Earlier this year, Delta and American Express rolled out a slew of changes to most of their SkyMiles credit cards, adding a laundry list of new benefits while increasing the annual fees on nearly all of them, too.
On paper, American Express added hundreds of dollars in value for every cardholders with a bunch of new credits. In practice, it's turned Delta's top co-branded credit cards into an exercise in Extreme Couponing, requiring some serious legwork and organization to put those credits to use … and that's exactly what American Express wanted.
Brand-new monthly credits for dining via Resy on both the *delta skymiles platinum card* and the *delta reserve card* are the poster child of this annoying new approach.
With the Delta Platinum card, you now have up to $120 in statement credits, doled out in $10 monthly increments, for purchases at U.S. restaurants available through Resy, Amex's restaurant reservation platform. If you hold the Delta Reserve card, you'll get up to $240 in statement credits, doled out in $20 monthly increments, at Resy restaurants.
But like many other credits you'll find on American Express cards like *amex platinum*, this is a use-it-or-lose-it benefit. It's up to you to use the credits each and every month … because if you don't, they won't roll over.
If you're diligent, though, you can easily come out ahead. We'll break down everything you need to know about how these new Resy credits on your Delta cards work – and how you can take advantage of them.
What is Resy?
Let's back up and cover basics, because I'm sure many Delta cardholders had a similar reaction when these new benefits were added: “What's Resy?”
Resy is a restaurant reservation platform available through its website and mobile app. American Express acquired Resy in 2019, and the bank has slowly been integrating the platform into its cards and services. That's exactly what we're seeing here with this new credit available on the Delta cards.
Restaurants partner with Resy to power their reservations system and other parts of their operation. And there's the rub: Not all restaurants will be available through the platform. And perhaps more importantly, Resy is generally only available in larger metropolitan areas.
While Resy has a big (and growing) presence in cities across the country – as of last year according to Eater, there were more than 16,000 restaurants spread across more than 200 cities globally on Resy – it still skews toward upscale restaurants in big cities like New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles and some midsize locations like Austin, Minneapolis, and Portland.
So this new benefit may seem useless to Delta cardholders who live elsewhere. And only U.S. restaurants will qualify for these new credits, so don't count on putting them to use on your international travels, either.
If you don't live in a city with any Resy restaurants, these new Delta card credits will be extremely difficult to use.
How to Use the New Resy Credits
You'll need to find a Resy partner restaurant and then spend money directly with that restaurant. You're not required to make a reservation through Resy for the credit to work.
Just spend money at your Resy partner restaurant, and American Express should recognize the charge and issue a statement credit each month when you make a purchase at one of these restaurants. The statement credit will depend on which version of the card you have.
Here's a look at what each card gets:
- *delta reserve card*: You can get up to $20 per month in statement credits on eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants.
- *delta skymiles platinum card*: You can get up to $10 per month in statement credits on eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants.
- *delta reserve business*: You can get up to $20 per month in statement credits on eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants.
- *Delta SkyMiles Platinum Biz*: You can get up to $10 per month in statement credits on eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants.
Keep reading to see how to put your new credit to use.
Enroll for the Benefit in Your Amex Account
First and most importantly, you must log in to your American Express account and enroll in this benefit before putting it to use. Critically, you won't receive any credits until you complete this step.
It's a hoop American Express makes you jump through by design, betting that many cardholders will forget and lose out on these credits. Don't be one of those people – that's exactly what the bank wants.
You can enroll in the benefit by clicking the “Rewards & Benefits” tab once you are in your account. Once you are there, click the “Benefits” tab. Scroll down until you find this new Resy credit, and click “Enroll.”
It's a simple but essential step to take advantage of these monthly credits. You just need to do it once – not every month.
How to Find Restaurants Where You Can Use the Credit
Once you've enrolled to activate this new credit, you can head to Resy's website or the mobile app to find restaurants to put it to use.
Both the website and mobile app are location-based, so you'll be able to quickly see partner restaurants in your area. Since I'm located in the Minneapolis – St. Paul, I can quickly see all of the eligible restaurants in my area.
