The top tier of Delta credit cards has really come a long way. I remember when it had come with only 10,000 award miles and 10,000 elite miles and even a short time when it had NO award miles! The Delta Reserve card is the card for Delta flyers who find themselves on Delta airplanes enough that they earn (or almost earn) elite status. It gives great benefits and, now, gives a huge sign-up bonus!
Highest Offer Now Available: Delta Reserve with 70,000 Miles and 10,000 Elite Miles
Link: Delta Reserve Offer
Here are the card offer details:
- Earn 70,000 bonus miles and 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (elite miles – MQMs) after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new card in your first 3 months
- Earn 15,000 bonus miles and 15,000 MQMs after you spend $30,000 or more in eligible purchases on the card in a calendar year (Miles Boost)
- Earn an additional 15,000 bonus miles and 15,000 MQMs after you spend a total of $60,000 or more in eligible purchases on the card in a calendar year
- Complimentary Delta Sky Club access and discount access for 2 guests when traveling on a Delta flight
- Upgrade priority over others in your Medallion Tier and fare class grouping
- Domestic First Class or Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate upon renewal of your card
- Earn 2 miles per dollar on Delta purchases
- Earn 1 mile per eligible dollar on everyday purchases
- First checked bag free
- MQM gift to give the Miles Boost MQMs to others
- Medallion Qualification Dollar waiver ($25,000 to be spent on purchases to waive the MQD for Silver, Gold, and Platinum – $250,000 to be spent on purchases to waive the MQD for Diamond members)
- Priority Boarding on Delta flights
- Annual Fee: $450 (not waived)
- If you have had this card before, you are not eligible for the sign-up bonus
Delta Reserve Offer Analysis
With 70,000 miles, this makes this card extremely attractive to those that want to rack up Delta miles. Also, if you are going to fall short of your desired elite level this year, the 10,000 elite miles will be a big help as well.
The tough part is weighing it against the $450 annual fee. If you are not seeking elite status, you are essentially paying .6 cents per Delta Skymile. That is definitely not a bad rate for buying Delta miles, especially since they are worth a minimum of 1 cent per mile (you can use Delta miles at the rate of 1 cent per mile to pay for tickets – if you are a Delta credit card holder).
The lounge access is nice but I think we have to consider this – with the Hilton Ascend card (a $95 annual fee), you get 10 complimentary Priority Pass lounge passes. While some Delta Sky Clubs are much nicer than Priority Pass lounges, if you are only spending a couple/few hours in a lounge, chances are it is not that big of a deal.
If you are traveling on Delta flights more than 10 times in a year, the lounge access becomes more valuable. Plus, if you are traveling on Delta flights that many times in a year, you are likely an elite member or about to be, so the Delta elite miles come in handy also.
Finally, consider the free roundtrip ticket. You will need to pay another $450 annual fee before you will get it but that means you can buy a domestic first class ticket (or coach) and get your companion’s ticket for free. This could be a huge value, but you will have paid $900 in annual fees by that time.
Yes or No?
All-in-all, I think this offer is great for Delta elite members and definitely a card to consider if you are thinking about flying Delta more and would like to earn more miles.
For the traveler who wants cheaper travel, I don’t think this card is an automatic “yes”. If you have a trip and plan to get a international business class ticket for the 70,000 miles, it could make sense as you would only be paying $450 plus the taxes for that. For everyone else, I say pass it up.
Takeaway
I had this card years ago, I think in 2010. The elite bonus on the time helped me to get Diamond Medallion the first year it was offered. The spending thresholds for earning more elite miles helped me retain Diamond the next year. But, I let this card lapse many years ago since I was no longer flying Delta as much.
If you have big spending, this card alone could get you 40,000 elite miles (if you spend $60,000 before the end of this year). That is very close to the 50,000 miles you would need for Gold (the first meaningful elite level offered by Delta). So, there is potential with this card for people like that!
