Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card review

The offer mentioned below for the for the United℠ Business Card is no longer available.

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The Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card is a small business card, giving business owners the ability to earn Delta SkyMiles for their purchases. The rewards earned can be redeemed for flights on Delta Airlines and its partners, in addition to vacations and gift cards to various retailers. And as cardholders spend, they will have the ability to use several card benefits, including checked bag fee waiver and priority boarding when flying Delta.

Below, Select breaks down the rewards, benefits and fees associated with the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card to help you decide if it's the right card for your needs.

With the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card, earn 60,000 Bonus Miles after spending $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card comes with several great benefits you can take advantage of.

Earning miles for spending

When you spend on the card, you will earn:

• 2X Delta SkyMiles per dollar spent on eligible purchases directly with Delta and on every eligible dollar spent at restaurants.
• 2X Delta SkyMiles 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.
• 1X Delta SkyMiles per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases

Other benefits

The card includes a number of other benefits that are beneficial for those flying Delta, including:

• Check and stow your bag with ease: First Checked Bag Free on Delta Flights + Zone 5 Priority Boarding on Delta flights.
• Receive a 20% savings in the form of a statement credit on eligible Delta in-flight purchases after using your Card
• $200 Delta Flight Credit to use toward future travel after you spend $10,000 in purchases in a calendar year
• 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.
• $0 foreign transaction fee (see rates and fees)
• Baggage insurance*
• Rental car insurance*
• Integration with QuickBooks for simple accounting

Earning Delta SkyMiles

You can earn Delta SkyMiles in several ways, but largely, consumers will find themselves building their mileage balance in two ways: flying with the airline or spending on a cobranded credit card.

As you fly and spend, you will earn miles that can immediately be redeemed. And what's more is that you don't need a ton of miles to fly for free with Delta, as some flights start as low as 5,000 miles.

And you can even have multiple Delta cards to earn several welcome bonuses to jumpstart your balances. The other Delta cards available are:

Personal

• Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card
• Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card

Business

• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card

Redeeming Delta SkyMiles

Once you earn enough miles to redeem for a flight, you will have a long list of redemption options, including: complimentary flights (less taxes and fees), Delta gift cards, seat upgrades, Delta vacation packages, magazine subscriptions or a SkyMiles in-person experience.

Additionally, you'll have access to booking flights with Delta's partners, including airlines in the SkyTeam alliance. So if you're searching for flights internationally on Delta's website, you may find flights for one of the following airlines: Aeroflot, Aerolineas Argentinas, AeroMexico, Air Europa, Air France, China Airlines, China Eastern, Czech Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, ITA Airways, Kenya Airways, KLM, Korean Air, LATAM, MEA, Saudia, TAROM, Vietnam Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia and Xiamen Air.

The card has an introductory annual fee of $0 for the first year, then $150. It has a $0 foreign transaction fee.

Late payment fees can be up to $39.

See rates and fees.

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card can provide great value for business owners, but is it the best travel-rewards card for you and your business?

Select analyzed two other premium travel cards to see how they match up with the Delta Gold Business Amex.

Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card vs. United℠ Business Card

The United℠ Business Card is similar to the Delta Gold Business Amex, except it gives small business owners the ability to earn United miles.

The United Business Card comes with a great welcome offer of 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open. Plus, there is a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99.

Each card offers very similar benefits, including free checked bags and flight credits, so if you're deciding between the two cards, you should decide which card is better for you based on where you fly out of and what airline you prefer. For example, if you live in Atlanta, the Delta card may be more beneficial for you. Whereas if you live in Denver or Los Angeles, both United hubs, the United card might be a better option.

Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card vs. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is a large step-up from the Delta Gold Business Amex in terms of benefits, features, welcome offer and annual fee. The card comes with a long list of perks including spending credits for travel, *comprehensive travel insurance, automatic hotel loyalty status (enrollment required) and more.

However, the card comes with a steep annual fee of $895 (see rates and fees). Additionally, it has a large welcome bonus with a hefty spending requirement. You may be eligible for as high as 300,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $20,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. And the Membership Rewards points earned can be transferred directly to Delta at a 1:1 ratio. The Business Platinum card also gives you access to Delta SkyClub lounges through the Global Lounge Collection® when flying Delta (access is limited to eligible Card Members).

These two cards are very different, making them difficult to compare side-to-side. If you fly with Delta regularly, but want luxury benefits and flexibility to fly with other airlines, and can budget for the steep annual fee — the Business Platinum card from Amex may be worth considering. But if you simply want to earn Delta SkyMiles and avoid paying checked bag fees, the Delta Gold Business Amex is a more suitable fit.

The Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Amex is a solid option for small business owners wanting to earn airline miles for their day-to-day purchases and enjoy basic, but useful, travel benefits when flying Delta. The card comes with concise spending categories so cardholders can know quickly how many miles they will earn with each purchase. Additionally, this card is great for people who travel internationally as the card has a $0 foreign transaction fee. (see rates and fees)

However, keep in mind that this card is designed for people who enjoy 'no-frills' travel that doesn't include airport lounge access or the possibility for seat upgrades. If you're looking for those types of features, you may want to look at one of the other personal or business Delta credit cards mentioned above.

The Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Amex is one of the many cobranded Delta cards giving consumers and business owners the chance to earn Delta SkyMiles for their purchases. In the case of the Delta Gold Business Amex, this cards caters to small business owners wanting to earn miles, save on checked bag fees and have priority boarding.

However, even though there is a $0 intro annual fee for the first year (then $150; see rates and fees), it's important to always ensure you're spending responsibly. Because it's never a good idea to spend more for the sake of earning rewards, and maintaining a sturdy budget for your business is more important than earning airline miles.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.

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For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card, click here.

For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.

*Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. Eligibility and Benefit level varies. Travel insurance Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance company, an AIG Company. Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.

*The Business Platinum Card® from American Express Welcome Offer: To view your personalized offer, you must first submit an application. If approved, you will: (1) receive your Welcome Offer details, (2) have the option to accept the Card with that offer, (3) be required to spend $20,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership, and (4) earn Membership Rewards® points. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. If you're approved and accept your offer, a credit check may be conducted, which could impact your credit score. Terms apply.