Quick highlights
- Rewards rate: 3X miles per dollar on eligible Delta purchases; 1.5X miles per dollar on eligible transit, U.S. shipping, and U.S. office supply store purchases, plus all eligible purchases (after spending $150,000 in one calendar year); 1X miles on all other purchases
- Welcome offer: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $10,000 in purchases in your first six months
- Annual fee: $650
- Purchase intro APR: N/A
- Balance transfer intro APR: N/A
- Regular APR: 20.99 percent to 29.99 percent variable
Current welcome offer
New cardholders can earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $10,000 in their first six months of card membership. And though the spending requirement might be high for some, it shouldn't be out of reach for the average small-business owner (we estimate the average small-business spend at around $4,000 per month).
Delta SkyMiles aren’t the most valuable miles on the market, but the current bonus has a decent value for a business travel card, worth around $900 in Delta travel based on Bankrate’s latest point and mile valuations, which give Delta SkyMiles an estimated average value of 1.2 cents apiece. That said, some general travel card bonus offers may beat out the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business card’s since you can transfer those rewards to multiple airline and hotel partners and potentially boost their value.
Take The Platinum Card® from American Express as an example. This card — priced at $695 per year — offers an 80,000-point bonus after you spend $8,000 in your first six months. We estimate Membership Rewards points can be worth around 2.0 cents each based on an advantage of the issuer’s top travel transfer partners (giving this bonus a potential value of around $1,600). Plus, you’ll still have the option to book with Delta since rewards transfer 1:1 from Amex to Delta. While transferring from Amex to Delta might still only get you an average mile value of around 1.2 cents per mile, having the flexibility to book with airlines other than Delta and its partners makes a general Amex travel card much more attractive.
Rewards
The Delta Reserve Business card earns frequent flyer miles mainly on eligible Delta purchases. They aren’t the most flexible rewards in the world, but they definitely suit Delta loyalists.
Earning miles
You’ll earn 3X miles per dollar on eligible Delta purchases as well as 1.5X miles per dollar on eligible transit, U.S. shipping, and U.S. office supply store purchases, plus all eligible purchases (after you spend $150,000 on your card in a calendar year). All other purchases will earn you 1X miles until you spend $150,000 within a calendar year. If your purchase qualifies for a category that has a higher mileage accelerator, only the higher rate will apply (for instance, you’ll earn 3X miles on eligible Delta purchases instead of 1.5X miles).
This is a pretty big requirement for a few more Delta miles, so utilizing the Reserve Business card’s other methods to earn miles can help maximize your spending until you reach that bar. Booking flights with any of Delta’s airline partners will also earn you 3X miles, plus the Delta SkyMiles Dining program can serve you anywhere from 1 mile per $2 up to 5X miles on business meals.
Redeeming miles
The SkyMiles program’s biggest flaw is how rigid its redemption options are. The best use of your miles by far is to book travel or upgrade your seats.
Although Delta and its SkyTeam alliance partners have over 1,000 destinations with no blackout dates, you can’t fully transfer miles to partner airlines—only book with them through Delta.
The only other uses for miles are for travel experiences, merchandise, magazine subscriptions and gifting miles to another account or charity. Other travel rewards programs, such as American Express Membership Rewards, have more varied options that include cash back and additional travel booking methods.