Bankrate expert Garrett Yarbrough strives to make navigating credit cards and credit building smooth sailing for his readers. After regularly featuring his credit card,…
Nouri Zarrugh is a writer and editor for CreditCards.com and Bankrate.com, focusing on product news, guides and reviews. His areas of expertise include credit card strategy,…
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Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card
Rewards rate
1X–2X
Earn 2 Miles on every dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta, on every dollar spent on eligible U.S. purchases for advertising in select media, on every dollar spent on eligible U.S. shipping purchases, on every eligible dollar spent at restaurants. Earn 1 Mile on every eligible dollar spent on purchases.
Annual fee
$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99
Intro offer
75,000 miles
Limited Time Offer: Earn 75,000 Bonus Miles after spending $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 8/3/2022.
Regular APR
17.24% - 26.24% Variable
Recommended Credit Score
Good to Excellent
(670 - 850)
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a
person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for.
However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any
financial product.
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card Overview
The Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card is the perfect fit if your usual business spending includes Delta travel expenses—but you don’t spend enough on airfare to justify the premier Delta cards’ annual fees.
If you don’t mind missing out on boosts toward Medallion Status and other top Delta benefits, the Gold Business is the best Delta credit card for the price tag.
What are the pros and cons?
Pros
The lowest annual fee of any Delta business card: $99 ($0 the first year)
Best Delta card for everyday business expenses
Valuable flight benefits, including $100 Delta flight credit available each year (after spending $10,000 in purchases), first checked bag is free and Main Cabin 1 priority boarding
Cons
Much harder to earn Medallion Status without Status Boost
Stripped-back benefits compared to bigger sibling cards
Reward value is limited due to limited redemption options and no Delta award chart
A deeper look into the current card offer
Quick highlights
Rewards rate: Unlimited 2X miles on Delta purchases, select U.S. advertising, U.S. shipping purchases and at restaurants and 1X miles on all other purchases
Welcome offer: Limited Time Offer: Earn 70,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Offer ends 8/3/2022
Annual fee: $99, $0 introductory annual fee for the first year
Purchase intro APR: N/A
Balance transfer intro APR: N/A
Regular APR: 17.24 percent to 26.24 percent variable
Current welcome offer
You can earn 70,000 Bonus Miles after spending $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months of Card Membership. That’s on par with the welcome offers you typically find on travel cards at this annual fee tier. The current intro offer is certainly worthwhile, but you can keep your eyes peeled for another higher offer in the future if you’re in no rush to apply.
Rewards rate
Like other Delta cards, the Gold Business card earns Delta SkyMiles frequent flyer miles. Bonus miles can lend a helping hand toward your business’ travel expenses, but you may have trouble earning miles at the higher Medallion Status rates without a higher-power Delta Card’s extra MQM features.
How you earn
The Gold Business card has a leg-up on other Delta business cards if you’re looking for miles on spending outside travel. Not only do you earn unlimited 2 miles per dollar on Delta and partner airline purchases (must be made through Delta), but you rake in unlimited 2 miles per dollar on select U.S. media advertising (online, television and radio), eligible U.S. shipping purchases and at restaurants. Of course, you’ll also earn 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases.
With your bonus category on restaurant purchases, you should be able to take full advantage of the Delta SkyMiles Dining program’s extra miles. You’ll start out at 1 mile per $2 spent, but if you reach VIP status, you can earn 5 miles per dollar.
You can also earn elite benefits and an additional 7 to 11 miles on Delta flights by qualifying for Medallion Status. Just keep in mind the Gold Business card doesn’t carry the boosted elite status-earning features of its bigger siblings.
How to redeem
The biggest drawback, like with many airline credit cards, is that your rewards have a shallow pool of redemption options. Booking flights, hotels, rental cars and vacation packages with Delta and its SkyTeam partners is perhaps the best use for your miles, but they come with a few caveats.
“Pay with Miles” only lets you book through Delta, meaning you can’t spend your miles with or transfer them to partner airlines. Granted, the SkyTeam alliance gives you access to over 1,000 destinations with no blackout dates, but that means your miles are strictly tied to Delta.
Your other redemption choices are a bit limited compared to other general-purpose travel rewards cards. You can gift miles to other accounts or charity or spend them on travel experiences, merchandise or magazine subscriptions.
How much are the miles worth?
Delta makes it a bit difficult to appraise your miles since the airline doesn’t use an awards chart. “Pay with Miles” only accepts them in 5,000-mile intervals for $50 discounts, making your rewards worth 1 cent per mile on the surface. But without a consistent award chart value, your mileage value will fluctuate on a flight-by-flight basis.
Overall, The Points Guy sets Delta SkyMiles’ current market value at 1.41 cents. That’s on the lower end of the spectrum compared to other airlines and more versatile travel rewards. For instance, other American Express credit cards earn Membership Rewards points—worth 2 cents apiece by TPG valuations.
Other cardholder perks
The Delta SkyMiles Gold Business card offers the most economical experience of the Delta business card family. However, it offers enough premium features to justify the annual fee if you’re focused on travel savings over Delta’s premier travel perks.
$100 Delta Flight Credit
Each calendar year, you can receive a $100 Delta Flight Credit toward future travel after spending $10,000 on purchases with your card.
