Sky club membership refund
 

I just started a new job where I'll be flying a large portion of the time. My work will pay for half of the cost of a sky club membership. I had thought about just getting the AMEX DL Reserve, since it includes sky club access, but my supervisor says that the company won't reimburse credit card annual fees. He tole me that he has the AA executive card and charges an admirals club membership to the card and it automatically gets refunded about a month later. Any ideas if this (or any other method of getting a sky club fee refunded after being charged) would work with DL?

I've never heard of DL doing this and I highly doubt it. It sounds like something unique to AA

Maybe buy another 12 month membership and add the 12 months to the existing time period - than you could expense the extension portion?

Wouldn't it be fraudulent to take reimbursement from your new employer for an expense that has been refunded? OTOH, your new boss seems to be telling you how and that he does it.

I'd think about looking for a new job.

The refund of the membership charge if you get access through the card is specific to AA/Citi. Delta doesn't do anything similar.

You could likely upgrade to the DL executive membership (if that is something important to you) and have your employer cover that added cost since the base membership will be covered by your card.

Alternatively drop the DL AMEX Reserve and switch to another card (either another DL AMEX or non-DL card)

It's definitely weird the manager would be explicit telling an employee how to skirt the rules. My company's T&E rules are really vague about some things and I will approve expenses in those categories my direct reports submit if they are not clearly against the rules, but if they explicitly ask me if an expense qualifies or not where the policy is vague I make sure to get an official written answer from a higher-up.

As someone who has said Citi AA Executive MasterCard, there are no charges for the membership to the Admiral's club - rather it is a perk of having the card (and its hefty $450 annual fee).

My understanding is the Delta Reserve also works the same way - you get a membership by having the card, not that the card reimburses you for paying for a membership.

As mentioned by MSPeconomist, the Delta Reserve only allows SkyClub access on days when you have a DL flight.

NO, the DL Reserve card just gives SC access on days when you have a DL or partner flight. It's not a membership.

DMs formerly got comped SC memberships, butt now they're available as a choice benefit selection, as are some SC passes and the upgrade to Executive (which permits free guests).

How much will you be flying on DL? Other benefits of the DL reserve include the companion certificate and MQM bonuses at certain spend levels. The reserve also serves as a tiebreaker on the upgrade list after upgrade certs, medallion level, and fare code. The DL Platinum also gets a companion certificate but no SkyClub with a much lower annual fee.

Color me corrected. I'll edit my post.

Why do you think this is a correction? SC memberships are also restricted to same-day Delta/partner flights. There is no difference.

I think that is new, effective last Friday.

Effective January 1st, 2019:

Why are DL involved?

It's not them that are refunding you but your employer. All DL care about is getting paid for the membership and won't be bothered if the cost is paid back to you via your credit card, employer or your Great Aunt Agatha as a christmas present.

Personally if I was starting a new job and they were refunding me 1/2 the membership cost then I would do it properly and eat the 1/2 I have to pay for and not try and double dip on getting the cost back via my credit card and from them.

SC membership gives access to a couple other lounges (AF at CDG IIRC, for example) that don't accept the DL Reserve card (with a SkyTeam flight) for access. This would only help if the passenger is in coach or PS and isn't GM+ or maybe for a GM+ on a domestic AF flight.

I'll be flying DL a lot. I'm in a DL hub and most of the nonstops to/from here are on DL. But I'm mostly concerned about the Sky Club access with the DL Reserve card, though the other added benefits might be nice. I'm pretty much trying to decide between the Amex Platinum and the DL Reserve.

Does anyone know if Delta will allow you to cancel a Sky Club membership within, say, 30 days if you haven't used it and get a refund?

No -- and will just gloss over the morals of the underlying question you are getting at here.

It's in the T&Cs "Delta Sky Club Memberships are non-transferable and non-refundable. Delta Sky Club facilities may be used only in conjunction with same-day ticketed air travel on Delta or a Delta partner airline. You must be at least 18 years of age for Club membership. You must be at least 21 years of age to enter Clubs with a self-service bar, unless you are accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Access to partner lounges is subject to partner rules, terms and conditions. All Delta Sky Club rules apply to Club membership and use."

