Card News: New Limited Edition Boeing 747 AMEX Delta Reserve Card Design
American Express (AMEX) is the king of credit card marketing. Over the recent years, AMEX added new marketing initiatives focusing on credit card designs. In 2018, AMEX launched a limited edition rose gold colorway for its Gold card, which later became a permanent color option in 2021, and in 2022, AMEX partnered with artists Kehinde Wiley and Julie Mehretu and released Platinum Art cards. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a big fan of the designs, and I was disappointed that they didn’t really capture the brand identity of the card. However, AMEX joined forces with Delta—its airline partner—and released a very cool limited edition design for the AMEX Delta Reserve card and its business card, and I absolutely fell in love with it.
I personally didn’t think the new card designs matched the brand identity of the AMEX Platinum card. Photo by AMEX.
AMEX Delta Reserve Card Review at a Glance
The AMEX Delta Reserve card is a premium Delta co-branded card by AMEX. It carries an annual fee of $550 but currently offers a huge sign-up bonus of 100,000 Delta SkyMiles after spending $5,000 in the first three months. I personally value Delta SkyMiles at 1.3 cents per point, making this incredible sign-up bonus worth about $1,300. All Delta credit cards typically show increased sign-up bonuses every three to four months, and you want to get the highest offer possible because all AMEX sign-up bonuses are subject to AMEX’s infamous once-in-a-lifetime rule. I recently got approved for the AMEX Delta Reserve Business card with the sign-up bonus of 110,000 Delta miles and 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after spending $6,000 in three months. The spending requirement is higher, but the reward is significantly greater than the normal offer.
I love the design of my AMEX Delta Reserve Business card.
The AMEX Delta Reserve card and its business card earn 3X miles per dollar on Delta purchases and 1X mile per dollar on all other purchases. After spending $150,000 per calendar year, the 1X multiplier becomes slightly higher, and you could earn 1.5X miles per dollar on all other purchases. As you can see, the multipliers are very weak, and this card is not designed for everyday transactions at gas stations, restaurants, or supermarkets. The focus is on benefits and perks. It comes with:
Access to Delta Sky Lounges
Access to AMEX Centurion Lounges
Two Delta Sky Club passes
Medallion Qualification Miles (MQM) boost
Medallion Qualification Dollar (MQD) waiver
Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees
Annual Companion Certificate
With the AMEX Delta Reserve card, you have complimentary access to the Centurion Lounges in the US, Hong Kong, and London when flying Delta—grab a cocktail at this gorgeous bar at the Centurion Lounge in LHR.
Please consider using my referral link if you’d like to apply for the AMEX Delta Reserve Business card. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you!
Why Is This Card Special?
Going back to the card design, AMEX is offering a new Boeing 747 design for the AMEX Delta Reserve and Delta Reserve Business cards until 8/3/2022 while supplies last. The card is made of 25% metal from a now-retired Boeing 747-451—also known as “The Queen of the Skies” for being the world’s first jumbo jet and revolutionizing air travel for long-haul flights. As Delta introduced the Airbus A350 and improved cabin experience by launching the Delta One product, Delta’s 747s retired in 2017. Delta flight #6307 was one of those Boeing 747s and its first flight was on 6/28/1990 and operated until 11/18/2017, flying 68,000,000 miles around the globe. Per AMEX and Delta, here are some additional fun facts about the aircraft:
Flight time: Saw 116,548.22 hours in flight, the equivalent of 13+ years airborne
Mileage: Traveled 67,947,612.26 miles, the same as circling the earth 2,700+ times
Capacity: Carried 4 million passengers - roughly the population size of Oklahoma in Q1 of 2022
Average speed: Flew at an average speed of about 564 miles per hour, comparable to traveling the length of Manhattan in under 90 seconds
Size: The length of the 747 - nose to tail - is longer than the length of the Wright Brothers' first flight
When I saw the press release for the card, I immediately requested to change my card’s design. If you don’t have the card, you can apply using my referral link, and if you have the original design, you could log on to AMEX’s website and request a design change. When I received the card, it was lighter than I expected, but it was truly gorgeous. Compared to the design change of the AMEX Platinum card, I thought AMEX executed the design of the AMEX Delta Reserve card very well. It was meaningful, and the sense of belonging of one of the most significant airliners in aviation history certainly intrigued me and many others, especially aviation geeks.
How to Request a Design Change for Existing Card Members
If you already hold either the AMEX Delta Reserve card or the AMEX Delta Reserve Business card, you can log in to your AMEX account and request a design change of your card for free. Once you log in click Account Services and then click Replace a Card.
On the Account Services page, click Replace a Card. Photo by AMEX.
Then you will be directed to a page where you can select a reason for the replacement. Choose I want to change my Card’s design, and note that even though your new card will have a new expiration date and passcode, the card number will remain the same. That means the recurring payments with the original card’s information will continue to go through, and you won’t have to update them with the new card’s information.
The new card will retain the same card number, so you won’t have to adjust payment information for recurring payments. Photo by AMEX.
Finally, you can choose the new Boeing 747 design. Since the AMEX Delta Reserve card is a premium travel card, AMEX will expedite the delivery of the replacement card.
Choose the new limited edition Boeing 747 design while supplies last. Photo by AMEX.
Summary
I love the limited edition Boeing 747 design of the AMEX Delta Reserve card and its business variation. The design is meaningful, and it was refreshing to see some monumental facts regarding the aircraft printed on the card. The elevated sign-up offer and the limited edition design are available until 8/3/2022 while supplies last. If you are interested, I suggest you apply for the card sooner than later, so you can keep a piece of aviation history in your wallet!
Please consider using my referral link if you’d like to apply for the AMEX Delta Reserve Business card. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you!
