C+ now considered an upgrade for Amex Companion Certificate
Dec 4, 2015, 9:22 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: NYC
Programs: Delta DM, 2MM
Posts: 1,254
C+ now considered an upgrade for Amex Companion Certificate
I spoke with the Diamond line yesterday (who apparently contacted the promotions desk) and I was told that a DM traveling on an Amex companion certificate would be categorically excluded from upgrading to C+ (whether it be free at the new upgrade window or by paying) as C+ is now considered an upgrade and no upgrades are allowed on companion certificates.
Does anyone have any actual evidence yet to verify this?
Does anyone have any actual evidence yet to verify this?
Dec 4, 2015, 9:23 am
#2
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
I spoke with the Diamond line yesterday (who apparently contacted the promotions desk) and I was told that a DM traveling on an Amex companion certificate would be categorically excluded from upgrading to C+ (whether it be free at the new upgrade window or by paying) as C+ is now considered an upgrade and no upgrades are allowed on companion certificates.
Does anyone have any actual evidence yet to verify this?
Does anyone have any actual evidence yet to verify this?
Dec 4, 2015, 11:00 am
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: BOS
Programs: DL DM 2MM, Marriott LT Titanium, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 15,198
I was wondering about that and suspected this would be the case... no point in having the plat card now if you have status as the Y- companion ticket is complete junk now since you can't even get a decent seat.
Dec 4, 2015, 11:26 am
#8
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
Dec 4, 2015, 11:32 am
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: BOS
Programs: DL DM 2MM, Marriott LT Titanium, Hertz PC, Avis PC
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Can downgrade to the gold card and save 50 bucks or whatever on the annual fee then too. The plat card doesn't do anything over the gold for perks.
Dec 4, 2015, 11:39 am
#10
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 647
Yes a devaluation, but the companion-with-no-status C+ (CWNSC+) rule effectively killed this for me already.
When I use the companion certificate, the certificate gets applied to my companion (b/c I want the miles/MQMs for the trip and the cert does not accrue them). So in this circumstance, I would be a PM flying on a paid ticket with a CWNS flying solely on a cert. The CWNS would put me at the bottom of the C+ upgrade queue in any event, making that upgrade highly unlikely. This rule just makes it totally impossible, which is not that far from highly unlikely.
When I use the companion certificate, the certificate gets applied to my companion (b/c I want the miles/MQMs for the trip and the cert does not accrue them). So in this circumstance, I would be a PM flying on a paid ticket with a CWNS flying solely on a cert. The CWNS would put me at the bottom of the C+ upgrade queue in any event, making that upgrade highly unlikely. This rule just makes it totally impossible, which is not that far from highly unlikely.
Last edited by flyerwma; Dec 4, 2015 at 1:37 pm Reason: to add "solely" in reply to post 14
Dec 4, 2015, 12:12 pm
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: ATL
Programs: DL Scattered Smothered Covered Medallion, Some hotel & car stuff, Kroger Plus Card
Posts: 10,745
We use lots of these certs to fly my or Mrs. Lee's parents around. What sucks is if you can't even pay for the C+ assignment now that it's bundled.
Oddly, this will probably result in me upgrading to DL Reserve and using the FC companion cert for myself.
Dec 4, 2015, 12:20 pm
#13
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: BWI
Programs: DL FO
Posts: 312
FO status basically just happens with my travel patterns - no special effort or mileage runs required, and DL is almost always the cheapest for the routes I fly most often. So FO is effectively free, and the Amex is not.
Dec 4, 2015, 12:29 pm
#14
Join Date: Nov 2009
Programs: DL PM 1MM
Posts: 3,439
Farebasis Code/Ticket Designator
Applicable fare basis code/NN3W (paid)
SCMPL8/NN3W(companion)
Applicable fare basis code/NN3W (paid)
SCMPL8/NN3W(companion)
Dec 4, 2015, 12:46 pm
#15
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: BOS
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Posts: 15,198
The designator is treated as an upgrade inhibitor by the system, so assuming they are using the same type of coding for upgrade processing of C+, the system won't acknowledge the upgrade request. I went through the process with a companion cert I have, and it does let me check the box for C+ upgrade request, however I don't know if it actually will 'take' if I purchase the ticket... which I don't want to do right now so can't tell for sure what happens.
Fyi the /NNxx has the companion cert coding along with exp date in it... the xx is a coded expiration date of your cert for month/year when it expires.
Fyi the /NNxx has the companion cert coding along with exp date in it... the xx is a coded expiration date of your cert for month/year when it expires.