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 | |
FinanceBuzz valuation1 | 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 Cardmembers also get secondary coverage if their rental car is damaged or stolen.3 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
- 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.
Tip
Delta advertises its “Priority Boarding” as a major perk of the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business credit card, but it’s Zone 5 of eight zones, so there’s still a significant wait to board the plane.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.
Categories | Rewards rate |
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 | 2X |
All other eligible purchases | 1X |
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:
Aeroméxico | ITA Airways |
Aerolineas Argentinas | Kenya Airways |
Air Baltic | KLM |
AirEuropa | Korean Air |
Air France | LATAM Airlines |
Cape Air | Middle East Airlines |
China Airlines | Saudia |
China Southern Airlines | Tarom |
Czech Airlines | Vietnam Airlines |
El Al | Virgin Atlantic |
Garuda Indonesia | Westjet |
Hawaiian Airlines | XiamenAir |
FAQs
How much are Delta SkyMiles worth?
Unfortunately, there isn't a set standard value for SkyMiles. The value depends on the reward you choose, and the cash price of the reward at the time, especially if you choose airline tickets. I suggest you divide the cash price of the flight by the number of miles needed to determine if you’re making the most of your miles.
Can you have two Delta Amex cards?
Yes, you can. Having more than one Delta Amex card can speed up your SkyMiles earning, but make sure any potential rewards outweigh the cost of the annual fees. Instead of getting multiple co-branded Delta Amex cards, I suggest a card that earns American Express Membership Rewards as an alternative.
For example, the American Express® Business Gold Card may be worth considering. Or if you want more luxury travel perks, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express could be an option. This card comes with perks like lounge access and a statement credit of up to $85 every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck. Enrollment is required for select benefits.
How many miles do you need for a free flight on Delta?
The number of miles needed for a free flight depends on many factors, such as arrival and destination locations, if it’s a one-way or round-trip ticket, and the time and day of the week.
Do Delta miles expire?
You can take your time building up your SkyMiles for your next big adventure knowing that they will never expire.
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.
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.