Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card

Partner offer

Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card: Details and benefits

Through its partnership with Delta, American Express offers this travel rewards card at a reasonably low cost. The Delta SkyMiles Gold Business card charges a $99 annual fee (waived the first year), so if you’re on the fence, you can try the card for a year before paying the annual fee.

The annual fee is negligible if you’re already a frequent Delta flyer and can take full advantage of the card’s benefits. The complimentary first checked bag benefit will make up the $99 annual fee after just two round-trip Delta flights per year. The benefit is also extended to up to eight additional passengers traveling on the cardholder’s reservation, so your savings could be substantial depending on how many employees travel with bags and how often.

The big value with this card is earning rewards by purchasing directly through Delta at a rate of 2 miles per dollar. Purchases are not limited to airfare; you can also earn the 2X miles when you buy Sky Club memberships and day passes, Delta vacation packages, in-flight items and seat upgrades. You can also earn 2 miles per dollar on eligible U.S. purchases for advertising in select media, on select U.S. shipping purchases and at restaurants and 1 mile per dollar on everything else.

The welcome bonus is 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in the first 3 months. You’ll also earn a $100 Delta Flight Credit to use toward future travel after you spend $10,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year.

One key difference between the consumer and business versions of this card, however, is that you can easily add employee cards at no additional fee (see rates & fees), so your employees’ expenses can help earn you miles.

Is the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business card worth it for you?

People who spend less than $25,000 on their card per year and don’t need all the luxury perks when traveling are good contenders for this card. Low-maintenance travelers loyal to Delta who take advantage of the in-flight discounts could get substantial value, especially during the first year while the annual fee is waived ($99 thereafter).

As a long-term card, there’s not a lot of flexibility in earning and redeeming points, so that could be a deal-breaker for people who want to maximize their earnings on business-related spending outside of Delta.

If you spend big on your credit card but still want Delta benefits, then it’s worth looking into more robust rewards cards, like the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Credit Card from American Express or the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. Both of those cards offer premium travel perks, like companion certificates and even more bonus miles for higher spending. The Delta Reserve also comes with complimentary Sky Club access.

Get the most value from the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business card

Cardholders and up to two guests traveling on a Delta flight will pay a fee $39 per person (see rates and fees) for Delta Sky Club access.

You can also get on your flight sooner and, on a full flight, reduce the risk of having to check your carry-on baggage with complimentary priority boarding.

Other perks include rental loss and damage insurance and a baggage insurance plan for eligible lost, damaged or stolen luggage and no foreign transaction fees. For your more office-centric business needs, you can connect your card to your QuickBooks account after enrollment and utilize Vendor Pay by Bill.com after enrolling your card.

How much are the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business card rewards worth?

If you spend $650 a month on Delta purchases (such as flights purchased directly with Delta) and $200 a month on everything else, you’ll have earned around 18,000 miles. When you include the 40,000-point bonus you’ll get after spending $2,000 within your first three months, you’ll have earned 58,000 miles by the end of your first year.

How to redeem rewards

You can redeem your SkyMiles on the SkyMiles Marketplace for a wide variety of goods and services, including flights, rental cars and hotels.

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card, please click here.