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The Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card is an entry-level business card, charging the lowest annual fee of Delta's business cards. The tradeoff: That means this card lacks some of the benefits those other cards offer. Still, the Delta Gold Business Amex offers some great features if you regularly fly Delta and can utilize the benefits.
Does it offer enough value for your small business? We’ll dig into the details to help you make up your mind.
- 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 on Delta flights.
- 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.
- Rates & Fees
- 2X miles per dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta
- 2X miles per dollar on eligible U.S. purchases for advertising in select media (annual cap of $50,000 in eligible purchases)
- 2X miles per dollar on eligible U.S. shipping purchases (annual cap of $50,000 in eligible purchases)
- 2X miles per dollar on eligible dining purchases
- 1X miles per dollar on all other eligible purchases
Delta Gold Business Amex Pros
- Offers some elite-like perks, including a free first checked bag on Delta flights and Zone 5 priority boarding.
- Cardmembers receive 15% off award redemptions on Delta flights.
- The card includes several travel and shopping protection benefits.
Delta Gold Business Amex Cons
- Delta does not have a published award chart, making it hard to get outsized value from your SkyMiles redemptions.
- The card does not offer boosts toward elite status.
- You can earn more rewards on your spending with other business credit cards.
Delta Gold Business Amex Welcome Bonus
New applicants for the Delta Gold Business Amex can earn 60,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. On average, AwardWallet users redeem Delta SkyMiles for 1.34¢ apiece, making this bonus worth $804 toward award travel booked through Delta.
Unlike spending requirements for many top business card offers, the spending requirement on 60,000-mile offer for the Delta Gold Business Amex is well within the range of most competing business cards.
The Delta Gold Business Amex occasionally has limited-time elevated welcome bonus offers. To see how this welcome offer compares, check out our full history of card welcome offers from American Express.
Delta Gold Business Amex Benefits
The Delta Gold Business Amex has several useful benefits that can help justify the cost of keeping this card long-term — especially if you don't travel enough to earn elite status with Delta.
First checked bag free
The Delta Gold Business Amex offers a free first checked bag on every Delta flight, which could save you a bundle on a round-trip ticket. The card has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 (Rates & Fees), so you only need to take two round-trip flights on Delta with checked luggage to nearly offset the out-of-pocket expense for the first two years.
Better yet, the fee waiver applies for up to nine passengers traveling under the same reservation. That means you and up to eight travel companions on a single itinerary can all enjoy a free checked bag.
Priority boarding
For many travelers, the boarding process is one of the pain points of economy air travel. Thankfully, the Delta Gold Business Amex includes Zone 5 priority boarding.
That means you'll get earlier access to the plane to get settled — mitigating the chance that the overhead bin will already be too full for your carry-on. This perk is also valid for up to nine passengers on the same reservation.
$0 annual fee for the first year
The Delta Gold Business Amex charges a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 (Rates & Fees). Getting the welcome bonus without paying the annual fee for the first year allows you to easily increase your SkyMiles balance without investing lots of time or money.
Save 15% on award travel
The Delta Gold Business Amex is eligible for the TakeOff 15 award discount, which allows cardmembers to receive a 15% discount on Delta award travel when booking on delta.com or the Fly Delta app.
Inflight savings
Cardmembers receive 20% savings on eligible pre-purchased meals, plus inflight food and beverage purchases on Delta-operated flights. The savings are issued as a statement credit when you charge inflight purchases to your Delta Gold Business Amex.
This benefit doesn't extend to inflight Wi-Fi purchases, though the good news is that free Wi-Fi for SkyMiles members is available on almost all domestic flights and some international flights too.
Related: Delta Free Wi-Fi now on 90% of domestic fleet. Here's the timeline for international flights.
$200 Delta flight credit
After you spend $10,000 on purchases in a calendar year, you will earn a $200 Delta eCredit that can be used for airfare on a Delta-marketed flight. You'll receive an email within six to eight weeks after meeting the purchase requirement with your certificate number and redemption code.
