AMEX Delta Reserve Credit Card: 50,000 Miles Welcome Bonus + Two Free Round-Trip Tickets!

Delta Reserve now comes with a 50,000 welcome offer plus two U.S. domestic Delta Comfort round-trip tickets. If you use the tickets for two long-haul round trips, they’re worth about $1,500, so that’s a pretty solid value. However, unless you really need Delta lounge access, this card probably isn’t worth holding long term. I’d also suggest starting with DeltaGold first.

• Delta Reserve application link

This free ticket is new, so let me explain it in detail. In short: this is a round-trip free ticket for Delta Comfort / Main within the U.S. mainland + Puerto Rico / USVI that the cardholder must use while traveling, and it must be booked at least 21 days in advance. Hawaii and Alaska are not eligible, and you mainly still have to cover the taxes and fees yourself. If you fly Delta long haul often, it may be worth considering, since the value is pretty good. But the restrictions are extensive, and they’re annoying.

• This certificate can be redeemed for 1 Delta Comfort or Delta Main round-trip ticket within the U.S.
• It must be operated by Delta or Delta Connection and does not apply to Delta codeshare flights operated by other airlines.
• The origin must be within the United States, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The destination is limited to the 48 contiguous U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and does not include Hawaii or Alaska.
• It cannot be redeemed for Delta Basic / Main Basic.
• It can only be redeemed through the Delta website or the Delta App.
• Each Certificate can be used separately; multiple certificates do not need to be used on the same itinerary.
• Tickets must be booked at least 21 days before departure.
• Redemption inventory is limited, so tickets are not available on every flight or route.
• All travel must be completed by January 15, 2028; it is not enough to simply book by that date.
• When redeeming the ticket, you must use your own Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card to pay the applicable fare and taxes.
• In general, other payment methods such as eCredit cannot be used at the same time.
• Government taxes and fees for each U.S. round trip are capped at about $80 for up to 4 flight segments, and the taxes are the passenger’s responsibility.
• Checked bag fees and other charges still apply as usual.
• Tickets issued through Certificate redemption do not earn SkyMiles or MQD.
• If the passenger has Medallion Status, the redeemed ticket may still be eligible for Complimentary Upgrade. Eligible Global / Regional Upgrade Certificates may also be used.
• After purchasing the ticket, you can still use the Reserve Card or SkyMiles to buy an upgrade, but mileage upgrade is not supported.
• No stopovers, open jaws, or circle trips are allowed; it must be a normal round trip.
• Once travel has started, rerouting is not allowed.
• If the flight is canceled or there are irregular operations, changes can only be made to Delta flights.
• If the entire ticket is unused and then canceled, you can contact Delta Reservations as soon as possible and ask for the Certificate to be reopened; once restored, it will still use the original expiration date.
• Taxes and fees that were paid are usually refunded as an eCredit in the passenger’s account after cancellation.
• If part of the trip has already been flown and then the ticket is canceled, the remaining Certificate value is forfeited and will not be returned.
• Rebooking must still satisfy the original rules, including the 21-day advance purchase requirement, regional restrictions, and award seat availability.
• The Certificate is non-transferable and cannot be sold.
• It must be redeemed by the Basic Card Member who received the Certificate.
• The Basic Card Member must also be one of the passengers on the reservation.
• The Certificate can only be used for newly issued tickets and cannot be applied retroactively to an already purchased ticket.

If you’re deciding which Delta card to choose, you can read our detailed analysis:

• Six AMEX Delta co-branded cards with limited-time welcome offers — which one should you choose?

AMEX Delta Reserve SkyMiles Credit Card Overview

Highlights

• Status Boost: Each calendar year, every $30,000 in spending earns 15,000 MQM (Medallion Qualification Miles), up to four times. (The previously included extra 15,000 Delta miles is no longer included.)
• Two Sky Club passes: Anyone can use them; each pass can be used once
• Upgrade priority: If premium seats are still available at boarding, you may be upgraded automatically, but you will be behind Delta Medallion members.
• Delta lounge benefit: Both the cardholder and authorized user cardholders can access Delta lounges, Delta Sky Clubs (regular lounge price $450/year)
• Renewal bonus: one Companion Certificate: Starting in the second year, once you pay the annual fee, you can receive one Companion Certificate (CP). With this CP, you can bring one companion to fly on Delta for free, including economy and first class! The CP restrictions are as follows: only round-trip flights to the 48 contiguous U.S. states, tickets must be booked more than 14 days before departure, you must pay for the ticket and the companion’s taxes with this credit card, the destination stay must be 3-30 days, and eligible fare classes are L, U, T, X, V. For the full terms and usage, see: Delta’s official explanation
• Delta flight benefits: When flying Delta, you get priority boarding, one free checked bag, 20% off in-flight purchases, and lounge discounts
• AMEX card benefits
  • AMEX Offer: Amazon $20 back on $20; Walmart $5 off $15; pay your phone bill $10 off $75. Generous AMEX often sends cardholders some great offers, letting you earn cash back while spending. See also: AMEX Offer explained, Recent AMEX good offer roundup, and 2013-2016 AMEX Offer summary
  • Free ShopRunner membership: Enjoy free two-day shipping from many online stores, with details here: official link
  • Extended warranty: Items purchased in full with your AMEX card automatically get the manufacturer’s warranty extended by one year
  • Free credit score: AMEX provides an Experian credit score every month; see Which free credit score is best?

