If business travel has you flying primarily on Delta, the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express offers a slew of benefits that make traveling with the airline more comfortable and rewarding.
Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express: Benefits and basics
The Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express offers 2 SkyMiles per dollar spent on purchases made directly through Delta and 1 SkyMile per dollar on everything else. The ongoing APR is 15.49% - 19.49% Variable, and the annual fee is $0 for the first year, then $95.
Beyond rewards earnings, this card provides an assortment of perks and discounts for Delta flyers that you can’t get with general travel cards.
Discounts on in-flight purchases
With this card, swiping in the air means saving: When you use your Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express to pay for meals, alcoholic beverages or entertainment on a Delta flight, you get 20% back in the form of a statement credit.
First checked bag free, priority boarding
Book travel with your Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express, and the first checked bag is free — for you and up to eight other passengers traveling on your reservation. For those who travel frequently, that $50 savings per person, per trip can amount to some serious cash and wipe out the annual fee.
Cardholders are also entitled to Zone 1 priority boarding before main cabin and economy passengers.
Sign-up bonus
Like most travel cards, the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express comes with a sign-up bonus: Earn 30,000 bonus miles after you make $1,000 in purchases on your new Card within your first 3 months. The kicker is that new cardholders can net an additional $50 in statement credit if they make a Delta purchase within the first three months.
NerdWallet values SkyMiles at an average of 1.8 cents apiece, so new cardholders who meet the spending requirements will have a nice bed of points to travel with from the start.
Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express: Pitfalls and other possibilities
If you’re not a regular Delta flyer, you’ll want to look at other travel cards. Here are a few areas where the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express falls short.
Limited high-value redemption options
Naturally, Delta SkyMiles give you the most value when you redeem them directly for Delta flights. If you fly with several airlines, a general travel card might be a better option.
One of the best general travel credit cards, and one of the most popular cards overall, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® earns 2 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points per dollar spent on restaurants and travel, 1 point per dollar on everything else.
This card comes with an impressive sign-up bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $625 in travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
Ultimate Rewards Points are worth a minimum of 1 cent apiece and can be redeemed for things like Amazon.com purchases, gift cards or even straight cash back. They can also be transferred on a 1:1 basis to several airline and hotel rewards programs. Points jump to 1.25 cents apiece when redeemed for travel through Chase’s Ultimate Rewards platform, making this an ideal card for folks who travel often, but not always with the same airline.
With an Introductory Annual Fee of $0 the first year, then $95, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® is a fairly-priced, top-tier reward card for those who want to earn points while they travel and want flexibility.
Annual fee
The Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express’ annual fee is $0 for the first year, then $95. And though there is an introductory offer, the card’s usual annual fee is worth it only if you regularly travel with Delta.
If you’re not quite ready to commit to an annual fee, the BankAmericard Travel Rewards® credit card offers the perks of a travel card at a cost of $0.00. It earns a flat 1.5 points per dollar on all purchases, with points redeemable for travel purchases in the form of a statement credit.
The BankAmericard Travel Rewards® credit card also comes with a sign-up bonus: 20,000 online bonus points if you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days - that can be a $200 statement credit toward travel purchases.
This card won’t come with any of the airline-specific perks of the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express. But for those willing to forgo some amenities to save an annual fee, the BankAmericard Travel Rewards® credit card is a fine choice.
The Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express: Is it right for you?
Since the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express earns the most SkyMiles per dollar on Delta purchases, deciding if this card is right for you depends almost entirely on your travel habits.
If you’re frequent Delta flyer, you’ll likely get some free travel throughout the year and save money on things like baggage check and in-flight spending.
If you rarely or never fly Delta, the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express is almost certain to provide little value. Signing up for a general travel card or a card co-branded with your airline is a better choice.
Kevin Cash is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: kcash@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @kevin_cash.
from NerdWallet
https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/credit-cards/gold-delta-skymiles-business-credit-card-from-american-express-review/
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