Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business
The welcome offer, Sky Club and Centurion access, the Companion Certificate that works in First, every credit and its catch, the insurance, and whether the $650 fee pays for itself.
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Business airline cards · American Express
Welcome offer
200,000 miles
Annual fee
$650
200,000 bonus miles after $20,000 in purchases in the first 6 months. Limited time; ends November 4, 2026. Applicants who have or have had this card or an earlier version of it may not be eligible.
Employee cards: $175 a year each for Reserve Business; Platinum Business employee cards have no feeForeign transaction fees: NoneRewards: Delta SkyMiles
The Atelier Take
A lounge and status card for a business built around Delta; the earning rates are not the point.
Who it suits
Owners who fly Delta most months, want Sky Club access and a quicker path to Medallion status, and can put large spending on one card. Past $150,000 in a calendar year, every purchase earns at least 1.5x.
Who should skip it
Anyone who doesn’t fly Delta most months: at 1x on most spending the $650 fee is hard to recover, and the Business Platinum gives broader lounge access for its own fee.
Every credit, and the catch
The Companion Certificate and lounge access carry the card; the credits help at the margin.
Companion Certificate
One companion round trip a year, First included
Delta First, Premium Select, Comfort or Main, round trip from the U.S. within the U.S. or to Mexico, the Caribbean or Central America. Taxes and fees of up to $80 within the U.S. or $250 to other eligible destinations apply; Basic fares are excluded.
Delta Stays credit
Up to $250 a year
Prepaid hotels or vacation rentals booked through Delta Stays only.
Resy credit
Up to $240 a year
U.S. restaurants marked eligible on Resy or Tock only.
Rideshare credit
Up to $120 a year
U.S. rides with select providers (currently Uber, Lyft, Curb and Alto) only.
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
Up to $120 every 4 years
What it earns
Rewards: Delta SkyMiles, which can also go toward Delta fares at delta.com with Pay with Miles: 5,000 miles generally take $50 off.
3x
Delta purchases
Bought directly from Delta
1.5x
Transit, U.S. shipping and U.S. office supply stores
1.5x
Everything, once purchases pass $150,000 in a calendar year
For the rest of that calendar year; Delta purchases stay at 3x
1x
Everything else
TPG values SkyMiles at 1.2¢ each, below most airline and bank currencies. Delta prices awards dynamically, so value varies widely by route and date. At 1x on most spending below $150,000 a year, this card is for benefits, not earning.
Lounges, status and other Delta benefits
Delta Sky Club
15 visits each Medallion year when flying Delta, for the cardholder and for each Reserve Business employee card; unlimited after $75,000 of spending in a calendar year. Four One-Time Guest Passes a year for the account holder; other guests $50 each.
Centurion Lounges
Free access when flying Delta the same day, on a flight booked with any U.S.-issued Amex card; also Escape Lounges and Sidecar by The Centurion Lounge in the U.S., where entry opens 90 minutes before the departing flight, including layovers. Centurion and Sidecar guests cost $50 each ($30 for children 2 to 17), up to two.
MQD Headstart
$2,500 Medallion Qualification Dollars each Medallion year.
MQD Boost
$1 MQD for every $10 spent on the card.
Upgrades
Complimentary upgrade eligibility and upgrade priority on Delta.
Checked bags
First checked bag free for the cardholder and up to 8 companions on the same reservation, on Delta flights worldwide. Second bag free on Delta flights within the U.S. (including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), once each way, for the cardholder and any other Delta cardholder on the booking, not for other companions. Employee cardholders traveling without the account holder don’t get either waiver. Without the card Delta charges $45 for the first bag and $55 for the second, each way, in the U.S.
Priority boarding
Zone 5 on Delta flights, for the cardholder and up to 8 companions on the same reservation.
Hertz President’s Circle
Top-tier Hertz status, after linking a U.S. Hertz Gold+ account to SkyMiles on delta.com and enrolling in the promotion.
TakeOff 15
15% off award flights on Delta booked at delta.com or in the Fly Delta app; not on partner flights, taxes or fees.
20% back on in-flight purchases
As a statement credit on food and drinks bought on Delta flights.
Will the $650 fee pay off?
Enter what would go on this card. The result values points at TPG’s valuation, adds the credits that would actually be used and, in year one, the welcome offer, then sets the total against a no-fee card that pays 2% back on everything.
1 · Spending on this card
Example figures are filled in; replace them with real ones.
Advertising
1x
ShippingU.S. courier, postal and freight shippers
1.5x
Internet, cable and phone
1x
Office suppliesAt U.S. office supply stores
1.5x
Software and cloud services
1x
Delta purchasesBought directly from Delta; card miles only, the miles Delta awards for flying come with any card and are left out
3x
Other flights
1x
Hotels
1x
Dining
1x
Gas
1x
TransitTrains, taxis, rideshare, tolls, parking
1.5x
Everything else1.5x after $150,000 of card spending in a calendar year
1x
2 · Credits that would be used
Tick only what would be used anyway, at full value.
3 · Assumptions
The result
The Companion Certificate arrives after each renewal, so it starts in year two; its value is an example. Everything earns at least 1.5x once card spending passes $150,000 in a calendar year; the example spending stays below that, so it is not modeled. Not counted: Sky Club and Centurion access, MQD Headstart and Boost toward Medallion status and the insurance.
Insurance and protections
Pay for the trip or purchase with the card to be covered. Travel cover is secondary: it pays after any other insurance. Amex’s Guides to Benefits have the full terms and exclusions.
Trip delay
Up to $500 per trip after a delay of more than 6 hours, for up to 2 claims per 12 months. The round trip must be paid entirely with the card. Secondary.
Trip cancellation and interruption
Up to $10,000 per trip and $20,000 per card per 12 months for non-refundable costs, for covered reasons. The round trip must be paid entirely with the card. Secondary.
Cell phone protection
Up to $800 per claim for theft or damage, after a $50 deductible, for up to 2 claims per 12 months. The monthly phone bill must be paid with the card.
Baggage insurance
Up to $1,250 for carry-on bags and $500 for checked bags, on top of what the carrier pays, when the whole fare is paid with the card. Secondary.
Car rental loss and damage
Up to $75,000 for theft or damage to a rental car, for rentals up to 30 days, when the rental company’s damage waiver is declined. Not available in Australia, Italy or New Zealand, and no liability cover. Secondary.
Purchase protection
Theft or accidental damage within 90 days of purchase: up to $10,000 per item and $50,000 a year.
Extended warranty
Adds up to one year to manufacturer warranties of five years or less: up to $10,000 per item and $50,000 a year.
Return protection
If a store won’t take back an eligible item within 90 days, Amex may refund up to $300 per item and $1,000 a year.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Delta Sky Club and Centurion Lounge access when flying Delta
- The Companion Certificate works in First
- A quick card route to Medallion status: $1 MQD per $10
- Premium insurance, including trip cancellation and 6-hour trip delay cover
Cons
- $650 fee and 1x on most spending
- Sky Club visits are capped at 15 below $75,000 of spending
- Reserve employee cards cost $175 each
- Only for committed Delta flyers
Card terms change often and some offers are personalized; the issuer’s page is the final word.