Jan 8, 2014, 8:56 am
Last edit by: mooper
Read this primer first
eGift Card (eCert) details
For other airlines: AS Thread | B6 Thread | HA Thread | UA Thread | WN Thread
- In the Amex Membership Rewards family, both the Consumer and Business versions of the Platinum and Centurion cards qualify for a $200 airline credit. The Premier Rewards Gold (PRG) card is eligible for a $100 airline credit.
- You must click here to select Delta as your enrolled airline before you make a reimbursable purchase, else the benefit won't apply. The feature is activated immediately upon airline designation.
- If you've selected DL in the past and don't wish to change airlines, there's no need to select again; current selection rolls into future years until modified.
- Reported reimbursed incidental charges have included baggage and other service fees, award and change fees (incl standby, SDC), taxes, in-flight purchases (not WiFi), lounge access fees, EC upgrade (seat assignment) fees, priority boarding fees, Delta mileage booster fees, and DL eGift Cards/eCerts (see section below). Charges not posted by Delta (e.g., partners) are not eligible. Note that the Global Entry fee reimbursement is a separate benefit in addition to the $200 Delta incidentals reimbursement.The T&Cs state the eligible charges, but YMMV, so don't call and ask.
- The credit is per account, not per card. If the main account has authorized users with additional cards, eligible charges may still be made on those cards, but they'll count jointly towards the same account limit.
- Credits are capped per calendar year, meaning you could tap the full amount on Dec 31st and again on Jan 1st in the extreme. Transaction date, not posting date, determines the year.
- You will get a partial credit to bring your total annual reimbursements to the limit exactly if a qualifying charge takes you past the limit.
- Credit posting delays range from several business days (typical) to several weeks (seen in Oct 2015). The T&Cs state that it could take up to four weeks, so wait at least that long before worrying, and certainly don't contact Amex prematurely. After four weeks, if you've read this Wiki carefully and posted here seeking assistance but the credit still has not arrived, consider chatting with Amex online. Politely mention the "Delta extras" you thought would be reimbursed within four weeks and they'll handle it.
eGift Card (eCert) details
- Delta eGift Cards (eCerts) qualify for reimbursement. The name on the eCerts doesn't matter and need not match your card, but you must purchase using an eligible Amex card and meet the other criteria detailed in this Wiki.
- Denominations over $50 will not generate the credit. Multiple $50 eCerts will. The smallest denomination available is $50.
- To order, use this direct link to the eGift cert order page, or navigate via Delta.com>Shop>eGift Certificate.
- No need to place separate orders using multiple carts/checkouts. By adding multiple certs to one order (e.g., 4 x $50), even though they are in the same cart, the certs will post as separate transactions and still generate a credit for each.
- eCert purchases may initially authorize (show pending) as ticket purchases before posting to (finalize on) your statement. Multiple-eCert orders may authorize the combined value as a single pending ticket purchase. Don't worry. They will later post as separate eCert charges in the qualifying amounts.
- eCerts are generated instantly, but the codes are not valid for use until 72 hours after purchase, so don't order expecting to use them in a pinch.
- A maximum of three eCerts may be redeemed per online transaction. Splitting a round-trip into two one-ways will allow you to use additional eCerts.
For other airlines: AS Thread | B6 Thread | HA Thread | UA Thread | WN Thread
Airline fee $200/$100 reimbursement reports: DL only [2011 - 2015]
Sep 20, 2015, 2:15 am
#931
Join Date: Jun 2013
Programs: Delta DDM 720, SPG Unobtainium, CC Adamantium, can I keep bragging now?
Posts: 306
Sep 20, 2015, 3:30 am
#932
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: BZN
Programs: AA:LT Platinum DL:LT Gold UA:1P MAR:LT Titanium
Posts: 8,291
I online chatted with them earlier this week about the lounge access not being credited (was before I found this thread that said contact after 4 weeks). The agent looked it up and said I have to wait 4 weeks and if I don't see something to contact them again and they will manually do it. But, the interesting thing was he mentioned the $50 gift card too and said both look good to go and should be credited...so maybe there is still hope. I will report back after the 4 weeks and I see what happens.
With the eGC coupled, it's probably not helpful to mention your lounge charge either. I suspect there's never been much thought behind any of this. Agents nor even the people who originally took the decision to issue the benefit likely think it through any deeper than "If a Delta charge other than a ticket shows up, reimburse". That's why this thread exists, because what is happening in practice is much simpler than what the terms suggest should happen. I think that no matter what, the best approach is to just let these go and hope for the best. If it ever gets to the point where no charges of any kind are being reimbursed for, say, 6+ weeks, then contacting Amex to let them know something is wrong would be wise, but anything short of that is more prone to do more harm than good.
