Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card – Review

Delta SkyMiles Gold Business earns an unlimited 2 points per $1 spent on all eligible Delta purchases, including airfare and incidentals, plus U.S. advertising purchases in select media, U.S. shipping purchases, and restaurant purchases. All other eligible purchases earn an unlimited 1 SkyMiles per $1 spent. You can redeem accumulated SkyMiles for Delta airfare purchases and merchandise listed for sale at the SkyMiles MarketPlace.

This card competes with a number of other travel-focused business credit cards, including Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard. It also competes with general-purpose business rewards cards that have travel rewards components, including Chase Ink Business Preferred, and the American Express Blue Business Cash Card.

Delta SkyMiles Gold Business is very similar to American Express’s consumer Delta SkyMiles Gold card. If you don’t own your own business, the consumer card is a better option.

What Sets the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card Apart?

The Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card has three standout features:

• A $100 Delta Flight Voucher With $10K Annual Spend. Spend $10,000 in eligible purchases on your card in a calendar year and you’ll earn a $100 Delta flight voucher. That’s enough to offset the $99 annual fee after the first year. Terms apply.
• Lots of Airline Partners. Delta is a big airline on its own, but it’s part of a much larger network of global airline partners. Redeem for cosigned flights and you can get almost anywhere you want (more than 1,000 destinations) with your SkyMiles.
• Good Welcome Offer. Though it’s subject to change, this card always seems to have an above-average welcome offer for new card members.

Key Features of the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card

The key features of the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business card include a generous rewards program and ongoing benefits for Delta frequent flyers.

Welcome Offer

Earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $2,000 in purchases on your new card in the first 3 months of card membership.

Earning Delta SkyMiles

Earn 2 Delta SkyMiles for every $1 spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta and for select other purchases:

• U.S. advertising in select media
• U.S. shipping
• Dining out at restaurants

Earn 1 SkyMiles for every eligible $1 spent on all other eligible purchases.

Redeeming Delta SkyMiles

You can redeem your accumulated SkyMiles for Delta airfare. Redemption thresholds start at 10,000 SkyMiles for some domestic economy one-ways, and 12,500 SkyMiles for a broader range of domestic flights with more flexible travel dates. However, Delta’s redemption tables are somewhat variable, and certain travel dates and times may require more SkyMiles (for instance, peak-season weekend flights versus off-season weekday flights to popular vacation destinations).

Point values generally fall between $0.005 to $0.02 at redemption, but can vary somewhat on either side. You can also redeem your SkyMiles for merchandise, gift cards, and special experiences (such as musical performances), at the Delta SkyMiles MarketPlace. SkyMiles are typically worth significantly less than $0.01 apiece when redeemed at the MarketPlace, but minimum redemption thresholds are lower – in the 2,000-mile range.

Delta & General Travel Benefits

This card has some nice Delta travel benefits — and general travel benefits as well. These include:

• Priority boarding in Main Cabin 1
• A free checked bag for the cardholder
• A $100 Delta flight voucher after you spend $10,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year
• 20% in-flight savings on eligible purchases
• A baggage insurance plan, subject to applicable limitations
• Car rental loss and damage insurance, subject to applicable limitations and exclusions

Additional Business Benefits

This card has a nice lineup of non-travel benefits. These include:

• Expense tagging and tracking with convenient categories
• Digital receipt storage
• The ability to assign a trusted employee as your designated account manager (which includes dispute resolution privileges)

Additional Purchase Benefits

That’s not all. This card has some potentially generous purchase and consumer protection benefits, subject to limitations and terms outlined here.

Highlights include extended warranties on eligible purchases, purchase protection on eligible purchases, dispute resolution, and access to attractive Amex Offers. Terms apply and enrollment may be required.

Important Fees

The $99 annual fee is waived for the first year. There is never a foreign transaction fee. Cash advances cost the greater of $5 or 3%, while late and returned payments both cost up to $39.

