Can Family, Friends, or Others Use Your Delta Companion Certificate?

We’re rapidly approaching the fall and winter holiday travel season. Think Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, New Year’s, and college football playoffs. 🙂

Perhaps you’re a generous parent, grandparent, sibling, friend, or employer who foots the bill for someone to travel during the holidays. Maybe you also have a Delta Companion Certificate (known colloquially as the “Delta Companion Pass”).

You might wonder, can I  use that to pay for someone else’s trip — even if I’m not traveling?

Read on!

Which Delta SkyMiles® American Express Cards Offer Companion Certificates?

Four Delta SkyMiles® American Express products offer cardholders a great perk: Companion Certificates (buy-one, get-one) for one Delta Air Lines US domestic (and some Caribbean destinations) flight each year, starting the second year of card membership.

• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card

Both Reserve cards’ Companion Certificates are valid for select First Class, Premium Select, Comfort+, and Main Cabin trips with available fare classes A, G, I, Z, W, L, U, T, X, and V. Delta adds, “For Delta Comfort travel, tickets are available in W and S classes of service, but only when L, U, T, X, or V classes of service are available in the Main Cabin.”

The Delta Platinum cards’ Companion Certificates are valid only for select Main Cabin fares: L, U, T, X, and V.

Make sure to read our Companion Certificate deep dive here.

Yes, Someone Else Can Travel on Your Companion Certificate!

I once polled some friends, family, and other readers on this question: can someone other than the Delta Amex member use the card’s Companion Certificate? Or must the cardholder travel on a Companion Certificate reservation?

I think maybe 10% of the people I asked knew the correct answer.

The cardholder does not need to be one of the people on a Companion Certificate reservation. The perk is transferable. (Some maneuvering is required booking-wise. We’ll discuss that in a minute.)

What are some reasons you’d let others use your Companion Certificate? Perhaps you:

• travel with two other people and it’s advantageous for you, the cardholder, to be on a separate reservation
  • When we travel, my wife and daughter are always on one PNR/confirmation number and I’m on a separate one. This makes it more difficult for our daughter to be split up from my wife (which would be a disaster for anyone within a five-mile radius. Trust me.)
• want to help family members or friends save money on travel
• own a company and need to send employees on a business trip
• won’t be able to use a Companion Certificate before its expiration date and want someone to enjoy the benefit

If you routinely pay for family travel, the Companion Certificate can save you a bunch of money.

There were several occasions when my wife and I let others use our Companion Certificates. One instance was a neighbor’s grandkids needed to fly to Southern California ASAP because their grandfather was in poor health. My in-laws sometimes use our Reserve cards’ Companion Certificates to buy First Class seats when traveling across the country. One year, a couple of close friends and their two kids wanted to visit California. We offered two Companion Certificates to help them make their trip more affordable.

You Might Need to Book the Companion Certificate Reservation

Here’s where you physically factor into this. The Companion Certificate holder / Delta Amex member (probably) needs to book the reservation on behalf of the travelers using the BOGO cert. (I say “probably” because a friend told me he usually gives the certificate number and its reference code to the recipient, who then add it to their Delta account.)

I log into my Delta account and visit this page (which I recommend bookmarking). Then I search for the eligible reservation and go from there. The only requirement is that the reservation’s taxes and fees, as well as the primary traveler’s paid fare, be purchased with an American Express card. The card doesn’t have to be a Delta Amex.

Make sure you have the travelers’ relevant information: full names as they appear on photo ID, addresses, phone numbers, birthdates, SkyMiles numbers (if applicable), Known Traveler Number (if applicable), etc.

Then, pay with the Amex card of your choice. It can be one of yours; it can be one of theirs; or it can be a third party’s. I usually opt for The Platinum Card® from American Express because it earns 5X American Express® Membership Rewards® points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year).

Or if you’re chasing Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQD), use your Delta Amex:

• Delta Reserve: Earn $1 MQD for every $10 of eligible purchases
• Delta Business Reserve: Earn $1 MQD for every $10 of eligible purchases
• Delta Platinum: Earn $1 MQD for every $20 of eligible purchases
• Delta Business Platinum: Earn $1 MQD for every $20 of eligible purchases

Delta Amex credit card spend is the only way to earn MQD from someone else using your Companion Certificate. You will not earn MQD for their actual trip flown. (No good deed goes unpunished, right?! 😉 )

You can also call Delta directly to book your Companion Certificate reservation. However, given the hold times to actually get through to a knowledgeable representative, you’ll likely die of old age before actually purchasing a trip. So, I recommend going online.

I know of people who give the Companion Certificate’s unique code to the recipient and let them book it on their own. I’ve never done that but if if works for you, great.

Final Approach

The Delta SkyMiles® American Express Cards’ Companion Certificates can be a great benefit — when they’re used. But don’t worry. The cardholder doesn’t have to fly on an eligible reservation. Others can do the traveling.

To see rates and fees for The Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this link. Terms apply.

To see rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, please visit this link. Terms apply.

To see rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, please visit this link. Terms apply.

To see rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, please visit this link. Terms apply.

To see rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, please visit this link. Terms apply.