Jan 18, 2016, 10:57 am

FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides

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

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.

For other airlines:
AA Thread
AS Thread
B6 Thread
DL Thread
F9 Thread
HA Thread
NK Thread
UA Thread
WN Thread

Airline fee $250/$200/$100 reimbursement reports: DL only (2015-2019)

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Dec 18, 2017, 3:55 pm

#586

xubeisi

Join Date: May 2008

Posts: 1

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodford02A

Purchased 1x50 on 12/16 and it looks like DL is now using a 3rd party vendor to process gift cards?

DELTA AIR LINES GC
25 PEARL STREET
PORTLAND
ME
04101
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (THE)
Additional Information: xxx GIFT CARDSGIFT CARDS
Reference: xxx
Category: Merchandise & Supplies - Internet Purchase

Maybe it's different for different card? Because my Amex Gold shows for 2x50$ eGift:
Doing business as:
DELTA AIR LINES
View Details on Merchant Website
ATLANTA AIRPORT
-
ATLANTA
GA
30320
UNITED STATES
Category: Travel - Airline

Although not sure they will reinburst it since it shown as "Travel - Airline", will report later.

Dec 18, 2017, 5:01 pm

#587

Diplomatico

Join Date: Aug 2007

Location: Truth or Consequences, NM

Programs: HH Diamond, Marriott Titanium, Hertz President's Circle, UA Silver, Mobile Passport Unobtanium

Posts: 6,193

Quote:

Originally Posted by xubeisi

What was the date of your purchase?

Dec 18, 2017, 8:45 pm

#588

logantobrien

Join Date: Dec 2017

Posts: 1

I had two $50 ecerts post on 12/16 that posted as following:

DELTA AIR LINES
View Details on Merchant Website
ATLANTA AIRPORT
-
ATLANTA
GA
30320
UNITED STATES
Category: Travel - Airline

After seeing the possible outsourcing I just did another $50 ecert now and it seems to still be posting as a Delta Airlines purchase/the same as above, Are you sure you picked ecert?

Dec 18, 2017, 9:39 pm

#589

applesauce

Join Date: May 2017

Posts: 301

::EDIT:: Purhased/Posted/Credited during the scare. Per some smart folks below, it seems to be about which website you purchase from. There's a mobile page run by CashStar you need to avoid.

Ordered 12/18
Pending as Delta Airlines Atlanta Georga
Posted 12/20
Credited 12/20

Quote:

PENDING:
Doing business as:
DELTA AIR LINES
View Details on Merchant Website
ATLANTA AIRPORT
-
ATLANTA
GA
30320
UNITED STATES
Category: Travel - Airline

POSTED:
Doing business as:
DELTA AIR LINES DELTA.COM
View Details on Merchant Website
ATLANTA AIRPORT
-
ATLANTA
GA
30344
UNITED STATES
800.221.1212
Additional Information: 123
DELTA AIR LINES
Reference: XYZ
Category: Travel - Airline

But per the terms when purchasing:

Quote:

eGifts and Cards are issued by Delta Gift Cards, Inc. ("Delta"), an affiliate of Delta Air Lines, Inc., that is authorized to issue eGifts and Cards for sale by Delta and Delta-licensed vendors to be used toward the total purchase price of air transportation on Delta Air Lines marketed flights.

Last edited by applesauce; Dec 20, 2017 at 10:38 am Reason: Update on GC status

Dec 19, 2017, 8:17 am

#590

mia

Moderator

Original Poster

Join Date: Jun 2003

Location: Miami, Mpls & London

Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold

Posts: 48,958

Quote:

Originally Posted by cpblanco

...Has anyone done this lately and if yes, were you reimbursed?

Despite the terms, purchases of $50 Delta electronic gift certificates have been reliably reimbursed for years. It looks as if you may have posted without reviewing recent posts which confirm that this still works, but also report some very recent changes which might preclude reimbursement.

Before doing anything, I suggest that you read the Wikipost at the top of thread which includes step-by-step instructions -and- also several dozen recent posts to understand the current concerns.

This is a risk free purchase. If you are not reimbursed you have paid $50 for something worth $50 in air travel.

Dec 19, 2017, 10:26 am

#591

bta15

Join Date: Oct 2012

Programs: AS MVP, BA

Posts: 300

I purchased 4x$50 on 12/15 and they were reimbursed today 12/19.

