Name: Delta Reserve Business AmEx: Lounge and Luxury for Delta Loyalists - NerdWallet
Item: Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card

Overview

The bottom line:

If you travel often for business and fly Delta, the perks on this card — including lounge membership and a boost toward elite status — could easily make up for the hefty annual fee. But if you frequently fly airlines other than Delta, you might look elsewhere.

Credit card details

Annual fee

$650

Regular APR

19.99%-28.99% Variable APR

Intro APR

N/A

Rewards rate

1x-3x

Miles

Foreign transaction fee

Intro offer

125,000

Miles

Pros & Cons

Pros

High rewards rate

New cardholder bonus offer

Generous free checked bag benefit

SkyClub and Centurion Lounge membership (terms apply)

Companion pass benefit

Cons

High annual fee

Limited reward redemption options

More details from American Express

Limited Time Offer: Earn 125,000 Bonus Miles after spending $15,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 10/29/25.
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business Members receive 15 Visits each Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® and can unlock Unlimited Delta Sky Club Access after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
Earn 3 miles per dollar on eligible Delta purchases.
Get closer to elevated Status next Medallion® Year with MQD Headstart and MQD Boost: receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 on purchases with your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card.
Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main domestic, Caribbean, or Central American round-trip flight each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
With the $240 Resy Credit, earn up to $20 per month in statement credits on eligible Resy purchases using your enrolled Card.
Earn up to $10 back each month after using your enrolled Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers.
Save 15% when booking Award Travel on Delta flights. Not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
Not a Medallion Member? Card Members with an eligible ticket will be added to the Complimentary Upgrade list, after Delta SkyMiles Medallion Members.
As a benefit of Card Membership, you can check your first bag free on Delta flights, saving up to $70 on a round-trip Delta flight per person. For a group of four that’s a potential savings of up to $280 per round-trip flight.
When you purchase a Delta flight with your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business Card, you will receive complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge or Escape Lounge.
Receive Zone 5 Priority Boarding on Delta flights; board early, stow your carry-on bag and settle in sooner.
Elevate your travel experience with an annual statement credit of up to $250 after using your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card to book prepaid hotels or vacation rentals through Delta Stays on delta.com.
Enjoy travel without foreign transaction fees from American Express with your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card.
Terms and limitations apply.

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Credit card comparison

Compare to other cards

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

5.0

NerdWallet rating

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at American Express

American Express® Business Gold Card

4.2

NerdWallet rating

read review

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at American Express

Annual fee

$895

Annual fee

$375

Regular APR

18.24%-28.99% Variable APR

Rates & Fees

Regular APR

18.24%-28.99% Variable APR

Rates & Fees

Intro APR

N/A

Intro APR

N/A

recommended personal credit

good - excellent

recommended personal credit

good - excellent

Need more options? Check our picks for best business credit cards of 2025

Business operators who want a new credit card and continually fly out of Atlanta, Boston, Cincinnati or other strongholds of Delta Air Lines should shortlist the

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card.

Its marquee feature is a Delta Sky Club airport lounge membership, but it also offers an

annual companion certificate

, progress toward elite status and other perks that can justify its lofty annual fee of $650. Terms apply. And you don’t need to have a hardcore business — an S-corp or employees — to qualify. A side hustle could get you approved.

The card might not be worth it for business owners who spread around their airfare dollars. They would be better off with a general travel card, even a luxury one that also offers lounge access.

But for entrepreneurs who avidly fly Delta and enjoy comfort and productivity benefits while traveling, the decision to choose this Delta card is as easy as alpha, beta, gamma.

» MORE:

How to choose an airline credit card

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card: Basics and benefits

To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, see

this page

Card type:

Small business

and

airline

Annual fee: $650

Welcome bonus: Limited Time Offer: Earn 125,000 Bonus Miles after spending $15,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 10/29/25. Terms Apply.

Rewards:

3 miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta.
1.5x miles on eligible transit, U.S. shipping and U.S. office supply store purchases.
1.5x miles on all purchases after spending $150,000 in a calendar year.
1 mile per dollar spent on other purchases.
Terms apply.

» MORE:

Delta Air Lines SkyMiles program: The complete guide

NerdWallet values

Delta miles at 1.2 cents each. This is a baseline value, drawn from real-world data on hundreds of economy routes, not a maximized value. In other words, you should aim for award redemptions that offer 1.2 cents or more in value from your Delta miles.

Lounge membership: Membership to Delta Sky Clubs and AmEx Centurion Lounges (or Escape Lounges) when flying Delta. Terms apply.

