Bougie Miles may receive commissions from certain affiliates. BougieMiles.com has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. BougieMiles.com and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
In This Post
Delta Companion Certificate Guide
Everyone knows about the Southwest companion pass as a great way to allow a companion to fly for free whenever you travel (But what if you don’t fly Southwest, because, c’mon, they are only economy, so we know I won’t fly them, like ever) – enter the Delta Companion certificate guide. Luckily, Delta has us covered with their companion certificates. Sure, it’s only good for one flight, but it is still an excellent perk for holding either the Delta SkyMiles Platinum or Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express card. I’ll walk through how to earn and use these certificates and why the Delta SkyMiles Reserve is the card you want if you fly Delta regularly.
A Delta Companion Certificate is a perk of the Delta SkyMiles Reserve and Platinum American Express Cards that you receive each year for renewing your Card. The companion certificate allows you to invite someone to fly with you on an eligible round-trip domestic flight.
Also Read: Delta Status Match and Challenge Guide (2021)
How to Earn a Delta Companion Certificate
There are four Delta American Express credit cards that offer the Delta companion certificate as a benefit:
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card—Offers Main Cabin companion certificate
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express Card—Offers Main Cabin companion certificate
- Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card—Offers companion certificate good for Main Cabin, Comfort+, or First Class
- Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express Card—Offers companion certificate good for Main Cabin, Comfort+, or First Class
To earn a Delta companion certificate, all you need to do is pick up any of these cards and keep it for at least a year. You’ll be given a companion certificate each account anniversary that can be used within a one year timeframe. However, Delta was excellent about extending the certificate expiration due to COVID-19. One interesting thing that I learned the hard way is that the upgrade certificate is not awarded until one year after you upgrade to an eligible card. For example, I upgraded from the Delta Gold to the Platinum card a few months before my anniversary date and was told I wouldn’t receive the companion certificate until a year from the upgrade which is completely out of line with the way American Express deals with other things based on your cardmember anniversary.
The Delta Reserve companion certificate is far better than the one offered by the Delta Platinum cards since you can book a first class ticket with it. While you’ll still be eligible for upgrades as a Delta Medallion if you book Main Cabin, I think it’s far nicer to just book directly into first class using the certificate.
If you’re one of those airline nerds, there are specific fare classes that you can book with your companion certificate. Obviously, you can’t book an award ticket. You have to book a revenue fare.
| Delta Amex Type | Main Cabin Fares | Comfort+ Fares | First Class Fares |
| Delta Platinum Cards | L, U, T, X, V | – | – |
| Delta Reserve Cards | L, U, T, X, V | W | I, Z |
You don’t need to worry about the fare classes, though. Delta will let you know if a flight is eligible for using your companion certificate when you go to book.
How to Use a Delta Companion Certificate
Delta companion certificates let you book any domestic round trip ticket for yourself and one companion within the continental U.S. (i.e. excluding Alaska and Hawaii). Residents of Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico or the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) 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 USVI. You cannot book a one-way trip.
If you earn a Delta companion certificate, it will show up in your Delta account. To use it, log into your SkyMiles account on the Delta website and find where it says “Advanced Search” on the booking form. You’ll then see an option where it says “Use Certificates, eCredits, or Delta Gift Cards”. Clicking on this will take you to a page where you’ll see your Delta companion certificate(s) listed. From here, it’s a pretty smooth booking process.
Only fares that fall in the applicable fare classes in the table above will be presented in the search. Delta will give you the lowest price for the available flights. If booking economy, you won’t see any flights in Basic Economy (since this is not an option for certificate use) or in the highest, full-fare economy fares.
Here’s one of the better deals I’ve found for flying Delta First Class using a companion certificate for the distance flown. First class for $285 round-trip per person? That’s a steal.
I also found some decent prices flying nonstop Delta first class out of New York to Fort Lauderdale. If only I could use the certificate to fly to the Bahamas. What I’m waiting for is a nice first class sale to Las Vegas flying Delta. It would be amazing to use the certificate for a future trip, although I do prefer flying Mint to Vegas.
Guide Amex Airline Credit: How to Choose Your Airline
Delta Companion Ticket Rules, Restrictions, and General Tips
Delta companion certificate Guide: Here is everything you need to know about the restrictions-
- Travel must be completed by the date shown on the certificate.
- Stopovers, open jaws, and circle trips are not permitted.
- Most fares require an advance purchase of up to 14 days, a 3 night minimum stay and a 30-day maximum stay.
- Tickets are eligible for Global and Regional Upgrade Certificates, but not eligible for mileage upgrades.
- The primary member’s ticket will earn SkyMiles, but the companion’s ticket will not.
- You cannot apply a companion certificate to a ticket that is already purchased.
- Your certificate is deemed used once tickets are issued and it will not be returned or replaced. If your ticket is canceled, the companion ticket will not be reissued.
- Upon redemption, payment of government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $75 for round trip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required.
- Medallion Members or Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card Members traveling with one companion will be eligible for Complimentary Upgrades to both First Class and Delta Comfort+ based on the status of the higher-tiered Member, as long as the Companion is a SkyMiles Member, Medallion Member, or partner airline elite member, traveling in the same reservation.
- The companion certificate is good for flights operated by Delta or any of their domestic regional partners. You won’t be able to use it on the (rare) codeshare flight with other carriers.
- If the primary ticket and companion ticket are changed after issuance, subject to the fare rules of the primary ticket, there will be a $200 administrative service charge for each of the primary ticket and the companion ticket, plus a charge for the fare difference of the primary ticket. Changes are subject to the rules of the fare purchased and are subject to seat availability. After travel has commenced, rerouting is not permitted.
