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American Express Delta credit cards have a built-in free baggage perk. And readers have asked how it works.
I’ll explain how to get the free checked bag when you fly. And give you some tips on how to make the most of it!
Get 1 Free Checked Bag with AMEX Delta Cards
Link: Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express
Link: Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express
Link: Delta Reserve Credit Card from American Express
Link: Gold Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card from American Express
This perk is useful if you do NOT have elite status with Delta. (That’s because if you have Silver status or higher, you already get 1 free checked bag.)
And when you travel with friends and family on Delta, you can subtract a lot of baggage fees!
With the AMEX Delta cards, you’ll get a free checked bag for yourself and up to 8 other people traveling on the same itinerary.
Delta says:
Basic Card Members with a Gold Delta, Platinum Delta, or Delta Reserve SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express and up to 8 people traveling on the same itinerary, may check their first bag for free on all Delta and Delta Connection flights.
If you have a family of 4, that’s a savings of $100 each way ($25 per checked bag X 4 bags)!
How Does It Work?
1. Do You Have to Pay With the AMEX Delta Card?
NO. It’s enough to simply have the card in good standing to receive the benefit.
Some cards, like the Chase United MileagePlus Explorer, require you to pay for your ticket with the card to get a free checked bag. But NOT the AMEX Delta cards!
Just be sure to put your Delta SkyMiles number on your reservation.
2. Does It Work for Delta Partner Airlines?
NO. The checked bag perk is only good on Delta and Delta Connection flights. NOT partner airlines like KLM, Air France, or Korean Air.
If you fly on a Delta partner airline, you’ll have to follow their baggage rules.
3. Do I Pay to Check the Bag?
You’ll get your free checked bag automatically when you check-in, as long as your Delta frequent flyer number is on your reservation.
So you don’t have to pay and then wait for a credit.
4. Do I Have to Fly Too?
Yes. You must be on the itinerary. You can’t buy a ticket for someone else to let them get a free checked bag.
Your Delta frequent flyer number is linked to your reservation. So if you’re not flying on the same itinerary, you can’t share the perk.
5. Can an Authorized User Get a Free Checked Bag?
NO.
Delta says:
Benefit is limited to Basic Card Members (not Additional Card Members) with the Gold, Platinum or Reserve Delta SkyMiles Credit Cards.
Authorized users will only receive a free checked bag if they travel on your itinerary.
6. What If My Bag Is Too Big? Or If I Have 2 Bags?
The checked baggage perk is only good for the standard baggage allowance. That means if your bag is over the weight limit, you’ll have to pay excess baggage fees.
If you have 2 bags, the 1st one won’t cost anything. But you’ll have to pay for the 2nd (and 3rd) piece of luggage.
The only way around this would be to let someone traveling with you check your bag if they do NOT plan on checking one themselves.
7. What If My Ticket Already Includes a Free Checked Bag? Can I Get the 2nd Bag Checked Free?
NO. It’s true that some tickets include a free checked bag already.
I called AMEX to see if I could use get a 2nd bag checked for free on those tickets.
The AMEX representative said that the free checked benefit is ONLY for the 1st checked bag. After that, you’ll have to bag excess baggage charges.
Limited-Time Sign-Up Bonuses
Link: Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express
Link: Gold Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card from American Express
Link: Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express
Link: My Review of the AMEX Delta Cards
Through June 30, 2015, there is a limited-time sign-up bonus on the Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express (personal and business) and the Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express.
If you open up a new Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express, you’ll earn 50,000 Delta miles after spending $2,000 on purchases on your new Card within the 1st 3 months of opening your account.
You’ll also get:
- 1st checked bag free for yourself and up to 8 traveling companions on the same reservation
- 2 miles per $1 you spend on Delta
- 1 mile per $1 you spend on everything else
- 20% discount on certain Delta in-flight purchases
- Priority boarding
- Discount on Delta SkyClub lounge passes
- Pay With Miles
- AMEX OPEN discounts (business card only)
- No foreign transaction fees
- Terms and Restrictions Apply
And if you open a new Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express, you’ll earn 60,000 Delta miles after spending $2,000 on purchases on your new Card within 1st 3 months of account opening.
