Delta SkyMiles^® Gold Business American Express Card Review [2024]: Turn Business Spending into Airline Miles

Card basics

The Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express card is the starter in the Delta SkyMiles card lineup. It’s a great starter card, but the annual fee is $0 intro annual fee for the first year, $150 per year thereafter, so I urge you to ensure you get enough benefits to make the annual fee worth it.

Fortunately, you'll quickly make up for the annual fee if you meet the new cardholder welcome bonus requirements. You earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases in your first 6 months. Since this card is aimed at small to midsize business owners, spending that amount is likely an easy task.

Cardholders also earn on purchases, and, not surprisingly, the largest reward is on Delta purchases — you earn 2X on eligible purchases at Delta and restaurants, and on eligible U.S. shipping purchases and eligible U.S. advertising in select media up to $50,000 per category, per year. The spending cap is a downside, though.

All other purchases using the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business card earn an unimpressive 1x point per dollar spent.

FinanceBuzz star rating	4.8 FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.
FinanceBuzz valuation1 <p class="">These values are based on the <a href="https://financebuzz.com/financebuzz-credit-card-valuation">FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model</a>, which takes a look at rewards earned via spending, the welcome offer, and the annual fee. We used a valuation of 1 cent/point unless otherwise stated above. These are estimated values - your actual earnings will depend on how much you spend and in what categories.<br></p>	Year 1: $1,278 Year 2: $432
Annual fee	$0 intro annual fee for the first year, $150 per year thereafter
Intro bonus	Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases in your first 6 months
Reward rate	2X miles per $1 spent on eligible Delta and restaurant purchases, and on eligible U.S. shipping purchases and eligible U.S. advertising in select media up to $50,000 per category, per year. Plus, 1X miles per $1 on all other eligible purchases
Recommended credit score	Excellent, Good
Foreign transaction fee	None

Who should get this card?

I’d recommend this card for small business owners who are loyal to Delta, and have a lot of shipping or advertising costs. Most of the valuable perks this card offers pertain to flying on Delta including getting your first checked bag free, in-flight savings, and travel insurance options.

However, if you don’t fly Delta often, it doesn’t make sense because most of the miles earned are best redeemed for Delta-related perks, such as:

• Airline tickets
• Delta vacation packages
• Upgrade seats
• Cover checked bag costs
• SkyMiles experiences

Benefits and perks

• Decent welcome offer: You will earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases in your first 6 months of account opening.
• Free checked bags: Receive your first checked bag free of charge. This can add up to a $70 savings for round-trip flights and applies to you and up to eight companions on the same reservation, so you can make up your annual fee in one trip.
• In-flight savings: Receive 20% off Delta in-flight purchases, including food and drinks. You’ll receive it as a statement credit, which will appear on your statement 6 to 8 weeks after completing the transaction.
• Flight credit: Spend $10,000 on your card within one calendar year, and you earn a $200 Delta Flight Credit. You can use this credit toward future travel with Delta.
• TakeOff 15: Receive a 15% discount when booking Award Travel with miles on Delta flights. This discount does not apply to partner-operated flights or taxes and fees.
• Baggage and rental car insurance: Receive baggage insurance worth up to $1,250 for carry-ons and up to $500 for checked bags if your luggage is lost or stolen.² <p>Baggage Insurance Plan coverage can be in effect for Eligible Persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen Baggage during their travel on a Common Carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the entire fare for a Common Carrier Vehicle ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an eligible Account. Coverage can be provided for up to $1,250 for carry-on Baggage and up to $500 for checked Baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the Common Carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus). For New York State residents, there is a $10,000 aggregate maximum limit for all Covered Persons per Covered Trip.</p><p></p><ul><li>Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. </li><li>Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. </li><li>Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.</li></ul><p></p> Cardmembers also get secondary coverage if their rental car is damaged or stolen.³ <p>Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible Card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the Commercial Car Rental Company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply.</p><p></p><ul><li>Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. </li><li>Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. </li><li>Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.</li></ul><p></p> Purchases must be made with your Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Credit Card to be eligible.
• Delta Stays Credit: Receive an annual statement credit of $150 when you use your Delta SkyMiles card to book prepaid hotels or vacation rentals through Delta Stays on delta.com.
• Global Assist Hotline: Get access to 24/7 coordination of assistance services, such as medical or legal assistance when traveling over 100 miles from home.⁴ <p>You can rely on Global Assist Hotline 24 hours a day / 7 days a week for medical, legal, financial or other select emergency coordination and assistance services while traveling more than 100 miles away from your home. Third-party service costs may be your responsibility.</p><p></p><ul><li>Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. </li><li>Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. </li><li>Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.</li></ul><p></p>
• Free employee cards: Receive up to 99 free employee cards and earn miles on the purchases made.
• Year-end summary and other documentation: Receive documentation needed to handle the back-end of your business with online statements, year-end summaries, account alerts, and synchronization with QuickBooks (enrollment required).
• Vendor Pay by Bill.com: Simplify paying your business bills with Bill.com, free for one user.

Earning & redeeming Delta SkyMiles

When looking for the best business credit cards, knowing how to maximize your earnings and redemption is important, especially when there is an annual fee. While I don’t think a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, $150 per year thereafter annual fee is anything to worry about, it’s still nice to find ways to more than break even to make the card worth it.

Best ways to earn

The Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card offers a straightforward rewards program. It’s easy to understand, since there are only two spending categories:

• Delta purchases
• Non-Delta purchases

Basically, unless you make a lot of Delta purchases, your earnings potential is very limited.

