modern

I recently flew JFK-CDG and purchased Premium Select for about $2k and used 2 expiring 1/31/2023 global upgrades to immediately get booked into D1 (saved $7k). Flight to CDG was pre 1/31 but return was after, despite Delta website stating all travel needs to be completed before expiration date.

I needed to change my return and at that point they said they couldn't use the cert anymore as it had expired (and told me the original upgrade was incorrect and should not have been allowed), so I was rebooked into Premium Select. At ticketing at CDG I showed the agent my confirmation in D1 for the next day and he looked up that I had indeed used a global upgrade cert, and kindly put me back in D1 despite the upgrade being expired.

Question: Was the original booking wrong in allowing me to use the cert on the return post-expiration? If I hadn't wanted to change my flight, my return seat in D1 was still there after expiration. Booked it via phone with an agent no problems. Maybe Delta states all travel has to be completed, but in practice, if you book a RT that starts before expiration their system allows a return flight after expiration?

findark

Yes, it was wrong.

There are no system controls on certificates whatsoever. The agent confirms or waitlists you for the relevant class of service and enters the 006 document number to attach the certificate, and there is no computer check done - the only enforcement of the rules is by the human. This is part of the reason why you can't do it yourself (and may be slowly changing with the new feature rollout).

sydneyracquelle

The answer is YMMV. Technically the certificate must be used by the expiry date but the reality is most agents don’t look or don’t care and apply it anyways. If you get an agent who won’t apply it HUCA.

tardyturtle

It also seems that the process for agents grabbing the certificates is a bit clumsy and requires them to jot down the certificate number and redemption code manually then enter it onto a different screen. I’d be willing to be that if you offer to read off the certificate number and redemption code to the agent, they might not even bother to check the expiration date!

sydneyracquelle

The dangerous thing about this is if you have certs that expire 1/31/24 and 1/31/25 you want to make 100% sure that they select the 2024 expiry’s first.

modern

Hmmm, there must be SOME computer checking? Otherwise wouldn't people just make up cert numbers to try to use? I have had agents who did not see my certs in my account (though I saw them fine in Delta web site) so I read them the numbers and it worked. I gave real numbers but you are saying anything would work?

flyerCO

Of course you need a real certificate number. Poster never suggested otherwise. The poster clearly stated there's no checking to verify the rules have been followed. As long as the certificate is OPEN, it can be used as there's no computer check on expiration date, does route have actual upgrade space, is agent applying a RUC instead of a required GUC, etc...

WillBarrett_68

What do the Terms and Conditions on your cert say?

WillBarrett_68

The funny thing is that back when the rule was that you could fly after the expiration date as long as the cert cleared and the ticket was reissued before expiration, a lot of agents didn't understand this and would try to block you from using certs this way. Now that the rules have changed it seems a lot of agents are confused in the other direction (I've seen a couple recently who seemed like they were pretty new hires so it's not like they originally learned this stuff under the old rules).

xliioper

T&C's for GUCs and RUCs always stated that travel had to be completed before expiration date. The old SWUs did not have this requirement stated in them.

Upgrade Certificates : Delta Air Lines

WillBarrett_68

this is true currently but hasn't "always" been the case, it was changed 4 or 5 years ago.

xliioper

Look at the date from the WaybackMachine DL archive page linked above. It's definitely always been the case since they replaced SWUs in 2015, but there were certainly people caught off-guard by it since it hadn't been true with SWUs.

It's also mentioned in the old GUC thread on FT --
The Official - GLOBAL UPGRADE CERT success thread - Yay! I got it!
"All flights to be upgraded must be flown, not just requested, by the expiration date of the upgrade certificates, though there have been some examples of short extensions offered by phone agents..."

SuperG1955

This is the first time that I've ever not used all of the GUCs. I had 2 which I'd applied but then had to cancel the flights so they were restored as OPEN. Those 2 now have a status of EXPIRED. as does 1 unused Companion Pass.

RealHJ

exactly! And the issue is that some agents will just pull any random cert, and not use the one that you give the by the number. When they use a later expiring card sooner expiring one, it can take months and many hours of effort and countless denials in getting it set right.

audidudi

Or make it even easier. Why bother choosing the 1/31/25 certs until you’ve used up all the 1/31/24 certs first? Then there’s no need to worry about whether the agent chooses the correct one(s), unless of course you need a 1/31/25 cert to book a trip having used up all the 1/31/24 certs already!