You’ll also get:
- 1st checked bag free for yourself and up to 8 traveling companions on the same reservation
- 2 miles per $1 you spend on Delta
- 1 mile per $1 you spend on everything else
- 20% discount on certain Delta in-flight purchases
- Priority boarding
- Discount on Delta SkyClub lounge passes
- Domestic round-trip companion certificate each year on your card anniversary
- 10,000 Medallion qualifying miles and 10,000 bonus miles when you spend more than $25,000 on the card in a calendar year. And an additional 10,000 Medallion qualifying miles and 10,000 bonus miles when you spend $50,000 in the same timeframe.
- Pay With Miles
- No foreign transaction fees
- Terms and restrictions apply
Bottom Line
You’ll get 1 free checked bag for yourself and up to 8 other people traveling with you on the same itinerary when you have any of the AMEX Delta credit cards.
You’ll automatically get a free checked bag when you check in at the airport. You do NOT have to pay and then wait for a statement credit.
But if you have more than 1 piece of luggage or it’s overweight, you’ll have to pay excess baggage fees.
Remember to add your Delta SkyMiles number to your reservation so that the benefit applies to your trip.
You do NOT have to pay with your AMEX Delta card. But if you do, you’ll get 2 Delta points per $1 spent on Delta tickets.
And these cards have a limited-time increased sign-up bonus until June 30, 2015!
If you apply for the card, but dont yet have the physical card in hand will they still honor the first checked bag?
The current public offer for the Delta Gold Card is 30k bonus miles for $1,000 spent but if you want to use my refer a friend site it’s 50k for first $2,000 in 3 months and another 10k after $1,000 in the first 6 months + $50 statement credit. Feel free to email me at joetheoneandonly att g mail dot com for the offer!
I have a flight in August and recently purchased my tickets – then afterwards received the Gold Delta Skymiles card. Two different individuals confirmed that I did not need to pay for the flights with that card in order to receive the free bags (despite what the wording says on the website, etc.). They said it’s possible I could need to show my card when I check my bags (though I shouldn’t have to, they recommended bringing it along). Also, note neither AMEX nor Delta seemed to know that when I applied for my card online that I would receive my card number immediately, as well as a temporary CID. Perhaps this doesn’t happen for everyone (?), but I was immediately approved, and had I known this I would have applied for the card and paid with that card (and of course received the $50 statement credit). In case you’re curious – Delta does not allow for payment to be changed to another credit card after the purchase has been made. I would have had to cancel and re-book. Love Delta, but I was surprised by this. I’ve made this request once in the past with Hilton and once with National, and both times they easily accommodated my request.
So you didn’t end up getting the 1st bags free?
Are these recent confirmations? Thanks!
I have had bad experience with the delta Amex 1st bag free…. it is very important to note. This benefit ONLY applies to folks that do NOT have a ticket that provides for a free bag….. clear at top of article points that small but important issue out. Normal tickets holders that have bag provided free will not benefit…..
Hi! I’m wondering if it’s still the case (Feb 2017) that you don’t have to pay for the tickets with the card to get the free checked bags? That’s the impression I got, but now I’m worried I’ll get stuck with $100 in extra fees. Anybody have a recent experience with this?
I would like to know this also! Anyone get first bag free in 2017 for having Delta Amex but paying for trip with other card?
I fly all the time for work and have to use the corporate green card from Amex. I personally have the Delta Amex linked with my skymiles number and have never had to pay for a checked bag. I almost never use the Delta Amex, only keep it for the baggage perk. Just make sure you include your skymiles number when booking the ticket.
I would also like to know this. I signed up for the card through Delta’s website at the time of my booking. However, it told me my “up-front” credit line wasn’t enough to cover the trip, so I had to pay with another card, since I didn’t have the Gold Delta AmEx card and access to my full line of credit. It defeats the purpose of me signing up if the baggage allowance ends up not applying, which was the main reason I did it.
Have you found out if it works? Thanks! Is it still the case in spite of the wording?