Delta SkyMiles Gold Business AmEx Review: Free Checked Bags, Solid Rewards
Bonus miles on shipping and advertising, free checked bags and a travel credit for those who spend enough on the card beef up this basic airline card for business operators.
Overview
The bottom line:
If you’re a Delta flyer, this card is a valuable choice. Its benefits can far outweigh the annual fee.
Credit card details
Annual fee
$0 intro for the first year, then $150
Regular APR
19.49%-28.49% Variable APR
Intro APR
N/A
Rewards rate
1x-2x
Earn 2 Miles on every dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta, on every dollar spent on eligible U.S. purchases for advertising in select media, on every dollar spent on eligible U.S. shipping purchases, on every eligible dollar spent at restaurants. Earn 1 Mile on every eligible dollar spent on other purchases. Terms Apply.
Miles
Foreign transaction fee
0%
Intro offer
60,000
Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles after spending $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
Miles
Pros & Cons
Pros
No annual fee for the first year
New cardholder bonus offer
Generous free checked bag benefit
Early boarding
Annual flight credit (terms apply)
Cons
Limited reward redemption options
Does not include lounge access or automatic elite status
More details from American Express
- Welcome Offer: Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles after spending $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150
- Card Members 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.
- Additionally, you can receive a $200 Delta Flight Credit to use toward future travel after you spend $10,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
- Earn 2 miles 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.
- Earn 2 Miles on every dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta and on every eligible dollar spent at restaurants.
- Earn 1 Mile on every eligible dollar spent on other purchases.
- Check and stow your bag with ease: First Checked Bag Free on Delta Flights + Zone 5 Priority Boarding on Delta flights.
- Elevate your travel experience with an annual statement credit of up to $150 after using your Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card to book prepaid hotels or vacation rentals through Delta Stays on delta.com.
- Receive a 20% savings in the form of a statement credit on eligible Delta in-flight purchases after using your Card.
- Pay no foreign transaction fees when you travel overseas.
- Terms and limitations apply.
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card is a practical asset for Delta Air Lines devotees with small businesses or side hustles. With an annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $150, it's the lowest-cost option in the family of small-business Delta credit cards. And it packs plenty of value.
The card's free-bag on Delta flights benefit is excellent, offering the perk to a whopping eight traveling companions. That alone could easily offset the annual fee. And you can earn extra miles for spending in bonus rewards categories that are useful to entrepreneurs.
While the card lacks certain benefits available on the higher-tier small-business Delta credit cards, such as annual companion certificates and access to Delta Sky Club lounges, it's a top choice for those seeking a small-business card with Delta perks and a relatively low annual fee.
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card: Basics and benefits
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card, see this page.
Card type: Small business and airline.
Annual fee: $0 intro for the first year, then $150.
Welcome bonus: Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles after spending $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
Rewards:
- 2 miles per dollar spent directly with Delta.
- 2 miles per dollar on U.S. shipping purchases and on U.S. advertising in select media on up to $50,000 in eligible purchases per category, per year.
- 2 miles per dollar on dining at restaurants.
- 1 mile on every eligible dollar spent on other purchases.
- Terms apply.
NerdWallet values Delta miles at 1.2 cents each. This is a baseline value, drawn from real-world data on hundreds of economy routes, not a maximized value. In other words, you should aim for award redemptions that offer 1.2 cents or more in value from your Delta miles.
Foreign transaction fee: None.
APR: The ongoing APR is 19.49%-28.49% Variable APR.
Other benefits:
- First checked bag free on Delta flights for you and up to eight others on your reservation.
- Priority boarding for you and up to eight others on your reservation.
- $200 Delta flight credit for future travel after spending $10,000 in a calendar year on the card.
- In-flight discount. Get 20% savings in the form of a statement credit on such purchases as food, alcoholic beverages and audio headsets onboard. Note that in-flight wireless Internet access doesn't count.
- Terms apply.
