Jan 6, 2020, 1:19 pm
Last edit by: rrgg
Please read: This is a community-maintained wiki post containing the most important information from this thread. You may edit the Wiki once you have been on FT for 90 days and have made 90 posts.
Reminder: you must enroll and select your airline BEFORE making a reimbursable purchase. http://www.americanexpress.com/airlinechoice -or- "Call the number on the back of your Card to select a qualifying airline."
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
Quote:
TL;DR: Anything coded as an additional collection (a.k.a. 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, provided that the amount charged to your card is $250 or less (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 always $250 or less)
How to do it: With waived fee for cancellation/changes on non-refundable tickets (due to COVID-19) you get an eCredit when cancelling it, so you can:
Paying for a ticket partially with SkyMiles
NOTE that DL has two different programs for partially paying with SkyMiles, that seem superficially similar, but are quite different
other non Gift Card options
these may not credit automatically, but people have had success getting them processed manually after the fact
(DEAD) eGift Card (eCert) details
Reminder: you must enroll and select your airline BEFORE making a reimbursable purchase. http://www.americanexpress.com/airlinechoice -or- "Call the number on the back of your Card to select a qualifying airline."
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 (the Gold credit is going away in 2022). Hilton Aspire AMEX is eligible for a $250 airline credit.
- You must click here to 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.
- 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
Quote:
TL;DR: Anything coded as an additional collection (a.k.a. add/collect or a/c), including difference in fare when changing flights,
How to do it: With waived fee for cancellation/changes on non-refundable tickets (due to COVID-19) you get an eCredit when cancelling it, so you can:
- Buy a non-refundable ticket with any combination of gift card/eCredit plus your AMEX, again provided that the residual amount charged to your card is $250 or less
- After credit has posted, and at least 48 hours after buying it, cancel it (ensure there's no fee for cancelling it) so you get an updated eCredit for the full ticket amount.
- alternatively, if you buy a ticket far enough in the future, there is no particular need to cancel the ticket, just change it once you have some new dates or itinerary in mind (you can change origin, destination or both)
- however, note that the waiver of change fees on Basic Economy tickets is ending: https://www.delta.com/us/en/travel-p...sbeforeapril30
- thus you should use main cabin tickets for this purpose (assuming DL does not extend the BE policy due to omicron etc.)
- You can even use the result of (2) as an eCredit to repeat step 1 with a different AMEX card if you have multiples. Note that in this context, changing an unflown future ticket is exactly equivalent to an eCredit in the amount of the ticket's value.
- 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). This is just an example; as per the previous bullet there is no reason it needs to be specifically $50, or even a gift card. The "additional collection" is what leads to the credit, the reason why it is "additional" is unimportant.
- In general, only additional collections less than ~$250 are automatically reimbursed. If you use a $50 gift card to buy a $500 ticket, a $450 additional collection will be generated but it will not be auto-reimbursed by Amex.
- If you already have gift cards or ecredits in particular denominations that don't line up well with the price of the ticket you want to buy (additional collection will end up being too much to get auto-reimbursed or too little to efficiently use up the fee credit), consider whether you may be able to reach a better outcome by splitting up the purchase -- buying a round trip as two one ways or buying multiple passengers separately. But, note that buying 2 one-ways instead of a round trip can sometimes cost more, making it not worthwhile, and note the caveats about multiple passenger purchases below, as well as considering the risk that buying 2 passengers separately can have negative implications for Medallion upgrades (if applicable) as well as creating the risk that you are separated from your travel companions if there is a flight cancellation.
- The "additional collection" transaction notation shows up after the transaction posts, on the website only (both desktop and mobile) if you click into a transaction to view the details (it does not appear in the app, or while the purchase is pending)
- Note that special care is needed when booking tickets for 2 or more people in a single transaction.
