If you use the "Pay with miles" option, isn't it already 1c/mile? What's the difference between the $450 e-cert and 45K DL miles(value at 1c/mile)?

When you use the pay with miles options to flat out book a ticket - it does not qualify for RDM accrual and "may" not be eligible for upgrades.

Can anyone who has done this confirm that if you book a flight with a e-cert then you can earn the RDM and MQM ?

it's not work in Canada...Hmm..

Turning an award ticket into a revenue ticket that earns RDSm, MQMs, and upgrades.

Why not just redeem the 50,000 miles for $450 worth of Amex gift cards through the Delta Sky Miles Marketplace? You could use the giftcards to pay for a fliight, earn miles on the flight, or spend the cards on whatever else you want. Why go through the hassle of buying and refund a ticket? Am I missing something?

I think you'd need status to get the gift cards at that rate. Without it those gift cards would be more expensive.

No, as long as you have AMEX Delta card, exchange rate is 11K DL miles for $100 AMEX GC.

Also, isn't "Pay with Miles" available for revenue ticket? Or it's only for award ticket?

Pay With Miles is available for revenue ticket - but you do not earn RDM's or MQM's and only can get limited upgrades

I have a very strange update to report... We did this (see my earlier post in this thread) in my wife's account and then used the eCert to book two separate itineraries for my wife and me. Same price, same flights, etc, just booked separately. We used the eCert. When I look at her flight, the billing details indicate it is a pay-with-miles and notes the original ticket number. Mine does not.

Stranger yet is that I just booked another ticket for her based on that same eCert and that one does NOT note the original ticket number and appears eligible for RDM/MQM earning.

I'm not about to call Delta and ask them to fix the one ticket but others may want to watch the billing details after booking to make sure the original ticket number isn't attached to the new ticket, making it pay-with-miles, and cancel w/in 24 hours if so. I'm beyond the 24 hour window and will just resign myself to not earning the MQM/RDM for her. It's not a lot. And not worth compromising the other 2 RT's booked with the eCert.

Thanks for the update. That is good to be on the look-out for. Would you update us after the flights to confirm whether RDM/MQM was awarded for each of the flights you used with the e-cert. I'm guessing there is no problem with using the e-cert to book flights in anyone's name, correct?

I very much doubt she'll earn anything on the flight since it doesn't consider her eligible for an upgrade (she's DL silver). Everything appears to be treating it as a PWM ticket. Bummer.

And I won't know for a long time. The flight's in November. Thankfully, it was a low price, short round-trip that was only worth 1000 MQM (which wouldn't really do her any good) and 1250 RDM. Minor annoyance. But it could be a much bigger deal to others. Frankly, we paid less than $200 for the RT which would have made a PWM ticket a better deal than an award ticket anyway. I don't like redeeming @ $.01/mile but it's small enough that I'm not going to worry about it (and the two other tickets where MQM/RDM/upgrade eligibility matter more both appear as normal revenue tickets).

Wanted to bump this thread since I was wondering if anyone had any luck getting this method to work with PWM on a refundable ticket, then getting an e-cert to use on a flight that will earn miles.

I'm seriously considering a trip to Japan and I wanted to take advantage of the Tokyo Haneda promotion, plus use my SWUs to upgrade into BE. I already used my $200 ecert from Choice Benefits for the special BOS-LHR new route in BE.

I definitely have a good chunk of miles I wouldn't mind converting into ecertificates to knock down the cost of the trip.