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If you plan to travel during Thanksgiving or Christmas and hold a Delta Air Lines Companion Certificate, you might want to consider buying your tickets now.
(Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.)Delta Companion Certificates
Four Delta SkyMiles® American Express Cards give cardholders a Companion Certificate, which is basically a one-time buy-one-get-one coupon for select Delta flights, starting their second year of 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
Why Book Holiday Travel Now?
Before I go any further: this isn’t necessarily hard-and-fast You-Must-Do-This-Now advice. We’re still more than eight months away from the Thanksgiving break. A lot of people don’t know what they’re doing this weekend, let alone this fall.
There are two main reasons I dropped everything Sunday morning to help two family members use their Companion Certificates to book flights from the West Coast to the Midwest during Thanksgiving week.
Fuel and Airfare Costs
But consider that the United States and Israel are battling with Iran. Oil prices are jumping and aviation is pretty much guaranteed to be affected. CBS’ Megan Cerullo writes that Scott Kirby, United Airlines’ CEO, said “the impact on passenger plane ticket costs will ‘probably start quick.'”
Oil prices can climb faster than a billionaire’s rocket (which also requires fuel!). But it generally takes them a long time to decrease.
Even if Iran waved the white flag by lunch time today, fuel prices wouldn’t drop until dinner time — months from now. And I don’t see either happening soon.
Companion Certificate Flight Availability
One of the main complaints I not only hear but also express myself is that Companion Certificate flight availability is often less than impressive. If you’re fine taking any flight with any routing on any days for any budget, you’re golden.
For those of us with work schedules and who don’t love trips starting at 5:00 AM and traveling through three different hubs, redeeming Companion Certificates can be a little challenging at times.
So, I was pleasantly surprised to find trips from the West Coast to the Midwest that departed around 11:00 AM and arrived just past 8:00 PM. They booked a return leaving around dinner time and arriving at midnight. The price was $687 for the primary travel and about $30 (taxes and fees) for the companion.
Now, $687 isn’t exactly cheap. They’ve flown for less during Thanksgivings past — but rarely used their Companion Certificate. Why? Because their preferred dates weren’t available.
So, I helped them set up a Google Flights alert for their exact itinerary. If airfares drop between now and Thanksgiving, they can rebook at the lower rate. The primary will get an eCredit for the fare difference. (Plus, there are bound to be some schedule changes, too.)
Again: this is what worked for them right now. As I always say: everyone’s travel goals, preferences, and budgets are unique. You might think they’re crazy for booking this early.
However, they essentially got a pair of Thanksgiving flights for about $350. Saving almost $700 alone well offsets the $350 annual fee for the family member’s Delta Amex Platinum Card (See rates and fees).
Final Approach
Between climbing fuel costs and limited inventories for Companion Certificate flights, now could be a great time for Delta Amex card members to book those holiday flights.
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 the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, please visit this link.
Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and and may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. This relationship may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.