Companion certificate: Covers airfare for a traveling partner. Terms apply.

Progress toward elite status: Medallion Qualifying Dollars perks can get you to Medallion elite status quicker. Terms apply.

Foreign transaction fee: None.

APR: The ongoing APR is 19.99%-28.99% Variable APR.

Other benefits:

First checked bag free for you and up to eight others on your reservation.
Priority boarding allows you to get on the plane early.
Access to complimentary seat upgrades. Even without elite status, your card could add you to the complimentary upgrade list, depending on the fare you booked.
Credit for the application fee for TSA Precheck and Global Entry . Card members are eligible to receive either one $120 statement credit every 4 years for the application fee for Global Entry or one $85 statement credit every 4.5 years for TSA Precheck.
20% discount on in-flight purchases. You must use your card, and the discount comes in the form of a statement credit.
Terms apply.

» MORE:

Who can apply for a business credit card?

Highlights of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card

Lounges, lounges, lounges

Excellent

premium travel cards

abound. The reason to get this one is that it includes full membership to Delta Sky Clubs, the airline’s airport lounges. There, you'll have access when flying Delta to a

slew of amenities

, including complimentary drinks, Wi-Fi, showers and more. Every year, you'll also get four one-time guest passes to the lounges. After that, you can buy additional guest passes for $50 each (which must be charged to the card). Terms apply.

In addition to Delta Sky Clubs, your card will also get you into the highly regarded American Express Centurion Lounges — as well as the Escape Lounges — when you're flying Delta. You can bring up to two guests at a per-visit rate of $50 per person, per location.

The card’s annual fee of $650 might seem high, but it makes sense considering a comparable Sky Club membership costs $545 per year. Terms apply.

Companion certificate

The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card is among the few airline cards with an annual companion certificate, which covers a travel partner's airfare. This perk alone can make up for the card's annual fee. Aside from paying taxes and fees on the ticket (which are capped at $80), you can essentially get a two-person business trip for half-price.

You can redeem the companion benefit for a round-trip ticket in domestic Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main cabins as well select Caribbean and Central American flights. Deltic Basic experiences are not eligible. Terms apply. This is a distinction, because many companion certificates apply only to economy class, including the companion certificate on this card’s little brother, the

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card

🤓

Nerdy Tip

Regarding the companion certificate benefit: You must depart and arrive in the 48 contiguous United States. There are exceptions to this rule for cardholders who live in Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands. You must book the same flights with your companion with the same times and dates, and make the purchase using the card. You'll get this benefit annually each year your card is renewed. Terms apply.

» MORE:

Top airline credit cards with companion tickets

Welcome bonus

New-cardholder bonuses can change periodically, but the card typically gives you enough miles to earn a domestic award flight, assuming you can meet the required spending. The current bonus: Limited Time Offer: Earn 125,000 Bonus Miles after spending $15,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 10/29/25. Terms Apply.

Note that if you've had this American Express credit card in the past, you’re unlikely to qualify for the bonus. And you might be rejected for the bonus because of other account history with American Express.

» MORE:

Chasing a big credit card bonus? Now you may not qualify

OTHER PERKS

Access to complimentary seat upgrades. Even without elite status, your card could add you to the complimentary upgrade list, after Medallion members. But that’s only if you bought a Delta Comfort+ seat or higher. Basic economy fares are ineligible for upgrades.
Free checked bags. The checked-bag benefit is especially generous with this card. You’ll get a first checked bag free for you and up to eight others on your reservation. Terms apply. You might rarely have that many traveling companions, but fully used, that’s a savings of up to $630 on a round-trip flight ($35 per person each way). You would break even on the annual fee with just a few traveling partners, assuming you would have otherwise paid to check bags.
Priority boarding. If you don’t typically check bags, then priority boarding can be important because getting on the plane earlier means you’re more likely to find overhead bin space for your roll-aboard.
Credit for TSA Precheck or Global Entry application fee. The credit is good once every four years for Global Entry (current fee: $120) or every 4.5 years for TSA Precheck ($85).
In-flight discount. Get 20% savings in the form of a statement credit on such purchases as food, alcoholic beverages and audio headsets onboard. Note that in-flight wireless Internet access does not count.
No foreign transaction fees. Good travel cards generally don’t charge this fee — 3% is common — for making purchases abroad. This Delta card doesn’t, either. However, this card operates on the American Express network, which isn’t as widely accepted abroad as, say, Visa and Mastercard.
Terms apply.

