Here’s how my Delta Reserve cancellation call went

A few weeks ago, I noted that I was debating on canceling my Delta Reserve American Express credit card. Yesterday, I finally took that step, but wanted to write up a summary of how my cancellation/retention call went.

First off, let me spell out why I wanted to cancel this card. It all comes down to the $450 fee, for me:

• Delta SkyClub access is already provided on my Platinum card, so I’d essentially be paying the same fee for the same lounge access.
• I don’t fly Delta anymore, and instead American. Earning MQMs is not important to me, and neither is a companion pass.

The retention offer

First off, there was no retention offer made for me to keep this card. That’s not surprising as I spent very little on it, since I moved my loyalty to American shortly after applying. That said, unless the $450 fee could be waived, I’m not sure there’s much of an offer that could have made me want to keep this card – an offer of SkyMiles would have been worthless.

The fine print

The agent whom I spoke with made an interesting point of noting that the companion certificate, which I had received several weeks ago, allowing me to take a companion free in either economy or First Class, would no longer be valid upon canceling the card. This is different than other rumors I had heard that the certificate would be valid. I’m interested to find out which one is true, so I may test out a use of the voucher in a few days to see what happens.

Do I regret it?

No. To me, I just didn’t see the value in paying $450 for a companion certificate on an airline that wouldn’t benefit me (I wouldn’t be able to earn American EQPs, or EQMs), and to access the SkyClub, which I haven’t been in in ages, since I no longer fly Delta.