Delta Amex Authorized User Benefits: What Perks You Get as an Additional Cardholder

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American Express offers four personal Delta SkyMiles credit cards and three business cards. Each card offers various benefits for Delta loyalists. But you may wonder how you can share those benefits with others. With some cards, you can allow trusted friends or family to access cardmember perks by adding authorized users to your account.

But what exactly are the Delta Amex authorized user benefits, and — perhaps more importantly — what are the perks you do not get as an authorized user on these cards?

What Is an Authorized User?

An authorized user is someone the primary cardmember adds to a credit card account. They can make purchases using the primary cardmember's credit line, but the primary cardmember remains responsible for all charges. In some cases, authorized users can also access certain card benefits.

Since the primary cardmember is ultimately responsible for all transactions made on the card, it should go without saying that you should only add someone you trust as an authorized user.

Remember that adding an authorized user may also impact their credit. If payments are made in full and on time, the account's positive history can help the authorized user's credit. However, authorized user reporting policies vary by issuer, and mismanaging the account could potentially hurt both parties' credit. American Express is an exception: It only reports positive account activity for additional cardmembers and stops reporting the account if the primary cardmember becomes delinquent.

Credit: Thirdman/Pexels

What Does It Cost To Add an Authorized User to a Delta Amex Card?

Most Delta Amex cards allow you to add authorized users for free. Unfortunately, that comes with a trade-off: There aren't many benefits for authorized users across Delta's card lineup.

However, there are exceptions: Delta's highest-tier personal card, the Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card , and the highest-tier business card, the Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card (Rates & Fees).

Both cards charge a $175 annual fee for each authorized user card, but that fee comes with additional benefits.

Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card

Limited-Time Offer Earn two round-trip Delta Comfort Flight Certificates valid for travel to the U.S. 48, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands, along with 50,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $10,000 in purchases on your new Card in the first 6 months. A 21+ day advance purchase is required. Taxes and fees up to $80 per person apply. Terms and other restrictions apply. Offer ends 11/4/2026.

How to Apply

Annual Fee

$650

Credit Score

Excellent, Good

• 3X miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta
• 1X miles on every eligible dollar spent on purchases.

Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card

Limited-Time Offer Earn 200,000 bonus miles after spending $20,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership (offer ends 11/4/26).

How to Apply

Annual Fee

$650Rates & Fees

Credit Score

Excellent, Good

• 3X miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta
• 1.5X miles per dollar on eligible transit, U.S. shipping, and U.S. office supply store purchases, plus all eligible purchases after spending $150K per calendar year
• 1 mile on every dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.

How To Add an Authorized User to Your Credit Card

To add someone as an authorized user on your American Express card, you'll need their personal information, such as name, date of birth, address, and Social Security number or ITIN.

To add an additional cardmember, go to “Account Services” and click “Add Someone to Your Account.”

If you have multiple Amex cards, you will be asked to select the card to which you want to add an authorized user.

Credit: American Express

If you're adding an authorized user to your Delta Reserve card, you'll be asked whether you'd like to add a Delta Reserve card with a $175 annual fee and additional benefits or a no-annual-fee Delta Platinum card with far fewer benefits.

Credit: American Express

After that, you will be prompted to enter all of the information for your authorized user before confirming.

Credit: American Express

If you're adding an employee to a small business card instead, after clicking “Account Services,” the option will be labeled “Get Additional Employee Cards.”

Enter the authorized user's information on the next screen, review the terms and conditions, and then submit your request.

Credit: American Express

Which Delta Amex Cards Charge an Authorized User Fee?

Delta offers an extensive lineup of co-branded credit cards issued by American Express. The lower-annual-fee cards can be a good entry point for earning SkyMiles, but they offer few extra perks for either primary cardmembers or authorized users. At the other end of the spectrum, Delta's premium cards come with higher annual fees — including fees for authorized users — but offer more benefits that can make adding an authorized user worthwhile.

Delta SkyMiles^® Blue American Express Card: $0 , authorized users come with no additional annual fee.

Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 annual fee, authorized users come with no additional annual fee.

Delta SkyMiles^® Gold Business American Express Card: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 (Rates & Fees) annual fee, authorized users come with no additional annual fee.

Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card: $350 annual fee, authorized users come with no additional annual fee.

Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum Business American Express Card: $350 (Rates & Fees) annual fee, authorized users come with no additional annual fee.

Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card: $650 annual fee, additional authorized user cards cost $175 a year.

Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card: $650 (Rates & Fees) annual fee, additional employee cards cost $175 a year.