The eCredit will also be available in your Delta Wallet when you log into your SkyMiles account. The credit expires within one year from the date of issuance and must be redeemed on or before the expiration date.
$150 Delta Stays credit
Another benefit is an annual statement credit of up to $150 when you use your Delta Gold Business Amex to book prepaid hotels or vacation rentals on the Delta Stays platform. By utilizing just this one credit, you'll get enough value to offset the card's ongoing annual fee.
No foreign transaction fees
You'll avoid extra charges when using your card for purchases outside of the U.S. There are no foreign transaction fees with the Delta Gold Business Amex (Rates & Fees).
Travel and purchase protections
Amex’s features and benefits page includes policy particulars on each of the listed items, but you can be covered in the following ways when making purchases with your Delta Gold Business Amex:
- Baggage insurance plan: Covers up to $1,250 per person for carry-on or $500 for checked baggage, including up to $250 for high-risk items. This is in excess of coverage provided by your carrier.
- Car rental loss and damage insurance: This is secondary coverage for up to $50,000 per rental.
- Extended warranty: Adds another year of warranty coverage on an original U.S. manufacturer's warranty of five years or less, up to $10,000 per item and $50,000 per calendar year.
- Purchase protection: Covers purchases made with the card against theft or accidental damage for up to 90 days and $1,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per calendar year.
Delta Gold Business Amex Earning Rates
The card's earning rates are somewhat lackluster, and you could earn more rewards on your spending with other business credit cards. Cardholders earn:
- 2X miles per dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta
- 2X miles per dollar on eligible U.S. purchases for advertising in select media (annual cap of $50,000 in eligible purchases)
- 2X miles per dollar on eligible U.S. shipping purchases (annual cap of $50,000 in eligible purchases)
- 2X miles per dollar on eligible dining purchases
- 1X miles per dollar on all other eligible purchases
Unfortunately, this earning structure doesn't put the card in the same league as other business cards that earn 3x or more in similar categories. For example, if you frequently make online advertising or shipping purchases, you could earn 3x points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases in those categories with the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.
Not only do you earn more, but the Ultimate Rewards from the Ink Preferred are more valuable and significantly more versatile than Delta SkyMiles.
Related: The Best Rewards Credit Cards for Each Spending Category
Redeeming Miles With the Delta Gold Business Amex
The SkyMiles program suffers from the lack of a publicly available award chart. Delta's dynamic pricing makes it hard to know if you are getting top value for your SkyMiles since there is no official award chart to compare what rates are available. Despite that, award travel is still the best way to redeem your SkyMiles, though a few other redemption options exist.
Redeem for award travel
Delta SkyMiles can be redeemed on Delta-operated flights and on over 20 partner airlines — including Air France, Aeromexico, KLM, Korean Air, and more. If you're wondering how many miles you can expect to redeem for a Delta award, we have assembled an unofficial Delta redemption chart to help remove the mystery of what you might pay for an award booking.
One positive aspect of the SkyMiles program is that Delta award flights have no blackout dates. However, partner awards are subject to partner airline availability. You can find some of the best Delta sweet spots in our post on high-value SkyMiles redemptions.
‘Pay with Miles' benefit
Pay with Miles allows you to redeem SkyMiles to pay for either all or a portion of the cost on any flight operated by Delta or Delta Connection. Instead of paying the full cash price, you can redeem SkyMiles in blocks of 5,000 miles, which are worth $50 toward the ticket price. Any portion of the ticket not covered by miles can be paid with your Delta Gold Business Amex.
Other redemption options
In addition to flights, you can also redeem SkyMiles for:
- A Delta Vacations package booking.
- Hotels and vacation rentals through Delta Stays.
- A SkyMiles Experiences auction.
- Upgrading your seat to Delta One, First Class, Delta Premium Select, or Delta Comfort+.
- Premium drinks in the Delta Sky Club®.