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card, please visit this rates and fees page.

Credit Required

This card requires good to excellent credit.

Advantages of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card

The top advantages of the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business card include generous airfare redemption values and no foreign transaction fees.

• Generous Airfare Redemption Values. While it’s important to remember that point values can vary at redemption based on factors such as time, date, season, and demand, SkyMiles tend to be worth a decent amount: at least $0.005, and sometimes as much or more than $0.02. Compared to Chase Ink Business Preferred‘s flat $0.0125 travel redemption point value, that can be a good deal.
• Good Welcome Offer. This card’s welcome offer is very generous. It’s a nice boost to SkyMiles earnings during the first year of card membership.
• No Foreign Transaction Fee. This card doesn’t come with a foreign transaction fee. That’s a nice perk relative to other popular business cards with travel rewards.
• Good Lineup of Airline Partners. Delta has a slew of airline partners that expand its reach — and yours — around the world. Big names include KLM, Virgin Atlantic, AeroMexico, and KoreanAir.

Disadvantages of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card

The main downsides of the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business card include the annual fee, limitations on airfare rewards and redemption options, and no automatic loyalty benefits.

• Has an Annual Fee. This card has a $99 annual fee after the first year. Many popular business rewards cards have lower annual fees or none at all, though moderate spending should be enough to offset the recurring charge through earned rewards.
• Airfare Rewards and Redemption Exclusive to Delta and Partners. When it comes to travel redemptions, this card is a bit restrictive. You can’t redeem accumulated SkyMiles for non-Delta, non-partner airfare, which is a serious inconvenience if you live near an airport that’s better served by other airlines. General-purpose business travel rewards cards, such as Capital One Spark Miles and Chase Ink Business Preferred, have no restrictions of this nature.
• SkyMiles MarketPlace Slashes SkyMile Values. When redeemed for Delta airfare, SkyMiles hold their value well against the competition. However, their worth takes a serious hit when redeemed for general merchandise and other items at the SkyMiles MarketPlace. Unless you have a surfeit of accumulated SkyMiles and no plans to travel for the foreseeable future, it’s not advisable to waste your points at the MarketPlace. And, if you find yourself in that situation, it’s likely better to stop using your SkyMiles Business card altogether. American Express’s Membership Rewards program – which counts Blue Business Plus, Business Green Rewards from American Express, and Business Gold Rewards from American Express as participants – has much more reasonable redemption values.
• No Automatic Airline Loyalty Benefits. This card doesn’t get you any closer to preferred or frequent flyer status with Delta. This is a drawback for frequent Delta travelers and a disadvantage relative to competing business rewards cards.
• Points Accumulate Slowly on Most Non-Delta Purchases. This card earns just 1 SkyMiles per $1 spent on eligible non-Delta purchases other than purchases of U.S. advertising in select media, U.S. shipping, and dining out at restaurants. Assuming you value the points similarly, that’s a slower rate than Capital One Spark Miles for Business, which earns an unlimited 2 points per $1 spent on all purchases.

How the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card Stacks Up

If you’re seriously considering applying for this card, you’re probably in the market for an airline credit card specifically designed to reward Delta purchases and get you closer to every frequent traveler’s goal: flying for free.

Good thing the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Amex card isn’t your only option. Its stablemate, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express Card, is even more generous. See how the two compare and decide which is right for you.

Final Word

Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card is a great credit card for business owners who prefer Delta, live near airports served by Delta, and fly frequently to destinations served by Delta. This describes a fairly wide swathe of the U.S. entrepreneurial population – but not everyone.

If you routinely fly out of another airline’s hub, another airline-specific business credit card is likely to be a better fit. And, if you’re one of the millions of business owners who don’t need to fly frequently, it’s worth considering a different type of business credit card altogether – perhaps one with a broader rewards program.

Need more ideas? Check out our credit card reviews page to learn about dozens of popular credit cards from Amex and others.