4 Things to Do When You Get the Delta SkyMiles Reserve AmEx Card
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Opening a new credit card for perks and rewards can be exciting. In the midst of that excitement, you might forget all the benefits a particular card offers and, perhaps, make a few mistakes.
If you’re a frequent Delta Air Lines flyer, consider applying for the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. It comes with lots of perks and a $650 annual fee. Terms apply.
Trust us: Once you’re approved, you don’t want to forget to do the following five things.
1. Earn the welcome bonus
A credit card welcome bonus is like a gift from someone you’re really close to: You know what’s in the box, you just have to wait until your birthday to open it.
With the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, you know you’ll get a nice welcome bonus: Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
Make sure to hit that minimum spend within the first six months. If you miss that deadline, you won’t get the bonus miles.
2. Apply for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card offers an enrollment fee credit to those applying for either TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. The reimbursement comes in the form of a statement credit after you apply for one of the programs and pay $78 for TSA PreCheck or $100 for Global Entry. Terms apply.
The credit is given once every four years toward Global Entry and every 4.5 years toward TSA Precheck, and you want to make sure you use it as soon as possible to restart the clock. After the initial application fee, PreCheck renewal only costs $70 if completed online, so you're more than covered on that front.
If you’re already enrolled in either program, feel free to use the credit on a friend or a family member and enroll them instead, as the credit doesn’t have to be used by the primary cardholder. Terms apply.
3. Find Delta Sky Club and Centurion Lounge locations
As a Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card member, you can access Delta Sky Clubs and Centurion Lounges at no extra cost with a same-day Delta boarding pass.
You'll also receive four complimentary Delta Sky Club guest passes per year. After using those, you'll have to pay the guest fee of $50 per person. Meanwhile, no complimentary guests are included for Centurion Lounge access, but you can bring friends or family along for $50 per person.
Guest access in either lounge is limited to two guests per visit. Terms apply.
Starting in 2025, cardholders will no longer get unlimited access to Delta Sky Clubs. Beginning, Feb. 1, 2025, cardholders will receive 15 visits per program year. Members can earn unlimited visits after spending $75,000 on the card in a calendar year. Once earned, unlimited visits will last through Jan. 31 of the following year. Read more about the changes here.
Once you receive your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, research whether your home airport has a Delta Sky Club or a Centurion Lounge and their locations in the terminal. Also look for these lounges at your frequently visited airports.
You never know when your short delay turns into a long wait, and hanging around a lounge is much better than sitting at the gate. Keep in mind you can only access Delta Sky Clubs up to three hours before your departing flight (unless you have a layover).
4. Learn about the Delta SkyMiles program
If you’re going to start collecting Delta SkyMiles, you should know how much a SkyMile is worth.
Delta doesn’t publish an award chart — the number of miles you need for an award flight is based on a dynamic pricing system, meaning the award price can fluctuate based on things like time of year. Get a feel for how far your miles can take you by searching for some sample award flights on Delta’s website.
NerdWallet values Delta SkyMiles at an average of 1.2 cents each when redeemed for economy flights.
Award flights aren’t the only way to spend your SkyMiles. From Delta Flash Sales and Pay with Miles (which lets you redeem SkyMiles to reduce the cost of a cash ticket — an option available to co-branded cardholders only) to Sky Club membership and Dom Perignon Champagne in the Sky Club, you’ll find many ways to spend your SkyMiles.
Not all these redemption options will be worthwhile to you, but that’s all the more reason to learn the ins and outs of Delta SkyMiles.
The bottom line
When you open a premium travel rewards credit card, it’s important to maximize its full potential. You want to get as much value back from your annual fee as possible. With a little planning and organization on your part, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card can pay for itself over time.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2024:
Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card
Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express
Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
on Chase's website
1x-5x
Points60,000 Points + $300 Travel Credit
2x-5x
Miles75,000
Miles