- When booking multiple people in a single transaction on Delta.com, each person's ticket charges to the credit card in a separate transaction, and gift cards are used starting with the first ticket until they are exhausted. So for example if you were booking 2x $210 tickets, for a total transaction of $420, if you used a $200 gift card the charges would post to Amex as a $10 additional collection on the first person and a $210 regular ticket charge for the second person, resulting in only a $10 reimbursement. For the same two tickets if you used a $220 gift card, the first person would be covered entirely by the gift card and the second person's ticket would charge as a $190 additional collection, resulting in a $190 reimbursement.
- This would work differently if ecredits are used instead of gift cards since ecredits are not transferrable -- ecredits can only be applied to a ticket for a person whose name is on the ecredit; if other people are booked in the same transaction, any leftover ecredit balance will *not* be applied to those other people.
- Canceling a ticket within the 24-hour[1] risk-free period generally results in funds being returned to where they came from (GC back to GC and CC back to CC) even if the ticket is non-refundable; also, Delta interprets the 24-hour risk free cancellation period generously -- you actually have until midnight of the day following the day of booking (in which time zone is oft-speculated but unclear). Thus, this can work out to nearly 48 hours if the timing is exactly right. Hence the suggestion above to cancel only after 48 hours, or avoid canceling altogether.
- Caution when buying multiple tickets in a single transaction: 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). In this situation you would need to book the two tickets separately to get the credit on each one.
- FCM offers may require accepting for the entire trip (vs just one segment) or calling in to up-fare the whole trip (please post data points either way)
Paying for a ticket partially with SkyMiles
NOTE that DL has two different programs for partially paying with SkyMiles, that seem superficially similar, but are quite different
- Pay With Miles is a feature available to DL-branded AMEX cardholders that lets you pay for part of your ticket using SkyMiles in increments of 5,000 miles = $50. If you use PWM then the remaining amount charged to your card posts as additional collection and will qualify for the fee credit (multiple data points)
- Miles + Cash is like buying an award ticket but using cash to substitute for some of the miles. As an example, you might be offered a ticket for 40,000 miles + $5.60, or 30,000 miles + $205.60 (these numbers are made up). If you choose the latter option what you are really doing is buying 10,000 miles for $200, then using those 10,000 miles plus 30,000 that you already had to buy the 40,000 ticket + $5.60 in taxes. This will post as two separate transactions, $200 for the miles purchase, and $5.60 for the taxes on the award ticket. The $5.60 will be reimbursed (just like any other award ticket). The $200 seems like it does not get automatically reimbursed, although it may post as "Frequent Flyer Fee/Purchase" in which case you have a pretty good case for getting it credited manually by contacting AMEX.
- Note: Miles + Cash is usually a terrible value (even for SkyMiles)
- See the list of FAQs at the bottom of the "Pay With Miles" page for more info (search in particular for "What is the difference between Pay with Miles and Miles + Cash?")
other non Gift Card options
- baggage and other service fees (same day change/standby, change fees, etc.)
- taxes on award flights (including the $5.60 September 11 security fee)
- in-flight purchases (EXCEPT wifi) -- although currently nothing available due to COVID?
- 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)trip extras have been discontinuedThe $59 for Delta Skymiles Select is reimbursed (posts 2180, 2182)SkyMiles Select is no longer available for purchase
these may not credit automatically, but people have had success getting them processed manually after the fact
- seat purchase fees (if you buy an upgrade and it does not credit automatically and you call in, do not call it an upgrade, call it a seat purchase/assignment fee)
- premium beverages purchased in the Sky Club (post 462)
(DEAD) eGift Card (eCert) details
- gift cards have not worked since 2019/06/22 and this section has been removed to save space. See the 2015-2019 version of this thread for historical details.
Airline fee $250/$200/$100 reimbursement reports: DL only (2020-21)
Dec 3, 2020, 10:24 pm
#961
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 1,610
Thanks for helping out. It seems I might have misunderstood how this works.
Should I just buy a standard flight, say Basic Economy fare, without checking the "Refundable Fares" box, up to $250 (as GC is $50)?