No partner lounges in 2019, in the exact same quote I posted above for travel on Delta. They’re the same as the card now.

Is a "real" SC membership still upgradeable to Exec with cash/miles? That might be another difference. (although I forget if a SC membership purchased outright vs a SC membership using a Choice Benefit differed in this regard)

Right; I think Gig103 is thinking of the new United Club restrictions which went into effect Nov 1.

The big difference is that DL Reserve card comes with SkyClub access while the AA Executive card comes with an Admiral's Club membership. I assume what the boss is doing is buying a second membership directly from AA. He submits this to the company for reimbursement and eventually gets refunded for the membership by AA as well when their system sees that he has two memberships.

IMO, this is not feasible on DL as well as being unethical to submit expenses that were later charged back for reimbursement.

Delta will not refund a SC membership. A few years ago when Delta did the serious downgrading of the liquor (fortunately it only last a couple months) to Gordon's some people wanted to cancel their membership and Delta wouldn't budge.

Ooops, it's AA where the restrictions were Nov 1.

Not since Jan 1. SC membership only gets access to SC locations now.

Yes can be upgraded using miles or cash. If you goto the Skyclub membership page it'll give you prices in both.

Upgrading a choice benefit membership is the best deal. It upgrades you through the period your choice membership benefit gives you. Ie I requakified for DM early this year, around March/April. I used a 2020 DM CB to get SC membership valid through Jan 31, 2021. I then went and used miles to upgrade to Executive membership. I now have an executive membership through same date.

Why can't you just get the Reserve card, and print out the page right before you check out for the SkyClub membership online and submit that?

That pretty much crosses the line from borderline-fraud to clear-cut fraud.

How? Still getting a skyclub membership, just a different way. No more fraud than purchasing it, getting a refund and submitting the receipt.

"I just started a new job" says OP.

Perhaps committing what is mail fraud, wire fraud, and income tax fraud on your first day (or thereabouts) is not the best way to advance one's career or keep one's compass pointed ahead.

It is the employer who sets the terms of what it offers and the employee who accepts them, negotiates for different ones, or turns the job down. If the employer chooses to reimburse a membership but not a CC fee which includes a membership, either one asks to have the policy changed, turns the job down, or lives within the rules.

Let's not forget the NBA referees who went to federal prison, not for doing a lousy job officiating, but for purchasing fully refundable F tickets, submitting those for reimbursement and then refunding them and purchasing the cheapest Y ticket to be had. That reimbursement becomes taxable income and they did not report it.

Since they will reimburse half of a membership, why not consider getting a membership for whoever is your second choice carrier? There are many times my secondary carrier is one I have no status on and otherwise have no lounge access when flying them. If your travel patterns are frequent enough, consider who your second choice carrier is and see if you would benefit from lounge access on that carrier if it was half price.

This is an excellent suggestion, tbh.

Good suggestion and if they list that airline as the airline they want the travel credit from with am ex that will cover a lot of the lounge memppbershio as well

this factored into my decision to get the reserve card. The benefit of a SC membership is gone. That one time my friend bought me a ticket on Southwest I was still able to go in the SC because of my membership.
I only used it once in 3 years but as a matter of principle that was the big erosion in SC membership benefits for me. Don’t tell me I’m a member if you’re going to restrict when I can access the place I’m a member of

[QUOTE=fsuj25;31720121]this factored into my decision to get the reserve card. The benefit of a SC membership is gone. That one time my friend bought me a ticket on Southwest I was still able to go in the SC because of my membership.
I only used it once in 3 years but as a matter of principle that was the big erosion in SC membership benefits for me. Don’t tell me I’m a member if you’re going to restrict when I can access the place I’m a member of[/QUOTE]

I guess they're not able to close clubs at night since it's a membership. after all it's not a membership if they restrict when you can enter.

Membership doesn't mean there's no restrictions on entry. It just means you're entitled to whatever the membership Grant's. In this case access to SC when flying DL or partners.

Then why did you agree to the terms & conditions which restrict access to times when you are flying DL?

Bottom line, you are no more a "member" than it is a "club".