Delta Reserve and Delta Reserve Business Authorized User Benefits

Here's a look at the Delta card benefits available to authorized users on Delta's two top-tier credit cards.

Airport lounge access

Both the Delta Reserve and Business Delta Reserve feature the same headline benefit: Delta Sky Club access.

Authorized users with an eligible Delta Reserve card receive their own allotment of 15 Delta Sky Club visits per Medallion Year when traveling on an eligible same-day Delta-marketed or Delta-operated flight. Authorized users do not have to be accompanied by the primary cardmember, so they can take advantage of this perk even when traveling on their own.

Delta Reserve and Business Delta Reserve cardholders are limited to 15 Sky Club visits per year. A visit includes all eligible Sky Club entries within a 24-hour period, including lounges visited during connections.

Delta Sky Club at LaGuardia airport in New York. Credit: Delta

Additionally, Delta Reserve and Business Delta Reserve cardmembers and eligible authorized users can access Amex Centurion Lounges, Sidecar by The Centurion Lounge, and Escape Lounges when traveling on an eligible Delta flight and meeting the applicable access requirements.

Amex Centurion Lounge ATL outdoor terrace. Credit: Tyler Glatt/AwardWallet

Eligible Delta Reserve authorized users also receive Global Dining Access by Resy, which provides access to exclusive reservations at participating restaurants and other dining experiences.

Earn Delta SkyMiles and Medallion elite status

All spending on authorized user cards earns Delta SkyMiles. However, all the earned miles go to the primary cardmember's SkyMiles account. While it may seem restrictive, this limitation can benefit families since Delta doesn't allow family members to pool miles. But if you want to earn your own SkyMiles as an authorized user, well, you're out of luck.

The rate at which you earn miles will be the same as that of the primary cardmember. For example, an authorized user on a Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card would earn 2X miles on purchases made directly with Delta, at U.S. supermarkets and at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and 1X mile on all other eligible purchases, just like the primary cardholder.

Credit: Delta Air Lines

The Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum Business American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card, and Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card also earn Medallion Qualification Dollars on spending. The earning rate varies by card. However, as with all miles earned, the MQDs accumulated count toward only the primary cardmember's elite status qualification.

In-flight purchase savings

One perk that extends to authorized users on all Delta SkyMiles cards is the 20% rebate on eligible inflight food and beverage purchases, which is credited to the account as a statement credit. It's a small but useful benefit for all cardmembers, especially on domestic flights when the only food option is a pricey snack box!

Credit: American Express

Delta Amex Benefits Not Extended to Authorized Users

The primary cardmember receives nearly all benefits for most Delta co-branded cards. There's not much for authorized users.

The Delta Reserve and Business Delta Reserve also feature benefits tied to the primary cardmember or card account rather than separate benefits for each authorized user. These include:

• Annual Delta Companion Certificate
• Medallion Qualification Dollar Headstart — $2,500 MQDs annually
• Earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases made during the calendar year
• $240 worth of annual Resy credits (up to $20 back each month)
• $120 worth of annual rideshare statement credits (up to $10 back each month)
• Annual $200 Delta Stays credit
• A Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit — $120 for Global Entry every four years or up to $85 for TSA PreCheck
• Check your first bag for free on Delta flights worldwide and a second one on domestic flights
• Zone 5 priority boarding
• Book with the Delta TakeOff 15 benefit
• Onboard snack through October 31, 2026

Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.

This long list of benefits is tied to the primary cardmember or card account rather than being provided separately to each authorized user.

It is worth noting, though, that authorized user spending can trigger some account-level statement credits. For example, an eligible rideshare purchase made with an authorized user card can trigger the account's $10 monthly rideshare credit, leaving the primary cardmember without that credit to use themselves.

Credit: Delta

Bottom Line

If you want to help your authorized user boost their credit, you can add them to whichever Delta Amex card you have. However, there are not many premium benefits to be gained from adding an authorized user to most Delta co-branded cards. Virtually no benefits are awarded outside of Delta's two top-tier cards.

If you have a Delta Reserve or Business Delta Reserve and would like to give someone else independent access to Delta Sky Clubs and eligible Amex lounges, you can do so by paying the $175 annual authorized user fee. For frequent travelers, it can be a relatively inexpensive way to provide lounge access without requiring the primary cardmember to be present.

But if you want to share more Delta Amex authorized user benefits with additional account holders, they're out of luck; they'll have to apply for either of Delta's premium rewards cards for themselves.

For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles^® Gold Business American Express Card (Rates & Fees), and Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum Business American Express Card (Rates & Fees)