Dec 19, 2017, 10:33 am

#592

thebat

Join Date: Jul 2004

Programs: CO, UA, AA, WN, DL Gold

Posts: 2,981

Quote:

Originally Posted by bta15

I purchased 4x$50 on 12/15 and they were reimbursed today 12/19.

Great news!

Dec 19, 2017, 10:58 am

#593

artgriego

Join Date: Apr 2016

Location: LAX

Posts: 44

I purchased 4x $50 on 12/17, went pending for a day as:

DELTA AIR LINES

ATLANTA AIRPORT

ATLANTA GA 30320

UNITED STATES

Category: Travel - Airline

12/19 all 4 posted as the same. No refund yet (not concerned, just getting the DP out there given the recent concerns)

Dec 19, 2017, 11:07 am

#594

cp277

Join Date: Jul 2016

Posts: 5

Purchased a $50 ecert on Sunday, the transaction posted yesterday, no credit applied yet. The posted transaction looks like this (similar to other people, some formatting removed):

Doing business as:
DELTA AIR LINES DELTA.COM
ATLANTA AIRPORT

ATLANTA
GA
30344
UNITED STATES
800.221.1212
Additional Information: 18002211212DELTA AIR LINES
Reference: [Redacted]
Category: Travel - Airline

***
I purchased a $50 ecert in November and the posted transaction looks exactly the same. The credit was applied two days later.

Dec 19, 2017, 11:15 am

#595

sumnem

Join Date: Dec 2017

Posts: 4

I had purchased 2x$50 ecerts on that showed up under transactions on Sunday 11/17 and credit was applied today 11/19.

I had made 2x$50 transactions earlier in December and the merchants are the same. (I am on the East Coast, do not know if that has anything to do with where the transactions are processed)

DELTA AIR LINES DELTA.COM
ATLANTA AIRPORT
-
ATLANTA
GA
30344
UNITED STATES
800.221.1212

Dec 19, 2017, 11:17 am

#596

woodford02A

Join Date: Dec 2014

Programs: HHonors Gold, Hertz 5*, SPG Gold, AMEX Plat, buys Spirit tickets at the airport ticket counter ;-)

Posts: 498

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodford02A

Yes, electronic. Via this link (off DL.com >shop>gift cards) https://www.delta.com/egift/eGiftPur...D_eGift_Launch

One other data point - I used my iPad to make this purchase and may have been rerouted to a mobile optimized website which routes through a different vendor. Purchase was made in CA.

Dec 19, 2017, 11:47 am

#597

jakhfue

Join Date: Dec 2017

Posts: 2

I just purchased a 50 dollar gift card, and the company information was:

DELTA AIR LINES GC
25 PEARL STREET
PORTLAND
ME
04101
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Also, at the bottom of the gift card email it says:

Delta Gift Card, powered by CashStar.

So I don't think it is going to work anymore.

Dec 19, 2017, 1:56 pm

#598

woodford02A

Join Date: Dec 2014

Programs: HHonors Gold, Hertz 5*, SPG Gold, AMEX Plat, buys Spirit tickets at the airport ticket counter ;-)

Posts: 498

Quote:

Originally Posted by jakhfue

can you confirm is was electronic gift card?

where did you purchase the gift card from (i.e. what state, country) and what kind of device did you use?

Dec 19, 2017, 2:12 pm

#599

jakhfue

Join Date: Dec 2017

Posts: 2

Yes it was an electronic gift card, the same method I used a few months ago with my gold card, and I used a computer and I live in Kentucky.

Dec 19, 2017, 2:29 pm

#600

lordvaderman

Join Date: Jan 2006

Posts: 43

Which URLs are people using when buying?

Through this one on a desktop computer
https://www.delta.com/egift/eGiftPurchase.action
the terms and conditions say:
"eGifts and Cards are issued by Delta Gift Cards, Inc. ("Delta"), an affiliate of Delta Air Lines, Inc., that is authorized to issue eGifts and Cards for sale by Delta and Delta-licensed vendors to be used toward the total purchase price of air transportation on Delta Air Lines marketed flights."

But on this one through my mobile device
https://buy-m.giftcards.delta.com/
the terms and conditions say (at the bottom):
"Delta Gift Cards, powered by CashStar"

I'm wondering if that is the difference...