Most Valuable Benefits of the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Credit Card From American Express

If you have a small business, you may have checked out a few travel rewards cards and quickly concluded they’re not for you. With $500-plus annual fees and $5,000 minimum spend threshold to earn a welcome bonus, many business travel rewards cards can seem like less-than-friendly offerings to the non-businessperson.

If you can relate, take a look at the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card. With an annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $150, it’s an excellent choice for the small-business owner who doesn’t spend like a Fortune 500 CEO. Here are the card’s most valuable benefits.

» Learn more: AmEx Business Gold review: Bonus rewards change with you

Best Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card benefits

Welcome bonus

Delta SkyMiles can get you to almost anywhere you want to go — 1,000-plus destinations across the globe. And if you sign up for this easy-entry AmEx, you can pocket a nice welcome bonus: Earn 55,000 Bonus Miles after spending $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

2 miles per $1 spent on U.S. shipping, advertising and restaurants

Here’s a nice perk of this card sure to be a boon for some business owners: Spending at restaurants and on U.S. shipping and advertising earns 2 SkyMiles per $1 spent. Even with a smaller ad budget for digital or social media marketing, that can add up.

2 miles per $1 spent on direct Delta purchases

If you spend more on travel than you do on shipping, advertising and dining, you’ll earn SkyMiles at the same rate: 2 miles for every $1 spent. Those miles are in addition to the 5 SkyMiles per $1 earned through the Delta SkyMiles program on paid airfare.

Everything you buy for your business or yourself gets you closer to your next award flight, because every eligible dollar you spend elsewhere adds 1 SkyMile to your Delta account. SkyMiles never expire, even if you don't keep this card.

$200 Delta credit after $10,000 in charges

The Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card comes with a $200 Delta flight credit after you charge $10,000 to the card in a calendar year.

15% off on award flights

When you use miles to book a Delta flight, you'll get a 15% discount on the number of miles needed. For example, if an award flight costs 33,000 miles, you'll see during checkout that you will only pay 28,000 miles.

Free checked bag

Delta normally charges $30 for your first checked bag. With the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card, cardholders get their first checked bag free, which could result in savings of up to $60 round-trip.

» Learn more: Delta Air Lines bag fees: How they work, how to avoid them

Early boarding

With baggage fees and fully booked flights the norm these days, overhead bins can fill up long before you get to your seat. Not a problem for travelers with the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card. Cardholders enjoy Main Cabin 1 priority boarding, getting you on the plane before the bin space is gone and lowering the odds you’ll have to gate-check your carry-on bag.

No foreign transaction fees

This is a must-have card feature for anyone who makes purchases out of the country. Foreign transaction fees often hover around 3% — a big premium on top of your spending. No such worries with the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card, since this fee does not apply. No foreign transaction fees means more affordable travel every time you leave the country.