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AMEX Delta Companion certificate Consolidated Thread

AMEX Delta Companion certificate Consolidated Thread

Old Dec 30, 2018, 8:40 am
  #2326  
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Originally Posted by Gynob001
I just can't get a companion ticket (Delta AmEx Platinum) although I tried to book unrestricted main cabin. I gave up.
My question is-Is the card still worth its annual fee? The companion ticket was my attraction to AmEx Delta Platinum.
You must not be very flexible. I have had Delta platinum and reserve cards, and have successfully used the certificates every year. I Just used the platinum certificate for a trip to New York in spring.
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Old Dec 30, 2018, 9:07 am
  #2327  
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Originally Posted by Gynob001
I just can't get a companion ticket (Delta AmEx Platinum) although I tried to book unrestricted main cabin. I gave up.
My question is-Is the card still worth its annual fee? The companion ticket was my attraction to AmEx Delta Platinum.
There must be L/U/T/X/V availability on the flights in order to use the cert. Did you check that first? You must start your search by the selecting cert (you can no longer select cert after a search has been started). If you are selecting unrestricted main you must be in the advanced search, which means you are starting in the wrong place. An unrestricted main cabin flight wouldn't be applicable for cert use anyway as it wouldn't be an L/U/T/X/V fare.
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Last edited by xliioper; Dec 30, 2018 at 9:14 am
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Old Jan 4, 2019, 12:40 pm
  #2328  
 
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To answer my own question, once the award flights are ticketed on Delta.com the AF seat maps open up and I was able to select a seat (with a fee).
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Old Jan 7, 2019, 10:39 pm
  #2329  
 
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Hoping someone has some insight on this... for years have used Delta Platinum Amex. In December, upgraded to Delta Reserve to utilize the SkyClub access instead of paying for it separately as well as the upgraded companion fare ticket (booking in C+ or First). I just went to book a flight using the certificate and it's still showing my Delta Platinum card in My Wallet, and thus, only showing flights avail in Main Cabin. Any idea how or when it will change over to the Delta Reserve I now have (it's the same card number as my previous Platinum - was just an upgrade, not a new account).
Thanks for any help!
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Old Jan 7, 2019, 10:55 pm
  #2330  
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Originally Posted by melissaru
Hoping someone has some insight on this... for years have used Delta Platinum Amex. In December, upgraded to Delta Reserve to utilize the SkyClub access instead of paying for it separately as well as the upgraded companion fare ticket (booking in C+ or First). I just went to book a flight using the certificate and it's still showing my Delta Platinum card in My Wallet, and thus, only showing flights avail in Main Cabin. Any idea how or when it will change over to the Delta Reserve I now have (it's the same card number as my previous Platinum - was just an upgrade, not a new account).
Thanks for any help!
If this is a certificate that was issued while your card was a DL Plat card, then upgrading it to a Reserve card doesn't magically change the existing cert into a Reserve cert -- that only takes effect the next time you hit your anniversary date and a new cert is deposited into your account, i.e. the next cert you receive will be a Reserve cert (provided you haven't downgraded in the meantime )
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Old Jan 7, 2019, 11:10 pm
  #2331  
 
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UGH, thanks. I had a feeling that was the case despite the Amex agent I spoke to when making the switch indicating that it WOULD magically change. Ah well. Next year
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Old Jan 8, 2019, 7:33 am
  #2332  
 
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Originally Posted by mdbowers
Are people still using the companion certificates to book a second seat for themselves? The only threads I've seen about people doing that are a few years old, so I wasn't sure if people have done it more recently.
I did this for a trip last month, booked online with the second passenger EXST (lastname). A couple of the gate agents initially balked at scanning two boarding passes, and for some reason I couldn't do online check-in for my return (didn't like EXST in the exit row maybe?) but in the end it worked fine.
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Old Jan 9, 2019, 10:35 am
  #2333  
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Originally Posted by RealHJ
Why not just load up your PNR on airfrance.us and select your seats there? The seats should be always selected on the operating airline site if you want it to stick and work, doing it on dullta.com often doesn't work at all, and even when it looks like it does, there is a good chance that it doesn't really save with the operating carrier.
Agree with this rule -- the one exception I've found is that if the flight is AM-operated. DL will not charge you to select preferred seating on AM if you have Medallion status through Delta.com, but AM will charge.

