American Express and Delta Air Lines are rolling out a brand-new cobranded credit card that will have frequent flyers buzzing for many reasons.
For starters, this credit card doesn’t just earn miles—it has seen miles, as the limited-edition Boeing 747 Card is the first credit card ever to be made out of airplane metal. Specifically, each card is 25% metal sourced from Delta ship no. 6307, a retired Boeing 747-400.
“Our Delta cardmembers’ love of travel inspired us as many are passionate about aviation,” Jon Gantman, senior vice president and general manager for cobrand product management at American Express, tells Coins2Day. “We were doing research with our customers. After the focus group, someone made a comment that we should make a credit card out of an airplane. And the idea stuck.”
Dubbed “the queen of the skies,” the Boeing aircraft was an iconic leader in aviation during what was considered the “Golden Age of Travel” at that point in time, and became so enmeshed with pop culture that many people often refer to any jumbo jet model as a 747.
“The Boeing 747 holds a special place in the hearts of travelers; when it was introduced, the Boeing 747 was the largest civilian airplane and set a new standard for modern tourism,” Gantman says.
Cardmembers can learn more about the history of the 747 through an augmented reality experience, which includes interviews with Delta pilots and crew members as well as a closer look at the material’s transformation from a passenger plane into a credit card.
American Express and Delta have had a longstanding partnership for more than 60 years with a number of Delta-branded Amex cards, and the financial services giant’s own cards, like the Platinum Card, offer special benefits on Delta, like access to the Delta Sky Club lounges.
The limited-edition Delta SkyMiles Reserve and Reserve Business Cards are available to new and existing U.S. Cardholders. Current Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card Members can apply for the card online, through the Amex mobile app, or call the toll-free number on the back of their cards.
While representatives for American Express did not specify exactly how many cards would be available—except to note that the company made as many as it could from a Boeing 747—there is a time limit, as it will be available only through Aug. 3, 2022.