires 10/29/2025.
- 3x miles on Delta expenditures
- 1x miles on all other purchases
- 15 visits annually to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta, with unlimited visits after spending $75,000 on your Card in a calendar year.
- Receive complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge when booking a Delta flight with your Reserve Card.
- Complimentary checked bag on Delta flights
- Earn 1 MQD for every $10 charged to the card
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year
- Benefit from a Companion Certificate on a round-trip Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main flight to select locations each year following Card renewal. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government fees and taxes ranging from $22 to $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage fees and other limitations apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- Fee reimbursement for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Up to $240 Resy credit (up to $20 per month in statement credits)
- Up to $120 Rideshare credit (up to $10 per month 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 qualifying in-flight purchases in the form of a statement credit
In summary, this card offers a wealth of benefits, and I find that, unlike many other premium cards, these benefits are truly valuable! I appreciate the MQD enhancement, the hotel credit, the 15% back on award redemptions, and especially the lounge access. I tend to utilize most of the benefits associated with this card, making its value significantly outweigh the fee.
Utilizing Your Delta Points
Delta employs dynamic pricing for its rewards. This means that the quantity of points required to book a flight isn’t fixed. Rather, the rate fluctuates with the cash price of a flight. Additionally, you can redeem your points as cash during checkout at a rate of 1 cent per mile, but I seldom consider that a favorable redemption and rarely take that option. I only do this if I am short on