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)
Jan 8, 2019, 9:12 am
#1216
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: Delta
Posts: 61
Can anyone confirm, you can only use a max of 3 gift codes per transaction? Meaning you can only get a max of $150 credit per leg of journey with these gift cards? Just seeing if there is a sneaky way around this 
Jan 8, 2019, 10:04 am
#1217
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
Some have reported being able to use more than the three gift card limit by calling Delta reservations to book the flight(s); others have called in and been told by the CSR that only one gift card may be used per reservation. It's very much YMMV.
Jan 8, 2019, 10:23 am
#1218
formerly willbbiddy
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 208
Aspire:
5x50 1/3
Posted 1/4
Credit 1/8 (Meter was still at 250 last night)
Plat:
1/8 4x50
5x50 1/3
Posted 1/4
Credit 1/8 (Meter was still at 250 last night)
Plat:
1/8 4x50
Jan 8, 2019, 10:23 am
#1219
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: LAX
Programs: Delta Silver, Marriott Gold, HH Diamond, Ex-UA Gold, Ex-AA Gold , Ex-SPG Gold, Peon everywhere else
Posts: 616
AMEX Biz Plat
1/3/2019: Bought 4x$50 Delta eGC's.
1/4/2019: Delta $200 pending charge
1/7/2019: 4x$50 charges posted.
1/8/2019: 4x$50 Airline Fee Reimbursement posted.
Up next my Aspire. Fingers crossed. What to do with so many $50 GC's when most of my travel this year will consist of award bookings.
1/3/2019: Bought 4x$50 Delta eGC's.
1/4/2019: Delta $200 pending charge
1/7/2019: 4x$50 charges posted.
1/8/2019: 4x$50 Airline Fee Reimbursement posted.
Up next my Aspire. Fingers crossed. What to do with so many $50 GC's when most of my travel this year will consist of award bookings.
Jan 8, 2019, 10:34 am
#1220
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: PSC
Programs: Hilton Diamond/IHG Platinum/DL Plutononium
Posts: 1,728
Jan 8, 2019, 3:51 pm
#1221
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 16
Huh, I'm also in the boat of seat upgrades/ "selections" not automatically reimbursing. It's been since Jan 3, and no reimbursement yet, my award fees/taxes were purchased the same day and the travel credit automatically posted on Jan 4.
Just a simple chat asking about the reimbursement for your seat selection did it?
Just a simple chat asking about the reimbursement for your seat selection did it?
Jan 8, 2019, 3:57 pm
#1222
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,413
The T&Cs seem to say three, but when I called the DM line to buy a ticket a couple months ago (IIRC I was using GUCs so I had to call), the agent offered (without my asking) to let me use all four $50 gift cards in my account.
Jan 8, 2019, 4:40 pm
#1224
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,413
Jan 9, 2019, 7:49 am
#1225
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 54
Amex Platinum
1/4 - Purchased $50 DL GC
1/9 - $50 credit posted
1/4 - Purchased $50 DL GC
1/9 - $50 credit posted
Jan 9, 2019, 9:50 am
#1226
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,269
That limit is really frustrating. I'm in a Delta hub, and Delta gift cards are more valuable to me than those of any other airline, but the limit of 3 per itinerary pushes me to Southwest where you can get reimbursed for a single $200 gift card. It's good to know that some folks have had success using more than 3 at a time, even if it is only YMMV and potentially dependent on status.
Jan 9, 2019, 10:32 am
#1227
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 3,026
Those who have success, please post which card was used. On another blog someone reports NOT getting credit for the $50 Delta GC's purchased through the website this week using Aspire. AmEx told him they fixed the coding of GC's recently and they don't work anymore. Claims they are getting a lot of calls about this.
Plat (200)
Hilton (250)
Jan 9, 2019, 1:33 pm
#1228
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 261
Once I hit submit the page just refreshes. anyone? I tried on Google chrome and firefox.
Jan 10, 2019, 7:28 am
#1230
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: RDU
Posts: 679
First time I've encountered this before - my actual ticket got reimbursed. I believe there are other similar DPs further up in the thread.
1/6 (posted 1/7) - Ticket Purchase, $1xx **
1/7 (posted 1/8) - 4x $50 eGC purchase
1/9 - $1xx credit
The ticket purchase was partially paid for by gift card, with the remaining balance placed on the Plat. The purchase shows as eligible for 5x, but displays as "Additional Collection", which is why it triggered the reimbursement. Miscalculation on my part and slightly annoying, since I don't get any bonus points on the eGC purchase.
Based on this, I expect a credit in the upcoming days for the remainder of the benefit due to the eGC.
1/6 (posted 1/7) - Ticket Purchase, $1xx **
1/7 (posted 1/8) - 4x $50 eGC purchase
1/9 - $1xx credit
The ticket purchase was partially paid for by gift card, with the remaining balance placed on the Plat. The purchase shows as eligible for 5x, but displays as "Additional Collection", which is why it triggered the reimbursement. Miscalculation on my part and slightly annoying, since I don't get any bonus points on the eGC purchase.
Based on this, I expect a credit in the upcoming days for the remainder of the benefit due to the eGC.