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I am in the middle of a super fun / BBQ run. I am flying down to enjoy some amazing Texas BBQ with TexasYankee and my pal Graydon but my positioning flight down was oversold by a bunch. You may or may not know that MSP or Minneapolis has been testing giving out gift cards vs just “Delta Dollars” or a voucher with a TON of restrictions including that they can only be used 1 at a time and by the person who took the bump.
Enter the chance to get something worth WAY more than a Delta voucher, that is, something next to cash or an AMEX gift card. The Delta rep took my e-mail and almost instantly I got the notification you see above.
I was asked to input the code from the e-mail I had just received and then the next screen had many options.
Now as you can see, after my bump, I was offered a large number of choices to select from but clearly there really is only one sensible choice, that is, the AMEX gift card.
Next all I had to do was fill in all my info including my address to confirm the gift card I had selected.
The next screen confirmed my selection and that I had correctly completed my choice of reward for my bump.
Again almost instantly I received a confirmation of my selection and that my $800 AMEX gift card was on the way shortly.
This truly is almost too good to be true. Now sure, Delta bump credit vouchers can be used to buy Delta tickets and do earn ALL points including MQDs, MQMs and SkyMiles just like cash and also give you all elite perks just like cash but these gift cards are even better! I mean I can spend an AMEX gift card on anything I want not just Delta.
This test process has been going on for a while now but I hope it expands systemwide as I have to tell you, if I had to choose from a lower amount AMEX gift card compared to a higher amount Delta e-Gift voucher, the choice is a simple one – cash please! – René
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will you be sharing this with your fellow travelers?
@TexasYankee – Drinks are on me (in the $ky Pub)! 😉
I’m pretty sure I heard them ask for volunteers for a gift card at JFK the other day. Wasn’t my flight, but heard it from the next gate.
Wait, you got an $800 gift card for being bumped on a domestic flight? That does sound too good to be true!
@fivegirls – I have got a number of $1000 and $1300 ones domestically.
the only caution with using these cards is that there is an expiration date.
Much better than vouchers but need to be spent before the vouchers would have expired.
@Jerry – Yes I saw that. 6 months is a stinker. I will load over to another card like my local grocery store that never expires.
If you run thru Dallas today they’ve just opened their new Sky Club this morning. If relaxing here working on email …. sipping champagne to celebrate their new launch.
@Carol – Oh man, I can’t wait to see it. Not going until July. May have to book a run.
I think this option is more than just a test. I received the same selection of gift cards last July 2015 at LGA. And just last week at JFK (T4). So it’s definitely more widespread than just MSP. But it may be limited to just DL hubs.
in both cases I accepted the max offer of $1300 AMEX gift cards… they were desperate!
wow
It IS true and Delta has been doing this for two years now. I received 8 $100 Amex gift cards in December 2014. I was voluntarily bumped from a Delta Saturday am flight from LGA to ATL. The last four flights out on the previous Friday night had been cancelled due to weather and airport closure. Since they couldn’t get the planes in the night before, they had to cancel the three early flights on Sat morning (6:30, 7:30 etc.). So mine was the first flight out and they had all of the people from previous flights trying to get on. I volunteered at $400 but wWhen they finally had enough volunteers, the price had gone up to $800. Had the same choice of gift cards and chose Amex gift cards which I used over the next year before they expired.
These weren’t offered systemwide already? I’ve volunteered twice in two years and was offered an AMEX GC both times.
I would be much more interested in taking a bump if this was offered across the board. Also sorry I missed you guys in AUS!!
I got one on Monday 4/18 (also coincidentally my birthday) – got $500 AMEX gift card to be bumped form the 7:15 from LGA–BNA to go on the 1:15 (plus I got on upgrade on the later flight) – nice bday present to me – allowed me to actually get a drink in the LGA skyclub for once. Gift card was waiting for me when I arrived home on Friday 4/22!
Just got 3 for volunteering out of LAX. I am skeptical. By the way, was told by redcoat that food vouchers were no longer being offered if we took the cards…and this was for an over-nighter! Ugh.
Felt very bamboozled by promises of club access, vouchers and not at all in a Delta professional service way.
Is Delta still doing gift cards for bumps in 2017? If so what airports?
@Dan – Reports are yes and they are not telling us just what airports will offer it.
@Rene thanks. I assume MSP and JFK are still playing the game. Are SLC and DTW playing yet?
@dan I just got bumped out of LAX and got offered a choice between the usual Delta gift card or a visa debit card. No other options available. Both were for $800, and I only ended up waiting 20 minutes til the rebooked flight 🙂
How long did the card take to arrive?
@Don – less than two weeks if I recall.
I just received a $500 Amex gift card for volunteering my at LAX and the flight I was placed was only 25 minutes later than my original flight. Seems like a great deal to me.
@DeDe – Wahoooo! Well done. Enjoy.
I was offered $600 in Amex gift cards Thursday night in BOS. Those arrived today, just after I returned from AUS with another $1000, this time in “Delta Dollars.”
And, for the record, I also received an overnight hotel and $30 in meal vouchers along with the $600 bump.
Interestingly, the redcoat in AUS told me they weren’t able to give SkyClub passes out. (Seems dubious)