Jan 18, 2016, 10:57 am
Last edit by: MaxVO
This thread is a continuation of: Airline fee $200/$100 reimbursement reports: DL only [2011 - 2015]
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
Caution: effective from 22 June 2019, gift card purchases from Delta do not get reimbursed.
Read this primer first
additional collections/split tender
THIS IS A LOOPHOLE. BE DISCREET
Anything coded as an additional collection (aka add/collect or a/c), including difference in fare when changing flights, and accepting an FCM offer, also triggers the credit and will be reimbursed; this may (insufficient data) only happen if the additional amount collected is below ~$250 (regardless of card type, e.g. there have been reports of full $100 credit for Gold card on a/c over $100 and full $200 credit for Plat on a/c over $200 but less than $250)
other non Gift Card options
(DEAD) eGift Card (eCert) details
This Section is not applicable effective 2019/06/22!
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
Caution: effective from 22 June 2019, gift card purchases from Delta do not get reimbursed.
Read this primer first
- 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<--(link dead) 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. Try logging in to your AMEX account and selecting the airline. This link may work - 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.
- The T&Cs state the eligible charges, but YMMV, so don't call and ask especially about the fuzzier cases below because that will probably hasten closing of any loopholes.
- 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. Note: This is not my experience. I purchased Dec 31, 2016, posted Jan 1, 2017 and went against my 2017 credit. (TheMadBrewer)
- 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.
- 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.
additional collections/split tender
THIS IS A LOOPHOLE. BE DISCREET
Anything coded as an additional collection (aka add/collect or a/c), including difference in fare when changing flights, and accepting an FCM offer, also triggers the credit and will be reimbursed; this may (insufficient data) only happen if the additional amount collected is below ~$250 (regardless of card type, e.g. there have been reports of full $100 credit for Gold card on a/c over $100 and full $200 credit for Plat on a/c over $200 but less than $250)
- Relevantly, split tender where you partially pay with a gift card, existing credit, VDB voucher etc. and partly charged to your card, are processed by DL as an add/collect and trigger the credit per above.
- Thus if you anticipate actually buying, say, a $200 DL ticket, you could buy a single $50 gift card, then buy the ticket using $50 GC and $150 on your card (the $150 will be reimbursed)
- Canceling a ticket within the 24-hour risk-free period generally results in funds being returned to where they came from (GC back to GC and CC back to CC). If you have no immediate travel plans but anticipate travel in the next year, consider buying a fully refundable ticket and then changing it later once you know your future travel dates. IF a lot of people suddenly start refunding tickets after getting the credit reimbursement this may hasten the demise of this particular loophole.
- Caution when buying multiple tickets: for example if you buy two $125 tickets in one transaction (total $250) and use one $100 GC or even two $50 GCs, they will all be applied to the same ticket and you would see one additional collection for $25 on that ticket and a separate "normal" charge for $125 for the second ticket. In this scenario only $25 will be reimbursed (instead of the $150 you might be expecting)
other non Gift Card options
- baggage and other service fees (same day change/standby, change fees, etc.)
- taxes on award flights
- in-flight purchases (EXCEPT wifi)
- SkyClub access/guest fees (but NOT gift cards purchased at a SC, which are actually activated at a 3rd party web site)
- mileage boosts (post 2499)
- The $59 for Delta Skymiles Select is reimbursed (posts 2180, 2182)
- seat assignment fees (may need to call in to have processed manually)
(DEAD) eGift Card (eCert) details
This Section is not applicable effective 2019/06/22!
- Delta eGift Cards (eCerts) have been reimbursed in practice, even though technically they do not meet the criteria listed by Amex 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'll post later 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, but in some cases two one-ways may cost more than a single roundtrip so compare carefully to decide whether using more than 3 certs on a single trip is worthwhile.
- If purchasing a ticket for more than 1 person, splitting the purchase into a separate transaction for each person would also allow the use of more than 3 certs on a single trip at (usually) no additional cost. However this could have an adverse effect on ability to upgrade, upgrade priority, and other elite benefits, and on the likelihood of being reaccommodated on the same flight in the event of a flight cancellation.
- There is one recent REPORT of a telephone agent allowing more than three eCerts to be used when purchasing one ticket.
- eCerts do not expire. Their T&Cs are listed here.
Airline fee $250/$200/$100 reimbursement reports: DL only (2015-2019)
Apr 15, 2019, 2:55 am
#1486
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,227
Purchased 3 x $50 gc last week. Credit posted in a few days.
Apr 15, 2019, 8:24 am
#1487
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: West Central Illinois
Programs: Marriott Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Dicoverist
Posts: 122
New AMEX Delta Platinum Card
4/10 Purchased $50 gift card
4/12 $100 Statement credit posted.
