Why the Delta Reserve Business Amex Card Is Never Leaving My Wallet

I have a handful of longstanding credit cards in my wallet. Some earn transferable points, some airline miles, and others hotel points. One of these cards is the Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card, the top-tier business card in Delta’s portfolio.

This card helps me retain my Delta elite status and has numerous benefits and credits that outweigh its admittedly high $650 annual fee (rates & fees).

Here’s a look at why I’m a fan of the Delta Reserve Business card and why I have no plans to get rid of it, despite its hefty annual fee.

Delta Reserve Business Card — Overview

As mentioned, the Delta Reserve Business card is Delta’s premium business credit card. It’s geared towards small- and medium-sized business owners and self-employed individuals who fly Delta regularly, and it offers a handful of benefits from the airline and its partners.

It earns redeemable Delta SkyMiles and Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) for every purchase charged to the card. MQDs are the currency Delta uses for elite status qualification, and the card earns them at a rate of 1 MQD per $10 spent. The card earns Delta SkyMiles at the following rates:

• 3 SkyMiles per $1 spent on Delta purchases
• 1.5 SkyMile per $1 spent on eligible transit, U.S. shipping & U.S. office supply store purchases
• 1 SkyMile per $1 spent on all other purchases; 1.5 SkyMiles per $1 spent after spending $150,000 on all eligible purchases in a single calendar year

Other Delta Reserve Business card benefits include 15 Sky Club visits per year by holding a same-day Delta ticket (with the opportunity to earn unlimited access) and 2,500 MQDs towards elite status every year you keep the card open. I’ll discuss these benefits in depth later in the story as they’re essential to why I keep the card in my wallet.

The card also offers a solid welcome bonus offer, which you can redeem for a handful of Delta award flights or flights on Delta’s SkyTeam and non-alliance partners.

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card

U.P. Rating 

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Receive priority boarding, complimentary access to Delta Sky Club and Centurion Lounges, concierge support, and an annual companion certificate.

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Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card

Receive priority boarding, complimentary access to Delta Sky Club and Centurion Lounges, concierge support, and an annual companion certificate.

Welcome Offer

Earn 80,000 Bonus Miles after spending $10,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

80,000 miles

UP's Offer Valuation*:

Up to $960

Annual Fee

$650

APR

20.24% - 29.24% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent

Why We Like This Card

The Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card is a premium card option for small business owners who are both frequent travelers and Delta loyalists.

While the annual fee may be steep, the card comes loaded with perks and benefits that all frequent Delta flyers are sure to love. Let’s take a look at what makes the card unique, and why it may be a great fit for your wallet.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 3x miles per dollar on Delta purchases
• 1.5x miles per dollar on eligible transit, U.S. shipping and office supply stores, plus all eligible purchases after you spend $150,000 in a year
• Save 15% On Award Travel With TakeOff 15. Not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.

Cons

• High annual fee
• Does not earn many miles for purchases outside of Delta spend

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Card Highlights

• Welcome Offer: Earn 80,000 Bonus Miles after spending $10,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Members receive 15 Visits each Medallion^® Year to the Delta Sky Club^® and can unlock Unlimited Delta Sky Club Access after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
• Earn 3 miles per dollar on eligible Delta purchases.
• Get closer to elevated Status next Medallion^® Year with MQD Headstart and MQD Boost: receive $2,500 Medallion^® Qualification Dollars each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 on purchases with your Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card.
• Receive a Companion Certificate on a First Class, Delta Comfort+^®, or Main Cabin domestic, Caribbean, or Central American round-trip flight each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply.
• With the $240 Resy Credit, earn up to $20 per month in statement credits on eligible Resy purchases using your enrolled Card.
• Earn up to $10 back each month after using your enrolled Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers.
• Save 15% when booking Award Travel on Delta flights. Not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
• Not a Medallion Member? Card Members with an eligible ticket will be added to the Complimentary Upgrade list, after Delta SkyMiles Medallion Members.
• As a benefit of Card Membership, you can check your first bag free on Delta flights, saving up to $70 on a round-trip Delta flight per person. For a family of four that’s a potential savings of up to $280 per round-trip flight.
• When you purchase a Delta flight with your Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business Card, you will receive complimentary access to The Centurion^® Lounge or Escape Lounge.
• Receive Zone 5 Priority Boarding on Delta flights; board early, stow your carry-on bag and settle in sooner.
• Elevate your travel experience with an annual statement credit of up to $250 after using your Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card to book prepaid hotels or vacation rentals through Delta Stays on delta.com.
• Enjoy travel without foreign transaction fees from American Express with your Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card.
• Terms and limitations apply.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 20.24% - 29.24% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Delta SkyMiles Frequent Flyer Program

1. Maintain Elite Status

The Delta Reserve Business card’s MQD Headstart and MQD Boost features are both significant factors in my keeping the card open.

