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)
Sep 3, 2019, 8:01 am
#1997
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 8
Bought ticket on 8/31 with $50 GC and charged $118 on personal Platinum.
Charge posted on 9/1 as Additional Collection.
Meter moved today 9/3 and hopefully credit will be posted soon.
9/4 Update: Credit posted and backdated to 9/2
Last edited by Xtah927; Sep 4, 2019 at 8:45 am
Sep 3, 2019, 1:29 pm
#1998
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 2
Did not trigger airline credit
I purchased a delta flight ticket $438 ($388 CC + $50 GC). It it did not trigger the airline credit. What went wrong ? The charge were posted today morning to Amex Platinum with no movement in the meter and shows up as Delta Airlines Atlanta.
Sep 4, 2019, 8:32 am
#2000
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 86
Data Point:
Amex Hilton Aspire with $100 airline credit left (not sure if this is the proper thread for this DP)
Purchased a Delta $292 ticket with $150 in gift cards and $142 to my Amex Hilton card, got back $100 as credit.
Amex Hilton Aspire with $100 airline credit left (not sure if this is the proper thread for this DP)
Purchased a Delta $292 ticket with $150 in gift cards and $142 to my Amex Hilton card, got back $100 as credit.
Last edited by divinebaboon; Sep 9, 2019 at 4:18 pm
Sep 5, 2019, 8:02 am
#2001
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Sacramento / San Francisco, CA
Programs: WN CP & A+, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium, National EE, Delta Gold
Posts: 52
If I need to buy 2 tickets together for spouse & myself at $437 each, reasoning to buy together is that both of us will get upgraded if purchased under my account/one reservation.
With that being said, any suggestions on how to apply gift cards to it? What denominations and what total amount? Even if you purchase it together, Amex Bus Platinum card will split them up when it's being posted?
Let me know, thank you.
With that being said, any suggestions on how to apply gift cards to it? What denominations and what total amount? Even if you purchase it together, Amex Bus Platinum card will split them up when it's being posted?
Let me know, thank you.
Sep 5, 2019, 8:15 am
#2002
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Los Angeles California
Posts: 1,397
SEP4 AMEX Airline Fee Reimbursement - $240 (credited).
Sep 5, 2019, 10:13 am
#2004
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 512
If I need to buy 2 tickets together for spouse & myself at $437 each, reasoning to buy together is that both of us will get upgraded if purchased under my account/one reservation.
With that being said, any suggestions on how to apply gift cards to it? What denominations and what total amount? Even if you purchase it together, Amex Bus Platinum card will split them up when it's being posted?
Let me know, thank you.
With that being said, any suggestions on how to apply gift cards to it? What denominations and what total amount? Even if you purchase it together, Amex Bus Platinum card will split them up when it's being posted?
Let me know, thank you.
if the flights are $437 each you'll want to put at least $187 on GC to keep the CC charge under $250
Sep 5, 2019, 10:36 am
#2005
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
Also general member companion on separate ticket is not eligible for C+ upgrade.
Sep 5, 2019, 12:44 pm
#2006
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: LAX
Programs: Delta Sky Miles Silver, United Mileage Plus Silver, Hilton Honors Diamond
Posts: 37
We booked reward flights thru Delta on Alitalia (with taxes and fees) with my husband's Aspire Amex with $100 left on the fee this year and was pleasantly surprised to have the remaining $100 credited. The transactions posted as Delta Airlines Rome, IT, Additional Collection
Sep 5, 2019, 4:52 pm
#2007
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Mexico City
Programs: Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Gold, Marriot Gold, IHG Silver, Choice Platinum, Wyndham Gold
Posts: 3,851
We booked reward flights thru Delta on Alitalia (with taxes and fees) with my husband's Aspire Amex with $100 left on the fee this year and was pleasantly surprised to have the remaining $100 credited. The transactions posted as Delta Airlines Rome, IT, Additional Collection
Sep 6, 2019, 8:45 am
#2009
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 1
Data Point:
AMEX Business Platinum with $171 credit left.
Purchased Delta Airlines ticket for $237 = $100GC + $137 on the AMEX Business Platinum
Posted Sept. 1 as "Additional Collection"
Credited $137 Sept. 2 (Backdated. It was definitely not there on Sept. 3-4th when I checked)
Thanks everyone!
AMEX Business Platinum with $171 credit left.
Purchased Delta Airlines ticket for $237 = $100GC + $137 on the AMEX Business Platinum
Posted Sept. 1 as "Additional Collection"
Credited $137 Sept. 2 (Backdated. It was definitely not there on Sept. 3-4th when I checked)
Thanks everyone!
Last edited by AFreedMan; Sep 6, 2019 at 8:48 am Reason: Clarification:
Sep 6, 2019, 9:04 am
#2010
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Santo Domingo, Dom. Rep. / Washington, DC
Programs: AA PPro/DL PLT, PPass, Marriott / Hilton Gold, JetBlue Mosaic, Hertz Presidents Circle, Amex Plat
Posts: 4,631
Amex Plat with $100 credit left
Purchased ticket for $379. Used $150 Gift Card, total remaining $229
3 days later meter moved and credit of $100 was applied.
Purchased ticket for $379. Used $150 Gift Card, total remaining $229
3 days later meter moved and credit of $100 was applied.