Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business Credit Card from American Express

Note: American Express is a Frequent Miler advertiser. Please see our Advertiser Disclosure.

40K Miles
40K miles after $2K spend in the first 3 months. Terms apply.
Click Here to Apply

No Annual Fee First Year, Then $99

FM Mini Review: Priority boarding and first checked bag free make this a reasonably good option for Delta flyers who do not have elite status. However, those who can make use of an annual companion certificate would do better with the Delta Platinum card.

Card Type: Amex Credit Card

Base

1X
(1.3%)

Dine

2X
(2.6%)

Brand

2X
(2.6%)

Other

2X
(2.6%)

Earning rate: 2X Delta ⚬ 2X U.S. purchases for advertising in select media ⚬ 2X U.S. shipping purchases ⚬ 2X restaurants

Big spend bonus: $100 Delta flight credit after $10K in purchases in a calendar year

Noteworthy perks: Priority boarding, and first checked bag free. Terms and limitations apply.

Overview

The Gold DeltaSkyMiles Business Credit Card from American Express often has a compelling welcome bonus, but past the first year I don't recommend this card for most people.

After the first year those who fly Delta often will probably get more value from the Delta Platinum or Reserve card. If you do not fly Delta often, consider cards with points transferable to airlines, or those in which points can be used to pay for travel (e.g. Capital One Venture, etc.), or even cash back cards (Citi Double Cash, Discover It Miles, etc.).

Application Tips

Amex Application Tips

Safe to Apply: Amex is the safest bank for trying your luck at a new welcome bonus. They don’t usually issue a hard pull when denying your application. Plus, they’ll now warn you during the application process if you’re not eligible for the bonus.

Lifetime Rule: If you've ever had the same card before, you are most likely prohibited from getting a welcome bonus for the card if you apply now. Fortunately you'll be warned during the application process if this is the case. Amex is known to "forget" that you've had a card after about 7 years.

5/90 Rule: In general, you can get at most one credit card within 5 days and 2 within 90 days. The 5 day limit is not enforced when your applications are automatically approved. Neither rule is enforced for charge cards.

5 credit card max:Amex usually won't approve applications for new credit cards if you already have 4 or more Amex credit cards or 10 or more charge cards.

Better Offers: You may be able to get a better offer than the best available public offer. Details here.

Hard inquiries combine into 1 when approved same day

Check application status here.
If denied, call reconsideration: 877-399-3083 (new accountholders); 866-314-0237 (current accountholders)

How to Meet Spend Requirements

In order to meet minimum spend requirements, people often look for options to increase spend in ways that result in getting their money back. These techniques are referred to as "manufacturing spend". American Express has terms in their welcome offers that exclude some manufactured spend techniques from counting towards the minimum spend requirements for the welcome bonus. For example, most new cardmember bonuses have terms like this:

Eligible purchases to meet the Threshold Amount do NOT include fees or interest charges, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, purchases of gift cards, person-to-person payments, or purchases of other cash equivalents.

That said, many techniques for meeting minimum spend are perfectly fine. Here are some techniques that are safe for meeting Amex minimum spend requirements (click each link for more information):

Related Cards (Delta SkyMiles)

Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business Credit Card from American Express

➥More

ⓘ $486
1st Yr Value Estimate

40K Miles
40K miles after $2K spend in the first 3 months. Terms apply.

No Annual Fee First Year, Then $99

Delta SkyMiles® Gold Credit Card from American Express