The one nuance is that Delta's seatmap for AM flights will show as all open, even though this is not true. You'll need to look at AM's seatmap to determine vacant seats, and then select through Delta.com
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Old Jan 10, 2019, 6:18 am
  #2334  
 
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Looking at using my AMEX Reserve cert and noticed that the terms haven't been updated to align with the new first class fare buckets - specifically the terms and search engine still only look for A or I class, when Z is now the lowest class. Has anyone called in and been successful in getting them to book into Z instead of I only? This increased the fare several hundred dollars versus being able to use Z (old A).
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Old Jan 10, 2019, 9:11 am
  #2335  
 
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Originally Posted by whooperatw
Looking at using my AMEX Reserve cert and noticed that the terms haven't been updated to align with the new first class fare buckets - specifically the terms and search engine still only look for A or I class, when Z is now the lowest class. Has anyone called in and been successful in getting them to book into Z instead of I only? This increased the fare several hundred dollars versus being able to use Z (old A).
This is a valid point. I remember when sLUT was no longer the lowest, it took a while for the lower fare classes to be incorporated. Z is only available on Delta One or otherwise J class marketed flights, right?
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Old Jan 10, 2019, 9:26 am
  #2336  
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Originally Posted by whooperatw
Looking at using my AMEX Reserve cert and noticed that the terms haven't been updated to align with the new first class fare buckets - specifically the terms and search engine still only look for A or I class, when Z is now the lowest class. Has anyone called in and been successful in getting them to book into Z instead of I only? This increased the fare several hundred dollars versus being able to use Z (old A).
Why would they need to make a change?? Both A and I are one-up from the lowest levels (G and Z). Nothing has changed there. You will pretty much never see a case where there is G/Z availability, but no A/I fare availability. Don't think you understand how the fare buckets work.
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Old Jan 10, 2019, 9:52 am
  #2337  
 
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Originally Posted by LBJ
Why would they need to make a change?? Both A and I are one-up from the lowest levels (G and Z). Nothing has changed there. You will pretty much never see a case where there is G/Z availability, but no A/I fare availability. Don't think you understand how the fare buckets work.
No I understand. I also saw previously where G was available but the search engine wouldn't accept it when Delta went to GAP fares, not just A/P for domestic first class. I believe it may be the same bug here now that Delta has aligned domestic first class fare buckets with business class buckets, leaving the GAP buckets for Premium Select.

I am seeing Z availability for 2 people ATW-ATL on my dates I am interested in, but when doing the search it only returns I for the companion certificate. My only other thought is there is another restriction on the availability of the the Z fare with companion code, though I suspect the search engine isn't looking for Z since the terms didn't have Z in it previously and at the moment still don't. In this case it is about a $190 price difference, not insignificant if still a $535 dollar savings over buying the two tickets outright.
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Old Jan 10, 2019, 11:10 am
  #2338  
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Originally Posted by whooperatw
No I understand. I also saw previously where G was available but the search engine wouldn't accept it when Delta went to GAP fares, not just A/P for domestic first class. I believe it may be the same bug here now that Delta has aligned domestic first class fare buckets with business class buckets, leaving the GAP buckets for Premium Select.

I am seeing Z availability for 2 people ATW-ATL on my dates I am interested in, but when doing the search it only returns I for the companion certificate. My only other thought is there is another restriction on the availability of the the Z fare with companion code, though I suspect the search engine isn't looking for Z since the terms didn't have Z in it previously and at the moment still don't. In this case it is about a $190 price difference, not insignificant if still a $535 dollar savings over buying the two tickets outright.
I think the source of confusion may be the fare ordering (looks like G was added around 2014). It's FPAG, not FGAP. You couldn't book a G fare (the lowest FC fare) even when they were available as you had to book into A. Now that they are JCDIZ fares, the situation is analogous (you have to book into I, even if there is lower Z fares available). Why should they make Z fares available when they didn't make G fares available?

Last edited by xliioper; Jan 10, 2019 at 11:27 am
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Old Jan 10, 2019, 12:49 pm
  #2339  
 
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Yes - FPAG is the correct order; GAP was just a term used to discuss the cheaper fares I've seen used and rolls off my tongue a bit easier then PAG of FPAG.

Now, I thought after some time they did start selling G fares with the certificate even if not directly listed. I think the intent of the cert is to be forced into the lowest buckets with the most limited availability. In the case of the reserve cert they hold you to the second lowest bucket in first class and lowest 3 in coach per the terms, which may have slightly more available seating on average but also a higher ticket price which helps negate the value to the user (requires more cash outlay). This then theoretically lowers the actual cost to Delta by earning more income for a companion ticket then allowing the lowest fare bucket to be used. Now I am not saying they are required to, clearly the terms are for an I fare and can be kept that way, but it is just interesting that a perceived higher value certificate doesn't return the same value as say a Plat Cert i.e. being able to get a companion seat in the lowest buckets; not withstanding the many derivatives of YMMV and opportunity cost and so forth. In this case, I would consume 2 Z seats, driving down that inventory along with the correlating LUTXV inventory normally required for Z to be available, and driving more customers to higher cost tickets. Though, if enough people are biting in the I class, the same effect is had plus more money is in the hands of Delta so kudos to them and their data management team.
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Old Jan 14, 2019, 6:17 pm
  #2340  
 
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I'm seeing ATL-CDG on AF for 66.5k points in J for many days in July. But DL award site refuses to show and AF flights. Is there any work around? Is it worth it?
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