Sep 20, 2015, 4:16 pm
#933
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 64
The lounge access is a part of the explained benefit though and should be reimbursed so I am not sure why it would be a problem to bring it up. I understand on the gift card but they have lounge membership on their list so this should fall under that umbrella...should it not? They show as separate charges but on the same date. Or are you saying bringing up the one would bring up the other?
Sep 20, 2015, 4:18 pm
#934
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: BZN
Programs: AA:LT Platinum DL:LT Gold UA:1P MAR:LT Titanium
Posts: 8,291
Sep 20, 2015, 5:29 pm
#935
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania
Programs: Milege+, SkyMiles, AAdvantage, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,685
Worked for me in July; $200 back on $236 charged. Hoping I will be reimbursed for more mileage boosters in January, especially if gift cards are no longer reimbursed. On my statement the mileage boosters code as taxes/fees, so that is in our favor. If Amex would stop reimbursing both the gift cards and the mileage boosters, then I will cancel the card. My next question is how long do we have to wait to get reimbursed now. Seems anyone who has talked to a CSR has been told to call back if not reimbursed 4 weeks after a charge. Perhaps 4 weeks will be the new norm? I wonder if Amex has decided to manually review these charges rather than automatically reimbursing them. Many assumed there was an IT problem, but maybe Amex is scrutinizing these charges to shore up their own bottom line?
Sep 20, 2015, 11:24 pm
#936
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 283
Worked for me in July; $200 back on $236 charged. Hoping I will be reimbursed for more mileage boosters in January, especially if gift cards are no longer reimbursed. On my statement the mileage boosters code as taxes/fees, so that is in our favor. If Amex would stop reimbursing both the gift cards and the mileage boosters, then I will cancel the card. My next question is how long do we have to wait to get reimbursed now. Seems anyone who has talked to a CSR has been told to call back if not reimbursed 4 weeks after a charge. Perhaps 4 weeks will be the new norm? I wonder if Amex has decided to manually review these charges rather than automatically reimbursing them. Many assumed there was an IT problem, but maybe Amex is scrutinizing these charges to shore up their own bottom line?
Sep 21, 2015, 8:25 am
#937
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 62
If I upgrade to first class on the website after I purchase my initial ticket will it qualify for the reimbursement? Thinking of ways to use my $100 credit since the GCs don't seem to be working anymore
Sep 21, 2015, 10:19 am
#939
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Dreamland
Posts: 927
Interesting - 4 weeks might push these credits into AMEX's 4th quarter - someone mentioned this upthread - shifting expenses.
Sep 21, 2015, 8:19 pm
#941
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVP , Delta Gold Medallion, "Credit Card" status for various hotels
Posts: 672
This worked for me on 8/10/15 before some of the recent reimbursement issues began.
Sep 23, 2015, 12:43 pm
#942
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 158
Just another non-data point data point: I purchased a $50 Delta Sky Club lounge 1-day pass on 9/15 and the statement credit has not posted yet as of today, more than 1-week later. By contrast, when I bought two $50 Delta e-GCs back in early August with my Gold Card, the statement credit posted within 2 days.
Edit: I had to contact Amex via chat about an unrelated issue, and when we were finished discussing it, I asked about this credit. They said the statement credit will post within 2-3 weeks of the transaction post date. So that means I have 1-2 more weeks, based on what they told me. I will continue to update.
Edit: I had to contact Amex via chat about an unrelated issue, and when we were finished discussing it, I asked about this credit. They said the statement credit will post within 2-3 weeks of the transaction post date. So that means I have 1-2 more weeks, based on what they told me. I will continue to update.
Last edited by Auerbach; Sep 23, 2015 at 1:52 pm
Sep 24, 2015, 4:20 am
#943
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: BZN
Programs: AA:LT Platinum DL:LT Gold UA:1P MAR:LT Titanium
Posts: 8,291
This is roughly the same thing you would have heard if you called and asked any time in the past, as the terms state you should allow several weeks for it to post and the reps parrot that.
Sep 24, 2015, 11:46 am
#944
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: SMF
Posts: 1,251
More likely than that management would record expenses not based on when the reimbursement is processed, but rather when a card is opened and again at the beginning of each calendar year. Accounting standards state that an expense should be recorded immediately when there is uncertainty or difficulty in measuring the future benefit. I could be totally off on this, there are plenty of more specific accounting standards based on the industry that I'm not familiar with, but I don't think this is any sort of financial manipulation. If they were trying to manipulate income it would likely be by making adjustments between internal accounts, not customer-facing ones.
Sep 25, 2015, 10:45 am
#945
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Mid-Atlantic
Programs: AA Plat, UA Silver, DL Silver, Marriott Titanium, etc.
Posts: 4,210
I have a food purchase from Sept. 6 and a $50 gift card purchase from Sept. 5. Reimbursement has not occurred for either purchase as of 9/25.