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Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card: Top-Tier Perks for Loyalists

Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card® review
KEY TAKEAWAYS
  • The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card earns 3 miles per dollar spent on all purchases made directly with Delta, 1.5 miles per dollar on office supplies, U.S. shipping expenses and eligible transit services, plus 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases.
  • What we think: For business travelers who frequently fly with Delta, the luxury perks (namely lounge access) on the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business can easily justify the $650 annual fee.
  • The SkyMiles Reserve Business card has a $650 annual fee (see rates and fees).
  • Membership gives you access to Delta Sky Club® lounges, Hertz President’s Circle® status and other valuable perks.
  • The SkyMiles Reserve Business card comes with several travel-related benefits like priority boarding, access to priority upgrades and more.
SUMMARY

The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card offers 3 miles per dollar spent on all Delta purchases, multiple statement credits and other benefits, making it one of the best business credit cards for Delta Air Lines enthusiasts.

This Delta airlines credit card may be a good fit for your needs if you travel frequently and make it a priority to use Delta for all air travel. To help you choose a credit card, we have done an in-depth review of the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business card.

Settle in and get answers to the following questions:

  • Is the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business card worth the annual fee?
  • How many miles do you earn for each type of purchase?
  • What are the benefits of carrying the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business card?
  • How does the SkyMiles Reserve Business card compare to other travel credit cards?
PROS & CONS

Pros

  • Complimentary access to Delta Sky Clubs & Amex Centurion Lounges
  • Annual Companion Certificate, good for one ticket in the same class you’re in
  • Very generous welcome offer

Cons

  • High annual fee ($650)
  • Low rewards rate on non-Delta spending categories
  • Requires good to excellent credit
Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card®
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Key Information
Earn 3X miles on all Delta purchases and 1X miles on everything else. If you spend $150,000 in a calendar year, you’ll earn 1.5X miles per dollar on non-Delta purchases for the rest of the year. $650 annual fee.

Is the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card worth it? 

The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card is ideal for cardholders who travel frequently as it offers 3 miles per dollar spent on every purchase you make directly with Delta. 

Cardholders also receive 1.5 miles per dollar spent on certain business purchases, such as shipping and office supplies, making it a good fit for business owners. Overall, the card is worth it if you’re a frequent flier who prefers to book with Delta rather than using multiple airlines.

Pros and cons

Pros
  • 3 miles per dollar spent on all purchases made directly with Delta
  • 1.5 miles per dollar spent on office supplies, U.S. shipping and eligible transit expenses
  • 1 mile per dollar spent on all other categories
  • Annual companion certificate
  • Delta Sky Club® access
  • Medallion® Qualification Dollars boost
Cons
  • $650 annual fee
  • Sky Club access limited to 15 visits per year unless you spend at least $75,000 on your card
  • Low earnings rate on non-Delta purchases

Learn more about Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business card

Terms apply / Rates & fees

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card rewards

The Delta Reserve Business card is an excellent rewards credit card for frequent travelers.

It comes with a generous welcome bonus and gives you several ways to earn miles when you use your card. Here’s what you need to know about earning and redeeming your rewards.

Welcome bonus

American Express is currently offering 75,000 bonus miles if you spend $10,000 within six months of opening your account. The value of the welcome bonus depends on how you choose to redeem your rewards.

For example, SkyMiles are usually worth the most when you redeem them for Award Travel. They’re worth a little less when you redeem them for seat upgrades and other perks.

Earning rewards

With the American Express Delta Business Reserve card, it’s easy to earn rewards. 

You’ll earn at the following rates:

Redeeming rewards

One of the easiest ways to redeem your miles with this travel credit card is to purchase flights to more than 1,000 destinations. You can use your miles for flights with Delta or one of the following partner airlines: Air France, KLM, Virgin Atlantic, Hawaiian Airlines and Aeromexico.

American Express also offers the following redemption methods:

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card benefits

The Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business card comes with a variety of benefits, making it one of the best credit cards on the market.

Travel benefits 

Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/​benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.

Statement credits

Headstart and MQD Boost

Delta uses Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) to track how much you spend on vacation packages, Delta flights and certain American Express credit cards. The number of MQDs you earn affects your status in the Medallion program.

To help you reach Medallion status even faster, the Delta Business Reserve card gives you a $2,500 MQD Headstart. Cardholders also qualify for the MQD Boost, which gives you extra Medallion Qualification Dollars for purchases made on your Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express card.

You get $1 MQD for every $10 worth of purchases. For example, a purchase of $2,000 is worth $200 MQDs.

Fees, rates & limit

Before you apply for the Delta Reserve Business card, make sure you review the terms, including card fees, interest rates and spending limits (see rates and fees).

Fees

The Delta Reserve Business card has an annual fee of $650. 

