by Daniel | Last Updated June 17th, 2022
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Just this week Delta and American Express announced a new limited edition Delta SkyMiles Reserve and Reserve Business card that has been constructed from the metal of a retired Boeing 747 aircraft.
Along with this, they have also increased their sign-up bonus for each card, which are now worth more than $1,000 each
In this article, I’m going to go into greater detail about this new credit card from Amex and Delta, and then I will go over all of the benefits and perks that you can expect if you decide to get one of these cards.
When applying for an Amex Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card there are now 3 choices of cards to choose from:
The original metal card, a card made from 70% reclaimed plastic, or a limited edition Boeing 747 card that is actually made with 25% metal from a Boeing 747 aircraft and is available until 8/3/22.
On top of this, the current sign-up bonus with the Reserve card is 100,000 bonus miles if you can manage to spend $5,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of card ownership, and this sign-up bonus is double what it was previously.
Now with miles being worth about 1.1 cents per mile, this sign-up bonus is worth approximately $1,100.
Which is more than enough the cover the annual fee of the card, which is currently $550.
So if you decide to go with the Business Reserve card, it will be possible to earn 110,000 bonus miles if you can spend $6,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of card ownership, which puts the sign-up bonus at a value of $1,210.
Now about the limited edition Boeing 747 card that is available until the third of August.
The actually metal used in the cards is from a Delta Boeing 747 that was in service from June 1990 until it was retired in November 2017, which is just over 27 years of service.
During this time the aircraft flew approximately 68,000,000 (million) miles!
And to put that distance in perspective, to travel around the world once, is approximately 24,901 miles, so the distance this Boeing 747 flew is about 2,730 times around the world!
The plane was able to fulfill 14,100 flights and carry 4 million passengers.
APR and Associated Fees
So now I’m just going to go over what the APR is for the Reserve card and what fees are applicable if you take advantage of a cash advance.
Currently, the APR for purchases sits at between 17.24% to 26.24%.
For a cash advance, the APR will be 26.74% and will also incur a fee of either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever amount is more.
The Penalty APR is the same as usual at 29.99% and this comes into effect if there is a late payment is made or if a payment is returned by your bank.
Also, either penalty may incur a fee of up to $40.
Annual Fee
Now, as I mentioned at the start of the article, the annual fee for both the personal and business cards is $550, which is not cheap, but both cards do come with some pretty decent perks, as you will later in this review.
Sign up Bonus
So a the time of writing this review, the signup bonus for the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card is currently 100,000 bonus miles, and the Business Reserve card is offering even more with 110,000 bonus miles.
And seeing that Delta SkyMiles are worth about 1.1 cents per mile, the Regular Reserve cards signup bonus is worth about $1,100, and the Business Reserve card is worth $1,210.
Earning Miles
Now the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card offers the ability to earn a reasonable amount of miles through spending, and the Business card actually offers an increased miles earning potential if you can spend more than $150,000 in a calendar year.
So both cards offer the same 3x miles per dollar spent for purchases made directly with Delta.
And both cards offer 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.
The main difference between the two cards is that the Business Reserve card offers the ability to earn 1.5 miles per dollar spent on all purchases if you manage to spend $150,000 within a calendar year.
Benefits and User Perks
Now as you would expect with a high-end travel rewards credit card with a high annual fee, you get some pretty decent benefits and user perks.
And the most valuable perk that comes with this card is the Delta Reserve Annual Companion Certificate.
After you renew the card for the following year, it is possible to get a domestic round trip fare on either First class, Delta Comfort+ or Main Cabin.
The only thing that requires payment is any taxes and fees that come with the booking, which will be no more than $80.
Another nice benefit that comes with both cards is complimentary access to the Centurion Lounge, Delta SkyClub, and Escape Lounges, and this is only available to you if you are flying on a same-day Delta-marked flight.
Another benefit is the ability to receive two one-time guest passes for complimentary access to the Delta SkyClub each calendar year.
There is a $100 credit for use on either TSA PreCheck or Global Entry.
Then on Delta marked flights it is possible to get your first checked bag free (for you and up to 9 people on the same booking), Priority Boarding, again for up to 9 people off the same reservation, and then a 20% saving on purchases made on Delta flights that include inflight food and beverages.
After spending $25,000 on this card in a 12-month period, it’s possible to waive the Medallion Qualification Dollar requirement towards Platinum, Gold, or Silver Medallion Status.
Then if you spend over $30,000 on the card in a 12-month period, you will earn 15,000 Medallion Qualification Miles, and this is available up to 4 times each year.
Insurance Related Coverage
So finally, let’s take a quick look at what insurance coverage you get with these cards.
First of all, there is Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance that covers up to $75,000 in the event of damage or loss of a rental vehicle.
Then there is a Baggage Insurance Plan that covers lost or damaged baggage for up to $500 per covered person for checked baggage and up to $1,250 per covered person for carry-on baggage.
Trip Delay Insurance covers up to $500 per trip, with a maximum of 2 claims per 12-month period, and this is available if your trip is delayed for more than 6 hours.
Then Trip Cancellation/ Interruption Insurance covers up to $10,000 per covered trip and $20,000 per eligible card per 12-month period.
There is Cell Phone Protection of up to $800 per claim with a maximum of 2 claims per 12-month period.
And each claim is subject to a $50 fee.
Then there is Return Protection which provides 90 days of coverage for new purchases that a merchant won’t take back, and this covers up to $300 per item and a maximum of $1,000 per calendar year.
With Purchases Protection there is up to 90 days of coverage on new purchases against theft or damage, and this covers up to $10,000 per occurrence and $50,000 per calendar year.
And then finally Extended Warranty protection provides cardholders with an additional one year of coverage on warranties that are 5 years or less.
Final Thoughts
So pretty much all of the card’s benefits and user perks are the same as before and are quite impressive.
I really do like the limited edition card that they are now offering and I think it’s a great idea to give cardholders the ability to actually own a small fraction of one of Delta’s planes in their wallet.
Now if you’re looking for more credit card reviews and comparisons why not check out one of my latest reviews here, when I compare the Amex Platinum Card against the Amex Centurion card.