Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card: Are the Benefits Worth the $650 Annual Fee?

The Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card can be well worth it for Delta loyalists who take several trips per year. You’ll need to do a good amount of spending and flying to justify the high $650 annual fee. But if you take advantage of the many airline-focused benefits and additional perks, the card offers tremendous value.

Before you apply, ask yourself if you will take advantage of the yearly companion certificate (which can be used for a first-class flight), make a few visits to the Delta Sky Club® lounge and use the first checked bag free privilege (valued at up to $280 per round-trip flight for a family of four). If so, you can easily outearn the annual fee.

On the flip side, the card only earns bonus miles on Delta purchases, and many of the perks are Delta-focused. Therefore, if redemption flexibility or extra earnings from everyday spending categories are important to you — or you sometimes fly with other airlines — a general travel card may be a better fit.

• Welcome offer: 4.7 out of 5 stars

  Current offer:

  Earn 70,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $5,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

  How does it compare to other cards?

  The Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card has a valuable welcome offer, but the spending requirement is high. If a mid-tier card with an annual fee in the $95 range is more your speed, you can find similar bonuses with lower spending thresholds on cards like the Citi Strata Premier^® Card or the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.

  Is it a good time to apply?

  The current offer is not at a peak, so you might consider waiting before applying. Trying to time your application to score the highest possible welcome offer is a good idea, given Amex’s once-in-lifetime policy. Amex only lets you cash in on a welcome offer for a specific card one time.

  Recent offers for the Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card

  Date	Number of miles
  July 2025	70,000
  June 2025	100,000
  April 2025	70,000
  February 2025	100,000
  October 2024	70,000
  September 2024	100,000
  July 2024	60,000

  → See the best credit card sign-up bonuses

  Tip: Amex offers a pop-up tool that notifies you if you aren’t qualified for a welcome offer before you submit your application.

   

• Earning miles: 0.2 out of 5 stars

  How many miles can you earn?

  Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.

  How does it compare to other cards?

  If you enjoy earning rewards on everyday spending, this isn’t the card for you since it only earns elevated rewards on Delta purchases. This is one of its greatest drawbacks. Other elite travel rewards cards allow you to earn additional miles on a range of categories, including travel dining or groceries.

  If you’re aiming to earn a lot of Delta miles, you should consider a more versatile card like the American Express^® Gold Card. Its earning categories include restaurants worldwide, U.S. supermarkets, flights with all airlines and prepaid hotels. Its rewards are also more valuable than the Delta Reserve’s since you can transfer them to a range of travel programs, including Delta SkyMiles.

  Estimated rewards earned per $1 spent*

  • American Express^® Gold Card: $0.046
  • Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: $0.043
  • Chase Sapphire Reserve^®: $0.041 (see rates & fees)
  • The Platinum Card^® from American Express: $0.023
  • Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card: $0.016
  • Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card: $0.011
  *Based on LendingTree’s value methodology

  → Learn more: Cash back vs. points vs. miles

• Redeeming miles: 2 out of 5 stars

  How easy are miles to redeem?

  + SkyMiles don’t expire.

  + Delta has excellent award availability with no blackout dates.

  + Delta has a huge flight network with flights to most destinations.

  + Delta’s award site is fairly easy to use and navigate.

  – SkyMiles are only worth around 1.1 cent each, much less than many airline currencies.

  – Awards prices can vary drastically with Delta’s dynamic pricing system, ranging from 5,000 miles to 300,000 miles or more for first-class seats at peak travel times.

  – Delta has fairly dense rewards program terms that can be difficult to interpret.

  – There are few other good redemption options besides flights with Delta and its partners.

  – You can’t redeem miles for cash back.

  How does it compare to other cards?

  For those redeeming Delta SkyMiles, the availability of award seats is generally good and you can use miles for most destinations due to Delta’s large flight network. However, getting the most “mileage” out of your miles is another story. SkyMiles are worth less than other airline miles programs. Some flights require a lot of miles, especially during peak travel times.

  When compared with other travel rewards cards that have several travel transfer partners, you’ll have less flexibility to shop around for the best deal with the Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card.

  Tip: One of the best ways to stretch your miles is to check out SkyMiles Award Deals. If you are flexible enough to take advantage of these offers, you can book a flight using fewer miles.

