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January 16
Choice is good. It is amazing to me how many choices we have with the Delta branded AMEX cards.
▲Delta▲ SkyMiles® Credit Card
American Express – RESERVE/PLATINUM/GOLD
Click here for more information
The GOLD personal card is good for the 30k points, low spend needed, Zone 1 boarding, 9 free bags and for the 20% discount on food / drinks on-board.
Some look at the non-waived $150 fee and 20,000 (25,000 if you add 2 free users) Skymiles bonus for the Platinum card as a reason NOT to go for this card over the Gold. But in addition to the 5,000 MQM’s, one of the great benefits of the Platinum card is the free coach companion ticket while the Gold does not.
To get to it you must go to DELTA.com and then go to: skymiles / manage my account
Then click on Manage Profile then at last Certificates & eCredits! Then you will see the list of all the certificates of any kind you have including the one from your AMEX card.
You then simply click the box to select it and pick where you want to go.
Now some good info about these. As you can see below, if I want to use mine to go on a ski trip, I as primary will earn MQM and RDM’s ( medallion qualifying miles and redeemable (ie Skymiles) miles ) but my bride will not! We will NOT be able to get upgrades but other medallion benefits are extended to us.
Now another kool thing is if you do not plan to use it, you can buy a ticket for two of your friends to use as you can see below ( note your friends DO NOT get your medallion benefits or free bags ):
Per the T&C, you MUST pay for the ticket with your AMEX card but friend #1 will earn miles and friend #2 will not. Also, if YOU are part of the SKYBONUS program I talked about here, as you can see from the photo above, YOU will earn Skybouns points for their trip!
So do not let these things go to the trash if you don’t use them. Either “give” your friends them or provide a great gift to someone you love! And if you are thinking about a Delta AMEX card, be sure you keep the value of free companion ticket in mind before you pick the card that is right for you! – Rene
[PS - the Reserve AMEX card gives the same coupon that can be used for coach or business class]
▲Delta▲ SkyMiles® Credit Card
American Express – RESERVE/PLATINUM/GOLD
Click here for more information
The companion cert has been the primary reason I kept this card even after shifting my spend to other point-earning cards to meet a minimum spend or build up MR balances. I do miss the 10K MQM bonus I used to get, but I don’t fly enough these days for that to make a difference. But the $150 annual fee is very worth this free ticket and other benefits when I do fly.
@ Aleks – thanks for the data point! This is one thing I love about AMEX/DELTA is for some the GOLD it best, some the PLAT and for me the RESERVE card – Rene
they waived the annual fee for us this year, I think because we spent over 25k on it last year, (thanks to the US mint)…..so before you cancel it never hurts to ask.
@ Wise2u – again many thanks for the comment. You are so right! – Rene
Hey Rene, how often can the companion ticket be used? Is this something that can be used for each Delta trip booked using this card, or is it limited to once per year?
@Jared – once per year per card. So, if you do a BIZ and a PERSONAL card churn you would get two. – Rene
I moved from DL Reserve to AMEX Platinum last fall. I didn’t expect a companion certificate for 2012 but at year’s end, the cert showed up in my profile – despite the fact that I cannot pay with a DL AMEX card. I wonder if anyone else has been in my situation and had success paying with another AMEX to keep the 2 for 1 benefit.
@ Huff. I doubt you can. But, why not go for a GOLD DL AMEX. I bet it will let you pay with that. Worst case you end up with 30k skymiles (or go for PLAT DELTA)?!? – Rene
If I upgrade my Gold DL Amex to Platinum and pay the fee, will I get the companion certificate right away, or do I have to wait until I pay the NEXT year’s fee? Thank you!
@Kate – I think you will have to wait. Or, go for the business card PLAT right now, ( start at the personal link and pick the biz link in center of the screen ) and then when you have the card you just cancel the GOLD! – Rene
I have never used the numerous Companion Ticket from Delta Gold card, simply let them lapse. My Current Delta Gold Companion ticket is good until June. US Airways gave me one with their card but tickets had to be purchased by 11/30 and travel by 5/31/12 so thats dead. I still have one from Alaska Airlines and I will get a 1st Class Companion ticket when I renew my Delta Platinum card in October. I thought the rules required that the Credit Card holder had to travel with the companion who paid full price for his fare; which I considered a marketing ply to sell high price tickets. I remain skeptical that I can just call up a friend and ay “Hey do you and your partner want to use this Companion ticket?”. They all will probably still go unused.
@ David. It does not have to be full price fare – just what ever fare you can find. As you can see in the photo in the post I priced “T” class one way and “L” class the other way! Maybe you should get your certs back out and enjoy the bargain!
http://boardingarea.com/blogs/deltapoints/files/2012/01/slc-flight-with-coupon.png
Thank you for this overview, I just found your site today and I find it very interesting! I have a bunch of skymiles and I am trying to figure out what to do with them!
In your opinion, how does this companion fare compare to the companion fare from the Alaska Air credit card issued by BOFA? These cards seem like a great method to get discounted tickets to Hawaii imo.
