Delta Reserve for Business Credit Card Review
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The Delta Reserve for Business Credit Card from American Express, a Credit Card Explained advertiser, is the top-of-the-line product in American Express’s lineup of Delta SkyMiles credit cards for small business owners. it offers many of the benefits you’d receive from having elite status in Delta’s Medallion program, along with the chance to earn the special Medallion Qualifying Miles that you need to reach and maintain status. However, it has a $450 annual fee which might not be worth it for less frequent travelers.
How This Card Works
To start off with, for a limited time you can earn 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and 70,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new card in your account’s first three months. You can receive a 0% introductory APR on purchases for 6 months. After the introductory period, a variable APR of 20.24% - 29.24% will apply, based on your creditworthiness. This offer expires on 11/7/18.
Like most SkyMiles cards, it offers you double miles on all Delta purchases and one mile per dollar spent elsewhere. But in addition, you can earn 15,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and 15,000 bonus miles after you spend $30,000 on purchases on your card in a calendar year. You can also earn an additional 15,000 MQMs and an additional 15,000 bonus miles after your spending reaches a total of $60,000 in a calendar year. This can allow you to reach a higher Medallion level of status, enabling you to earn more bonus miles while receiving more perks, upgrades and fee waivers.
Travel benefits include complimentary Delta SkyClub access, and the ability to add guests for $29 per person. You also receive an annual companion certificate good for a domestic first class, Delta Comfort+® or main cabin round-trip companion fare each year after you renew your card. Reserve cardholders also receive upgrade priority over other flyers at the same Medallion status level who don’t hold this card.
Other benefits include a first bag checked free, priority boarding and a 20% savings on purchases of in-flight food, beverages and entertainment. It also includes baggage insurance, extended warranty coverage, purchase protection and return protection. There’s a $450 annual fee for this card, and no foreign transaction fees.
Finally, it offers a variety of benefits for small business owners including receipt tagging, expense reporting, and a connection to QuickBooks.
Advantages
This small business card offers several unique benefits not found on other premium frequent flyer cards. First, you have some opportunities to earn Medallion Qualifying Miles, so you can enjoy all of the benefits that the most frequent flyers receive without paying for quite as much actual travel on Delta. Next, the upgrade priority is especially valuable as it can often make the difference between getting a seat in first class and missing out. It also has the robust small business features found on all American Express small business credit and charge cards. Finally, the annual companion certificate offers the ability for couples, friends or business partners to save hundreds of dollars on their next trip.
Click here to learn the 8 Best Ways to Use Delta SkyMiles.
Disadvantages
It’s nice that this card offers complimentary access to the Delta SkyClubs, but it’s disappointing that the membership is only valid for the cardholder. Whereas other premium airline credit cards offer an airport lounge membership that includes multiple guests, Delta asks that you pay $29 each, even for a quick lounge visit with a guest. And starting January 1, 2019, you will only be able to access the clubs if you are ticketed on a Delta flight.
But this card’s biggest weakness is the Delta SkyMiles program itself, which lacks transparency and offers questionable value. Delta took the unprecedented step of removing its award charts, so when it comes time to actually redeem SkyMiles for award flights, members have nothing to base their expectations on. Furthermore, Delta has a history of making negative changes to its program with little or no announcement, further eroding the trust you need to have in a program before you collect its miles.
Finally, many travelers have found that Delta offers its award seats for far more miles than its competitors, especially when it comes to the premium class, the international awards that are so coveted. For example, it’s often the case that Delta will charge several hundred thousand miles each way for a business class award seat on an international flight, rendering the value of its SkyMiles far below the miles of competing carriers. However, Delta occasionally offers “sales” that permit you to book award trips with fewer miles.
Bottom Line
The Delta Reserve for Business Credit Card from American Express offers fantastic benefits when flying, and the chance to earn credit towards elite status, but the miles you earn will be of questionable value. If you’re already a loyal Delta traveler and want the most benefits when you fly, this could be the card for you. But if you just want to earn travel rewards for your spending, there are many other cards you should consider first.
Note: This content is not provided by American Express. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Know Stewart is one of the leading journalists covering the credit card industry and travel rewards. His work appears at many of the top personal finance websites and is regularly syndicated by mainstream sites such as MSN Money and Yahoo! Finance.
Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.
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