American Express Delta SkyMiles Gold Business Card
American Express, American Express, $150 annual fee. Earns Delta SkyMiles, valued at 1.20¢ a point.
Rates checked against the issuer 2026-10. Foreign transaction fee: none.
The short version
- Best at: nothing in particular — no category puts it in the top three of the catalogue.
- A year's rewards: about $361, or $211 after the fee.
Is the annual fee worth it?
It earns about $361 a year on the illustrative household's spending, which is $211 once the fee is paid. The best card with no fee, American Express Blue Business Plus, nets $1,058 on the same spending — so this card is $848 a year behind. On earning alone it does not catch up at any level of spending this looks at — its credits and perks have to make up the difference, or the fee is not paying for itself.
Priced on an illustrative household spending $2,205 a month on a card — the assumption, in full. Credits and perks are not priced: they are worth their face value only if you would have spent that money anyway.
What it earns, category by category
| Earns on | Rate | ConditionsWhat the issuer attaches to this rate: a spending cap, a category you have to switch on, or a booking you have to make through its travel portal. |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | 2x | Delta only. Delta purchases only |
| Restaurants & Bars | 2x | |
| Everything else | 1x |
Where a year's rewards come from
| Spending on | Earns a yearWhat this card earns on each kind of spending over a year, for the illustrative household on the method page. Before the annual fee. |
|---|---|
| Restaurants & Bars | $86 |
| Groceries | $72 |
| Everything Else | $72 |
| Gas Stations | $22 |
| Online Shopping | $22 |
| Utilities | $22 |
Priced on an illustrative household spending $2,205 a month on a card — the assumption, in full. Credits and perks are not priced: they are worth their face value only if you would have spent that money anyway.
What the issuer lists besides rewards
- 2x at U.S. shipping providers and on U.S. advertising in select media, each on up to $50,000 a year
Similar cards
- American Express Delta SkyMiles Gold — annual fee $150 a year
- Chase United Business Card — annual fee $150 a year
- Chase United Explorer — annual fee $150 a year
- Chase Rapid Rewards Premier — annual fee $149 a year
- Every airline card, ranked
- When an annual fee pays for itself
- The best two- and three-card combinations
Point values: published industry valuations, read 2026-09. How every number here is worked out.