Delta SkyMiles Platinum Companion Certificate: Is it a good deal?

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If you enjoy flying with Delta, you should strongly consider adding the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card to your wallet. That’s because this card offers an incredibly lucrative perk: an annual companion certificate.

What is the Delta Companion Certificate?

The Delta Companion Certificate allows you to invite someone to fly with you on a domestic flight. Each year when you renew your card, you’ll receive a companion certificate that allows you to add another passenger to a domestic round-trip flight reservation for only the cost of taxes and fees (a maximum of $75). This perk is potentially worth many hundreds of dollars.

How to Get a Delta Companion Certificate

The easiest way to get the coveted Delta Companion Certificate is to apply for a Delta Amex credit card that includes this as one of the benefits. 

Which Delta cards offer a Companion Certificate?

See below for the current welcome bonus offers. It’s a great opportunity for you to quickly earn enough miles to take a trip on short notice:

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card: Earn 50,000 Bonus Miles and 5,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card in the first three months of card membership. Plus, earn up to $100 back in statement credits for eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants in the first three months of card membership.

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card: Earn 60,000 bonus miles, 5,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs), and a $100 statement credit after spending $3,000 in purchases in the first three months of card membership.

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card: Earn 60,000 bonus miles, 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs), and a $100 statement credit after spending $4,000 in purchases in the first three months of card membership.

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card: Earn 50,000 Bonus Miles and 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new card in the first three months of card membership. Plus, earn up to $100 back in statement credits for eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants in the first three months of card membership.

When will I receive my Delta Companion Certificate?

In case you missed it in the fine print, this is important — you will get your companion ticket on your card renewal anniversary. Meaning that you won’t receive it until you’ve had the card for a full year. Upon your first card renewal you’ll receive notification that the Delta Companion Certificate is available in your Delta profile wallet. You can find it in the section called “credits and certificates.” 

How to use the Delta companion certificate

Cardholders of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve and Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card will receive a Delta Companion Certificate every year when your card renews. The certificate will be available on the renewal month. To find and redeem the Companion Certificate: 

1. Log on to Delta.com
2. Go to My Delta
3. Click on “Credits and Certificates” in the “My Wallet” box
4. Select the available certificate
5. Search for eligible flights and book your trip

When and where you can fly with a Delta Companion Certificate

When you can fly will be determined by various factors. Fortunately, Delta lets you search for eligible flights, so you don’t have to guess. With the Delta Companion Certificate you can fly anywhere within the 48 contiguous United States. Think of this as a two-for-one deal, the companion flight must be booked at the same time and share the same itinerary as the primary flight. 

How valuable can the Companion Certificate be?

The companion certificate can be worth upwards of $700 or more, depending on when and where you fly. Even with the restrictions on using the companion certificate, many people in online forums have confirmed they had little to no trouble finding an eligible flight. Keep in mind that you will only need to pay the taxes and fees on the flight book with the Delta Companion Certificate.

To give you an idea of how valuable the certificate can be, I looked at a flight from Denver to New York in December, 2020. If you were to pay cash for these flights, you’d be out of pocket a grand total of $1,560.40. But by redeeming the companion certificate, you’d pay just $800.40 — a savings of over $700.

Can you use a Delta Companion Certificate with miles?

This is a great question, and shows that you are really thinking about creative ways to maximize your travel benefits. Unfortunately, in this case, the companion certificate can only be used to accompany a flight that was purchased with a Delta SkyMiles American Express Card. The good news is that you will accrue miles for that flight that you book (although the companion certificate flight will not). 

FAQ about the Delta Platinum Companion Certificate

Does the Delta Companion Certificate have any restrictions?

The companion certificate allows you to add one passenger to a domestic round-trip flight reservation for just the cost of taxes and fees of no more than $75. It also comes with the following fine print in the eligibility terms:

• Redemption is only available on delta.com, and both passengers must be booked at the same time, in the same class of service and in the same record
• Most fares require an advance purchase of up to 14 days, a three-night minimum stay and a 30-day maximum stay
• You must use your Platinum Delta SkyMiles card to pay for the tickets
• Only eligible on Delta, Delta Connection carrier and Delta Shuttle flights within the 48 contiguous United States
• Residents of Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands must originate from there to the 48 contiguous United States and have an address on their SkyMiles account in Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands
• Seats are only available in L, U, T, X, V classes of service
• You’ll earn miles on the paid ticket, but not the companion ticket

Can a Delta Companion Certificate be upgraded?

Although the Delta Companion Certificate is valid for seats in the main cabin, it can be upgraded as long as the companion traveler is a Delta SkyMiles, Medallion member, or partner airline elite member as well.

And if you have purchased the primary ticket as a first class fare with your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card you can also use your companion certificate for a first class ticket. 

Can I give my Delta Companion Certificate to someone else?

Yes, you can give your Delta Companion Certificate to someone else. The Delta Companion Certificate can be used by any two travelers and the cardholder is not required to be one of the two. The cardholder will simply need to book the airfare with their credit card. So by all means, if you aren’t able to use the companion certificate before it expires, share the love with two other travelers.. 

Bottom line

Each year when you renew the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, you’ll receive a companion certificate that allows you to add another passenger to a domestic round-trip flight reservation for only the cost of taxes and fees. Depending on where and when you fly, this could end up saving you hundreds of dollars, making the card’s annual fee well worth it.

But Delta has a lot more to offer than just a companion certificate. You can register in the Delta SkyMiles loyalty program where you can earn miles and status with the airline for more time and money-saving perks like priority boarding, free checked bags on Delta flights and Delta Sky Club lounge access.

Let us know if you’ve used the companion certificate and what your experience was like.

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