   

  → Learn more about the Delta SkyMiles program

• Other benefits: 5 out 5 stars

  • Delta Sky Club and Centurion lounge access: Get 15 visits per Medallion year to the Delta Sky Club when flying Delta or unlimited visits if you spend $75,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year. You’ll also get four one-time guest passes each Medallion year.
  • Annual companion certificate: Each year after you renew the card, you’ll get a Companion Certificate, which covers one first-class, Delta Comfort+®, or Main Cabin round-trip flight within the U.S. and to the Caribbean or Central America. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply.
  • Status boost: Cardmembers get $2,500 Medallion Qualification Dollars each Medallion Qualification Year, plus $1 Medallion Qualification Dollar for each $10 in purchases on your card in a calendar year. This perk, which gets you halfway to Silver Status.
  • Resy credit: Enroll with Resy to book restaurant reservations, and then pay with your card to get up to $20 back each month in statement credits (up to $240 per year).*
  • Rideshare credit: Enroll in this benefit to get up to $10 in statement credits each month (up to $120 per year) when using your card to pay for eligible U.S. rideshare services (Uber, Lyft, Curb, Revel and Alto).*
  • Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit: Use your card to purchase Global Entry or TSA PreCheck and receive a statement credit up to $120.*
  • Delta stays credit: Cardmembers get up to $200 back as an annual statement credit if you use the card to book a Delta Stay — with a prepaid hotel or vacation rental — on delta.com.
  • TakeOff 15: Get 15% off Delta award flights.
  • Complimentary upgrades: Get added to the Complimentary Upgrade list on eligible fares, just after Medallion Members, for being a card member.
  • Upgrade priority: If you are a Medallion member, having this card bumps you up on the priority list over other Medallion Members within the same Medallion tier and fare class grouping.
  • Hertz President’s Circle status: Receive automatic higher tier status when you enroll in the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program.*
  • First checked bag free: Card members and up to eight other travelers on their reservation can check their first bag free on Delta flights.
  • 20% off in-flight purchases: Get an automatic discount on Delta in-flight food and beverage purchases with your card.
  • Travel insurance: This card offers trip insurance benefits including trip delay insurance¹, trip cancellation and interruption insurance¹, baggage insurance² and car rental loss and damage insurance³.
  • No foreign transaction fees: There are no foreign transaction fees when using this card on foreign purchases. (see rates & fees)
  *Enrollment required.

  How does it compare to other cards?

  If you’re seeking airline-focused benefits, the card cannot be beaten in terms of the return you’ll get on your annual fee investment. It currently ranks as our top airline credit card thanks to the value of these perks. Benefits like Delta Sky Club and Centurion Lounge Access, the free checked bag perk, status boost and the annual companion certificate can more than justify the card’s annual fee.

  The annual companion certificate, when redeemed strategically, can easily justify the annual fee each year. Just be mindful of the fine print that could make it challenging to get the most out of this benefit. For example, it cannot be used for overseas travel, and only certain fare classes qualify. Plus, Delta treats it as a deeply discounted fare, which means seats can run out if you don’t book well in advance.

   

The Platinum Card^® from American Express

For luxury travel perks that aren’t restricted to flying on Delta, The Platinum Card^® from American Express is a general premium travel rewards card worth exploring. For a slightly higher $695 annual fee (see rates & fees), eligible card members get access to a much larger set of airline lounges, including Delta Sky Club (subject to visit limitations) and Amex Centurion lounges. You’ll also get more than $1,000 worth of credits, including a $200 annual airline credit for your selected airline of choice (enrollment required), plus a $200 hotel credit on hotel bookings through American Express Travel.

The earning rate is more lucrative with 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®. Terms apply. And Amex Membership Rewards are much more flexible, since you transfer them to more than 20 travel loyalty programs, including Delta.

Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card

If Delta is your airline of choice, but you aren’t interested in airport lounge access, you might go down a level to the Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card. It doesn’t offer Delta Sky Club or Centurion Lounge access — but for a lower $350 annual fee (see rates & fees), you’ll still get key perks like a free first checked bag, an annual companion certificate (main cabin only) and MQD Headstart and MQD Boost to help with Medallion status.

It’s also a better option for earning miles because it has more earning categories than the Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card. You’ll earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.

American Express^® Gold Card

If you don’t care about Delta-specific perks and just want to earn miles for Delta awards, you should check out the American Express^® Gold Card. You’ll earn rewards at a much quicker pace: Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. Terms apply. Because Delta is a travel transfer partner with American Express, you can use these rewards to get free flights with Delta.

It has a lower $325 annual fee (see rates & fees) and includes more than $200 in credits to balance out that fee. However, unlike The Platinum Card^® from American Express, it doesn’t offer much in the way of travel-related benefits. For those, you’re better off with the Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card or another top travel credit card.

We use calculations to estimate the value of each card for the average cardholder, based on LendingTree and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

• Average value over two years (80% of rating): We calculate the value of rewards and perks for the average cardholder using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and an annual spend of $20,000, minus the annual fee. This value includes the card’s sign-up bonus, annual bonus (including free night certificates) and travel perks like lounge access and travel credits. We look at the average rewards earned over two years to balance out a card’s ongoing value with its first-year value.
• Flexibility of rewards (15% of rating): We consider how easy the rewards are to use, looking at factors like expiration dates, minimum thresholds to redeem, blackout dates and the availability of flexible redemption options like travel statement credits and cash back.
• Other features (5% of rating): We also compare a card’s benefits, such as purchase protections, travel protections and elite status benefits against benefits from other cards.