- Products and services, such as selecting Preferred Seats, ticket change fees, same-day confirmed fees, and external ticket charges.
- Delta checked bag fees.
Related: Do Delta SkyMiles Expire?
Application Restrictions
American Express has a “once per lifetime” rule regarding welcome bonuses on its cards. This means you may not be eligible for the welcome offer if you've previously received a bonus on the Delta Gold Business Amex. The card's application page has the following terms:
“You may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer if you have or have had this Card or previous versions of this Card. You also may not be eligible to receive a welcome offer based on various factors, such as your history with credit card balance transfers, your history as an American Express Card Member, the number of credit cards that you have opened and closed and other factors. If you are not eligible for a welcome offer, we will notify you prior to processing your application so you have the option to withdraw your application.”
It's important to apply when there's an increased welcome bonus since you may only be able to receive the bonus once. To help take the guesswork out of this, we compiled a full American Express card offer history with the best-ever offers and when you should apply.
Amex also has a “family” rule for its consumer Delta cards. This rule means you may be ineligible for a welcome bonus on a new Delta card if you've previously had certain other Delta cards. However, this rule is not currently in effect for Delta business cards.
That means you can apply for the Delta Gold Business Amex even if you have or have had the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card or Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card.
Related: Understanding Rewards Credit Card Application Rules and Restrictions
Cards That Compete With the Delta Gold Business Amex
Unsure if the Delta Gold Business Amex is the right fit to reward your business spending? Here are a few additional options to consider:
- If you want more miles on your Delta Air Lines purchases, consider the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card. You'll earn 3x SkyMiles per dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta, plus you get an MQD Headstart toward elite status each year and the ability to spend your way toward Delta's elite status through credit card purchases. However, it does have a $350 annual fee (Rates & Fees), making it more expensive than the Delta Gold Business Amex. For more details, check out our review of the Delta Business Platinum Amex.
- If you want a no-annual-fee business card that earns points you can transfer to Delta or other airlines, The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express may be a good fit for you. There are no bonus categories to track since it earns a flat 2x points on the first $50,000 of purchases each year, then 1x. You can transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to 21 airline and hotel programs, including Delta, without paying an annual fee (Rates & Fees). Learn more in our full review of the Blue Business Plus.
- If you want to earn transferable points at a higher rate, check out the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card. It has a $95 annual fee but earns more points on its bonus categories compared to the Delta Gold Business Amex. Cardholders earn 3x on travel purchases, shipping, internet, cable and phone services, and advertising with social media sites and search engines (on the first $150,000 total spent each year across these categories, then 1x). Check out our full review of the Ink Preferred for all the details.
(Terms apply)
- 3X miles per dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta
- 3X miles per dollar spent on eligible purchases with hotels
- 1.5x miles on eligible purchases over $5,000 (up to 50,000 bonus miles annually)
- 1.5X miles on eligible transit and U.S. shipping purchases*
- 1X miles per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
(Terms Apply)
- Earn 2X points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter. Terms and limitations apply.
- 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year
- 1X point per $1 on all other purchases
Related: The Current Best Small-Business Credit Card Offers
Bottom Line
The Delta Gold Business Amex is a solid low-cost airline card with some great benefits for everyday Delta flyers. If you don't fly Delta, this is probably not the card for you, as you will be better off with business cards that earn high-value flexible points.
If you do fly Delta and are looking for a simple way to reward your business spending, a free checked bag, and a way of adding to your SkyMiles balance, the Delta Gold Business Amex may be a good fit for your wallet.
- 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 on Delta flights.
- 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.
- Rates & Fees
- 2X miles per dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta
- 2X miles per dollar on eligible U.S. purchases for advertising in select media (annual cap of $50,000 in eligible purchases)
- 2X miles per dollar on eligible U.S. shipping purchases (annual cap of $50,000 in eligible purchases)
- 2X miles per dollar on eligible dining purchases
- 1X miles per dollar on all other eligible purchases
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card (Rates & Fees), The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
