American Express Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business Card
American Express, American Express, $650 annual fee. Earns Delta SkyMiles, valued at 1.20¢ a point.
Rates checked against the issuer 2026-10. Foreign transaction fee: none.
The short version
- Best at: nothing in particular — no category puts it in the top three of the catalogue.
- A year's rewards: about $320, or −$330 after the fee.
Is the annual fee worth it?
It earns about $320 a year on the illustrative household's spending, which is −$330 once the fee is paid. The best card with no fee, American Express Blue Business Plus, nets $1,058 on the same spending — so this card is $1,389 a year behind. On earning alone it does not catch up at any level of spending this looks at — its credits and perks have to make up the difference, or the fee is not paying for itself.
Priced on an illustrative household spending $2,205 a month on a card — the assumption, in full. Credits and perks are not priced: they are worth their face value only if you would have spent that money anyway.
What it earns, category by category
| Earns on | Rate | ConditionsWhat the issuer attaches to this rate: a spending cap, a category you have to switch on, or a booking you have to make through its travel portal. |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | 3x | Delta only. Delta purchases only |
| Public Transit, Rideshare & Taxis, Office & Shipping | 1.5x | Transit, taxis and rideshare, and U.S. office supply stores |
| Everything else | 1x |
Where a year's rewards come from
| Spending on | Earns a yearWhat this card earns on each kind of spending over a year, for the illustrative household on the method page. Before the annual fee. |
|---|---|
| Groceries | $72 |
| Everything Else | $72 |
| Restaurants & Bars | $43 |
| Gas Stations | $22 |
| Online Shopping | $22 |
| Utilities | $22 |
Priced on an illustrative household spending $2,205 a month on a card — the assumption, in full. Credits and perks are not priced: they are worth their face value only if you would have spent that money anyway.
What the issuer lists besides rewards
- 1.5x also at U.S. shipping providers
- 1.5x on every purchase for the rest of the year once $150,000 has been spent on the card
Similar cards
- American Express Delta SkyMiles Reserve — annual fee $650 a year
- Citi AAdvantage Executive — annual fee $695 a year
- Chase United Club Business Card — annual fee $695 a year
- Chase United Club Card — annual fee $695 a year
- Every airline card, ranked
- When an annual fee pays for itself
- The best two- and three-card combinations
Point values: published industry valuations, read 2026-09. How every number here is worked out.