Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card review: A cost-effective card for Delta loyalists
Meet your basic business needs while benefiting from loyalty to Delta Airlines.
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Snapshot
4.7
Bottom line
The Delta Skymiles® Gold Business American Express card is a cost-effective option that offers enough credits to offset the annual fee. While not the strongest of the Delta Airlines cards available, it does well as a mid-tier airline business card.
on American Express's secure site
See Rates & Fees, Terms ApplyIntro offer
Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles
Rewards Rate
1X - 2X
Annual fee
$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150
Regular APR
19.99% - 28.99% Variable
4.2
Cardholder rating
Extra perks
Online tools
Customer service
Intro APR length
4.7
Bankrate score
Rewards value
APR
Rewards flexibility
Features
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Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card overview
The Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card is a good fit if your business spending includes Delta travel expenses but not enough to justify the higher annual fees on Delta’s premium cards.
You won’t get any boosts toward Medallion Status or other top Delta benefits, but you still get solid flight perks like award discounts, in-flight credits and free checked baggage. You can also easily earn enough travel credits to offset the annual fee.
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Rewards
- 2X Delta Skymiles on eligible purchases directly with Delta Airlines
- 2X Delta Skymiles on U.S. purchases at shipping providers and advertising purchases in select media (up to $50,000 per calendar year)
- 2X Delta Skymiles at restaurants
- 1X Delta Skymiles on all other eligible purchases
Expert Appraisal: Typical
See our expert analysis -
Welcome offer
- Limited-time offer: 90,000 Bonus Miles after spending $6,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership (offer ends April 2, 2025).
Expert Appraisal: Typical
See our expert analysis -
Rates and fees
- Annual fee: $0 intro annual fee the first year, then $150
- Foreign transaction fee: $0
- Cash advance fee: Either $5 or 3 percent of each transaction, whichever is greater
- Regular APR: 19.99% - 28.99% Variable APR
- Penalty APR: 29.99% Variable
- Late/returned payment fee: $39
Expert Appraisal: Typical
See our expert analysis -
Other cardholder perks
- $200 Delta flight credit toward future travel after spending $10,000 in a calendar year
- Up to $150 Delta Stays statement credit after using your card for prepaid hotel or vacation rental bookings through Delta Stays on delta.com
- 15 percent discount on Delta award bookings
- 20 percent discount on in-flight purchases
- First checked bag free for cardholder and passengers on the same reservation (Maximum nine waivers per reservation)
- Priority boarding
- Baggage insurance*
- Car rental loss and damage insurance**
- Extended warranty and purchase protection
- Expense management tools
- Amex Offers
Expert Appraisal: Good
See our expert analysis
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card pros and cons
Pros
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You can earn up to $350 in annual travel credits with this card.
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The card provides excellent flight benefits like award discounts and free checked baggage.
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This card has the lowest annual fee of all Delta business cards.
Cons
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Rewards earned are limited to Delta and its partners booked through Delta, so it lacks versatility.
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This card doesn’t provide complimentary lounge access to Delta Sky Clubs.
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The benefits of this card don’t match those of premium Delta cards.
Why you might want the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card
The welcome offer on the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business card can substantially boost your Delta SkyMiles balance. The card also includes more than enough perks and credits to easily offset the annual fee while providing solid flight benefits.
Welcome offer: Boost your balance quickly
Through April 2, 2025, earn 90,000 Bonus Miles after spending $6,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. According to Bankrate’s valuations, Delta SkyMiles are worth around 1.2 cents per mile, giving this bonus a value of $1,080 in travel with Delta. You can get significantly more value if you find a maximum-value award redemption. This limited time offer comes with more miles than its standard offer, but a higher spending requirement.
Perks: Valuable flight benefits
While the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business card is one of Delta's lower-cost cards, it offers enough travel-savings features to justify its annual fee.
Through the Delta Stays travel portal, you can earn an annual statement credit of up to $150 for prepaid hotel or vacation rental bookings. After spending $10,000 annually, you’ll also earn a $200 Delta flight credit for future travel. This combined $350 value more than offsets the $150 annual fee.
While this card does not provide Delta Sky Club access, it offers solid in-flight benefits. You and up to eight other guests on your reservation will receive your first checked bag free, and you’ll all enjoy priority boarding. You’ll also receive a 20 percent statement credit on eligible in-flight purchases. These savings can be significant depending on how frequently you travel with Delta.
The Delta Gold Business doesn’t have trip delay insurance like the premium Delta business cards. Still, you get travel protections like baggage and car rental insurance and shopping protections like extended warranties and purchase protection.
Rates and fees: $0 introductory annual fee in the first year
The Gold Business card has the lowest fee of any Delta business card at $150, which is $0 in the first year. This gives you a year to try the card and see if it suits your needs. You can downgrade or upgrade to a premium card if you aren’t satisfied by the first year's end.
