When your business requires that you travel a lot, it can lead to a lot of expenses. It costs money to fly around the country and you will also be spending an ample amount of cash on hotels. In order to make the most of this situation, it makes sense to look into a business credit card that will help you out. If you can find a travel business credit card with the right perks, then it can really improve your overall traveling experience.
A truly good travel credit card for businesses will offer you many different things. It will make it possible to earn rewards that will help you to alleviate some of your travel costs. The benefits of being a cardholder should work to make traveling much nicer too, making it worthwhile to be a member. The problem is that there are many different travel-related business credit cards on the market already.
If you fly with Delta Airlines regularly, then you may wish to consider the Gold Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card from American Express. This credit card has proven to be a popular option for quite some time and seems to work out very well for loyal Delta customers. Even so, you do not want to simply jump into signing up for a new credit card. As a business-minded individual, you know how important it is to get all of the information before making a big decision.
Today we are going to be reviewing the Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card from American Express. After we take a look at the ins and outs of this credit card, you should have a much better idea of how practical it will be for your business. You can make an informed decision on whether or not to sign up and all will be well. Read on to get the important information and you just might find out that this card is a good fit for your company.
Prices and Fees
This card does have an annual fee but you do not need to pay it for the first year. After the first year is up, you can expect to pay $95 per year to have access to this credit card. Overall, this is not an overly high annual fee or anything. Most businesses will not bat an eye at an annual fee this low so it should not wind up being a problem at all.
The card also has the benefit of not charging you any foreign transaction fees. If your business has dealings outside of the country, then this should certainly come as welcome news. Being able to travel abroad without having to worry about getting slammed with foreign transaction fees is nice. You can use your card while traveling outside of the United States and you will not have to worry.
You can expect to have to deal with a few other types of fees while using this credit card, though. Most of them are not too bad and you should find them well within normal ranges. For instance, this card has a cash advance fee of 3% or $5 and you will be charged whichever amount is greater. This is a very standard amount for a cash advance fee but most businesses will not be using the card for cash advances anyway.
The maximum late fee is set at $38 for this credit card. This is another fee that is fairly standard but you should be aware of it. The APR of this credit card is a bit high overall so it is not going to be incredibly practical for most businesses to justify carrying a balance. This is a card that most businesses are going to want to pay off each month in order to just use it as a pure rewards and perks card.
Features and Benefits
One benefit of being a cardholder is that you will get access to a nice little welcome bonus. The standard welcome bonus for this card involves spending a certain amount of money within the first three months of being a cardholder. If you manage to meet the spending threshold, then you will be able to enjoy some bonus Delta SkyMiles. This can be pretty useful and the earned miles will help you to offset some of your travel expenses very early on.
The card comes with various perks that are going to benefit regular Delta Airlines customers quite a bit. One of the most popular perks involves being able to save money on in-flight purchases. When you use your card to pay for in-flight purchases, you will be able to receive 20% of your money back in the form of statement credit. This counts for paying for drinks, meals, or entertainment on a Delta flight.
A huge benefit that regular travelers will take advantage of all of the time is that your first checked bag will be free on Delta flights. This can wind up saving you quite a bit of money on your travel expenses. If you travel a whole lot, then you will be saving a ton of money on a yearly basis. It makes the $95 annual fee of this credit card seem insignificant in comparison. Many people are going to be saving around $50 per trip just due to this handy perk.
Cardholders also benefit by being able to receive priority boarding on all Delta flights. This entitles cardholders to board in Zone 1 so that they can get on the plane early. You will be able to get to your seat and find a good spot for your bags before other passengers enter. It is a very beneficial perk that makes your overall traveling experience much nicer.
Rewards Program Info
The rewards program for this card is not the greatest one out there but it can be helpful for regular Delta Airlines customers. You can earn 2X miles for every $1 that you spend on purchases made directly with Delta Airlines. This means that you cannot earn the 2X miles if you book your flight through a third-party agency of any kind. This can be a bit inconvenient but you should be fine so long as you remember to do everything through Delta.
All of your other purchases can allow you to earn 1X miles for every $1 spent. Admittedly, this is not the highest rewards rate for normal purchases. Cardholders will be able to earn miles when using this card regularly but it is not lucrative enough to cause you to be flush with miles or anything. The value of Delta SkyMiles will actually be pretty good so at least you will get a fair value for your earned miles.
Redeeming your earned miles is best done by booking flights through Delta. You can use the miles that you have earned to pay for flights. This can help to alleviate some of your travel expenses for your business. If used properly, it may wind up being a pretty good deal for your business overall.
The lack of other practical redemption options does limit the appeal of this card somewhat. You are not going to have a plethora of different choices available to you. If you want to keep the value of your earned miles as high as possible, then you need to stick with using the miles to pay for Delta flights. Otherwise, you will just be redeeming miles for less than they would normally be worth.
