I have recently, as I blogged about, chosen to cancel the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card. I got the card last year mainly for the welcome bonus but also for the other perks it brings. A few months later, spurred on by all the “family” language Amex has been coming out with, including the personal Delta Amex cards, motivated me to also get the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card and enjoyed that welcome bonus as well. Since I have that card, and don’t care about Delta status in 2024, I still get the TakeOff 15% discount.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the new perks the Delta Amex Platinum Business card launched as of the first of the year (not as pleased with the annual fee jump to $350; see rates and fees.) because I was able to harvest the hotel credit perk before I canceled the card to get the yearly fee back.
In addition to that, I waited for the Companion Certificate (AKA, the buy-one-get-one free/BOGO certificate) to load into my Delta.com account. Contrary to what many people think — and what some Delta and Amex reps say — even though I canceled the card the certificate will stick. Plus, I will be able to use it and pay with any Amex card – even though Delta says you have to use the Delta Amex card that it came with. That has never been the case in practice (as long as I fly a trip before the certificate expires, that is).
That said, being now a Frequent Floater who spends months a year at sea, I wish I had more choices in spending my Delta BOGO cert. I did recently post my plan to use my cert as a Euro business class lite with my wife and I buying 3 seats for the price of two and having a middle seat empty giving us many of the same space perks of Delta domestic 1st class without being in the front of the jet. But there are some issues.
When you go to book a Delta flight on Delta.com you basically have three choices in regards to your routing. You can book a one way flight – OR – you can book a round trip – OR – you can book a multi segment flight. Why does this matter? How is this option better than just the option to book a round trip and could it add more value to these certs?
There are a number of times I may take a cruise that starts in one city but then returns to another. Or, I may take two back-to-back cruises on different cruise lines, and the second cruise may also “end” that voyage in another city. There are clearly other situations as well that can result in a simple round trip not working out as the perfect choice. So here is what I would like, and how Delta and Amex could enhance the certs (sorry for using “that” word but it is the word they use).
Give us the choice to spend the cert for just a one way ticket or a multi-city booking! This would not just help me when I find myself needing a flexible round trip but it may be, since some readers do seem to have a hard time always using the certs, that some could use them as a one-way and maybe book an award for the return or even a return with another airline. Now, I get that I could book a round trip and only use “half” the ticket, but in that case, I am still paying for the round trip even if I do not use the second half of the booking.
The point is that Amex has this year been almost giddy about jumping the fees for the Delta co-branded cards, and my guess is this round will not be the last over the coming years adding flexibility to the BOGO certs would be one way to help justify paying these ever-increasing fees for the cards. – René
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Business Platinum American Express Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card, please visit this link.
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I would like to see a better option for family’s. When I’m traveling with a family of 4, the amex companion cert is basically useless unless I want to have two separate records. It would be nice if I could buy 3 and get 1 for free.
@dave – A very interesting idea and thank you. While you can “link” reservation I fully understand not the same thing as all on one PNR. It would be nice if Delta gave reps the power to manually adjust a ticket and apply the cert like in the situation you describe.
I like that idea!
This was the first year I tried to use my companion certificate (last year’s expired before I could use it). I was disappointed with the lack of choices in flight times for which it could be used. You have to select the certificate *before* searching for flight segments. When I did so, my choices in routes and schedule dropped dramatically, and usually to the least desirable times. Booking three weeks out, tried to go to Las Vegas for the weekend, only two choices showed up. New Orleans? One choice. Phoenix? No choices. It was like a Capital One commercial – everything was blacked out. Yet another example of a loyalty “reward” that’s almost impossible to use.
I agree with your ideas. I’d also like the opportunity to use them for international trips.