Then after 48 hrs, cancel this flight and have the $250 value returned as eCredit?
Thanks
Should I just buy a standard flight, say Basic Economy fare, without checking the "Refundable Fares" box, up to $250 (as GC is $50)?
Then after 48 hrs, cancel this flight and have the $250 value returned as eCredit?
Thanks
Dec 4, 2020, 2:18 pm
#962
Join Date: May 2016
Location: searching FT for a J deal
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Unobtainium, Delta Diamond
Posts: 268
Thanks for helping out. It seems I might have misunderstood how this works.
Should I just buy a standard flight, say Basic Economy fare, without checking the "Refundable Fares" box, up to $250 (as GC is $50)?
Then after 48 hrs, cancel this flight and have the $250 value returned as eCredit?
Thanks
Should I just buy a standard flight, say Basic Economy fare, without checking the "Refundable Fares" box, up to $250 (as GC is $50)?
Then after 48 hrs, cancel this flight and have the $250 value returned as eCredit?
Thanks
Do not purchase a refundable fare.
You should be good!
Dec 4, 2020, 3:50 pm
#963
Join Date: Dec 2020
Posts: 1
Has anyone been able to stack up the delta offer with the credit?
i have $80 charged on the gold card so far, and the offer is spend $300 get $120 back
so if I book a ticket of $270, paying with $50 GC and the rest with my gold card, I’ll be able to get $120 back?
i have $80 charged on the gold card so far, and the offer is spend $300 get $120 back
so if I book a ticket of $270, paying with $50 GC and the rest with my gold card, I’ll be able to get $120 back?
Dec 4, 2020, 6:40 pm
#964
Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,053
Success...
Sometime next year three of us will travel to Florida. Not sure exactly when. But we have 1x Gold card and 1x Platinum so a total of $300 credit to burn this year, and $300 available on Jan 1st.
Tuesday... Bought 3x $50 gift cards (from raise.com which discounted the CGs and applied a 10% first order bonus on top, so all three cost me $127.01 - and used a Citi card giving me 5x points on online purchases!)
Tuesday... Found one-way flights to Florida for $153. Bought three in separate transactions across the Gold and Platinum cards.
Thursday... Pending $103 charges show up as cleared "Additional Collection"
Friday... Benefits page shows that I have used all of my credit.
Saturday... Credits appear in both amex accounts.
Now I wait until January when I will cancel the tickets for eCredit (for full value thanks to no-fee COVID-19 terms) that I will then use on round trip tickets and use up next year's airline credits (I do hope the "Additional Collection" path still works).
Sometime next year three of us will travel to Florida. Not sure exactly when. But we have 1x Gold card and 1x Platinum so a total of $300 credit to burn this year, and $300 available on Jan 1st.
Tuesday... Bought 3x $50 gift cards (from raise.com which discounted the CGs and applied a 10% first order bonus on top, so all three cost me $127.01 - and used a Citi card giving me 5x points on online purchases!)
Tuesday... Found one-way flights to Florida for $153. Bought three in separate transactions across the Gold and Platinum cards.
Thursday... Pending $103 charges show up as cleared "Additional Collection"
Friday... Benefits page shows that I have used all of my credit.
Saturday... Credits appear in both amex accounts.
Now I wait until January when I will cancel the tickets for eCredit (for full value thanks to no-fee COVID-19 terms) that I will then use on round trip tickets and use up next year's airline credits (I do hope the "Additional Collection" path still works).
Last edited by dkerr; Dec 7, 2020 at 6:15 pm Reason: Added that credits appeared on Saturday
Dec 4, 2020, 8:32 pm
#965
Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 46
Better to use the $200 Airline Credit, which will be cancelled for TF with Delta or Southwest?
Where and how are you purchasing the $50 Delta Gift Card to do this?
Where and how are you purchasing the $50 Delta Gift Card to do this?
