[Expired] How To Find a Delta Reserve Card Welcome Offer as High as 100,000 Miles

Update:The offer mentioned below has expired and is no longer available.

The Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card is a premium credit card designed for frequent Delta flyers who want a card that improves their flight experience and makes it easier to attain Delta elite status.

If you’re interested in the Delta Reserve card, understand that the welcome offer can fluctuate. This guide outlines a few ways to help you get the biggest possible welcome offer.

We mention targeted offers below. These offers may not be available to all applicants. Any information related to targeted offers has been collected independently and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Delta Reserve Card Benefits Summary

Before we discuss how to find the highest welcome offer available to you, be sure that the Delta Reserve card is the right fit. It’s true that the Delta Reserve card has a high annual fee: $650 (rates & fees). But it does come with ample benefits, especially if you’re a Delta frequent flyer.

Key Benefits

• Delta Sky Club access: Get 15 visits each year to Delta Sky Clubs when you fly with Delta. To earn an unlimited number of visits each year, spend $75,000 or more each calendar year. Plus, you receive 4 Delta Sky Club guest passes each year.
• Access to Amex Centurion Lounges: Visit any Amex Centurion Lounge when you book your Delta flight with your Delta Reserve card.
• Annual Companion Certificate: Receive a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main domestic, Caribbean, or Central American round-trip flight each year. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees ranging from $22 to $250 (for itineraries with up to 4 flight segments).
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit: Receive a statement credit of up to $120 for Global Entry or up to $85 for TSA PreCheck.
• $240 Resy credit: Earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. (Enrollment is required.)
• $120 ride-hailing credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month on U.S. ride-hailing purchases with select providers. (Enrollment is required.)
• Upgrade priority: Receive upgrade priority over other Medallion members within the same Medallion level and fare class grouping.
• Access to complimentary upgrades: If you don’t have Medallion status, your Delta Reserve card adds you to the complimentary upgrade list after Medallion members.
• First checked bag free: On all Delta-marketed and Delta-operated flights, you and up to 8 others on the same reservation get the first checked bag free of charge (saving up to $70 per passenger per trip).
• Priority boarding: You’re in Zone 5 on flights operated by Delta and Delta Connection. This benefit also applies to up to 8 traveling companions on the same reservation.
• 20% back on inflight purchases: Cardholders receive 20% back when using the card to pay for items like food, beverages, or Wi-Fi.
• Award discount: Members get 15% off when using miles to book award travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. 
• MQD Headstart: Get $2,500 MQDs each year, which can help you reach Medallion status.
• Travel protections: Get a host of travel and purchase protections, such as trip delay insurance and trip cancellation insurance.

Card Earnings

The card has a simple mile-earning structure: Get 3x miles on Delta purchases and 1x miles on everything else.

How To Find a Delta Reserve Card Welcome Offer of 80,000, 90,000, or as High as 100,000 Miles

The current Delta Reserve card welcome offer is as high as 100,000 Delta SkyMiles. That said, not all applicants are eligible for this increased welcome offer, so you may need to try a few different ways to get it. You may receive a lower offer of 80,000 SkyMiles, 90,000 SkyMiles, or another amount.

Option 1: Higher Public Welcome Offer

It’s always worth checking American Express directly, as they frequently run higher public welcome offers. Right now, the current public welcome offer is:

Option 2: CardMatch

CardMatch is a credit card matching tool. Its primary service is to identify targeted credit card offers from major U.S. banks like American Express and Chase.

With CardMatch, depending on your eligibility, you could see offers as high as 100,000 SkyMiles for the Delta Reserve card.

Not only does CardMatch show you offers that you’re targeted for, but it also shows you credit cards that you’re prequalified for. This is helpful because prequalified offers are offers that you’re very likely to be approved for. Although approval is never a guarantee, if you’re prequalified, you’re much more likely to be approved than an applicant who isn’t.

There’s also no guarantee you’ll see better offers on CardMatch than those publicly available. But it is worth the few minutes it takes to check, especially since the service is free and only requires a soft credit check.

You have to enter some personal information, but CardMatch uses 256-bit encryption and is a PCI Level 1-compliant organization, so it provides the same level of security as most banks and other financial organizations.

Option 3: Targeted Mailings From American Express

If you want American Express to contact you directly whenever it has a targeted offer for one of its credit cards, you should strongly consider opting in to receive mailings from American Express. American Express will send you mailers with exclusive offers tied specifically to your account — but only if you opt in.

If you want to opt in, head to the communications preferences in your American Express account and enable mail and email communication.

Option 4: Get a Referral From a Friend or Family Member

If you have a friend or family member with a Delta credit card, you might be able to receive a higher welcome offer when applying via a personal referral link.

This can really be a win-win situation: You earn more miles than you would have otherwise, and your friend or family member earns bonus miles for referring you.

Option 5: Apply via Amex and Delta

If you have a Delta SkyMiles account, you can check whether you’re targeted for increased welcome offers. Start by visiting the Amex Delta credit cards landing page, then click to apply for the card you’re interested in, such as the Delta Reserve card.

Once you complete the card application, you should receive approval (or a rejection), plus your targeted welcome offer amount — all without your credit score being affected. If you accept the offer, this will likely trigger a hard pull on your credit.

Option 6: Check for Prequalified Offers With American Express

Finally, you can try checking for any prequalified offers directly with American Express. Head to americanexpress.com, click where it says “Cards,” then “Check for Pre-Qualified Credit Card Offers.” This will populate a page of targeted card offers from the personal Amex card collection.

Reasons You May Not Be Able To Get a Higher Welcome Offer

If you’re not seeing a welcome offer as high as 100,000 SkyMiles, it might be for a reason below.

Current Public Offer Isn’t an Increased Offer

If the current public offer from American Express isn’t an increased offer, it obviously makes it more difficult to track down.

In this case, you could check CardMatch, wait until you receive a targeted offer, or wait for American Express to bring back a higher welcome offer.

Poor Credit

If you have a low credit score, it’s unlikely you will be approved for the Delta Reserve card, which is a premium card product with a $650 annual fee.

If you’re denied or think you’re unlikely to be approved with your current score, focus on improving your credit score first.

You’ve Opted Out of Marketing Offers

If you don’t opt in to American Express marketing offers, you won’t receive any and could miss out on targeted offers. If you want to make sure you receive these targeted offers, then you need to opt in.

You’ve Held the Card Before

Amex’s lifetime rules state that you may not be eligible for a welcome offer if you’ve previously held a Delta card.

Final Thoughts

The Delta Reserve card is one of the best cards on the market for frequent Delta flyers. Those with the card will find it easier to reach higher status levels with Delta and can even get on the upgrade list without having any status.

If the Delta Reserve card sounds like a perfect fit for you and your needs, it’s worth taking the time to ensure you’re getting the best offer possible — and right now, that’s as high as 100,000 SkyMiles.