Valuable flight perks
By paying with your card, you can save time and money for your business team in the airport and in-flight. The first checked bag is free for you and up to eight other guests on your reservation, plus you all can enjoy Main Cabin 1 priority boarding. In the air, you can earn a 20 percent statement credit on eligible in-flight purchases, such as food, beverages and audio headsets.
Travel and purchase protections
The Delta Gold Business doesn’t carry trip delay or trip interruption/cancellation insurance like the other Delta business cards, but you do receive some travel and shopping protections.
Travel protections: Your baggage insurance plan will cover lost luggage when you pay the entire common carrier fare with your card. Similarly, declining the auto rental agency’s protection and paying with your card can insure vehicles against eligible collisions and theft with American Express’ car rental loss and damage insurance.
Retail protections: By paying with your card, you can receive a year of extended coverage on eligible purchases with a warranty of five-years or less, and your purchases are protected against theft or accidental damage for up to 90 days after you bought them.
Rates and Fees
Considering its $99 annual fee ($0 the first year), this card is the most accessible Delta business card—especially when you consider how easily the Delta Gold Business card’s features can make up the difference. Just spending $296 per month across your 2X-mile bonus categories will cover the annual fee, based on the 1.41 cent TPG value. In fact, even the first free checked bag perk can accomplish this in just two roundtrips.
Unfortunately, there aren’t any introductory zero-interest offers, so carrying a balance will incur the ongoing 17.24 percent to 26.24 percent variable APR (depending on your creditworthiness). However, no foreign transaction fees, a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year and no employee card annual fee are valuable savings on their own.
How the Delta Gold Business card compares to other business cards
This card is similar enough to other co-branded airline credit cards at the $99 price level, but other non-branded airline cards might provide a better deal if you need more flexibility. For example, the Capital One Spark Miles for Business offers unlimited 2X miles on all purchases and the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card earns an even better 3X points on general travel and other eligible purchases (on up to $150,000 in combined purchases per year), which can then be redeemed for an extra 25 percent value toward Chase travel. If you’re thinking of stepping up a tier, the American Express® Business Gold Card can deliver the best of both worlds—more valuable, versatile rewards and luxury travel perks.
Take a look at these credit cards for a few different options:
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card
4.1
Our writers, editors and industry experts score
credit cards based on a variety of factors
including card features, bonus offers
and independent research. Credit card issuers have
no say or influence on how we rate cards.
$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99
Intro offer
75,000 miles
Limited Time Offer: Earn 75,000 Bonus Miles after spending $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 8/3/2022.
Rewards rate
1X–2X
Earn 2 Miles on every dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta, on every dollar spent on eligible U.S. purchases for advertising in select media, on every dollar spent on eligible U.S. shipping purchases, on every eligible dollar spent at restaurants. Earn 1 Mile on every eligible dollar spent on purchases.
Recommended credit
Good to Excellent(670 - 850)
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a
person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for.
However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any
financial product.
Welcome Offer: Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.*
Rewards rate
25%–4X
Get 4X Membership Rewards® points on the 2 select categories where your business spent the most each month. 1X is earned for other purchases. ** Airline Bonus: Get 25% points back after you use points for all or part of an eligible flight booked with Amex Travel, up to 250,000 points back per calendar year.*
Recommended credit
Good to Excellent(670 - 850)
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a
person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for.
However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any
financial product.
Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 cash back or $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
Rewards rate
1X–3X
Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases – with no limit to the amount you can earn
Recommended credit
Good to Excellent(670 - 850)
A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a
person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for.
However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any
financial product.
Best cards to pair with the Delta Gold Business
Besides coupling the Delta Platinum Business card with the Gold Business card for the extra 3X miles on Delta and hotel purchases, you might be better off with one of American Express’ business cards.
Since Membership Rewards points are more valuable (2 cents each, according to TPG), a low-fee card like the Business Green Rewards Card from American Express can transfer Amex rewards to Delta at a 1:1 rate for more miles.
Bankrate’s Take: Is the Delta Gold Business worth it?
The Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express card is certainly worthwhile if you’re a loyal Delta traveler in the market for rewards and benefits that save you time and money.
You won’t be flying in the lap of luxury like you would with the Gold Business’ bigger sibling cards (such as the Delta Reserve Business card), but this card carries the lowest annual fee and earns rewards on day-to-day business expenses—perfect for smaller businesses that don’t travel as frequently.
All information about the Business Green Rewards Card from American Express has been collected independently by Bankrate and has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business, please click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express Business Gold, please click here.
Bankrate expert Garrett Yarbrough strives to make navigating credit cards and credit building smooth sailing for his readers. After regularly featuring his credit card, credit monitoring and identity theft analysis on NextAdvisor.com, he joined the CreditCards.com and Bankrate.com teams as a staff writer to develop product reviews and comprehensive credit card guides focused on cash back, credit scores and card offers.
Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. The offers that appear on this site are from companies from which Bankrate.com receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site, including, for example, the order in which they may appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and the likelihood of applicants' credit approval also impact how and where products appear on this site. Bankrate.com does not include the entire universe of available financial or credit offers. Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover.
* See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.
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