4/10 Purchased $50 gift card
4/12 $100 Statement credit posted.
Apr 15, 2019, 11:09 am
#1488
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Michigan
Programs: Delta basic after Gold; HHonors, Diamond; Marriott/SPG Plat; IHG/PCR Plat; Avis, Hertz
Posts: 213
No credit yet for Delta gift card with AmEx Plat purchase
I have been purchasing $50 cards the last few years and receiving the credits, just like everyone else has posted. On 4/10, I purchased 1 - $100 gift card, and no credit yet. I see others who purchased $50 cards that day have received credit already. Does the credit not work for the $100 cards, like the $50 cards?
Apr 15, 2019, 11:23 am
#1489
Moderator
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,958
Apr 15, 2019, 11:32 am
#1490
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Michigan
Programs: Delta basic after Gold; HHonors, Diamond; Marriott/SPG Plat; IHG/PCR Plat; Avis, Hertz
Posts: 213
Darn for me. Thank you for the info, mia. Last year, I tried to use too many gift cards on a ticket (it only allows 4 at a time, or something--I do not recall the exact number), so I thought I would go for the $100 one this time. My mistake!
Apr 22, 2019, 7:23 am
#1491
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 795
4/19 $50x5 in a single purchase (showed up as a single $250 pending)
4/20 $50x5 charges (each separate)
4/21 $50x5 credits ^
4/20 $50x5 charges (each separate)
4/21 $50x5 credits ^
Apr 23, 2019, 12:25 pm
#1492
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 3
$200 credit Amex plat
Bought my wife a $210 ticket on Delta, three days later I was reimbursed $200
Apr 23, 2019, 12:50 pm
#1493
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Michigan
Programs: Delta basic after Gold; HHonors, Diamond; Marriott/SPG Plat; IHG/PCR Plat; Avis, Hertz
Posts: 213
For the $50 gift cards, I bought 2 of those after my $100 gift card purchase snafu, and received the credit 5 days later. It took so long, I was beginning to think I had messed something up by making the $100 purchase first.
Apr 23, 2019, 7:43 pm
#1494
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 9
So I made 4 purchases on March 15th for $50 delta gifts card and never got reimbursed 😩😩
they were coded DELTA CSTAR GFTCD
did is I do something wrong?
this was on my platinum card
they were coded DELTA CSTAR GFTCD
did is I do something wrong?
this was on my platinum card
Apr 23, 2019, 8:29 pm
#1495
Join Date: Oct 2018
Programs: Advantage, Skypoints
Posts: 7
Sounds like you did not purchase using desktop/laptop.
Apr 23, 2019, 10:28 pm
#1497
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 3
How did that work? You bought it with gift cards or another way?
For the $50 gift cards, I bought 2 of those after my $100 gift card purchase snafu, and received the credit 5 days later. It took so long, I was beginning to think I had messed something up by making the $100 purchase first.
For the $50 gift cards, I bought 2 of those after my $100 gift card purchase snafu, and received the credit 5 days later. It took so long, I was beginning to think I had messed something up by making the $100 purchase first.
Are use my American Express platinum card to literally buy my wife a one-way Delta airline ticket. The price of the ticket was over $200 and a few days later $200 of the ticket cost was reimbursed to me. No gift cards used no laptop use no desk tops site used. I bought it on my iPhone
Apr 24, 2019, 3:01 am
#1498
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Michigan
Programs: Delta basic after Gold; HHonors, Diamond; Marriott/SPG Plat; IHG/PCR Plat; Avis, Hertz
Posts: 213
Are use my American Express platinum card to literally buy my wife a one-way Delta airline ticket. The price of the ticket was over $200 and a few days later $200 of the ticket cost was reimbursed to me. No gift cards used no laptop use no desk tops site used. I bought it on my iPhone
Apr 24, 2019, 10:04 am
#1499
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Pacific Northwest
Programs: Delta SkyMiles, Alaska, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Plat, MGM Gold
Posts: 7
So followed directions in the Wiki and purchased 4 - $50 e-gift certificates from Delta. on 4/21/19
They immediately posted as one $200 purchase which I was told they would do.
4/23/19 - the purchase was separated into individual $50 Delta purchases.
4/24/19 - AMEX credited back the full $200, clock work......
They immediately posted as one $200 purchase which I was told they would do.
4/23/19 - the purchase was separated into individual $50 Delta purchases.
4/24/19 - AMEX credited back the full $200, clock work......
Apr 29, 2019, 5:18 pm
#1500
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 5
I tried both $55 and $50 (desktop site) in separate transactions. Mine are showing up as passenger tickets (LAX -> LAX) in Amex's portal, they're even receiving the 5x points for airfare.
Seems like they caught on...
Seems like they caught on...