Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card review

If you’re a business traveler who wants to dip your toes into Delta’s frequent flyer program, the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card may be your best bet. Along with the card’s welcome offer and ongoing rewards, you can enjoy ongoing value via the card’s offer of a $200 Delta Flight Credit to use toward future travel after you spend $10,000 in a calendar year.

Another feature in this card’s favor is the fact the $150 annual fee is a $0 intro annual fee for the first year. This gives you a full 12 months to try out the card’s benefits without a financial commitment. Since this card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, you’ll also save on all purchases made abroad.

Decent ongoing rewards, if they fit your business

While the card’s current introductory bonus is good, you may be disappointed with its ongoing rewards. Getting only 2 miles per dollar on Delta purchases, at restaurants and on U.S. purchases for advertising in select media, U.S. shipping purchases (on up to $50,000 in eligible purchases per category, per year) and 1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases. While this could be lucrative if your business spends a ton on Delta flights, restaurants, and advertising and shipping purchases, the card will be a dud for those who don’t spend heavily in these categories.

New welcome bonus

The Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card is currently offering 55,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 with the card in the first six months. It’s a step down from the previous offer, but slightly better than the offer before that. Before, you could earn 50,000 miles after spending $2,000 in the first three months. While this current offer has a higher spending requirement, you get 5,000 more miles and twice as long to get it.

Based on Bankrate’s latest point and mile valuations, which give Delta SkyMiles a value of 1.2 cents each, we estimate that the bonus is worth around $660. That’s enough to offset the card’s ongoing $150 annual fee six times over.

Delta SkyMiles is a mixed bag

If you fly Delta Air Lines often and belong to their frequent flyer program, you already know that rewards can be very unpredictable. One of the major downsides of this frequent flyer program is the fact that Delta doesn’t have an award chart. Without knowing how many miles you’ll need for a specific redemption, you are left to guess and estimate the miles you’ll need to save for each free flight.

Delta also charges $25 for phone bookings and $35 for ticket office bookings, and they don’t allow stopovers or open-jaw tickets with rewards. Since one-way fares are allowed, however, you can create your own open-jaw award by booking two one-way flights.

On the upside, Delta makes it possible to use your miles in more than one way. You can redeem them for airfare on Delta and its partners along with hotels, car rentals, gift cards, and certain merchandise or experiences (though the value for many of these redemption options is poor). You may also be able to upgrade using miles, plus a “Miles + Cash” option is available for some Delta flights.

While one-way Delta flights within the U.S. will only incur the standard $5.60 per leg in taxes and fees, keep in mind that fuel surcharges are levied on most international tickets. These fuel surcharges can add hundreds of dollars to the cost of a supposedly “free” award ticket.

Valuable airline perks

While the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card may not be overly lucrative on the rewards front, this card does come with a lot of perks. Once you sign up, you’ll get priority boarding on Delta flights and a free checked bag. You’ll also get 20 percent off eligible inflight purchases made with your card, although the discount will show up as a statement credit on your bill.

Other perks this card doles out include account alerts, a mobile payment app, roadside assistance, car rental insurance, travel accident insurance, extended warranties, purchase protection, ticket presales and VIP events, travel discounts, return protection and a free ShopRunner subscription (enrollment required).

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.

Special benefits for business owners

Since the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card is a business credit card, it offers benefits targeted to business owners. For example, there is no fee for employee cards and you can also set individual spending limits for employees. You’ll also get access to an online business forum where you can tap into valuable resources and get advice.

Finally, the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Credit Card from American Express offers expense management tools that help you track and organize your business expenses. If you want, you can even connect your credit card account to QuickBooks for expense tracking and account management purposes.

Why get the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card?

• You’re curious about the Delta SkyMiles program and want to try it without paying an annual fee the first year ($0 intro annual fee for the first year then $150 thereafter).
• You need a business card with account management tools and free cards for employees.
• You fly Delta Air Lines often and can easily spend the miles you earn.
• You want to score a free checked bag and Priority boarding on all of your Delta flights.

How to use the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card

• Make sure to spend $4,000 on your card within six months of account opening to earn the introductory offer.
• Use your card for all Delta purchases to earn 2x miles for every dollar you spend.
• Get free cards for your employees so you can rack up miles on their purchases, as well.

For rates and fees of the Gold Delta SkyMiles Business card, please click here.

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