Rewards

Miles earned with this card can be used on flights with Delta and more than 20 partners including Virgin Atlantic, Alitalia and Korean Air (although you must book partner flights through Delta). Unfortunately, Delta’s lack of an award chart means you may have no idea how many miles you’ll need for a flight until you go to redeem.

Round-trip domestic flights will normally set you back a minimum of 30,000 miles in economy, although it’s possible to find better deals. Round-trip international flights typically start at 60,000 miles, on the other hand, though it depends on your destination and dates. If you want to redeem miles for a seat in the most luxurious class, Delta One, you’ll typically need to fork over a few hundred thousand miles for the privilege. Also note that all award flights require you to pay government-mandated taxes and fees.

In addition to flights, you can also cash in Delta SkyMiles for Delta Sky Club membership, seat upgrades, Delta vacation packages, private jet travel, Delta gift cards, or purchases in the SkyMiles marketplace.

To see how the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Credit Card’s miles stack up, check out our in-depth analysis of what credit card points are worth

Cost

While the annual fee on this card is high, other fees are typical for the industry. This includes not having to pay foreign transaction fees on purchases made abroad, which is standard among premier travel credit cards.

Regular APR

15.74% - 24.74% (V)

Annual Fee

$550

Foreign Transaction Fee

$0


Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card's Other Features

Discounts on in-flight purchases

Rental car collision insurance (secondary to your own policy)

Extended warranties

Insurance for stolen or damaged purchases

Refund when merchant won’t accept returned item

Travel and emergency hotline 

Customer Experience

American Express placed second of 11 credit card companies in J.D. Power’s 2019 Credit Card Satisfaction Study, with a score of 838 out of 1,000 possible points.2 This survey considered the user experiences of more than 28,000 credit card customers nationwide.

American Express has a highly rated app that allows you to track your spending and pay your bill from any mobile device.3 If you fly with Delta often, however, you should download the Delta app since it lets you track your rewards, search for award space, and access all your Delta reservations in one place.

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business Card

From good To exceptional ( Credit Recommended Good )

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business Card

The Delta SkyMiles Reserve Credit Card from American Express offers some of the most sought after perks frequent flyers crave, including complimentary airport lounge access. You won’t earn a lot of miles for award flights on non-travel purchases, but your Delta spending will put you on the fast track to elite status in the airline frequent flyer program. If you love traveling in comfort and you’re loyal to Delta Air Lines, this card warrants consideration.

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pros and cons

Complimentary airport lounge access

Elite status earning potential through credit card spending

Plenty of frequent flyer perks

Steep annual fee

Lounge access limitations

Cost

Annual Fee

$550

Purchase APR

None

Foreign Transaction Fee

Cash Back

None

Credit Score

Good

Long Hotel Stays

Frequent travelers have had a long-lasting love affair with the Citi Prestige® Card (Review). This card offer is unique for its fourth night free on hotel stays of four nights or more, a valuable perk that could help you save hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year, if you stay at high-end properties. The Prestige used to be a powerhouse because you could use that benefit as often as you wanted, but now it’s capped at two uses per year. This new limitation is a bit of a downer, but most people shouldn’t mind too much because Citi stated that the average cardholder didn’t use that perk more than twice per year anyway.

Premium Travel Rewards

Frequent travelers can get a lot out of the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Review). Cardholders enjoy an excellent rewards rate on travel and dining, valuable travel benefits that are easy to take advantage of, and diverse travel partners for point transfers. Wondering if you should go with the Sapphire Reserve or the less-expensive Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Review)? Read our comparison of the Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Sapphire Preferred.

Travel Rewards with No Annual Fee

The Capital One® VentureOne® Rewards Credit Card (Review) is the top no fee travel card because it offers a decent reward rate for every purchase you make, with the ability to transfer your miles to a variety of airline partners. It can help you travel for free without putting an extra strain on your wallet, as long as you avoid interest and other fees.

Various Hotels

The Citi Prestige® Card (Review) has an excellent rewards program for anyone who tends to stay with different hotel brands, with 3X points for every stay (plus other handy categories for travel). But the best part? You’ll get your fourth night free on hotel bookings, up to twice per year, when you book with ThankYou.com. Plan to use those on a nice vacation, at a fancy hotel or resort, and they could easily be worth over $1K per year. There’s also solid airport lounge access through Priority Pass, and a travel credit to help offset the annual fee.

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