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Compare the Features and Benefits of Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and
American Express® Green Card

Detailed Comparison Overview

Key Facts
Annual Fee
Avg. Min. Credit Score
Ongoing APR
Balance transfers fees
Best Multiplier
Avg. Point Value
(Learn More)
Bonus Offer
Rating
Review
Key features
Unique Card Benefits
Airport Lounge Access
Annual Statement Credits
Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver
No Foreign Transaction Fees
Extended Warranty
Purchase Protection
Trip Protections
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
Amex Offers
Free Checked Bags
Global Entry / TSA PreCheck Reimbursement
Grants Car Rental Status
Cell Phone Protection
Return Protection
Concierge Services
Metal Card
Free Access to Credit Score
Earns Transferable Points
Has No Preset Spending Limit
No Fees for Authorized Users
Annual Fee
$650 (Rates and fees)
Avg. Min. Credit Score
Good-Excellent
Ongoing APR
20.49%-29.49% (Variable)
Balance transfers fees
-
Best Multiplier
3x Airfare

Only applies to Delta flights purchased directly from Delta. All other airline purchases will earn 1X miles per dollar

1x All Other Eligible Purchases
Avg. Point Value
(Learn More)
$0.012
Bonus Offer
Earn 70,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $5,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms apply.
Rating
YBCC Card Rate Stars Filled
YBCC Card Rate Stars Empty
(3.68) Our Review

Our ratings are determined by the authors and editors on our team. Each individual card feature is compared against all other cards we offer and the total score is an average of those 4 ratings.

Review

There are many reasons why frequent Delta flyers look toward the carrier’s top product: the Delta Reserve card with a $650 annual fee. This rewards card provides outstanding benefits when you’re flying Delta, but be prepared to pay a pretty penny.

First and foremost, you can get complimentary access to the Delta Sky Club, The Centurion Lounge, or Escape Lounge locations when presenting a same-day boarding pass with Delta Air Lines, giving you ample space to rest up, grab a meal or a drink, and get work done in the airport. While guest access isn’t included, you can bring up to two guests for a $50 per-person rate, or you can cash in your two guest passes that you’ll be awarded every card membership year.

Effective 2/1/25, Reserve Card Members will receive 15 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club; to earn an unlimited number of Visits each year starting on 2/1/25, the total eligible purchases on the Card must equal $75,000 or more between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24, and each calendar year thereafter.

family, hike, travel

The annual companion certificate can also save you hundreds of dollars on Delta flights, as it’s eligible for round trip domestic, Caribbean, or Central American roundtrip flights in any class of service including First Class.

You’ll just need to pay the government imposed taxes and fees of less than $80 for domestic and $250 for international round trips — a steal for a second ticket on Delta Air Lines.

Furthermore, Delta SkyMiles Reserve cardholders receive unmatched status boost benefits for those who can meet the certain benchmarks.

For those that need a hand with reaching the next Delta Medallion® elite status level, this card earns $1 MQD (Medallion Qualifying Dollars) for every $10 spent on eligible purchases with your Card – plus a $2,500 MQD boost each calendar year just for holding the Card.

The Delta Reserve card is also popular for elites as it provides upgrade priority over other Medallion members at the same status tier. Two elite members may be on the same elite status level, but with the Delta Reserve credit card, you’ll get higher priority on the upgrade list — which can mean all the difference in a sea of elite members.

And you’ll also receive up to $560 in statement credits each year with up to $20 per month in statement credits on eligible Resy purchases using your enrolled Card, up to $10 back in statement credits each month on U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers after you pay with your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (Enrollment Required) and up to $200 back annually on eligible prepaid Delta Stays bookings on delta.com. (Terms apply)

You may be thinking that the Delta Reserve card is only targeted for those chasing Delta’s frequent flyer status. However, you may be surprised to find that the Delta SkyMiles Reserve card is also a fantastic choice for those without status but who want elite-like benefits.

Case in point: you and up to eight companions on the same reservation can bring your first checked bag free. And you can still get access to complimentary seat upgrades, although you’ll be placed on the bottom of the list after Medallion members.

There’s a long list of benefits that also come with the Delta Reserve card, such as the statement credit for Global Entry/TSA PreCheck, 15% award discount when redeeming for SkyMiles flights and travel and purchase protection benefits.

Simply put: it’s a huge step-up for Delta loyalists.