Unfortunately, there aren’t any intro APR offers, so carrying a balance will accrue interest at the card’s regular APR. However, no foreign transaction fees, an $0 introductory annual fee for the first year and no employee card fees are valuable savings. Combining this with a solid welcome offer provides good initial and long-term value.
Why you might want a different business card
If you want to earn Delta SkyMiles, you can earn more in most categories with other cards. Also, your earnings won’t help you qualify for elite status.
Rewards rate: Better rates elsewhere
Like all Delta cards, the Gold Business card earns Delta SkyMiles. While earning miles can help with business travel expenses, you may have trouble achieving higher Medallion Status rates without a premium Delta card that earns extra MQMs.
The Gold Business card is better than other Delta business cards for spending outside travel categories. You earn 2X miles per dollar at restaurants, with Delta and partner airlines through Delta, and on eligible purchases at U.S. shipping providers and on eligible U.S. advertising purchases in select media (up to $50,000 per category per year). You’ll also earn 1X miles on all other purchases.
And paired with the Delta SkyMiles Dining program’s extra miles, your 2X miles per dollar at restaurants can make dining out worthwhile. If you reach VIP status, you can earn 5X miles in addition to the standard 2X miles.
However, the Gold Business card doesn’t offer the boosted elite status-earning features that come with premium cards. By qualifying for Medallion Status, you can earn elite benefits and an additional 7 to 11 miles on Delta flights — a substantial perk that could outweigh Delta Gold Business card's higher rewards rate on non-travel categories.
On top of that, American Express credit cards earning Membership Rewards points can often earn more Delta SkyMiles than the Gold Business card. Since Delta is one of American Express’s transfer partners, you can transfer your points to Delta for a small tax. Based on the issuer's travel transfer partners, we value Membership Rewards around 1.0 cents apiece. Even with the small tax, the increased bonus category earnings often net you far more Delta miles.
Like most airline programs, rewards have limited redemption options. Booking flights, hotels, rental cars and vacation packages with Delta and SkyTeam partners is the best way to use your miles, but there are a few caveats. “Pay with Miles” only lets you book through Delta. However, the SkyTeam alliance does give you access to over 1,000 destinations with no blackout dates.
Your other redemption choices are limited compared to flexible travel rewards cards. For example, you can gift miles to others or donate them to charity. You could also spend them on travel experiences, merchandise or magazine subscriptions. However, these methods tend to have lesser value.
How the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card compares to other business cards
Compared to the $350 annual fee for the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card and the $650 annual fee for the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, the Gold Business is the most cost-effective card, especially with the annual fee being $0 for the first year. Here are some other business credit cards offering competitive travel rewards.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles after spending $6,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 4/2/25.
Rewards rate
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 purchases.
Recommended Credit Score
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.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.*
Rewards rate
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points on the top two eligible categories where your business spends the most each month from 6 eligible categories. While your top 2 categories may change, you will earn 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Only the top 2 categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap.*. Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com using your Business Gold Card.*. 1X is earned for other purchases. **.
Recommended Credit Score
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.
Annual fee
Intro offer
Earn 90,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Rewards rate
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 Score
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.
Who is the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card right for?
The Delta Gold Business card works best for Delta loyalists, especially business travelers who don’t need luxury benefits on their travels.
Bankrate’s Take — Is the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card worth it?
The Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express card is worthwhile if you’re a loyal Delta traveler looking for rewards and benefits that save you time and money.
You won’t be flying with the luxury perks the other premium Delta business cards offer. Still, this card carries the lowest annual fee and earns rewards on more commonly used categories — perfect for smaller businesses that don’t travel as frequently.
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.
*Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/ benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
**Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/ benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
How we rated this card
We rate credit cards using a proprietary card scoring system that ranks each card’s estimated average rewards rate, estimated annual earnings, welcome bonus value, APR, fees, perks and more against those of other cards in its primary category.
Each card feature is assigned a weighting based on how important it is to people looking for a card in a given category. These features are then scored based on how they rank relative to the features on other cards in the category. Based on these calculations, each card receives an overall rating of 1-5 stars (with 5 being the highest possible score and 1 being the lowest).
We analyzed over 150 of the most popular rewards and cash back cards to determine where each stacked up based on their value, cost, benefits and more. Here are some of the key factors that influenced this card’s overall score and how the score influenced our review:
Frequently asked questions
What cardholders think
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card
In May 2024, Bankrate collaborated with third-party SliceMR to survey 6160 cardholders nationwide. Bankrate and Slice MR collected, averaged and presented website analytics and cardholder responses to six questions on a 5-point scale. Responses are based on individual cardholder’s product details, and therefore cannot be verified for accuracy. Users received an incentive for their feedback. User ratings are unedited and have not been reviewed or approved by credit card issuers, nor do these ratings reflect Bankrate’s own reviews of these cards.
Community Reviews
* 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.