Again, you don't actually have to pay or make a reservation directly through Resy. Just dine at one of the partner restaurants and pay with your Delta Platinum or Reserve card and the credit should kick in automatically.
If you are in a large metropolitan area, you should have plenty of options available. At the top of Resy's website, you can see a list of popular cities in the U.S. and abroad. But Remember: This new Resy credit can only be used at U.S. restaurants.
You can search for a city to see what options are available. Fair warning: If you live in a smaller city, you either won't have any Resy partner restaurants available or the selection will be minimal, making these credits very difficult to use.
So long as you enrolled in the benefit through your Amex account, you dine at an eligible Resy restaurant, and you pay the bill with either your Delta Platinum or Reserve card, you should receive the credit within a few days of making the transaction.
American Express officially says that the statement credits could take six to eight weeks to post to your account, but most data points suggest the credit will kick in within a few business days. That was our experience using the credit as well. It officially posted a few days after making the purchase at a Resy restaurant.
Can You Buy Resy Restaurant Gift Cards Instead?
As the news of these credits sank in, we had a question: Could you just buy a gift card at a partner restaurant to use the credit instead?
No question, that would make this credit infinitely more useful. Rather than dining out at a Resy restaurant, you could buy a gift card each month and then use them all at once later on. We decided to try it out at Dario, a new Italian restaurant in Minneapolis and a Resy partner.
Dario sells gift cards on its website, so I decided to buy one for $10 to test this out, hoping it would trigger the new $10 credit on my Delta Platinum card. More than a month later, the credit still hasn't kicked in.
At this point, I think we can safely say most (if not all) online gift card purchases won't work for this Resy restaurant credit.
That said, we're reasonably sure that you could buy a gift card in-person at a Resy partner restaurant to trigger the credit as expected. The benefit terms state that non-dining purchases such as merchandise or gift cards may not be eligible for the new credit, but that would require the restaurant to process those transactions differently than a regular dining purchase – and that's typically not the case.
It may vary from restaurant to restaurant, particularly at locations that don't sell physical gift cards. But it's worth a shot!
Bottom Line
Among the many new benefits American Express has added to its Delta SkyMiles cards, Delta Platinum and Reserve cardholders now have $10 or $20 a month, respectively, to put toward Resy restaurants.
Like many others, these new Resy restaurant credits are use-them-or-lose-them perks that don't roll over from month to month. It's up to you head to a participating U.S. restaurant once a month to put them to use.
Just be sure to enroll in this benefit before you do. After that, you're set.
Between my wife and I we have three Delta reserve cards (one for business) though will probably drop one when the fee comes due.
Went to one restaurant last month and put charges on all 3 cards though still waiting on credit.
It always boggles my mind that each member of the family has to have their own Reserve Card for each member to have their own benefits. At 550 a year, my husband should not have to have his own Reserve Card, (not just an authorized user card off of my account) so that he could also enjoy these benefits when he flies without me
I love in Lexington, KY. This is an absolutely worthless benefit.
Amex and Delta have been advertising it so much but its so hard to find resy restaurant options around.
I used my Delta Platinum at a Resy restaurant in Minneapolis on March 10 and still no credit. The website says it can take 6-8 weeks to show up, which isn’t very helpful when you only have 1 month to spend before the credit is gone.
The number of restaurants on Resy in my area was not large but one of my favorite restaurants was on there, so I booked it. The restaurant charge and the credit were on the same statement, so that worked out well.
More cons: the resy website search is pathetic, and there is no android app.
It’s also unclear to what extent takeout works. I tried it, and didn’t get a credit, but who knows, since they said it could take two to three years for the credits to appear. What a huge PITA. Along with the hike in AF, it sure looks destined for cancelation.
I have only been able to fine the apple resy app, I need the android version.
Still waiting for credit. Lyft credits come through within a day. Resy taking weeks, and still haven’t seen any credits for Resy. Going to be a hassle trying to keep track if the credit ever posts……
I made a reservation at Kona Grill March 29. I checked in at host stand and asked to sit at the bar.
I paid with Delta Reserve and received the $20 credit on March 31.