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)
Aug 27, 2019, 12:40 pm
#1966
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 600
just curious what happens if you cancel the ticket? Would you get the $250 as a gift card and the rest goes back to the credit card? Or perhaps all comes back to the credit card?
Aug 27, 2019, 2:41 pm
#1967
Moderator: Hyatt; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: WAS
Programs: :rolleyes:, DL DM, Mlife Plat, Caesars Diam, Marriott Tit, UA Gold, Hyatt Glob, invol FT beta tester
Posts: 18,947
Refunds on Delta just unwind the transaction. Everything goes back to wherever it came from.
Aug 28, 2019, 3:36 pm
#1969
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: JFK/LGA/EWR
Posts: 1,296
I just bought the $250 GC get $25 free. Will I be able to buy a ticket for $750 and apply the $250+25 GCs and get both the $200 Plat and $250 aspire credits? I guess I'll find out soon enough!
I used to use the credits to pay the taxes on international redemptions but the costs of those are prohibitive now (at least in my experience) so the past few years I've gone the gift card route. Now that's gone.
I used to use the credits to pay the taxes on international redemptions but the costs of those are prohibitive now (at least in my experience) so the past few years I've gone the gift card route. Now that's gone.
Aug 28, 2019, 3:42 pm
#1970
Moderator: Hyatt; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: WAS
Programs: :rolleyes:, DL DM, Mlife Plat, Caesars Diam, Marriott Tit, UA Gold, Hyatt Glob, invol FT beta tester
Posts: 18,947
I just bought the $250 GC get $25 free. Will I be able to buy a ticket for $750 and apply the $250+25 GCs and get both the $200 Plat and $250 aspire credits? I guess I'll find out soon enough!
I used to use the credits to pay the taxes on international redemptions but the costs of those are prohibitive now (at least in my experience) so the past few years I've gone the gift card route. Now that's gone.
I used to use the credits to pay the taxes on international redemptions but the costs of those are prohibitive now (at least in my experience) so the past few years I've gone the gift card route. Now that's gone.
Buy $250 in Gift Cards, Get $25 eCredit
Aug 28, 2019, 3:50 pm
#1971
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: JFK/LGA/EWR
Posts: 1,296
Note as mentioned in the DL forum thread that the $250 and $25 cannot be combined, and the $25 eCredit expires 12/31/19
Buy $250 in Gift Cards, Get $25 eCredit
Buy $250 in Gift Cards, Get $25 eCredit
Aug 29, 2019, 7:24 am
#1972
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 154
Does the Airline Credit also apply when an authorized user made the purchase? We have just used my son's Amex Platinum to get a ticket with the GC+Amex methodology and am wondering if this will trigger the credit. I can see the charge is classified as "Additional Collection".
Aug 29, 2019, 7:39 am
#1973
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 154
Thank you for bringing this loophole to AmEx's attention. You might just ruin it for everyone else.
Since AmEx explicitly states "This benefit doesn’t offer credit toward airline tickets", there is very little chance an agent would manual adjust your credit after looking at your purchase.
Since AmEx explicitly states "This benefit doesn’t offer credit toward airline tickets", there is very little chance an agent would manual adjust your credit after looking at your purchase.
Aug 29, 2019, 7:49 am
#1974
Moderator: Hyatt; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: WAS
Programs: :rolleyes:, DL DM, Mlife Plat, Caesars Diam, Marriott Tit, UA Gold, Hyatt Glob, invol FT beta tester
Posts: 18,947
Does the Airline Credit also apply when an authorized user made the purchase? We have just used my son's Amex Platinum to get a ticket with the GC+Amex methodology and am wondering if this will trigger the credit. I can see the charge is classified as "Additional Collection".
"Incidental air travel fees charged by both the Basic and Additional Card Members on the eligible Card Account are eligible for statement credits"
So assuming it would otherwise work, it doesn't matter which card was used.
Aug 29, 2019, 8:18 am
#1975
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 154
Thank you for bringing this loophole to AmEx's attention. You might just ruin it for everyone else.
Since AmEx explicitly states "This benefit doesn’t offer credit toward airline tickets", there is very little chance an agent would manual adjust your credit after looking at your purchase.
Since AmEx explicitly states "This benefit doesn’t offer credit toward airline tickets", there is very little chance an agent would manual adjust your credit after looking at your purchase.
https://www.americanexpress.com/us/c...card/36182-9-0
"Incidental air travel fees charged by both the Basic and Additional Card Members on the eligible Card Account are eligible for statement credits"
So assuming it would otherwise work, it doesn't matter which card was used.
"Incidental air travel fees charged by both the Basic and Additional Card Members on the eligible Card Account are eligible for statement credits"
So assuming it would otherwise work, it doesn't matter which card was used.
Aug 29, 2019, 7:24 pm
#1977
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 15
just upgraded to the aspire and selected delta. didn't realize the incidental fee reimbursement was by calendar year and not card year. Now im tempted to fin a flight thats like $300 and just book a weekend away somewhere with a $50 gift card to utilize this $250 and not let it go to waste!
Aug 29, 2019, 7:34 pm
#1978
Moderator
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,959
This benefit does not reimburse ticket purchases directly. Read carefully to understand how you can split a payment to make the Aspire portion appear to be a fee, but it's improbable that a ~$250 card transaction will be mistaken for a fee,
Aug 31, 2019, 9:24 am
#1980
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Las Vegas
Programs: DL DM, AA PlatPro, Hilton DM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Titanium, Hertz PC, National EE
Posts: 1,532
I tried the "Additional Collection" thing. Delta ticket was $339, paid $50 with Delta Gift Card, $289 charged as "Additional Collection" on 8/15. No reimbursement (have all $200 left).