When I found out the annual fee for Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card increased by a full $100 (from $550 to $650; see prices and fees), I had a tough decision to make — is this premium travel card still worth it?
Currently, new cardholders can easily justify the Delta Reserve Amex’s higher annual fee because Limited time welcome offer. New card members can earn 95,000 bonus miles after spending $6,000 on the card in the first six months of card membership (ending July 17). TPG July 2024 review valuationThat reward is worth up to $1,093. However, for those who already have the card, finding value can be more difficult.
I decided to keep my Delta Amex Reserve this year to test the value of the new benefits. While I’m still figuring out how best to make the most of each benefit, the monthly Resy benefit (an online restaurant reservation service) is surprisingly easy to earn. So easy, in fact, that I recently earned a statement credit without even realizing it.
Here’s how to do it.
Related: Do You Have a Delta Amex Card? Here Are 9 Things You Need to Do
Delta Amex Statement Credit
It’s not often that a card makes it so easy to use its perks, but that’s exactly what happened to me last month. Before I explain exactly how this happens, let’s take a look at Delta Amex statement credits and who qualifies for them.
Full Delta and Amex co-branded card portfolio received an annual fee increase and benefits changes earlier this year.. I will only focus on cards that have the same credit limit as my Delta Reserve Amex card.
Here’s a closer look at the credits in the annual and monthly reports:
- Delta Stays (Delta’s hotel travel portal) for prepaid hotels and vacation rentals
- Resy for qualifying purchases at Resy restaurants in the US*
- Ride-hailing services like Uber, Lyft, Revel, Curb and Alto*
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The amount you can get for these statement credits varies by card. Here are the cards that are eligible for all three of these statement credits:
If you have one of these four cards, you can use the credits listed to offset your annual fee if you know how to use them. TPG has a must-read guide to help you. maximize these creditsSo I won’t repeat that here. Instead, let’s get back to my unexpected credit.
Earn monthly Resy statement credits
With me Delta Amex ReserveI get up to $240 per year ($20 per month maximum) in statement credits when I dine at a participating Resy reservation system restaurant and pay with my Delta Reserve Amex. You might wonder why a perk associated with dining at specific restaurants would surprise me, but it does.
That’s because you don’t have to book through Resy to earn credit; you just have to pay your bill with an eligible card. I received an email saying I’d earned $20 in Resy credit reportAlthough I don’t remember dining at a participating restaurant.
My husband was out of town, so the only thing I did when I ate out was go to the McDonald’s drive-thru to get a Happy Meal for the kids. While my kids loved the quick and cheap McDonald’s meal, I knew that wouldn’t trigger the credit. (McDonald’s has a great rewards program.)
Luckily, Amex makes it easy to determine which charge triggered the Resy credit. I logged into my account and saw the restaurant listed on the $20 credit transaction. The surprise meal was the one my husband had while he was in New York City. Mystery solved!
New York has a long list of restaurants affiliated with Resy. If you dine in New York or another metropolitan area, you can also get a surprise statement credit with an eligible Amex card to pay for your meal.
We don’t have many participating restaurants in my hometown, so I have to plan more carefully how I use my monthly Resy credits. My strategy so far has been to review my restaurant list at the beginning of the month as a reminder to stop by a restaurant for dinner or drinks at some point. Or, if I have a trip coming up, I’ll review the restaurants at my destination and add one to my itinerary.
Finding restaurants affiliated with Resy is easy. You can use Resy Website or app to find nearby restaurants and make reservations or go in person. Just remember to pay the bill with your eligible Amex card.
Related: Why the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card Is the Best Card I’ve Added to My Wallet in the Past Year
Other real-life examples
Senior Editorial Director of TPG Nick Ewen also have Delta Amex ReserveAnd he’s been able to use the Resy credit in a number of ways. In March, he got a $20 statement credit at a restaurant on Restaurant Row in New York City, and he also used it to partially offset a recent brunch in South Florida with his family.
He even bought a physical gift card at a local Resy location for a friend’s birthday, triggering a $20 statement credit.
TPG Senior Director of Product Management Gabe Travers He’s usually the one making reservations among his friends, so he has a pretty detailed list of what’s available at Resy—and what’s not.
“Between being home and traveling, we usually eat at Resy’s at least once a month. It takes a little while to remember to pull out my Delta Reserve Amex card, since it’s not where I typically spend my dining dollars (usually American Express® Gold Card) — but the new monthly statement credit helps offset the Delta Amex’s higher annual fee,” he says.
Like Nick, Gabe also found that he could earn monthly statement credits by purchasing restaurant gift cards.
“One of my favorite local restaurants, Resy, which uses Toast as its point-of-sale system, also sells gift cards on its website, which are also processed through Toast,” he says. “In my experience, these cards seem to trigger a statement credit because it’s the same restaurant, same charge—which I can then save for another great night out.”
We’ve seen other anecdotal evidence that gift card purchases will typically trigger a statement credit, but the amount you receive can vary depending on how the restaurant charges your card.
Last line
If I use it monthly, the Resy statement credit can be up to $240 per year. Combined with the annual ride-hailing statement credit of up to $120 and the Delta Stays statement credit of up to $200, that’s a savings of $560 per year, just $90 short of the Delta Reserve Amex’s $650 annual fee. Enrollment required to access selected benefits.
When I factor in the card’s other benefits, like the annual companion certificate, Delta Sky Club Lounge Access* and free checked bags, I was able to easily get $650 in value from this card. If you’re considering adding the Delta Amex to your wallet, you can get even more value in your first year when you earn the introductory welcome offer.
*Starting February 1, 2025, visits will be limited to 15 per year.
To learn more, read full review of Delta Reserve Amex.
Register here: Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card
Related: Is the Delta Reserve Amex Card worth the annual fee?
For Delta Reserve Amex rates and fees, click This.
For Delta Platinum Amex rates and fees, click This.
For rates and fees for the Delta Platinum Business Amex, click This.
For rates and fees for the Delta Reserve Business Amex, click This.