Rates and Fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card

Read more
Unique Card Benefits
yes
Airport Lounge Access
yes
Annual Statement Credits
yes
Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver
yes
No Foreign Transaction Fees
yes
Extended Warranty
yes
Purchase Protection
yes
Trip Protections
yes
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
yes
Amex Offers
yes
Free Checked Bags
yes
Global Entry / TSA PreCheck Reimbursement
yes
Grants Car Rental Status
yes
Cell Phone Protection
yes
Return Protection
yes
Concierge Services
yes
Metal Card
yes
Free Access to Credit Score
yes
Earns Transferable Points
no
Has No Preset Spending Limit
no
No Fees for Authorized Users
no
Annual Fee
$150 (Rates and fees)
Avg. Min. Credit Score
Ongoing APR
-
Balance transfers fees
-
Best Multiplier
3x Airfare
3x Transit
3x Car Rentals
3x Dining Out / Food Delivery
3x Hotels
1x All Other Eligible Purchases
Avg. Point Value
(Learn More)
$0.017
Bonus Offer
Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
Rating
YBCC Card Rate Stars Filled
YBCC Card Rate Stars Empty
(3.95) Our Review

Our ratings are determined by the authors and editors on our team. Each individual card feature is compared against all other cards we offer and the total score is an average of those 4 ratings.

Review

American Express seems to have positioned the Green Card to more directly compete with high performing mid-tier cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and Citi Premier card, offering a few more direct benefits than each of them in exchange for a $150 annual fee (vs. $95 on those other cards). (Rates and Fees)

The American Express Green Card is a Powerhouse for Travel, Transit and Dining

Whereas the The Platinum Card® from American Express is all about the benefits (elite statuses, statement credits galore, etc), the American Express® Green Card is all about the 3X Membership Rewards points on all things travel (including Transit!) plus 3X on dining – all for a relatively low annual fee of just $150 (Rates and Fees). It’s great for frequent travelers, especially if you don’t already have a card that earns at least 3X on travel purchases.

And it does have a couple of benefits that can cover the annual fee. If you don’t have access to CLEAR (which lets you go ahead of most other people at airport security in select airports / terminals), this card will cover $189 in CLEAR fees which is enough for a whole family to have a membership. And you also get up to $100 in credits for airport lounge access with LoungeBuddy.

It’s worth considering this card in combination with other American Express cards. One solid Trifecta that maximizes points would be an Amex Gold Card, an Amex Green Card, and The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express. You’d use the Gold for Dining and U.S. Supermarkets, the Green for 3X points on travel and transit, and the Blue Business Plus for 2X on other eligible purchases (up to $50,000 a year; 1X Membership Rewards points per dollar thereafter).

In another Trifecta replace the Gold Card with a Platinum Card and enjoy all the perks and benefits of the Platinum card while putting all non-airfare travel and transit charges on the Green Card and the rest on your Blue Business Plus.

In short, I don’t think anyone should have the Green Card as their sole credit card, but I do think it has a nice place among a handful of American Express cards that earn Membership Rewards points.

Keep in mind that American Express Membership Rewards points never expire and combine among all of your Membership Rewards-earning cards. All points earned from various American Express cards have the same transfer partners.

The Amex Green Card Functions as a Credit Card

The Amex Green card is part of the same family of Amex proprietary cards formerly referred to as charge cards. However, the Green Card has a built-in Pay Over Time feature, making it function in many ways as any other standard credit card. Unlike a typical credit card, the Green Card allows you to carry a balance for certain charges, but not all.

What this means: Amex generally limits a cardmember to 5 credit cards (personal and small business combined), while they have a limit of 10 on proprietary Amex cards (formerly known as Charge).  This means that even if you already have 5 Amex credit cards, you would still be eligible for a Green Card.

Bonus Eligibility: They still state that if you had the Green Card before, you are not eligible for a welcome bonus on this card. So you’ll be eligible if you have less than 10 Amex charge cards and have never had the Amex Green card before.

Rates and Fees for the American Express® Green Card

All information about the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Your Best Credit Cards. 
Read more
Unique Card Benefits
yes
Airport Lounge Access
yes
Annual Statement Credits
yes
Secondary Car Rental CDW Waiver
yes
No Foreign Transaction Fees
yes
Extended Warranty
yes
Purchase Protection
yes
Trip Protections
yes
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services
yes
Amex Offers
yes
Free Checked Bags
no
Global Entry / TSA PreCheck Reimbursement
no
Grants Car Rental Status
no
Cell Phone Protection
no
Return Protection
no
Concierge Services
no
Metal Card
no
Free Access to Credit Score
no
Earns Transferable Points
yes
Has No Preset Spending Limit
yes
No Fees for Authorized Users
yes

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