I do not as of yet have the Alaska cards ( did not fit my churn last round ). So I can not help there. I hope to have more info later for you. Txs for reading the blog! Rene
[...] have a bit of a long trip report on the way tomorrow from my ski trip to Denver on Delta using my AMEX free companion cert but first a bit that makes all the “hoops” Delta is going to make us jump through in [...]
[...] SBN and thus Delta had to compete with them on fares. I was able to find a great redemption from my buy-one-get-one-free companion certificate that is a benefit of the Delta Reserve AMEX card so Lisa & I both flew out to Denver for under [...]
Nobody in my family currently has this card. Does the companion ticket work for international flights?
If you use the ticket, can either be upgraded using miles?
Thanks,
Ale
@Alex – domestic only (no hawaii unless you live there) and no upgrades at all (unless you are GM+ then you can pick EC seats).
I signed up for the Gold American Express,in January, because, a Delta stewardess told me what a great deal it would be if I was to sign up before my next flight, which is in March. I could use the companion pass to pay for my husbands ticket. Come to find out, I don’t receive that pass for a full year.
The word for the day,”ANGER,” is how I feel after talking to Delta and American Express about false information. Thank you both for the Ooops, I’m so sorry speech, but it wasn’t comforting at all. I still feel like I’ve been scammed and it doesn’t feel good.
@Connie – ok. So you paid no fee, and will get the cert when the annual free come (they should have told or did tell you and you missed it or it could be an uninformed FA – happens) that is, (only once since the $99 cert is now history), I don’t see the anger. Plus, you did get the bonus Skymiles and still have not paid any annual fee right? As long as you cancel the card before the fee comes you have got free bags, free skymiles, zone 1 boarding – sorry no scam that I see from Delta or from AMEX. But, if you read the blog more, you will learn much more and can enjoy flying Delta much more!
I’m a rookie to Delta and the blog, recently took a new job that will require extensive travel. Signed up for AMEX reserve but I don’t see a companion ticket in my certificate section online. Do I not receive this until the 1-year anniversary?
@Justin – correct you DO NOT get a cert until year 2 start ie your 1 year anniversary.
[...] have put my skis away for the year as my January buy one get one free AMEX cert trip was fun, but my last trip to Utah was some of the best skiing I have ever had in my life. It [...]
I recently was emailed the information concerning my free companion ticket, but seem to have deleted the message from my in-box. Where can I call or email to have this information resent to me?
@Michael — As Rene pointed out in the article, you’ll find the companion ticket in you My Delta profile when you’re on the Delta.com website. [quote] click on Manage Profile then at last Certificates & eCredits! Then you will see the list of all the certificates of any kind you have including the one from your AMEX card. [/quote]
I have been trying to use the companion ticket, tried different locations dates etc, it appears the only date it works is if we fly out on a Tuesday, has anyone else had this issue?
@Marty – you may need to start at another airport. Where are you starting from?
I have actually tried both of our airports— MLI and CID, when I first got CC including the companion ticket I was able to get good flight times out of either of these airports on any day. Now not only is the day restricted so are the flights. I have checked seating and most of the flights every seat is open, any guidance you can give would be great.
I’ve had my RESERVE AMEX for 5 years now and have only now noticed that my flight options are limited – I recently discovered ITA. Would contacting an agent at Delta open up other flight options? Would Delta impose a fee for booking a flight through an agent? There are a hand full of flights available but not the times I’m looking for. Thanks for your help.
I have a $400 eCredit from a bump I took earlier this year; I can’t use this to pay for any of the ticket price can I?
@wes – almost yes.
?Almost?
@wes – at ticketing yes. After no.
I meant if I am using the Reserve Companion Certificate; sorry I wasn’t more specific. I don’t think I can combine them.
@wes – no sorry.
I was charged the annual membership fee (this would start my second year) on 4/28. Any idea why the companion cert still doesn’t show on My Delta?
@ken – if gold delta that card no longer has one. Plat or reserve card do.
Yup, it’s a personal Plat.
Thank you… I have had a couple really bad years physically and didn’t realize I could give them away. I wasted a ticket last year and this year, because of an auto accident I haven’t been able to fly or even drive very far. Do you know can a person get a postponement because of physical health… I really want to take my mom somewhere, but feel it may be a few months still.
Rene,
My friend has a Delta Gold card, and he will be getting in on the last year of having the $99 certificate. He does not have any status.
I, however, do have status (I’m Gold Medallion). How can my friend book the $99 companion ticket through his Skymiles account (with no status) so that I am instead designated the primary traveler and he is designated the secondary traveler. I don’t want to pass on the 100% mileage bonus, and he is okay with this.
Can you walk me through, step-by-step?
@Jason – it is in the post!
.
http://boardingarea.com/blogs/deltapoints/files/2012/01/pay-amex-cert-anyone.png
.
Just have him put YOU in the #1 spot and HIM in the #2 spot and you will earn MQM & RDM!