JetBlue Premier vs Delta Reserve: which lounge card fits?

Not really a contest#

Barclays' JetBlue Premier Card costs $99 a year and, in our data, unlocks no lounge program. American Express's Delta SkyMiles Reserve costs $650 and unlocks two: Delta Sky Club and the Centurion Lounge network. Both of those require a same-day Delta flight.

So if the question is which card gets you into a lounge, the answer is the Delta Reserve, every time.

The $551 question#

The better question is whether a $551 fee gap is worth paying for lounge access that only works on Delta. For a Delta regular, yes. Sky Club plus Centurion on one card is strong at a Delta hub. For a JetBlue flyer, no. The Delta Reserve opens nothing on a JetBlue ticket, and the JetBlue card opens nothing anywhere.

If you fly JetBlue#

Keep the Premier card for its JetBlue perks and solve lounges another way, likely with a general travel card that carries Priority Pass. Neither card in this comparison does that job for you.

Before you apply#

I'd check your next three departures. If they are Delta, the Reserve fits. Confirm guest and same-day rules with American Express first. Ratings here follow the methodology.

Putting this into practice#

I would start this comparison with the next few trips already likely to happen. For each card, I'd list the lounges that fit those airports and departure areas, then remove locations that would require an impractical detour. That is a more useful comparison than adding up every lounge in a worldwide network, most of which may never help with those trips.

Guest rules deserve their own line in the calculation. A card that works well for one person can be a different proposition for a couple or family. I'd compare the cost for the party that actually travels, including any separate membership or additional-card charge. I would not assume a benefit on one version of a card applies to another version.

The annual fee is only part of the decision. I would value other benefits at the amount I would realistically use, rather than automatically count a credit at face value. A benefit that requires a booking I would not otherwise make does not reduce my costs in the same way as money saved on an existing plan.

The trade-offs I would check#

I would check enrollment and the credential needed at reception before relying on either card. Some benefits are used through a separate membership rather than by showing the payment card. The issuer's current terms should settle the visit allowance, guest treatment and any airline or fare restriction. The comparison above helps identify the differences worth checking.

For a frequent departure airport, I would put extra weight on the useful options that one card adds over the other. Two cards can share much of a network while differing at the one terminal that matters most. Conversely, an impressive exclusive lounge has little value to me when it sits at an airport outside my normal routes.

I would also separate eligibility for the card from the value of its benefits. A business product and a personal product can have different application requirements and account features. The lounge comparison does not answer those questions. Before applying, I would read the relevant issuer information and make sure the product itself suits the intended use.

Related reading#

• Sapphire Reserve vs Delta Reserve: which lounge card fits?
• AAdvantage Executive vs Delta Reserve: which lounge card fits?
• Amex Platinum vs Delta Reserve: which lounge card fits?