Kwaj boy

I thought there was a thread on here somewhere about the companion card of a Delta Reserve card hold holder getting free SkyClub access on his/her own, but as usual the search function didn't yield any useful results. My wife has the Delta Reserve card which gets her access to SkyClubs, and according to the rules and regs it says that I can get in with her for a reduced fee of $29 (i.e., I do NOT get in free as her guest). I thought I read here somewhere that a second card holder on a Reserve account gets free SkyClub access but according to the agent today at the ATL A concourse center club, that is not the case. He showed me the card that showed a picture of my card, and sure enough I don't get free access. I'm still a paid SC member for now, so no big deal today. But did I read the posts here on FT incorrectly?

appleguru

Secondary reserve card holders do indeed get free access- but they need to be the *paid* ($170/year) reserve secondary card, not the "free" plat secondary card.

MSPeconomist

Does the DL AmEx Plat card that comes free with a Reserve card look any different from the normal DL Plat AmEx credit card? if not, I wouldn't expect SC dragons to be able to distinguish it from cards that clearly don't have lounge access.

appleguru

Nope, exactly the same. And that one does NOT get you lounge access.

StayingHomeIsBetter

I can confirm that the paid card provides access for the cardholder.

huskerchad

It definitely does. It's a bit trickier than for the primary cardholder though, because the secondary's SM number is not linked to the account nor printed on the card. The SC reps have charged my partner a few times and we've had to get it corrected. Now we are very explicit about confirming: "No charge, correct?"

gretchendz

When we travel together my husband just shows his (paid and connected to my account) reserve card. Never had a problem.

krazykanuck

Whenever I access Skyclubs using my Platinum card they swipe my card, so I'd hazard a guess that they can distinguish between card types by swiping them vs just visual recognition.

MSPeconomist

I assume you mean the regular nonaffiliated AmEx Platinum CHARGE CARD (annual fee about $450-500), which gets you SC access when flying DL that day, not the DL AmEx credit card (annual fee under $100 for those who pay). We're talking about the DL Plat credit card that someone gets for free with a Reserve card.

cre95

Aren't they swiping the cards now-a-days so that proper card validation takes place automatically?

I used to use my Corporate Platinum Amex to gain access and they used to swipe it upon entry. Lately, i have been using my boarding pass and which validates against my Executive SC membership on file so don't have recent experience on how they validate against a my credit card.

appleguru

Yes... my DM membership gets me in.. but ms.appleguru has a secondary reserve card (so not linked to her SM account). They "swipe" it at each entry, presumably to verify it is valid/hers.

Kwaj boy

Mine is a paid secondary reserve card, but no free access per the male "dragon" at the A center ATL club.

mnbp

Don't ask - just use the secondary Reserve card. Each cardholder of a Reserve card is entitled to SC access.

Beckles

Good information in this thread, but just to summarize since it is a bit spread out, if you have a Reserve Card, there are two options for secondary cards:

1. You can add a Platinum Delta SkyMiles card for no cost, it looks like this. This card does not provide any benefits to the person named on the card, I find it useful for my wife so that her spend counts towards my total spend to earn bonus MQM.

2. You can add a Delta SkyMiles Reserve card for $170, it looks like this. The person named on this card does have access to the SkyClub.

However, the holder of a second Reserve card does not have that linked to their SkyMiles account, so what this means is that while someone who is the primary Reserve card member only needs to give the SkyClub their boarding pass, someone with a secondary card will need to give them their boarding pass and the credit card, much like someone using the American Express Platinum card would.

They were incorrect, I think the best solution if you couldn't or didn't want to push it at the time is to charge your entry to that same card then take it up with American Express and/or Delta after the fact. However, I think the simple solution would be to ask them to refer to their chart of cards that provides access, which should clearly show the card you are holding.

Edited to add: Does anyone have a picture/scan of the card that they have at lounge entrances showing the different AMEX cards and which ones provide access and which ones don't? I couldn't find it using Google ...

mspreh

That is not true. The platinum card looks like a "Delta Amex Plat Card", not a "Amex Platinum Card". The Delta Amex Plat Card does not get you access, nor is it anywhere near the same card as the regular Amex Plat Card.