The MQD Headstart gives me 2,500 MQDs toward Medallion elite status annually just by having the card open. This is a good chunk of the 15,000 MQDs I need to keep Platinum Medallion status each year.

Further, the card earns 1 MQD per $10 spent on all eligible purchases, so a $100 purchase earns 10 MQD toward elite status. I don’t put a ton of business purchases on the card because SkyMiles aren’t incredibly valuable — we value them at just 1.2 cents per mile.

But if I’m running short on MQDs to requalify for Platinum Medallion at the end of the year, I sometimes pay self-employment taxes with the card to top up.

2. Includes 15 Sky Club Visits (Stack With Other Cards)

The card’s lounge access benefit was heavily devalued this year, but it’s still useful. The Delta Reserve Business card includes 15 Sky Club visits per year, and you can unlock unlimited access by spending $75,000 on the card in a single calendar year.

I don’t spend enough on the card to unlock unlimited access, but the 15 visits stack with the 10 annual visits provided by another card in my wallet — The Platinum Card^® from American Express. These visits are valid for 24 hours and let you access Sky Club lounges. For example, if you’re flying from Chicago (ORD) to Amsterdam (AMS) via Atlanta (ATL), you can visit the Sky Club in Chicago and Atlanta without using 2 separate visits.

This is the perfect combination for me, as I generally visit the Sky Club 20 to 25 times per year with my normal travel habits. (It’s also worth noting that the Delta Reserve Business card also includes unlimited American Express Centurion Lounge access when you have a same-day Delta boarding pass, so you can visit these without dipping into your Sky Club visits.)

3. Companion Certificate Is More Valuable Than Ever

A Delta Reserve Business card benefit that’s improved dramatically over the years is its included annual companion certificate after renewing your card every year.

In years past, it was only valid on domestic flights within the continental U.S. That’s changed, as the certificate now applies to select short-haul international flights, including those to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America.

The certificate is valid for Main Cabin, Comfort, and first class tickets. You have to find availability (that process has also improved over the years) and pay for your own ticket. Your companion will only be charged government-imposed taxes and fees, which range from $22 to $250.

My wife and I have no trouble using this benefit to cover most of the Delta Reserve Business card’s annual fee. In fact, we’re using it to fly first class from New York (LGA) to Chicago (ORD) to see my family later this summer. We have used it for flights to Salt Lake City (SLC) and Los Angeles (LAX) in the past.

4. Statement Credits Offset Most of the Annual Fee

Like most premium American Express cards, the Delta Reserve Business card has a handful of statement credits that help offset its high annual fee. This card has 3 main statement credits: a monthly ride-share credit (enrollment required), an annual Delta Stays credit, and a monthly Resy dining credit (enrollment required).

On the ride-share side, the card gives you up to $10 back each month on U.S. ride-share purchases charged to the card, with a total value of up to $120 per year. I’ve used it with Uber, Lyft, and Curb, and the statement credit posts within days of taking the ride. To ensure I use the benefit, I have the Delta Reserve Business card on Apple Pay and use it for my first ride of the month.

Further, the card includes an annual Delta Stays credit of up to $250 for any prepaid hotel stay or vacation rental booked through the Delta Stays portal, powered by Expedia. As someone who travels at least once per month, this is another easy one to use.

Finally, there’s a monthly up to $20 Resy credit that can be used at any restaurant on the Resy reservation platform. There are a handful of restaurants near my home on Resy, so my wife and I will use the credit for a drink at the bar or to offset part of a meal, and I can get back up to $240 in value per year.

5. Upgrades and Other Delta Perks

The Delta Reserve Business card also has a handful of other Delta-specific perks, like free checked bags and priority boarding. These are good benefits, but they aren’t particularly useful to me as they’re also included with my Platinum Medallion status. One perk that might be useful, however, is upgrade priority.

If you have the Delta Reserve Business card and no status, you’ll be added to the upgrade list after all Medallion elite members. If you have Medallion elite status and the Delta Reserve Business card, you’ll be upgraded before other Medallion elite members within your same status tier who don’t have the card, or its personal equivalent.

It’s hard to quantify how many times this has actually helped me get an upgrade, but it’s nice to know that I have the benefit since Delta is my domestic airline of choice. Note that complimentary upgrades aren’t guaranteed and only apply to domestic and some short-haul international flights.

Final Thoughts

In short, the Delta Reserve Business card makes sense for me as a business owner who regularly flies Delta. It gives me 15 Delta Sky Club visits per year, a boost toward Medallion elite status, upgrade priority, and a companion certificate that never goes to waste. Even better, its annual fee is mostly offset by useful statement credits.

But whether or not the card is for you depends on how often you fly Delta and how useful you find the statement credits. If this isn’t the case, you’re likely better served by another business credit card with a lower annual fee or benefits with other airlines.