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The new Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Amex cards are made from a 747

Today Delta and Amex launched a new design for the high-end Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card. The new design features the 747 and is made from 33% recycled metal from a Boeing 747 aircraft.

Delta and Amex used metal from two aircraft for this new card design. Each card will feature the tail number, dates of the first flight and last flight, and the number of miles flown from each aircraft used.

Here’s what these cards look like:

Images of new Delta SkyMiles Reserve and Delta SkyMiles Reserve business cards, courtesy of Delta.

My take on the new card design

I like the design of the cards, and I do think it would be a fun conversation starter to pull one of these out to pay for something at an airport. I do wish that the cards would be made completely from recycled aircraft metal, rather than 33% or that they were machined.

If you’re wanting to get “a piece of aviation history” and have your own piece of a 747, there are cheaper (and more fun) ways to do that than signing up for a new Delta credit card. Personally, I’m a fan of PlaneTags, though they didn’t have any 747 plane tags on offer as of publication.

Of course, I’d much rather the 747s that these cards were made from be flying as passenger aircraft or cargo freighters, but I acknowledge that the Queen of the Skies lived a great life and her time is slowly coming to an end. It always brings a smile to my face when I see a 747 in the air or at an airport during my travels. I suspect that they’ll still be around as freighters for quite some time.

You can get the new card design as an existing cardholder

Delta’s press release mentions that the design is available to new and existing Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express cardholders from April 25 through June 5th.

Delta doesn’t mention how you get a card as an existing cardholder, but I’d imagine that there will be a fair number of Delta Reserve cardholders who “lose” their cards in the next few weeks. 🙂

Bottom line

For a limited time, Amex is issuing Delta SkyMiles Reserve business and personal credit cards in a design made from recycled metal from two 747s. If you get a new Delta SkyMiles Reserve credit card or request a new card from Amex as an existing cardholder, you’ll get on of these new cards until supplies run out.

About the author

  • Photo of Aaron Hurd, credit card and travel rewards expert.

    Aaron Hurd is the Executive Editor of Cards and Points. He is a credit card and travel rewards expert whose contributions have been featured in WSJ, TIME, Forbes, NerdWallet, and many other outlets.

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