Originally Posted by BenA

This is tricky, because they do say they reserve the right to demand credit card at checkin. But there are plenty of legitimate reasons someone else would buy a ticket on an inaccessible credit card - an employer buying a recruitee a ticket to visit for an interview, for example.

I was in a situation where I had bought a ticket for a destination wedding guest who would otherwise have been unable to attend for financial reasons. I went to an airport agent and asked them to ensure the other person would be able to check in, and they verified there was no block on the reservation.

Apparently, this is an anti fraud measure they only institute when they believe a high risk transaction is occurring. In the vast majority of cases, the card is never necessary. If they do flag tour trip, I believe online checkin would be blocked, so you'd have 24 hours advance warning to get the other person to contact Delta and resolve their concerns.

Long story short, you're probably fine. But it wouldn't hurt to have the gift giver call Delta, explain the ticket is a gift, and have the agent ensure there are no fraud blocks that would prevent you from checking in on the departure day.