But, if you travel frequently and fly Delta, many Delta purchases earn you points, including:

• Seat upgrades
• Pre-purchased meals
• In-flight purchases
• Delta Sky Club memberships or passes
• Delta Vacation packages

Beyond Delta purchases, the card earns just one mile per dollar spent elsewhere. If your goal is to earn enough Delta miles to fund travel, you may need to charge quite a lot to this card to earn enough miles.

Maximizing your redemptions

Just as important as maximizing your earnings is the need to get the most out of your rewards. I suggest aiming for at least one cent per point when redeeming your points for airline tickets, or any reward for that matter.

However, any rewards in the SkyMiles Experiences store work on an auction basis, and often end up worth less than one cent per point.

You are much better off spending your points on Delta-related purchases, like airline tickets, upgrades, or Delta vacation packages.

Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express transfer partners

You can also transfer your Delta miles to a number of airline partners, including:

FAQs

Alternatives

Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum Business American Express Card vs. Delta SkyMiles^® Gold Business American Express Card

If the Delta SkyMiles^® Gold Business American Express Card card doesn’t offer enough benefits, you may consider upgrading to the Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum Business American Express Card for even greater rewards, but you must be a Delta loyalist.

It offers all of the same travel perks plus an annual companion certificate, $120 annual rideshare credit, and $120 annual Resy credit. It also has a larger welcome bonus: Earn 70,000 bonus miles after you spend $6,000 in purchases in your first 6 months. The annual fee for this card is higher, however, at $350, so I urge you to make sure you’ll more than break even to make the most of it.

Compared to the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express, the Delta Platinum Business card pays 3X purchases made directly with Delta and hotels, 1.5X miles on eligible transit and U.S. shipping purchases, plus single eligible purchases of $5,000 or more; and 1X mile per $1 spent on other eligible purchases.

With the higher annual fee, it makes sense to calculate how much more you’d earn back on the average Delta purchases you make annually between the cards to ensure the difference in annual fees makes sense. You could also calculate how much you’d lose by earning less on shipping and advertising charges.

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card vs. Delta SkyMiles^® Gold Business American Express Card

If you prefer a non-branded travel rewards credit card, consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card. It has an annual fee of $95, but this credit card offers the chance to earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Your points are worth 25% more when you redeem them for travel through the Chase Travel℠ portal, and you aren’t tied to only Delta flights or travel accommodations.

This card also favors dining over travel, paying cardholders 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases. The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card offers more flexibility for those who aren’t loyal to Delta. 

Double miles on Delta purchases

Delta SkyMiles^® Gold Business American Express Card

4.8

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Delta SkyMiles^® Gold Business American Express Card

4.8

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Apply Now

Why We Like It

Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases in your first 6 months

See rates and fees | Terms Apply

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See how these cards compare:

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card

• Earn 70,000 bonus miles after you spend $6,000 in purchases in your first 6 months
• Earn 1.5X points on eligible transit and U.S. shipping purchases, plus single eligible purchases of $5,000 or more
• Annual companion certificates
• Free checked bag + priority boarding
• No foreign transaction fees
• $350 annual fee. Terms apply.
• See rates and fees | Terms Apply

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

• Generous welcome offer valued at $750 when redeemed via Chase Travel
• High rewards on dining and bookings via Chase Travel
• 25% more value when redeeming points for travel through Chase Travel
• Up to $50 in annual statement credits for hotel stays booked through Chase Travel
• Receive valuable travel protections like trip delay reimbursement and primary rental car insurance

Bottom line

The Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express card offers impressive perks, but you must be loyal to Delta to make it worth your while. If you only fly Delta, and fly frequently, your business spending could lead to free airline tickets or travel upgrades.

If not, there are many other travel reward credit cards to consider, some that have an even lower (or no) annual fee.

Double miles on Delta purchases

Delta SkyMiles^® Gold Business American Express Card

4.8

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Delta SkyMiles^® Gold Business American Express Card

Apply Now

See rates and fees | Terms Apply

Current Offer

Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases in your first 6 months

Annual Fee

$0 intro annual fee for the first year, $150 per year thereafter

Rewards Rate

2X miles per $1 spent on eligible Delta and restaurant purchases, and on eligible U.S. shipping purchases and eligible U.S. advertising in select media up to $50,000 per category, per year. Plus, 1X miles per $1 on all other eligible purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• First checked bag is free for you and up to 8 companions on the same reservation
• Solid welcome offer

Drawbacks

• No credit for TSA, which would be expected at the high annual fee price point
• Minimal bonus categories for earnings

Card Details

• Welcome Offer: Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles after spending $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
• $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150
• Card Members save 15% when booking Award Travel with miles on Delta flights when using delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
• Additionally, you can receive a $200 Delta Flight Credit to use toward future travel after you spend $10,000 in purchases in a year.
• Earn 2 miles per dollar spent on purchases at U.S. Shipping providers and at U.S. providers for Advertising in select media on up to $50,000 of purchases per category, per year.
• Earn 2 Miles on every dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta and on every eligible dollar spent at restaurants.
• Earn 1 Mile on every eligible dollar spent on other purchases.
• Check and stow your bag with ease: First Checked Bag Free on Delta Flights + Zone 5 Priority Boarding.
• Elevate your travel experience with an annual statement credit of up to $150 after using your Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card to book prepaid hotels or vacation rentals through Delta Stays on delta.com.
• Receive a 20% savings in the form of a statement credit on eligible Delta in-flight purchases after using your Card.
• Pay no foreign transaction fees when you travel overseas.
• Terms and limitations apply.