Delta Sky Club Guest Passes: How the Visit Policy Works

I recently wrote about my first experience entering Delta Sky Clubs since the new “Visits” policy started earlier this year. But what if you bring a guest with you? Can they still access the lounges for 24 hours, too? And how does that work?

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Bringing a Guest to Delta Sky Clubs

Eligible American Express Card members can access Delta Sky Clubs and bring guests when traveling on a Delta-marketed, Delta-operated flight or a Delta partner airline flight that is not marketed or operated by Delta. Cardholders are granted a certain number of “Visits,” which are unlimited entries to the Sky Club network during a 24-hour period starting with their first lounge entrance. (Basic Economy passengers are not eligible to visit Sky Clubs.)

• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card members receive up to 15 complimentary Visits between February 1 of a given year and January 31 of the following year. Additional Visits may be purchased for $50 each if a cardholder exhausts all 15 Visits. (Rates & Fees for the Delta Reserve. Rates & Fees for the Delta Business Reserve.)
• American Express Platinum Card® and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express members receive up to 10 complimentary Visits between February 1 of a given year and January 31 of the following year. Additional Visits may be purchased for $50 each. (Rates & Fees for the Amex Platinum. Rates & Fees for the Amex Business Platinum.)

Cardholders can bring up to two guests for $50 each. The primary card member must accompany the guests. (Sky Club guest fees should count toward the Amex Platinum and Business Amex Platinum annual $200 airline incidental credit, provided Delta is your selected airline — a nice way to offset that $50.)

However, Delta Reserve Amex and Delta Business Reserve Amex holders receive four complimentary guest passes to Sky Clubs each card member year. Those four passes are separate from your 15 Visits — they’re specifically for guests, and they’re the ones you’ll want to use if you’re traveling with someone regularly.

Step-by-Step: How to Use a Guest Pass at the Kiosk

During a family vacation last month, my wife and I brought our favorite lounge lizard (our seven-year-old daughter) with us to the LAX T3 Sky Club. Here’s exactly what the process looked like.

I entered using my Delta Business Amex Reserve and also redeemed a guest pass for my kiddo.

After selecting “Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business Card” and tapping “Submit,” I was brought to this screen:

I selected “Guest Pass / 1 per guest.”

The kiosk printed a paper receipt. HOLD ON TO THIS RECEIPT. I’ll explain why in a moment.

Then, confirmation that we were good to go:

Upon landing in Atlanta, we visited the “E” Sky Club. I presented my Reserve Business Amex and the guest pass receipt to a Sky Club rep. She admitted us right away.

Why You Must Keep That Receipt

The receipt isn’t just a souvenir — it’s your guest’s proof of access for the full 24-hour window. Here’s what can happen without it: some Sky Club agents will try to redeem a second guest pass when you arrive at a different club on the same travel day, not realizing your guest’s current pass is still valid. You can usually get that corrected, but it requires a conversation you don’t want to be having when you’re trying to catch a connection.

Practical tip: hand the receipt to your guest to carry, not you. They’re the one who needs to present it if you get separated at the entrance. I give it to my wife because she’s far more organized than I am.

If you lose the receipt, go to the Sky Club desk immediately rather than the kiosk — an agent can look up your guest pass usage and manually confirm your guest’s active window. It’s not guaranteed to work without friction, but it’s your best option.

A Few Things Worth Knowing

Your card must be active. Guest passes tied to a canceled card are not valid, even if they show in your Delta voucher wallet. This one catches people off guard — if you cancel a Reserve card and still have passes loaded, they’re effectively worthless until you hold an eligible active card again.

Two Reserve cardholders traveling together can stack passes. If you and your travel companion each hold a Reserve card, you each have 15 Visits and 4 guest passes. You can use the other person’s guest pass to enter — effectively giving each of you access to 19 visits (your own 15 plus the other person’s 4 passes used on you). That’s a meaningful number for heavy Sky Club users on a long travel day with multiple connections.

The $50 paid guest fee may trigger your airline’s incidental credit. If you’ve exhausted your guest passes and pay the $50 out-of-pocket, that charge should process as a Delta incidental and count toward the Amex Platinum or Business Platinum $200 airline incidental credit — provided Delta is your selected airline. It’s worth keeping in mind if you’re trying to use that credit up before year-end.

Basic Economy passengers cannot enter. Neither as a cardholder nor as a guest. The lounge access requirement is a Delta-marketed, Delta-operated flight (or eligible partner flight) — Basic Economy fares don’t qualify, regardless of what card you carry.

Final Approach

Bringing a guest into Delta Sky Clubs under the Visits policy is a straightforward process once you’ve done it once — tap your card at the kiosk, select the guest pass option, pocket the receipt, and you’re in. The receipt is the only thing that stands between a smooth multi-club day and an unnecessary conversation with a gate agent. Keep it somewhere you won’t lose it, hand it to your guest before you walk away from the kiosk, and the rest takes care of itself.

The one genuine gotcha: your card needs to be active. Guest passes don’t survive card cancellation, even if they’re sitting in your voucher wallet. Keep that in mind if you’re thinking about a product change or downgrade before your passes are used.

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 American Express Platinum Card®, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this link.