Amex Delta SkyMiles Reserve

The Amex Delta SkyMiles Reserve from American Express has a $650 annual fee. At $2,650 a month of typical household spending it pays about −$268 a year after fees, before statement credits, $904 less than the Citi Double Cash, a flat 2% card.

Terms checked October 27, 2026. Net values use the spending mix of 1,229 U.S. households in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Expenditure Interview Survey. This is an estimate, not financial advice.

What does the Amex Delta SkyMiles Reserve earn?

3x Delta purchases; 1x on everything else.

Not counted in the numbers on this page:

Two domestic Delta Comfort Flight Certificates in the welcome offer (not points)

How much would it pay you a year?

This is the card's rewards minus its annual fee, at three spending levels, with spending split the way the survey households split theirs. Statement credits and sign-up bonuses are left out.

Spending a month	Amex Delta SkyMiles Reserve	Citi Double Cash (2%)
$1,500	−$434	$360
$2,650 (the survey median)	−$268	$636
$5,000	$70	$1,200

The mix is 30% everything else, 25% groceries, 16% phone and utilities, 13% dining, and smaller shares elsewhere. Your own split decides the real answer: add your statements to work it out on what you actually spent.

How did it do for real households?

We ran each of the 1,229 households in the 2024 survey through every card, on 12 straight months of their own spending. It was never the best of the 53 cards for any household, and never paid more than the Citi Double Cash, a flat 2% card. For the median household it paid $905 a year less than the flat 2% card.

The survey records spending categories but not merchants, so merchant bonuses and statement credits never count there, which favors flat cards. How we ran the household test.

What credits does it come with?

Up to $590 a year in credits, worth that much only if you would spend at these merchants anyway. PointMaxx counts a credit only when your statements show you'd have used it.

Credit	Up to
Resy dining credit	$20 a month ($240 a year)
Delta Stays credit	$200 a year
Rideshare credit	$10 a month ($120 a year)
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit	$120 every 4 years ($30 a year)

Fees and sign-up bonus

Annual fee: $650.
Foreign transaction fee: none.
Sign-up bonus: 50,000 points ($600 at 1.2¢ a point) after $10,000 of spending in 6 months. Offers change and can differ by applicant, so check the issuer's page.

Other benefits

Delta Sky Club access: 15 visits per Medallion year, unlimited after $75,000 card spend in a calendar year
Centurion Lounge access: when booking a Delta flight with the Reserve card
Annual companion certificate: Delta First, Comfort or Main round trip
First and second checked bag free: first bag free on all Delta flights
Zone 5 priority boarding
MQD Headstart and MQD Boost: $2,500 MQD each Medallion year plus $1 MQD per $10 spent
Hertz President's Circle status: enrollment and Hertz Gold Plus Rewards account required
TakeOff 15 award discount: 15% off miles on Delta-operated award flights booked on delta.com or the Fly Delta app

Cards that pay about the same

At $2,650 a month, these pay closest to the Amex Delta SkyMiles Reserve:

Citi AAdvantage Executive: −$234 a year
Robinhood Platinum Card: −$211 a year
Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant: −$176 a year
Amex Platinum: −$418 a year

See what it would have paid you

Add your statementsFree, in your browser. Your statements are never uploaded.

PointMaxx runs a year of your own card statements against 53 U.S. cards, after annual fees, caps and the credits you'd really use. No statements on hand? The quick estimate asks seven questions instead.

Sources

See a wrong rate? Tell us. PointMaxx is not affiliated with or endorsed by American Express; the card's name is used only to say which card is meant.