Companion certificates will be issued every year after the first anniversary of the co-branded Delta American Express cards (Delta SkyMiles Platinum & Reserve). Each card has a personal and business version and one can earn multiple companion certificates by holding several cards.
Best Features of Delta Amex Credit Cards and Companion Certificates
- The first checked bag is free for up to eight people on your reservation.
- Early boarding into the plane before general boarding begins.
- When you successfully use the Delta Companion Certificate to purchase a second ticket (on the exact same flight as the original paid ticket), you only have to pay the taxes and fees on that second ticket.
- Companion certificates can be transferred to a friend or family member so they can use them following the same rules discussed below.
Restrictions on Delta Companion Certificates
Delta companion certificates are often difficult to use when booking a ticket due to several restrictions.
Delta Companion Certificate Fare Class Restrictions
- Economy class restrictions: must travel in L, U, T, X, and V fare classes.
- Comfort+ class restrictions: must travel in the W and S fare classes, but only when L, U, T, X, or V fare classes are available in economy.
- First class restrictions: must travel in I and Z fare classes.
Other Companion Certificate Restrictions:
- Certificates are valid for 12 months from the date issued and travel must be completed by the expiration date of the certificate.
- Companion certificates will not be reinstated if you cancel your reservation.
- You must use your companion certificate to book at least 14 days in advance.
- Companion certificate trips have a 3-night minimum and a 30-day maximum stay.
- Companion must be a Delta SkyMiles member (which is easy).
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum ($250) companion certificate is limited for use in economy class.
- Delta SkyMiles Reserve ($550) companion certificate can be used for travel in economy, Comfort+, or first class.
- Certificates are valid for roundtrip main cabin (NOT Basic Economy) bookings only.
- They must be used for domestic travel within the 48 contiguous United States (NOT to Hawaii or Alaska).
- If SkyMiles accounts are registered in Hawaii, Alaska or Puerto Rico, the certificates can be used to travel from their home territory to the 48 contiguous United States.
- Only the primary ticket earns Delta SkyMiles and the companion ticket will not accrue miles.
- Companion certificate bookings are not eligible for mileage upgrades.
- Companion certificates cannot be combined with online specials.
- You cannot use SkyMiles to book your first ticket.
- You must pay for both tickets using eCredits and/or any Amex credit card (Amex Platinum can be used to get 5x points).
- There may be a ton of seats available on Delta flights 6-months ahead of time, but designated class fare seats for companion tickets are rarely available.
- Companion ticket redemptions may only show very early or very late flight times (e.g., before 6AM and after 9PM) in some cases.
- You can’t add a lap infant when using the companion ticket.
Easiest way to use Delta companion certificates
If you use Delta’s companion booking calendar (1 month view) feature, it incorporates most of the rules/restrictions mentioned above. Make sure to select the “My dates are flexible” box (see image below) when you enter your travel dates.
You will be able to see all the available prices with “certificate applied” on the calendar screen (see image below).
Does Delta’s system increase the cost of the first ticket for companion fares?
I have seen several users reporting that Delta increases the cost of the first ticket (30% in some cases) when you choose companion ticket redemptions. I was unable to verify this issue during my sample searches (done on 12/07/23):
1st search for September 3-10 2024 JFK-LAX (10 months ahead of booking): Companion fares are almost half the cost of full fare for 2 people.
2nd search for December 14-18 JFK-LAX (1 week ahead of booking) : Cash price for two people = 1305.60 & companion fare for two people = $682.60 (see screenshots below):
Cash Fare JFK-LAX
Companion Fare JFK-LAX
Conclusions
My friends and family members are always asking about how to properly use Delta companion certificates which have a lot of annoying restrictions. You will get more than your annual fee’s worth if you use the Delta calendar search feature and are flexible with your dates. I recommend booking nonstop Delta flights on cross-country routes, so there are fewer cancellations.