There’s no denying that I’m a Delta Air Lines fan.
I’ve been a Diamond Medallion member for the previous couple of years, and plan to requalify this yr if I can swing the upper qualifying necessities. Virtually all of my home flights are on the airline due to its intensive community from my house in New York City, and I’ve discovered its service to be a step above the competitors. And every time I’ve confronted an operational meltdown or different points, Delta has all the time made it proper.
Another factor Delta does proper is cobranded bank cards. The airline has a suite of cobranded playing cards issued by American Express, with every card providing completely different advantages. My card of alternative is the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card which I’ve saved in my pockets for nearly three years. And even with my annual charge coming due within the subsequent few months, I plan to pay it but once more.
This card has a slew of advantages not seen on different premium airline bank cards, together with a option to fast-track to elite standing. In this text, I’ll run by means of a few of these advantages and talk about why I proceed to maintain the Delta Reserve card in my pockets, and why I spend on the cardboard yearly.
15% low cost on award flights
TakeOff 15 is the cardboard’s latest characteristic, and it is also included with the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, in addition to their enterprise equivalents. As the title suggests, the profit takes 15% off all Delta award tickets as long as Delta or Delta Connection operates them.
The low cost is utilized mechanically and reveals on Delta’s award calendar. In flip, this makes for some very low cost award tickets. For instance, you may persistently e book short-haul fundamental economic system tickets on off-peak dates for as little as 3,800 SkyMiles.
There are offers to be discovered on longer home flights too. For instance, you may persistently e book nonstop transcontinental flights for lower than 15,000 SkyMiles in fundamental economic system, and even fewer miles in the event you do not thoughts a connection.
Remember, Delta awards Medallion Qualification Dollars, Miles and Segments on award tickets, excluding fundamental economic system. So, every discounted award ticket you e book brings you nearer to elite standing. This is one in all my favourite elements of the SkyMiles program, and it makes reserving mileage tickets much more beneficial as I work to earn standing yearly.
Related: How Delta SkyMiles match into my factors and miles technique
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Included companion certificates
One unique perk of the Delta Reserve is its annual companion certificates.
This allows you to carry a companion with you on a round-trip ticket inside the continental U.S. for the price of taxes and charges, that are not more than $80. This could be in Main Cabin, Comfort+ or home top quality.
Companion house could be restricted, however in the event you time your flights appropriately, you should use it to save lots of a reasonably penny. In the previous, I’ve used it to fly my associate and myself to Salt Lake City and saved us effectively over $300 within the course of.
Depending on the flight I redeem my companion move for, this might simply offset the Delta Reserve’s $550 annual charge (see charges and charges).
Related: Your full information to the Delta SkyMiles program
Upgrade precedence
I’ve an excellent improve observe file as a Diamond Medallion with over half of my flights being upgraded. Given nearly all of them are to/from the New York City space, that is spectacular to me.
But it is not simply my Diamond Medallion standing that will get me an improve — the Delta Reserve card comes into play too. Elites with the cardboard are prioritized above elites in the identical tier with no Delta Reserve card. This places me forward of different Diamonds on the improve listing, enhancing my shot at a free seat on the entrance of the aircraft.
It’s exhausting to peg a money worth to this profit, nevertheless it’s a pleasant addition for Delta elites. The elite tiers are nonetheless crowded after years of pandemic rollovers and extensions, so any further precedence might make or break your subsequent Delta improve.
Related: The final information to getting upgraded on Delta
Earn MQMs
Now that Delta is completed rolling over all Medallion Qualification Miles earned throughout the pandemic, many Delta elites have to fret about their MQM rely once more this yr.
Usually, these are earned by flying: you earn 1 MQM per mile flown in economic system and 1.5 on most top quality, Premium Select and Delta One tickets. However, you can even pad your account by spending on the Delta Reserve or Platinum playing cards, or their enterprise equivalents. Spending on the Delta Reserve is advantageous, nonetheless, as a result of it awards 15,000 MQMs per $30,000 spent, as much as 60,000 MQMs.
In principle, you may use this to spend to Gold Medallion with only one bank card. MQM earnings stack per card, so you may open a Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card and earn as much as 120,000 MQMs between the 2.
I will not want the MQMs this yr due to the surplus MQMs rolled over from final yr. However, I’ll doubtless spend sufficient on my card to satisfy the primary bonus MQMs tier. These may even roll over to subsequent yr, making it simpler for me to earn standing once more.
Related: Chasing Diamond: Why I flew to South Africa for 3 days to requalify for Delta elite standing
A strong MQD waiver
Another upside to spending on the Delta Reserve card is the Medallion Qualification Dollar waiver you earn after spending $25,000 on the cardboard in a calendar yr. This waiver is legitimate for Silver, Gold and Platinum standing. Meanwhile, the Diamond MQD waiver requires a whopping $250,000 in spending, which is effectively past my vary.
I plan to place $30,000 in spending on my card this yr to earn the preliminary MQMs bonus and the MQD waiver. Even although it will not waive my MQD requirement for Diamond Medallion, it would give me a fallback to Platinum if I am unable to meet Delta’s increased necessities for Diamond this yr. This is a really actual concern I’ve, given it now takes $20,000 MQDs to keep up Diamond.
Thanks to my year-end MQMs rollover, assembly the $25,000 spending requirement would give me Platinum Medallion standing with out setting foot on a aircraft this yr. This can be a pleasant “soft-landing” to Platinum Medallion. Again, whereas Delta did not roll over all MQMs this yr, the airline all the time rolls the surplus MQMs you earn on prime of your earned standing tier. This means I began the 2024 Medallion yr with slightly below 130,000 MQMs in my account.
Related: What is Delta Air Lines elite standing value?
Lounge entry
The Delta Reserve has entry to 2 lounge networks when you might have a same-day flight on Delta: Delta’s personal Sky Clubs and American Express Centurion lounges.
This set of advantages would not change a lot for me, as I’ve additionally had The Platinum Card® from American Express in my pockets for years. However, it is an necessary promoting level of the cardboard, particularly in the event you solely fly Delta. This is as a result of the Delta Reserve card has a decrease annual charge than the Amex Platinum. The Delta Reserve fees $550 per yr whereas the Amex Platinum has a $695 annual charge (see charges and charges).
I discover worth in holding each, however these in a Delta hub-captive metropolis like Detroit or Salt Lake City would possibly choose to economize and solely have the Reserve of their pockets.
Related: Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card assessment
Bottom line
The Delta Reserve card has a excessive annual charge, however I get numerous worth from the cardboard’s suite of advantages
It makes incomes Delta elite standing simpler and saves me on Delta award tickets. Further, it enhances my journey expertise with lounge entry and improve precedence, two issues which can be necessary to me as a frequent enterprise and leisure traveler. Better but, I can offset a lot of the card’s annual charge by utilizing the included companion certificates that is good on flights inside the continental U.S., even in home top quality.
Interested in opening the Delta Reserve card? Act rapidly. The card presently provides a limited-time bonus of 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $6,000 in purchases in your new card in your first six months of card membership. Offer ends March 29, 2023.
For charges and charges of the Amex Platinum Card, click on right here.
For charges and charges of the Amex Delta Reserve, click on right here.
For charges and charges of the Amex Delta Reserve Business, click on right here.