Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card review

If you’re a frequent Delta flyer who pursues elite status with the airline, the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card could be an ideal addition to your wallet. Its welcome offer can get you plenty of miles to start and it offers plenty of opportunity to earn Medallion status.

Decent rewards rate

You’ll earn 3 miles per dollar on eligible purchases made directly with Delta and 1 mile per dollar on other purchases with the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business card, which is a fair, but not terrific, rate of return.

Welcome bonus

Currently, you can earn 80,000 bonus miles after spending $10,000 with the card in the first six months. Bankrate’s latest airline mile valuations give Delta SkyMiles a value of 1.2 cents per mile on average, so we estimate the current offer is worth around $960 in travel with Delta.

The best airline perks of any Delta business card

While the rewards structure for this card isn’t overly exciting, some of the card’s perks may make up for it. For starters, being a cardholder qualifies you for an annual companion certificate you can use to score free airfare for a guest when you pay for your own flight (though you’ll still pay government-imposed taxes and fees).

You’ll also get complimentary access to Delta Sky Club*, as well as access to the prestigious Centurion Lounges when flying on a same-day Delta-marketed or operated flight booked with your Delta SkyMiles Reserve card. If you purchased a Sky Club membership outright, you would need to pay $495 or 45,000 Delta miles.

The card also entitles you to a number of other perks on Delta flights, including a free checked bag on Delta round-trip flights (up to $70 in value), Zone 5 priority boarding and 20% off eligible in-flight purchases in the form of a statement credit. You’ll also enjoy up to $20 in statement credit per month toward Resy purchases.

* Effective 2/1/25, Reserve Card Members will receive 15 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club; to earn an unlimited number of Visits each year starting on 2/1/25, the total eligible purchases on the Card must equal $75,000 or more between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24, and each calendar year thereafter.

Valuable benefits for frequent travelers

Frequent flyers can also count on valuable travel benefits, including baggage insurance, trip delay insurance, car rental insurance and no foreign transaction fees. Also, the American Express concierge is available to help you with nearly any task from assisting you with restaurant reservations to arranging the details for an upcoming event.

The card also includes the usual run of American Express benefits, including extended warranties, return protection, purchase protection, presale tickets, access to special VIP events, free roadside assistance, a ShopRunner membership (enrollment required), car purchase discounts and more.

Business owners get special perks

The Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card offers several benefits specifically for business owners. Once you sign up for online account management for your American Express card, you’ll get access to tracking tools that help you manage and categorize business purchases. You get free employee cards and you’ll have the ability to set up individual spending limits for each card. You’ll also have the ability to manage receipts, set up account alerts and designate an account manager online.

The Delta SkyMiles program can be valuable, but not always

One of the biggest downsides of the Delta SkyMiles program is the fact it doesn’t come with an award chart. As a result, it’s difficult to predict how many miles a flight will cost and to save up for a specific redemption.

You may also be dismayed to find that you cannot book flights with a stopover using Delta SkyMiles. Delta doesn’t allow open-jaw flights either, although you can create a similar itinerary by booking two one-way flights. Also, keep in mind that fuel surcharges on some international Delta flights often cost hundreds of dollars.

While Delta SkyMiles isn’t perfect, there’s still plenty to celebrate. For example, Delta makes it possible to exercise its “Miles + Cash” option for some of its flights. You can also redeem miles for airfare on Delta and Delta partners, and you have a variety of other redemption options, including hotels, car rentals, gift cards, merchandise and special experiences (though the value is poor for most of these options).

Delta miles never expire either, which means you can earn miles without having to worry about when you can use them.

Why get the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card?

• You plan to purchase a Delta Sky Miles membership anyway, and this offer will give you a membership plus bonus miles and other perks.
• You want Centurion Lounge access.
• You plan to pursue elite status with Delta this year but need some help to get there.
• You spend a lot on Delta flights each year and outside of Delta.

How to use Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card:

• Use your card for all your Delta purchases to earn 3 miles per dollar.
• Spend at least $10,000 on the card in the first six months to earn the introductory bonus.
• Get free employee cards so you can earn miles on all your business purchases

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card, please click here.

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