Last edited by mia; Dec 5, 2020 at 6:13 am
Dec 4, 2020, 9:39 pm
#966
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: 18,928
If you want to go the gift card route, the most straightforward and obvious answer is the Delta web site: https://www.delta.com/us/en/gift-cards/overview
but there are caveats like the min $50 denomination and the 72-hour waiting period if you buy directly from there. Smaller denoms are known to exist but may not currently be available (e.g. do a thread search for "rapido")
However there are other channels for buying DL gift cards both online, and also physical cards in retail stores like the gift card rack at grocery/pharmacy/office/hardware/electronics stores, so it's worth considering what other CCs you may have with points earning bonuses or AMEX offers etc. to optimize where you buy the GC.
Dec 5, 2020, 8:27 am
#967
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: SAF
Programs: HH Gold, IHG Gold
Posts: 675
1) Purchase $50 Delta eGift card (used non-AMEX card for purchase to keep things cleaner)
2) Wait 72 hours so eGift is valid
3) On delta.com purchased a one-way tic for $260ish - applied $50 eGift first, then remainder on Plat (note was under the $250 limit for the balance)
4) Remainder from step above came out as $200 airline credit and balance billed to Plat card)
5) After I saw everything clear there, purchased another one-way for Ms. G2244 which brough recent Delta spend to $300+.
6) Several days later, Delta offer shows on transactions for -$120.
YMMV
EDIT: Dear AMEX - please don't hate me. Most people will not jump through this many hoops and I am spending the hell out of this card with the 10x on Groceries and Gas for 6 months. It is a win-win. Thank you State that allows wine purchases in grocery stores.
Last edited by G2244; Dec 5, 2020 at 8:33 am
Dec 5, 2020, 8:34 pm
#968
Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 46
Once I book at $249 Flight with Amex Platinum personal and use the $50 GC, how long do I wait before cancelling the flight? How long is the eCredit valid for? Does it start from the day of cancellation for 1 year only?
Dec 5, 2020, 11:54 pm
#969
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Minneapolis
Programs: DL DM, IHG Spire, Marriott Platinum, National EE
Posts: 318
I’d wait 2 calendar days to be safe. It’ll be good through 2022.
Dec 6, 2020, 4:43 pm
#970
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Atlanta Metro
Programs: DL , AC, BA, Hhonors Diamond, IH Platinum, Bonvoy Gold, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 2,354
So I don't see any discussion in this thread of the fact that the $100 credit for the Gold Amex is going away after next year.
https://thepointsguy.com/news/amex-g...e-credit-2022/
I'm almost relieved, because it was kind of a struggle to utilize this one AND the Platinum one.
https://thepointsguy.com/news/amex-g...e-credit-2022/
I'm almost relieved, because it was kind of a struggle to utilize this one AND the Platinum one.
Dec 6, 2020, 7:49 pm
#972
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,955
All qualifying eCredits (those from tickets purchased before April 17, 2020, for travel March 1, 2020, through March 31, 2021) will be automatically extended to December 2022 so there’s no action needed on your part. If your eCredit for canceled travel has not yet been processed or extended, or is temporarily displaying incorrectly, there is no need to call. Rest assured your flight value is secure and will be ready to redeem online when you need it.
Dec 6, 2020, 8:43 pm
#973
Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 46
So if I purchased and cancelled the Delta ticket now, for how long is the eCredit valid for? When would it expire? Thanks!
Dec 6, 2020, 10:08 pm
#974
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Somewhere over the rainbow
Programs: Airline Free Agent, Bonvoy Platinum, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 3,811
Need to rebook and fly the new flights within a year from the original issue date. So, if you buy a ticket on 12/12/20 and cancel it on 12/23/20, you need to use and have flown the flights by 12/12/21.
Dec 7, 2020, 7:56 am
#975
Join Date: Dec 2020
Posts: 1
Anyone have any luck recently with upgrading to Comfort+ from Main Cabin and getting it to trigger?