Highlights of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card
Free checked bags
The checked-bag benefit is especially generous with this card. You’ll get a first checked bag free on Delta flights for you and up to eight others on your reservation. Terms apply. You might rarely have that many traveling companions, but fully used, that’s a savings of up to $630 on a round-trip flight ($35 per person each way).
Even with just one traveling partner, you would break even on the annual fee after a single round trip, assuming you would have otherwise paid to check bags.
Flight credit
You'll earn a $200 Delta flight credit for future travel after spending $10,000 in a calendar year on the card. Terms apply. That's a relatively easy spending requirement to meet for many businesses. The credit can also make up for the annual fee.
Useful reward bonus categories
You can get value from this card without using it for everyday spending. But if your goal is to earn award flights or upgrades to a premium cabin, earning frequent-flyer miles from credit card purchases is key.
You'll earn 2 miles per dollar spent on purchases directly with Delta. You'll also earn double miles on restaurant dining, as well as on U.S. shipping and select U.S. advertising (up to $50,000 in eligible purchases per category, per year).
The card earns 1 mile per dollar on every eligible dollar spent on other purchases. Terms apply.
Priority boarding
Priority boarding that comes with the card — in this case, Zone 5 Priority Boarding — will get you on the plane earlier. Terms apply. That means you’re more likely to find overhead bin space for your roll-aboard. You'll also have time to get settled in your seat before the cabin fills.
Welcome bonus
New-cardholder bonuses can change periodically, but the card typically gives you enough miles to cash in for a domestic award flight, assuming you can meet the required spending. The current bonus: Earn 60,000 Bonus Miles after spending $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
Note that if you've had this American Express credit card in the past, you may be ineligible for the bonus.
How it compares with other Delta business credit cards
In the family of small-business Delta credit cards, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card has the lowest annual fee and the least extravagant benefits. If you're looking for richer perks and don't mind paying more, take a look at its higher-end sibling cards:
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, which has an annual fee of $350.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, which has an annual fee of $650.
Here's how these cards stack up.
| Annual fee | $0 intro for the first year, then $150 (see rates and fees) | $350 (see rates and fees) | $650 (see rates and fees) |
| Rewards on Delta purchases | 2x | 3x | 3x |
| Rewards besides bonus miles on Delta purchases and 1x on everything else | 2x on restaurant dining, U.S. shipping purchases and U.S. advertising in select media (up to $50,000 per category, per year). Terms apply. | 3x on hotels, 1.5x on single eligible purchases of $5,000 or more. Terms apply. | 1.5x on all purchases after spending $150,000. Terms apply. |
| Companion certificate | No | Yes (main cabin) | Yes (main cabin, Delta Comfort+ or first class) |
| Sky Club airport lounge access | No | No | Yes, plus Centurion Lounge |
| Global Entry or TSA Precheck credit | No | Yes | Yes |
| Free first checked bag on Delta flights? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Early boarding? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Elite status boost? | No | Yes | Yes |
Terms apply.
» MORE: Want a personal card instead? Read NerdWallet's comparison of consumer Delta credit cards.
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card: Drawbacks and alternatives
Annual fee
The annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, then $150, is high for a basic business airline card. Terms apply. But be sure you can extract more value from the card than you’re paying to hold it.
Rewards Tied to Delta
Typically, good redemption options for Delta SkyMiles are award flights and seat upgrades on Delta and its SkyTeam partners. That’s limiting compared with general travel business credit cards, which allow you to apply rewards to a wide range of travel-related expenses.
If you mix your flying with airlines other than Delta, a general travel card might be a better fit. The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is a great option: Earn 5x total points on Lyft rides through 9/30/27. Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year, Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases - with no limit to the amount you can earn. Points are worth more when redeemed for travel through Chase, and can be transferred to several airline and hotel partners at a 1:1 ratio. The sign-up bonus is potentially huge if you can spend enough to earn it.
Is the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card right for you?
If you fly with Delta often and want a card that gets your small business or side hustle basic airline perks — but not too many extras — the answer is yes. The Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card offers useful rewards and perks for Delta business flyers that can quickly make up for the annual fee.
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, see this page.