Users also pay the following fees:

Interest rates

You can expect to pay the following rates when you use your SkyMiles Reserve Business card:

Credit limit

American Express doesn’t advertise minimum or maximum credit limits for the SkyMiles Reserve Business card. Your credit limit will depend on your credit scores, your annual income and other factors. Some users start with limits as low as $1,000, while others qualify for much higher limits.

How the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card compares

The main advantage of applying for the Delta Reserve Business card is that you get 3 miles per dollar spent on all Delta purchases.

If you fly frequently, this reward rate makes it easy to rack up miles. This airline credit card also comes with more than a dozen benefits, such as priority seating, free checked bags and Sky Club access.

The Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business card falls a bit short when it comes to miles earned in other spending categories. You can get 1.5 miles per dollar spent on certain business expenses, but you don’t get bonus miles on grocery, gas or dining purchases.

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card vs. Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card has a much lower annual fee ($150, see rates and fees) than the SkyMiles Reserve Business card, but it only gives you 2 miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases.

However, the $150 fee is only after the first year of membership ($0 the first year), and you get 2 miles per dollar spent on shipping expenses and certain advertising purchases. The Delta Reserve Business card is a better pick if you want to maximize your earnings on Delta purchases. Otherwise, you may want to go with the SkyMiles Gold Business card.

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card vs. Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card

The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card gives you 3 miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases and hotels, giving it a slight edge over the Delta Reserve Business card.

However, you only get 1.5 miles per dollar spent on U.S. shipping and eligible transit purchases, and only after you spend at least $5,000. The SkyMiles Reserve Business card doesn’t have a minimum spending requirement to get 1.5 miles per dollar on these purchases.

Additionally, the SkyMiles Platinum Business card has fewer benefits. For example, the Resy credit is only worth up to $120, and you can only use the companion certificate to purchase Main Cabin seating. Due to the reduced number of benefits available, the SkyMiles Platinum Business card has an annual fee of just $350 (see rates and fees) compared to the $650 fee for the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business card.

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card vs. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

When you compare the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business card with The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, the Business Platinum Card is the clear winner. It has a $695 annual fee (see rates and fees), which is slightly more than the $650 fee for the SkyMiles Reserve Business card. However, it offers many more travel and business benefits.

For example, you get 5 points per dollar spent on flights and prepaid hotels. Since the Business Platinum Card isn’t a co-branded Delta product, you get points on every airline purchase, not just Delta purchases.

The Business Platinum Card also comes with credits for Adobe Creative Suite, Dell Technologies, Indeed and wireless telephone service.

Read our full Amex Business Platinum card review

Is the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card right for me?

The Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business card is best for frequent flyers who are loyal to Delta and want to earn SkyMiles rather than cash back or bonus points. 

You may also benefit from the card if you own a business and spend a significant amount of money on office supplies and U.S. shipping expenses.

If you don’t travel with Delta often but are looking for an Amex business card, consider these options to see if they are a better fit for you: 

How do I apply for the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card?

You can learn more about the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business card and apply online. 

Simply fill out the application on the American Express website. Note that the Amex Delta Reserve Business card is for applicants with good to excellent credit scores.

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FAQ: Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card

Is it hard to get the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card?

It’s somewhat difficult to get the Delta Reserve Business card, as you must have good or excellent credit.

What credit score do you need for the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card?

American Express doesn’t publish minimum scores for its products, but you should have a good score before you apply. Good FICO® scores start at 670.

Is the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card worth it?

The Delta Reserve Business card is worth it if you’re a loyal Delta Air Lines customer and want to earn miles to use on flights and other travel purchases.

How much is an additional card for the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card?

The fee is $175 per additional cardholder.

What are the benefits of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card?

The Delta Reserve Business card comes with a variety of benefits, including an annual companion certificate, Resy and rideshare credits, seat upgrades and 15% off Award Travel. If you have the Delta Reserve Business card, you can also check your first bag for free at participating U.S. airports.

Leigh Morgan
Leigh Morgan Personal Finance

Leigh Morgan is a seasoned personal finance contributor with over 15 years of experience writing on a diverse range of professional legal and financial topics. She specializes in subjects like navigating the complexities of insurance, savings, zero-based budgeting and emergency fund development.

In the last five years, she’s authored over 300 articles for credit unions, digital banks, and financial professionals. Morgan is also the author of “77 Tips for Preventing Elder Financial Abuse,” a book focused on helping caregivers protect the elderly from financial scams.

In addition to her writing skills, she brings real-world financial acumen thanks to her previous experience managing rental properties as part of a $34 million real estate portfolio.

* Opinions expressed here are those of the LA Times Compare Cards Team and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser or entities included within this content. See our editorial policy for more details.

All products or services are presented in this content without warranty. The information, including card details such as rates and fees, is accurate at the time of publish. Please visit each bank's website directly for the most current information.

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