Business-friendly features

Like all of AmEx’s business credit cards, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card features a suite of benefits designed for business owners, including:

The American Express Business App. This feature allows you to add receipts and notes to your transactions on desktop or mobile.
Employee cards. There’s a $0 fee for adding employee cards to your account. You can set individual spending limits on these cards and set up various alerts to monitor spending.
Year-end summary. This report, typically available in January, will show purchases made on your account during the previous calendar year.
Terms apply.

These features make it easy to track your company’s spending and can come in handy at tax time.

» MORE:

Major differences between business credit cards and personal credit cards

How it compares with other Delta business credit cards

If you definitely want a Delta Air Lines business credit card, you have three options. Examining basic card features side by side helps when choosing.

	Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card	Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card	Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
Annual fee	$0 intro for the first year, then $150 ( see rates and fees )	$350 ( see rates and fees )	$650 ( see rates and fees )
Rewards on Delta purchases	2x	3x	3x
Rewards besides bonus miles on Delta purchases and 1x on everything else	2x on restaurant dining, U.S. shipping purchases and U.S. advertising in select media (up to $50,000 per category, per year). Terms apply.	3x on hotels, 1.5x on single eligible purchases of $5,000 or more. Terms apply.	1.5x on all purchases after spending $150,000. Terms apply.
Companion certificate	No	Yes (main cabin)	Yes (main cabin, Delta Comfort+ or first class)
Sky Club airport lounge access	No	No	Yes, plus Centurion Lounge
Global Entry or TSA Precheck credit	No	Yes	Yes
Free first checked bag on Delta flights?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Early boarding?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Elite status boost?	No	Yes	Yes

Terms apply.

» MORE: Want a consumer card instead? Read

NerdWallet's comparison of consumer Delta credit cards.

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card: Drawbacks and alternatives

Annual fee

The annual fee of $650 isn’t unusual for an airline card that comes with an airport lounge membership. Still, it’s not a small number. The key is to be sure you can extract more value from the card than you’re paying to hold it.

If you can’t stomach the annual fee, a cheaper travel business credit card might be in order. A good example is the

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

. It earns 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each year, and 1 point per dollar on everything else. Points are worth more when redeemed for travel through the

Chase Ultimate Rewards®

portal.

» MORE:

NerdWallet’s best small-business credit cards

Limited spending rewards

True, if you spend a lot on the card, you can earn some perks, like progress toward elite status. But the straight-up spending rewards are a bit lackluster, especially for smaller business spenders.

You earn 3 miles per dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta; 1.5 miles per dollar on eligible transit, U.S. shipping and U.S. office supply store purchases; and 1 mile per dollar on everything else. The base rewards rate rises to 1.5 miles per dollar for all purchases after you put $150,000 on the card in a calendar year, which is nice for high spenders. Terms apply.

Other business credit cards will have either higher flat-rate rewards for all purchases, or for certain spending categories — such as advertising and office supply stores — that earn bonus rewards and are relevant to small-business owners. And some business airline cards have started adding useful bonus categories, like restaurants and hotels.

A business card that offers higher spending rewards is another one by AmEx, the

American Express® Business Gold Card

. You'll earn 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent in the top two eligible bonus categories from a list of six where you spend the most each month (up to the first $150,000 in combined purchases per year; then 1 point back). Terms apply ( see

rates and fees

). The annual fee is $375.

» MORE:

American Express credit cards mobile app review

Reward redemptions

The best redemption choices for Delta SkyMiles are award flights and seat upgrades on Delta and its SkyTeam partners. That’s limiting compared with general travel business credit cards, which allow you to apply rewards to a wide range of travel-related expenses.

If you mix your flying with airlines other than Delta, a general travel card might be a better fit. Maybe the ideal fit for Delta flyers is

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

, with an annual fee of $895. The card also gets you into Delta Sky Clubs and features a hefty bonus offer for new cardholders; earns 5X points on eligible travel purchases; provides hundreds of dollars a year in travel credits; and carries lots of perks. Terms apply ( see

rates and fees

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

If you can handle the annual fee, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card can be the ideal credit card for the frequent Delta flyer. Its lounge access, companion certificate and progress toward elite status can make life on the road more palatable. But if you’re flying many different airlines and don’t necessarily want lounge access, you have other good choices.

To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card, see

this page

. To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, see

this page

. To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, see

this page

To view rates and fees of the American Express® Business Gold Card, see

this page

. To view rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, see

this page