Pros:
- Some useful perks
- Fairly low annual fee
- No foreign transaction fees
- Decent welcome bonus
The most apparent positive about this credit card is that it truly has some useful perks. Being able to enjoy having your first checked bag be free on Delta flights can save you a lot of money. It is also nice being able to enjoy priority boarding. These perks will be very helpful if you fly a lot on business and they can definitely make it so that the annual fee is nothing but an afterthought.
The annual fee is actually fairly low as well. It is waived for the first year and it will be $95 per year after that. This is a very reasonable annual fee that falls in line with many other similar travel credit cards. Your business will definitely be able to justify signing up for this card if you use Delta often.
Having no foreign transaction fees is a real benefit too. Being able to travel outside of the country without the need to concern yourself with paying high fees is good. You can use your credit card while abroad without it being a big issue. This makes things a lot more practical for businesses that have dealings outside of the United States.
This card has a decent welcome bonus that you can take advantage of pretty easily as well. Being able to earn some bonus Delta SkyMiles will be a real boon to you. These miles can help you to start saving on your travel expenses very soon after you have signed up for the card. Most businesses will earn this welcome bonus without even thinking about it so it is certainly a good thing.
Cons:
- Lack of luxury perks
- Mediocre rewards rate
- Limited reward redemption options
The lack of luxury perks does hurt this card a little bit. It is not really expected to get too many amazing luxury perks when a card only has a $95 annual fee, though. That being said, some extra perks could have gone a long way toward helping this card to stand out from the pack. It has useful benefits but they may not be enough to entice some businesses.
You should know that this card has a mediocre rewards rate at best. You are able to earn 2X rewards miles for every $1 spent directly with Delta. All other purchases only earn 1X miles per $1 spent. This is not all that great when compared to some of the more famous credit cards of this tier. There are options out there that will be better when it comes to earning rewards.
It is also a bit disappointing that the rewards redemption options are so limited. You are not given a lot of options to play with when it comes to using your miles. It is also more practical to simply use your miles to pay for Delta flights as all other options do not allow you to retain the highest value for your earned miles. If you like more flexibility with your redemption options, then you are better off turning to another credit card.
Credit Score Needed for Approval
In order to be approved for this credit card, you are going to need to have a good credit score. A score that is somewhere in the mid-600s will give you a shot of getting approved. If your credit score is in the very high 600s, then you will likely be able to gain access to this potentially lucrative credit card. For the best results, take the time to check your credit score before you apply for this card.
Who Does This Credit Card Appeal to?
As you might expect, this credit card is going to appeal to businesses that travel often enough to make it practical. You do not want to sign up for a credit card that you are not really going to use to its full potential. Businesses that have regular travel expenses will be able to benefit from having this card around. You will be able to earn regular Delta SkyMiles and can use your rewards to help mitigate some of your travel expenses.
This card is also going to have a specific appeal for those who are loyal to Delta Airlines. If your business traditionally uses Delta Airlines as a rule, then this card is going to make sense for you. If you prefer to hop around to various airlines while always looking for the best deal, then you may not like that this card restricts you to just using Delta. It is only really going to be a practical credit card for businesses that use Delta Airlines regularly.
Businesses that want access to special perks for being a cardholder may find this card appealing too. Admittedly, it does not have the best range of perks when compared to some other cards. When you consider the relatively low annual fee, it is understandable why there are no luxury perks with this credit card. The standard perks are helpful and go a long way toward improving your overall experience.
An Alternative to Consider
Something such as the Capital One Spark Miles for Business Credit Card may wind up working out better for some businesses. It is easy to see why this card may be more appealing than the Gold Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card. This Capital One offering allows you to earn two miles for every dollar spent on all of your purchases.
You will not be restricted to using only one airline if you decide to go with this card instead. It can make things more practical for certain types of travelers. If you would prefer to be able to shop around rather than committing to Delta Airlines, then you should think about this card. Both cards have their positives but the Capital One Spark Miles for Business does come out ahead in some ways.
Another smart option to think about is the Chase Ink Business Preferred Card. This is another travel credit card that does not limit you to one airline. It also has far greater earning potential than the Delta credit card. You can expect to earn 3X points on travel purchases and purchases in many other categories. It is also possible to redeem rewards in a smart way to increase the overall value of your points.
Using the Chase Ink Business Preferred Card gives you access to the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. When you redeem travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, your points are going to be worth 25% more. This makes it very easy to save money on travel expenses and you will be maximizing the value of your earned rewards. It has the potential to be one of the most lucrative travel credit cards and it only has a $95 annual fee.
Conclusion
The Gold Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card from American Express may be a good fit for your business. The utility of this credit card is going to depend on just how often you will make use of it. If your business travels a lot and you enjoy Delta Airlines, then this is a good card to keep in your wallet. If you do not like being restricted to one airline, then you might be better off with a more general business travel credit card.
This is an option that is going to be appealing for many businesses. It does not have a very high annual fee and being a cardholder grants you access to some helpful perks. Aside from this, the card is somewhat middling in other categories. Even so, it has both its positives and its negatives. If you can overlook the lack of luxury benefits, then you will have a good time using this credit card.
