Compare the Features and Benefits of Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card and
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

While at first it may be tempting to want a Delta American Express card with no annual fee, there’s little reason to get this card over all of the other six Delta SkyMiles credit cards from American Express considering that it is the most basic Delta credit card.

While there is no annual fee, of the 7 cards linked above, this is the only one that does not have:

• Priority Boarding
• Free Checked Bag
• A waiver on the MQD requirement to earn Delta Medallion Elite status when you spend $25,000 in a calendar year.
• The TakeOff15 benefit, which offers a 15% discount on SkyMiles award travel on Delta marketed and operated flights

Those are some HUGE benefits to give up. You’ll get TakeOff15, priority boarding and a free checked bag with the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card. The Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card allows you to earn MQDs for spend (and comes with an annual companion certificate that allows you to fly a friend or family member for the cost of government-imposed taxes (roughly under $80) for round trip domestic flights.

And while 2X miles on restaurants worldwide sounds good on the Delta Blue SkyMiles card, consider that there are two Amex cards that earn Membership Rewards that earn more on dining: The American Express® Gold Card (4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X) and the American Express® Green Card (3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent). And American Express Membership Rewards points can transfer to Delta – but they can also transfer to a huge range of other airlines and hotels. Isn’t flexibility better? Why be tied to one mileage program, Delta, when you mind find a better mileage deal elsewhere? Remember, you can fly Delta exclusively and collect lots of SkyMiles that way, but it doesn’t mean that should be all you earn on your credit cards….

In my opinion, the best reason for having a Delta Blue is when you have one of the annual fee Delta cards is your oldest credit card and want to downgrade to a no annual fee card to keep your credit score intact.

But other than that, 99% of people would come out ahead paying the annual fee on one of the other six Delta SkyMiles credit cards from American Express and taking advantage of the benefits that come with them.

Rates and Fees for the Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express

The American Express Blue Business Cash business credit card is a great card for those who are both not interested in points (prefer cash back) and do not want to keep track of bonus categories.

With a simple 2% cash back on all eligible purchases until you reach $50,000 in spend in a calendar year, it’s a perfectly suitable cash back card for those that spend under $50,000 in a calendar year for their business. Though the rate will drop to 1% on eligible purchases after you spend $50,000 in a calendar year, there is no limit to the amount of cash back that you can earn.

If you prefer American Express Membership Rewards points instead of cash, there is a nearly identical version of this credit card, called the American Express Blue Business Plus™ Card, which earns Membership Rewards points instead of cash at the same rate.

Keep in mind that this no-annual fee card does charge a 2.7% foreign transaction fee, so please make sure you have a separate credit card with no foreign transaction fees for your trips abroad.

If you spend more than $50,000 a year, however, and want straight cash back and expanded buying power, you should consider these two alternative business credit cards:

• The Chase Ink Business Premier, which is a charge card with no preset limit and earns 2% cash back on everything and even earns 2.5% cash back on purchases over $5,000.
• The Capital One Spark Cash Plus, which is a charge card with no preset limit that earns 2% on all purchases.

If you would like to have separate Blue Business Cash cards for your employees, you can do so with no fee.

Rates and Fees for the The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card