by Daniel | Last Updated October 2nd, 2021
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If you’re looking for a travel credit card that offers a great sign-up bonus, lounge access, seat upgrades, and many other benefits, then this card might interest you.
In this article, I’m going to take a detailed look at the Amex Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card and see what it costs on an annual basis and what it offers in terms of benefits and user perks.
So Who Is The Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card Good For?
The Amex Delta SkyMiles Reserve card is the most exclusive Delta Skymiles card available, and it is designed specifically for people who travel extensively and like to take advance of all of the great benefits that the card offers, such as access to Delta Sky Club Lounges and Amex Centurion Lounges.
Although it’s not cheap on a yearly basis, it does have a lot of benefits and user perks that easily cover the fee and then some.
Annual Fee
So now let’s continue on and look at how much it costs on an annual basis.
The Delta SkyMiles Reserve Plus has an annual fee of $550, but assuming you do travel and spend a fair amount on the card, it will easily pay for itself.
As for the APR on this card, it is between 15.74% and 24.74% on purchases depending on different factors such as your creditworthiness and what the Prime Rate is.
The APR for Cash advances is 25.24% and also varies with the market depending on the Prime Rate.
Some other fees and penalties that this card has are:
*Cash Advance – Either $10 or 5%, whichever is greater.
*Late or Returned Payments – Up to $40
Sign up Bonus
So now let’s go over the signup bonus that is offered with the Amex Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card.
And until October 11th you will earn 80,000 bonus Miles and 20,000 Medallion Qualification Miles after you spend $5,000 within the first 3 months of opening the account.
So you will need to send just over $1,666 each month for the first 3 months to qualify for the sign-up bonus, which averages out to approximately $416 per week.
Now according to the Amex website these bonus miles are worth approximately $800, and the 20,000 MQM’s will bring you even closer to Delta’s Silver Medallion status.
So the sign-up bonus alone covers the annual fee for the first year and leaves you with another $250 in value.
Earning Miles
Now when it comes to earning points with the Amex Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card there are only two options.
First of all, you can receive 3x miles on purchases that are made directly with Delta, so clearly if you travel a lot and specifically with Delta then you have a good chance of accruing a fair amount of points.
And all other purchases will receive 1 mile per dollar spent.
So there isn’t a lot of variety with this card when it comes to earning points, but it does have the ability to earn you an extra 15,000 Medallion Qualification Miles if you spend $30,000 in a calendar year, and this is available up to a total of 4 times.
And by building up your Medallion Status, you will have access to even more benefits.
Medallion Members Benefits
So let’s have a quick look at what exactly being a Medallion Member gets you, and the first thing to know is that there are 4 different tier levels, and each level has a certain requirement to meet:
| Medallion Tier Level | Medallion Qualification Miles Needed |
| Silver Medallion | 25,000 MQMs |
| Gold Medallion | 50,000 MQMs |
| Platinum Medallion | 75,000 MQMs |
| Diamond Medallion | 125,000 MQMs |
Now each tier level has a variety of different benefits that range from waived baggage fees, seat upgrades, Priority check-in and boarding, and more.
Benefits and User Perks
But let’s continue on with what perks come specifically with the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card.
To begin with, you will get access to both the Delta Sky Club Lounge when traveling with Delta, and the Amex Centurion Lounge.
Both of these clubs have a good range of food and drinks and are a nice place to relax before a flight.
Along with this, you will also receive two Delta Sky Club one-time guest passes each year so you can bring a friend along to enjoy the experience.
Next up you will receive a Delta Reserve annual companion certificate each year upon renewal of your card.
And this is good for a domestic round trip on either First Class, Delta Comfort +, or Main Cabin.
Just note that there is a $75 fee if you do use this benefit.
Next up you will receive a credit of up to $100 for either TSA PreCheck or Global Entry.
You will also get your first check bag free on Delta flights if you book with your card, and according to The Amex website, this can save you up to $60 per round trip per person.
You will also get your first check bag free on Delta flights if you book with your card, and according to The Amex website, this can save you up to $60 per round trip per person.
If you spend $25,000 in the year on your card, you will be able to waive the Medallion Qualification requirements towards either the Silver, Gold, or Platinum Medallion Status.
On Delta flights, you will receive 20% back in the form of a statement credit on in-flight purchases that are made on your card, and this covers things such as food, beverages, and audio headsets.
You will also have access to complimentary upgrades if they are available.
Insurance-Related Benefits
Now when it comes to insurance the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card actually has a lot to offer.
Starting with travel-related insurance you will get trip cancellation coverage on any round trips paid for on your card that will cover up to $10,000 per trip and $20,000 per eligible card per 12 consecutive month period.
You will also receive trip delay insurance on round trips that are paid for with the card that covers up to $500 per trip with a maximum of 2 claims per 12 month period, and this will come into effect if your trip is delayed for more than 6 hours.
There is also a baggage insurance plan that covers up to $1,250 for carry-on and $500 for checked baggage if it is lost, damaged, or stolen.
If you pay for a rental vehicle with your card you will be covered for up to $75,000 if there is damage or theft of the vehicle.
And with this card, there are no foreign transaction fees if you chose to use your card when traveling overseas.
So besides all of this travel insurance, there is also a lot of general insurance for shopping-related purchases.
First of all, you will receive purchase protection that gives you 90 days of coverage on purchases if they are stolen, lost, or accidentally damaged.
And this covers up to $10,000 per occurrence and $50,000 per calendar year.
You will also receive 1 extra year of extended warranty on any US manufacturer’s warranties that are 5 years or less, and this can be pretty useful if anything does go wrong, as it’s not uncommon for this to happen just after the original warranty runs out.
And finally, there is return protection that provides you 90 days from the date of purchase of an item if the merchant you brought it from won’t take it back.
And this covers up to $300 per item and a maximum of $1,000 per calendar year per account.
Just note that this only covers items that are purchased within the United States.
Final Thoughts of the Amex Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card
So what are my thoughts about this card?
If you do travel with Delta Airlines a lot and are interested in building your Delta elite status, then I think this card is an excellent choice.
It offers a decent range of luxury benefits with the ability to earn even more once you achieve higher status levels as a Medallion Member.
If you don’t use Delta airlines much there are plenty of other cards that you can benefit from such as the Amex Platinum card, although it has a slightly higher annual fee it does offer even more in the way of a sign-up bonus and benefits, and if you would like to learn more about it you can read my review here.