Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card

Rewards by category

Our take

The Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card is built for a business that flies Delta and spends real money on U.S. shipping and advertising. It earns 2x miles at restaurants, on U.S. shipping and advertising, and on purchases made directly with Delta, with 1x everywhere else. In our rankings it sits second for both shipping and advertising, which makes it a credible pick for that spend.

The tradeoff is the currency and the fine print. We value a SkyMiles mile at 1.1 cents, so 2x works out to roughly a 2.2% return, decent but not dominant. The shipping and advertising categories carry spending caps, with a lower rate once you pass them, and there is no signup bonus. The $150 annual fee is $0 the first year, which buys you time to test the fit.

In a small wallet, treat this card as the specialist, not the workhorse. The 1x base rate earns about 1.1 cents per dollar, so everyday purchases belong on a flat-rate card instead. Route direct Delta purchases, restaurant bills, and shipping and advertising spend here until the caps, and note there are no foreign transaction fees when you spend abroad.

The math

Run $400 a month of dining through this card and you're earning about $106 a year at our conservative valuations. Against the $150 annual fee, that top rate needs roughly $6,250 a month of dining spend before it beats a no-fee flat 2% card.

Where it lands in our rankings: #2 for advertising · #3 for shipping

Store bonuses

• Delta Air Lines2x

Common questions

Does Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card have an annual fee?

Yes — $150 per year.

What does Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card earn on dining?

2x on dining.

What rewards does Delta SkyMiles Gold Business American Express Card earn on everything else?

1x on all other purchases, in Delta SkyMiles.

What is the catch with the 2x shipping and advertising categories?

Both categories carry a spending cap, and the earning rate drops once you pass it. Dining and purchases made directly with Delta show no such caveat in our data. If shipping or advertising is your biggest line item, estimate whether your spend stays under the cap before leaning on this card for that category.

Does the Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Amex charge foreign transaction fees?

No. The card has no foreign transaction fees, so purchases made abroad cost the same as they would at home. That matters for a business card tied to an airline program, since travel spending often crosses borders. Just remember that general purchases earn the 1x base rate, at home or abroad.

Related reading

• How we value points and miles (and why our numbers are lower than everyone else's)SwipeCaddy ranks cards by reward rate × a conservative cash value per point: 1¢ for cash back and transferable points (Chase, Amex, Citi, Capital One, Bilt), 1.1–1.3¢ for airline miles, 0.4–1.4¢ for hotel points, and 0.8–0.9¢ for store currencies. Optimistic transfer values are recorded for context but never ranked, because most people never achieve them.