Business Travel Credit Card Comparison

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Whether it be for work or leisure, traveling is a common occurrence. Hotels, flights, and rental cars are all necessary expenses when abroad. The costs can add up, but earning rewards on those expenses makes your time away more enjoyable. With a travel credit card, you’re able to earn rewards that can be put toward future cross-country business meetings or personal escapades. 

It’s hard to know which credit card is best, so we’re going to compare 2 popular business travel cards to ensure you make the right decision when choosing one for your business. We are going to compare The American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card and The Bank of America Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard Credit Card.  

APR

American Express: The Gold Delta SkyMiles Card has a variable APR of 15.74%–24.74% based on creditworthiness.

Bank of America: The Business Advantage Travel Rewards Card has a variable APR of 13.74%–23.74%. There’s a 0% introductory APR on purchases for the first 9 billing cycles. 

APR Winner: Bank of America Business Advantage Travel Card. The lower minimum and maximum APR with the addition of a 0% introductory period gives the Bank of America card the edge in this category.

Annual Fee

American Express: The Gold Delta SkyMiles card offers $0 for the first year and then $99 annually while in possession of the card.

Bank of America: The Business Advantage Travel Rewards card has no annual fee ever.

Annual Fee Winner: Bank of America Business Advantage Travel Card. While The Gold Delta SkyMiles card has a gracious $0 for the first year, it’s impossible to beat the complete absence of an annual fee.

Signup Bonus

American Express: The Gold Delta SkyMiles card grants you 40,000 bonus miles after you make $2,000 in purchases on your new card in your first 3 months. If redeemed for international travel, you’re receiving around $800-worth of bonus miles. On domestic travel, it’s worth around $400.

Bank of America: When you make at least $3,000 in net purchases with the Business Advantage Travel Card within 90 days of opening your account, you earn 30,000 bonus points. According to the estimate of 1 point being equal to 1 cent when spent on travel, that’s the equivalent of a $3000 statement credit toward travel purchases.

Signup Bonus Winner: American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles Card. While the signup bonus Bank of America gives you is nice, the gracious bonus American Express delivers is better in terms of overall bonus value. 

Earning

American Express: The Gold Delta SkyMiles card earns 1 mile on every dollar spent on purchases, including everyday expenses like gas and groceries or monthly purchases like your phone bill. In addition, you earn 2 miles for every dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta.

Bank of America: The Business Advantage Travel Card earns 1.5 points for every $1 on all purchases everywhere, every time, with no spending cap. While 1.5 points per dollar doesn’t seem like a ton, your earning potential is high when you take into account you’re earning points every time you make a transaction. In addition to earning 1.5 points on every dollar spent, you earn 3 points per dollar on travel purchases (e.g., car, hotel, airline) booked through the Bank of America Travel Center, powered by Expedia.

Earning Winner: Bank of America Business Advantage Travel Card. Earning 1.5 points on every dollar edges out Delta’s 1-mile-per-dollar earning rate. Additionally, 3x points on travel purchases versus 2x miles by American Express is enough to crown The Business Advantage Travel Card in the earning category.

Perks

American Express: This card comes with 2 main travel perks. The first is priority boarding. Priority boarding allows you to skip the long boarding line and settle into your seat early with Main Cabin 1 boarding. Priority boarding status applies not just to you but for up to 8 guests in your party. The second perk is a free first checked bag for you and up to 8 other guests in your party. Other perks include:

• In-flight discounts: Receive a discount of up to 20% statement credit for in-flight purchases of food, beverages, and audio headsets.
• Baggage insurance: For any lost, damaged, or stolen baggage, you can receive up to $1,250 for a carry-on and $500 for a checked bag when you use the card to pay for travel.
• Delta SkyClub fee reduction: For $29 each, you and up to 2 guests can get a day-pass to Delta SkyClubs and partner lounges around the world.
• Travel accident insurance: Get up to $100,000 in accidental death and dismemberment coverage while traveling when airfare is charged to the card.

Bank of America: The Business Advantage Travel Rewards Card offers very few perks. You’re given access to QuickBooks and can add employee cards—perks that aren’t unique to just this card.

Perks Winner: American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles Card. American Express takes care of their cardholders. The perks they offer make flying with Delta comfortable and pleasant. In contrast to the minimal perks the Business Advantage Travel Rewards Card possesses, the Gold Delta SkyMiles Card wins handily.

Travel Card Champion

If you’re a loyal Delta flyer, the travel perks and earning potential of the American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card might be a better choice for you, but for the majority of people, we recommend The Bank of America Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard Credit Card. It doesn’t have the perks that the Gold Delta SkyMiles card has, but it offers consistent earnings and a great APR for no annual fee. The Business Advantage Travel Rewards Card by Bank of America makes an excellent travel companion.

Lendio sometimes receives compensation for credit card offers. This compensation may impact how products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear.) Lendio does not include all card companies or all card offers available in the marketplace. This editorial is from the viewpoint of Lendio and not endorsed by any 3rd party. The information is accurate at the time of publication.