Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business from American Express® Review

American Express Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business Credit Card Review

The American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card is a good option with a low annual fee and various benefits. It doesn’t mean that the credit card lacks travel perks and benefits. You may get some lucrative perks like a sign-up offer of 50,000 bonus miles after spending $2,000 in the first 3 months of the account opening, a free first checked bag, $100 credit on your future Delta flights after spending $10,000 in the calendar year, no foreign transaction fees, etc. You can get all these features just for a $99 annual fee after the first year of free maintenance.

The Variable rate on purchases will be 20.99% - 29.99%, based on your creditworthiness, which is the average rate among airline credit cards. Despite the absence of some luxury perks like an annual companion certificate and free lounge access - the American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles Business credit card can become a nice airline credit card for the avid Delta Air Lines traveler who owns a small business. The card also offers an interesting rewards system with useful increased rewards categories like eligible Delta purchases, restaurants, shipping providers, and advertising purchases in select media. So, if you are seeking an airline business credit card with a practical rewards system, and without complicated benefits, consider the American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card. If you are not a Delta Air Lines member or want more benefits when flying with Delta - consider other options on the market.

American Express Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business Credit Card: pros and cons

American Express Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business Credit Card: rewards system in a nutshell

The American Express Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business Credit Card offers some business/travel-related categories that will help you to earn more miles that you can use to get award flights or seat upgrades. Receive 2X miles per dollar spent:

• On eligible Delta purchases;
• At restaurants;
• On U.S. shipping purchases;
• On U.S. advertising at selected media.

You will also earn 1x miles per dollar spent on all other purchases. The rates of these rewards might not be that high, but the number of categories and their usability is very impressive. Such categories as shipping and advertising are in demand among business owners, so they can earn you a bunch of miles that can be later spent.

Restaurants are also a good category when you travel and can only eat outside. However, paying your bill with an American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles Business credit card at restaurants may not be the best idea if you already have a Cash Back credit card with rewards in that category. For example, Chase Freedom Unlimited® offers a 3% cash back on restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services. At the same time, it has a wide range of redemption options. But if you're aiming for premium flights or seat upgrades, the restaurant category can also be useful.

The best way you can redeem your miles is to get award flights or seat upgrades. Delta miles are estimated at around 1.5 cents per mile. That means you would be better off looking for options with this redemption rate to get the maximum benefit from the credit card.

You can also use the “Pay with Miles” program to get travel benefits like car rentals, book vacation packages, and hotels, or pay part of your airfare cost. But the redemption rate is only 1 cent per mile, which is not profitable.

Who benefits from the American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card?

Small business owners who often fly with Delta Air Lines will find the American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles Business credit card a perfect option for their travel needs. For the fair $99 annual fee after the first year of free maintenance, you will be able to get good rewards, and some lucrative travel perks like priority boarding, a free first checked bag, a generous and easy-to-get sign-up bonus, a $100 credit after $10,000 spent in a calendar year, etc.

If you are dead-set against paying that high annual fee, choose the Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card that gives you 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, and 25,000 points as a welcome bonus. And all this for a $0 annual fee and 0% foreign transaction fees. Also, if you are a preferred rewards member (you can qualify for it if you hold enough money in your banking account) - you can earn up to 25% - 75% more points on all purchases.

One more essential thing for the frequent Delta flyers to mention is that you won’t be able to get a Medallion® Status faster with the help of the American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles Business credit card since the card doesn’t offer any bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) to tread a path to the elite status. Such luxury perks as an annual companion ticket and free Delta Sky Club® access are not available to you.

So, if you're looking for a credit card that can give you the kind of benefits that can help you travel with more convenience - check out American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card alternatives - American Express® Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business and American Express® Delta SkyMiles® Reserve. Despite the higher annual fees of $250 and $550, these credit cards may pack plenty of value for you with their tremendous perks. It will also help you to obtain a Medallion® Status faster thanks to the sign-up bonuses that include bonus MQMs, and elite status boost features that will also give you extra MQMs on your way to the silver, gold, platinum, or diamond statuses.

Are there any other benefits?

The American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card still has some benefits that weren’t mentioned yet:

• Priority boarding. Get the advantage of Main Cabin 1 priority boarding. That can save you a bunch of time if you don’t typically check your bags. You will also be able to find overhead bin space for your hand luggage thanks to this privilege.
• In-flight savings. Receive a 20% discount on all in-flight purchases and get it back in the form of a statement credit.
• Baggage Insurance. Your baggage is covered from loss, damage, and theft if you pay for your flight using an American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles Business credit card. The amount of baggage insurance is up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage.
• Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance. If you rent a car with your Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express credit card - you will receive secondary coverage for theft or car damage of a rental vehicle in a covered territory.
• 24/7 Customer support services. Beyond the familiar AmEx customer support service that will help you 24/7, you will also have special customer support services for your travel and business needs - Global Assist® Hotline if you need help while traveling and Relationship Care® Service if you need professional support for your business issues.
• Free employee cards. Add employee cards to your Delta credit card account for free and track the spendings of your employees. You can also set limits to avoid overspending.
• Connect to QuickBooks®. Save your time and connect to QuickBooks®, because this tool automatically categorizes your business expenses.
• Account Manager. You can add a member of your business company who can make payments, view transactions, and add employee cards.
• Year-End Summary. At the end of each year, you will receive a complete categorized summary that will help you to track your business expenses. All the purchases are sorted by month and type of transaction.
• American Express Mobile Application. AmEx has a convenient mobile app for your Delta credit card where you can make online transactions, check your rewards, and get instant 24/7 customer support in one click.
• Extended warranty and purchase protection. Get an extended warranty and purchase protection by paying with your American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles Business credit card.

Conclusion

To sum up, we can say that the American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles Business credit card is an excellent option for frequent Delta flyers who don’t want to pay a high annual fee and are ready to sacrifice some top-tier travel perks. The card still has benefits that help you offset the annual fee of $99 several times over, such as free first-checked baggage for you and up to 8 people on one booking, a sign-up bonus, and a variety of rewards systems that can help grow your business. For those who want more flexibility for their business air travel or more luxury benefits, it would be better to take a look at the other travel credit card options available.