The latest benefit changes are as follows:

• Companion Pass coverage expanded: It can be used for the 48 contiguous U.S. states + Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America
• $10 monthly rideshare reimbursement: Uber, Lyft, Curb, Revel, Alto, and Via are all eligible, but only in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Note that you need to enroll in this benefit (enrollment link, business card enrollment link)
• Monthly $20 dining credit on Resy.com: Use it for dining purchases after creating a resy.com account. Benefit enrollment required (Enrollment link, Business card enrollment link)
• $200 hotel booking credit: You need to use this card on delta.com/stays, Delta's own travel site
• More Delta lounge passes: Four per year
• Hertz President Circle status (top tier): You need to register at delta.com/mypromos/eligible, and tdelta.com/hertz.
• 1.5x on shipping, transit, and office expenses (exclusive to the Delta Reserve Business Card)
• Direct MQD: Reduces the $2,500 in spend needed to qualify for elite status
• MQD from card spending: Earn $1 MQD for every $10 spent; in theory, you could reach elite status through spending alone
• The annual fee will increase to $650 (from $550): If your card was approved before February 1, 2024, your annual fee will be adjusted when it renews after May 1, 2024. Literally speaking, if your new annual fee posts before May 1, it should still be $550; if it posts after that, then it will be $650.

Cons

• The card's $450 annual fee is a bit high, and adding an additional card costs extra

Delta SkyMiles overview:

• Value: Miles are worth about 1.4 cents each, mainly because the award chart changes often, so redemptions aren't as stable as AA or UA miles
• Redemptions: As few as 35,000 miles for a one-way ticket between China and the U.S., 5,500 miles for a one-way domestic U.S. flight, 7,500 miles for a one-way domestic China flight, and 80,000 miles for business class between the U.S. and Australia. A great short-haul tool within the U.S., especially for people in the U.S. West and Northeast.
• More: For mileage-earning and redemption tips, see Delta SkyMiles intro 1; intro 2; intro 3

My take

This card is clearly aimed at frequent Delta flyers and high-end business travelers. Its biggest selling point is the MQM boost from high spending, which helps with pursuing elite status. If you’re trying to work toward Delta’s million-miler-status and are short on some MQMs, both the welcome offer and the big-spend rewards on this card can be very helpful supplements. That said, looking at the other benefits, this card still falls short of the similarly premium AMEX Platinum credit card. That’s because the AMEX Platinum credit card can effectively reduce its annual fee to $250 through airline credits, and in addition to Delta lounge access it also gets you into AMEX Centurion Lounges. As for benefits like priority boarding and free checked bags, anyone considering the Delta Reserve probably already has those covered. If what you really want is Delta miles and flight benefits, the welcome offers on the $95 annual fee Delta Gold credit card and the $195 annual fee Delta Platinum credit card are better choices.

Application

This is a Delta co-branded credit card. When applying, you need to enter your Delta account number (if you don’t have one, one will be assigned automatically), but it’s still recommended that you first register for a Delta membership on the official website.

• AMEX official application status check link
• For the same AMEX credit card, the public welcome bonus is generally available only once (once-per-lifetime restriction)
• You can call the reconsideration line (800-528-4800, 877-399-3083, 866-314-0237) to speed up credit card approval or request a review of a denied application.
• AMEX limits you to 4 credit cards and 10 charge cards total.
• You can apply for a total of two AMEX credit cards every 90 days, excluding charge cards.
• After you submit your application, a pop-up may appear telling you that you are not eligible for the welcome bonus. In that case, it is usually best not to continue with the application (detailed analysis)
• More about applying for AMEX credit cards

Application Link