Delta SkyMiles? Gold Business American Express Card Review

Full Review of Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card

Pros Explained

• Annual Statement Credit That Justifies the Card's Annual Fee After Year One: If you spend at least $10,000 on the card, the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business from American Express annually gives you a $100 Delta eCredit, in addition to the points you earn on those purchases., for a goal that most businesses should be able to reach fairly easily—since it’s an average of only about $834 a month in spending.?
• Easy-to-Earn Bonus Offer: Earn 75,000 Bonus Miles after spending $6,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months. Plus, earn an additional 5,000 Bonus Miles after you make an eligible Delta purchase with your new Card within your first 6 months (offer expires October 25, 2023).

Cons Explained

• Lacks Luxury Benefits: Like most of its airline-card competitors, the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express card provides such flight extras as priority boarding and a free checked bag. Still, it lacks the luxury benefits found on other, albeit more expensive, Delta SkyMiles cards. Those pluses include the likes of an annual companion certificate and access to the Amex and Delta airport lounges. If such items are priorities for you, you may want to consider paying extra to get the Platinum or Delta Reserve cards. 

Who This Card Is Best For

The Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express is best suited to small businesses and their employees who fly Delta and its partners, but not often enough that a pricier Delta card would make financial sense. It's a better fit if your business regularly spends a lot on dining or domestic shipping and advertising, since those purchases, too, earn the same 2 miles per dollar as Delta transactions.

You needn’t spend a lot in those 2-mile-per-dollar reward categories to recoup this card’s $99 annual fee. Charging just over $3,200 a year on a combination of Delta flights, shipping, and advertising would do the trick, based on estimates from The Balance's credit card points valuation data Delta SkyMiles are worth 1.44 cents each.

This card might also be a worthwhile acquisition for occasional Delta fliers who check a bag whenever they fly domestic. With their first checked bag free on such flights, cardholders would save $60 on a round-trip flight, and up to eight companions on their reservation would also qualify for the benefit.

Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card Bonus Offer?

Earn 75,000 Bonus Miles after spending $6,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months. Plus, earn an additional 5,000 Bonus Miles after you make an eligible Delta purchase with your new Card within your first 6 months (offer expires October 25, 2023). We calculate the value of the offer at $720 when used to buy flights through Delta. The bonus miles post to your account in the form of a statement credit between 8 and 12 weeks after you meet the minimum spending threshold.

You also earn a $100 Delta flight credit if you spend $10,000 on the card within the first calendar year of ownership.

Rewards Earning Details

Cardholders earn 2 miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases, including Delta flights, Sky Club membership or passes, in-flight purchases, seat upgrades, and Delta Vacation packages. The card also earns 2 miles per dollar on U.S. shipping, advertising, and at restaurants.

All other purchases on the card earn 1 mile per dollar. Delta SkyMiles do not expire.

Rewards Redemption Details

In order to redeem miles, you must be a member of the Delta SkyMiles rewards program. Miles can be redeemed through Delta's website, by phone, or at a Delta ticket counter.

You can use your miles balance towards flights, seat upgrades, Delta vacation packages, Sky Club membership, gift cards, and experiences. It's also possible to send SkyMiles to friends and family or donate them to charity.?

Transferring Points

It isn't possible to transfer points from Delta to other loyalty programs directly. You can, however, transfer points from other loyalty programs to Delta and convert them to SkyMiles. Points can be converted from car rental and hotel partners. Before you convert points to Delta's airline loyalty program, bear in mind that conversions can be costly and may come with an additional fee.?

How to Maximize Your Rewards

To get the most out of the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business card, use it for all of your Delta purchases, U.S. shipping costs, U.S. advertising expenses, and restaurant charges. You'll earn 2 miles per dollar on those categories, and spending a combined $3,214 a year on them will allow you to justify the annual fee. It also makes sense to use the card to take advantage of the welcome bonus: Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles and 5,000 Medallion? Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months.

Finally, obtain additional cards for employees who make purchases on behalf of the company in order to further increase the miles earned on the account. Of course, depending on your company policy, those employees may be entitled to retain rewards earned on their travel for their personal use. If so—or in order to allow your employees to get a perk—you can enroll your business in Delta’s corporate SkyBonus program, provided at least five employees have cards and they together spend at least $5,000 annually on Delta flights. The program, which is free, allows both the employee and their employer to earn miles rewards on Delta flights.

Average Case

Let's assume that you use this card to book four round-trip domestic Delta flights per year to attend business conferences, spending the national average cost of around $360 per round-trip flight. In addition, you use this card for a combination of shipping, advertising, and restaurant purchases that total $1,000 per month.

Such spending would earn you 26,880 miles with this card, rewards that we estimate would be worth $568—or more than five times the annual fee that is charged after the first year—when redeemed for Delta flights. Let’s assume that for each flight you check a suitcase full of company literature to distribute at the conference. The card’s waiver of fees for those bags would add an extra $240 to the financial benefit of using it.

Aspirational Case

In addition to the scenario above, where you earned 26,880 miles with this card, let's assume you have four employees who also represent the company at conferences. You then leverage the free additional employee cards that come with this account, giving one to each employee, and also enroll in the SkyPlus program that allows both the employees and their employer to earn rewards.

The additional four employees with cards then use them to buy a combined $3,000 per month of shipping, advertising, and restaurants. All four employees also take a round-trip domestic flight once per quarter, spending $360 on each round-trip domestic flight. In total, including the primary cardholder, the five employees and the business itself would earn more than 110,400 miles within the calendar year worth $1,700.

Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Card’s Outstanding Benefits

• Main-cabin priority boarding
• Baggage insurance plan*
• First checked bag is free
• 20% in-flight savings on food, beverages, and audio headsets
• Free employee cards

*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.

Standard Benefits

• Rental car collision insurance (secondary to your own policy)
• 24/7 global assist hotline*
• Access to exclusive cardmember-only events
• Expense management solutions
• Dispute resolution for fraudulent or incorrect charges

*Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply.?Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.?Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.

Cardholder Experience

American Express ranked first overall for customer satisfaction in J.D. Power's 2020 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Survey, with a score of 838 out of 1,000.

Card members can access and manage their accounts online, through the American Express app or by phone. Customer service is available by phone 24/7. Personal card members can call 1-800-528-4800 for help.

Security Features

Like all Amex credit cards, the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business card offers a range of standard security precautions. Amex will monitor your account for fraudulent activity and send alerts if any irregular activity is detected.

Amex also uses their SafeKey feature, which is an authentication service. You might be prompted to provide a dynamic one-time code (OTC) to verify your identity when making online purchases.

Final Verdict

The Delta SkyMiles Gold Business card from American Express is the least expensive Delta-branded credit card. It offers a business which has occasional travelers on the airline an opportunity to earn both decent rewards and enjoy some basic extras on their trips.

A respectable one-time offer that combines a points bonus and a statement credit, along with a fee waiver, makes the first year with the card especially worthwhile. In subsequent years, you'll get a $100 credit that covers the annual fee, provided your business spends at least $10,000 with the card.

If, however, you and/or your employees travel frequently on Delta, you might consider the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is a heftier $250, but it offers valuable extra benefits like an annual domestic main-cabin round-trip companion certificate upon renewal.

Alternatively, if your business isn't loyal to Delta, consider a non-branded business card. One of these can provide higher rewards and more flexibility when it comes to redemption. For example, the Chase Ink Business Preferred card offers 3 points per dollar on travel, shipping, Internet, cable, phone services, and on advertising with social media sites. It also has an 100,000-bonus-point bonus offer.

To see the rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles? Gold Business Card please see the following link: Rates and fees