Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card

The Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card is Delta's top consumer card at $650 a year, and it is best understood as a lounge membership with a credit card attached. You get 15 Delta Sky Club visits per Medallion year when flying Delta; unlimited access requires $75,000 in purchases on the card in a calendar year. If you are in a Sky Club less than roughly once a month, the fee gets hard to justify. The welcome offer on delta.com in August 2026 runs as high as 100,000 bonus miles after $5,000 in purchases in your first 6 months, with offers varying by applicant. Everyday earning is thin for a $650 card: 3 miles per dollar on Delta purchases and 1 mile on everything else, so it should never be your default spend card. The variable APR is 19.49% to 28.49% and there are no foreign transaction fees. The annual companion certificate is the Reserve's second pillar and outclasses the Platinum version: it is valid on Delta First, Comfort+, or Main Cabin round trips, and you pay only $22 to $250 in government taxes and fees on itineraries of up to four segments. A First Class companion ticket on a route you were flying anyway can cover most of the annual fee on its own. Since June 4, 2026 certificates can also be applied to Delta Vacations packages, and all Delta consumer cards added a free second checked bag on domestic flights, on top of the free first bag worldwide. Statement credits total up to $560 a year: $240 at Resy restaurants ($20 monthly), $120 in rideshare credit ($10 monthly), and $200 for prepaid Delta Stays bookings. As with the Platinum, the monthly drip means most cardholders capture a fraction of the headline number, so value them at what you will actually use. Status math is stronger: a $2,500 MQD Headstart plus $1 MQD per $10 in purchases, double the Platinum's rate, and a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application credit is included. This card is for Delta loyalists who fly at least monthly, value lounge access, and can reliably burn a premium-cabin companion certificate every year. Skip it if 15 lounge visits sounds like more than you would use (the Platinum keeps the certificate for $300 less), if you credit flights to another airline's program, or if you need the welcome bonus to rationalize the first year: the $650 fee recurs and the bonus does not.