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)
Dec 27, 2017, 12:38 pm
#631
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
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Why didn’t Amex go the way of the Chase Sapphire Reserve? Because Amex offers the benefit to market the card but hopes to have a high proportion of customers who never fully use the benefit yet still appreciate it. Much the same as with the Uber benefit.
Dec 27, 2017, 1:22 pm
#632
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Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,958
Also, American Express has offered this benefit since 2010. Chase didn't introduce Sapphire Reserve until 2016. Chase had to offer more than American Express and Citi to get us to pay attention to their me too entry.
Dec 27, 2017, 2:51 pm
#633
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: New York, New York
Programs: AA Gold, Alaska MVP; Free Agent Super Duper Diamond Treasure Chest ;)
Posts: 4,682
Dec 27, 2017, 3:14 pm
#634
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
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Posts: 102,095
Didn’t the JPM/Chase Reserve predecessor — aka Palladium — have some kind of benefit like this some years before 2016? I recall something about a $200 travel credit back around 2010 or 2011 as well for that card which became a version of the Sapphire Reserve in most all but name.
Dec 27, 2017, 4:40 pm
#635
Moderator
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,958
Dec 27, 2017, 5:28 pm
#636
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Truth or Consequences, NM
Programs: HH Diamond, Marriott Titanium, Hertz President's Circle, UA Silver, Mobile Passport Unobtanium
Posts: 6,194
I do not recall that Palladium had this type of benefit, but the Ritz Carlton card, introduced mid- 2012 includes a $200 credit that closely mimics the American Express version, and it requires the cardholder to manually request reimbursement.
Dec 28, 2017, 12:18 am
#637
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
I do not recall that Palladium had this type of benefit, but the Ritz Carlton card, introduced mid- 2012 includes a $200 credit that closely mimics the American Express version, and it requires the cardholder to manually request reimbursement.
Dec 28, 2017, 12:15 pm
#638
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: MSP
Posts: 90
I forgot to do this until today. If the purchase posts before January 1st, but the reimbursement posts after, will it count against my 2017 or 2018 credit?
Dec 28, 2017, 12:18 pm
#639
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 26
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)
Dec 28, 2017, 12:24 pm
#640
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: MSP
Posts: 90
Yeah, that's what has me wondering. It looks like the charge itself should post in time, unlike the example in the wiki, but then the actual credit would take place in 2018, so I'm unsure. Maybe I'll be the data point (or cautionary tale) for this particular situation.
Dec 28, 2017, 2:40 pm
#641
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: msp
Programs: DL Plat, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 798
mine just went through, purchased day 1, posted day 2, reimbursed day 4, reimbursement showed up day 5.
I would think it you bought today (28), charges post tomorrow (29), then it should reimburse day 4 (31st) and be visible on day 5 (1/1)
I would think it you bought today (28), charges post tomorrow (29), then it should reimburse day 4 (31st) and be visible on day 5 (1/1)
Dec 29, 2017, 12:21 am
#642
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Vancouver BC
Programs: Starwood Platinum; Marriot Rewards Silver; Alaska Air Miles
Posts: 224
Bought 4 $50 December 27th on the laptop.
Reimbursement done December 28th for all 4.
Reimbursement done December 28th for all 4.
Dec 29, 2017, 4:02 am
#643
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 4
4 $50 Gift Cards on 12/24. Received credits on 12/27. This was through Delta website on laptop.
Dec 29, 2017, 9:06 am
#644
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 19
$100 reinbursed
Not me personally, but my sister just got the Amex business platinum. She got a $100 delta gift card from the desktop site and received the reimbursement as soon as the charge posted.
Dec 29, 2017, 12:16 pm
#645
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: CHS
Programs: DL Diamond, WN A-List, Marriott Platinum Elite, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 685
Just purchased 4x $50 GCs today 12/29. Wish me luck that there's enough time for AMEX to credit the charge and have it count towards 2017 amount... ��