- Delta companion certificates may not be bartered or sold. Companion certificates or companion tickets acquired through prohibited sale/barter transactions are void and will not be honored for travel.
Here are my personal tips for using Delta companion certificates:
- Follow Delta fare sales, since you’re looking for cash tickets that you can use your certificate on. This is especially important if you’re looking for Comfort+ or First Class.
- The companion certificate from the Delta Reserve cards is better since you can book either Comfort+ or First Class. Look for cheap flights in these cabins to get great use out of your certificate. The bonus is that you’ll also enjoy the 150% MQMs if you fly in First Class!
- Book a flight you know you’re going to take. Once you use your certificate, it’s gone, and it is both costly and a hassle to change your ticket once issued.
- Don’t use companion certificates for anyone who needs to earn credit for that specific flight since the companion will not earn miles, MQMs, MQDs or MQS.
Complete Guide: Delta Mileage Run [2021]
Final Thoughts
If you fly Delta regularly, the companion certificate offered by the Delta SkyMiles cards is an excellent perk. You essentially get a 2-for-1 deal (with just a little extra in taxes). I am more partial to the Reserve version, personally. Since you can use this one for first class flights, you can recoup a whole lot of the card’s $550 annual fee. In addition, the Reserve card provides Delta SkyClub access, lounge guest passes and allows you to earn additional MQMs toward Delta Medallion status, making it an all-around excellent pick for a Delta loyalist. Hopefully the Bougie Miles Delta Companion Certificate Guide answers all of your questions, bit feel free to comment below and ask anything not covered.
If you and your companion are in the same reservation, you can request your companion upgrade at delta.com during the booking process, afterward in My Trips, or during check-in prior to departure. *Partner airline elite members are only eligible for Companion Upgrades on paid tickets and Companion Certificates.
No, cannot use miles for the companion certificate costs, you must purchase the primary ticket and pay all associated fees with a Delta Amex Card.
Delta Companion certificates cannot be used for international flights, they are only for travel within the contiguous 48 US states. However, residents of Alaska, Virgin Islands, Hawaii and Puerto Rico can purchase airfare that originates from their state or territory for travel to the contiguous states.
You can use your Delta Companion Certificate to book flights for friends and family even if you are not traveling with them. In order to do this you must book the tickets through your account using your certificate number and Delta SkyMiles account.
Can you book award travel for one ticket and another ticket as companion ticket?
I’m not quite sure what you mean- but if you’re asking whether you can use the certificate to go on the same flight that you book with miles the answer is no- it has to be a paid cash fare.
Why I cannot use my companion ticket to fly to Alaska ?
The problem with the companion ticket is the inventory, the majority of flights I have tried to use mine on will not allow them. I tried 12 different flight from BOS to MYR, none of them would allow use of the companion ticket. They are not worth the hassle.
My company is flying me to a meeting and I want my partner to fly on a companion certificate. The corporate travel agency isn’t able to book the companion certificate (privacy issues). Can I have them buy my ticket first then call Delta and add the companion certificate after?
AFAIK you can’t use the cert on a ticket that has already been purchased, but there may be a workaround. Generally regardless of who books the ticket, it will show up in your Delta Skymiles account at which point you may be able to “modify the flight” and get an ecredit which allows you to rebook.
I agree with Jason. The inventory is too scarce. I have tried several times to use certificates on flights from Detroit to L.A. They have always shown all flights to be Sold Out, even though the departure is more than 6 months out and space on the plane is wide open. It shouldn’t be this tough for customers to book a companion ticket, since it’s basically a 50% off deal, no matter if the full fare is $948 or $248. It is promoted as being a perk for AX customers (which you pay a fee for). I may reconsider getting the AX card next year, since other cards (ex. Visa, with no fee) offer travel perks as well, and are much more acceptable by merchants than AX.
Agreed… It’s definitely lessened the value of the certificate.
The fare classes that you can use the companion certificate on are incredibly limiting. I will definitely be reevaluating if this AmEx is worth it. We are limited on when we can travel due to kids in school, and when we tried to book a trip from 12/16 – 12/24 or a Spring Break trip to Florida, nothing was available to use our TWO companion certificates. 😐
This has been my experience as well. In fact so much so I have now 9 of these companion passes I am unable to use.
9?!? Sorry- I was mad I had 3.
It doesn’t make any sense to me that Delta is charging a fee to change tickets booked with companion certificates when change fees were eliminated for most other tickets. Are you sure about the $200 to make a change?
Can you cancel and just rebook?
I recently upgraded to the Reserve card from the Platinum, and I don’t see the Companion Certificate in my Delta account. Do they not issue the Companion Certificate until after a full year when the card is renewed?
I actually have been meaning to check on this because I’m in the same boat- I’ll contact them over the next few days and report back.
Hi Sean, so I found that the upgrade dates counts as the new anniversary date (which is completely obnoxious since Amex uses the original date for all other cardmember year benefits for example the Aspire credit.) Here’s the terms from the website “If your account anniversary month changes for any reason (for example, due to a card replacement), your Companion Certificate will be issued within your new renewal month.”
WARNING: When using a Companion Certificate, you get charged a higher base fare for the ticket you actually purchase. This is likely why you can’t use the companion certificate to add a passenger after purchasing a ticket. The additional for me compared to purchasing a single ticket was 9%. YMMV.
I believe this is because you are responsible for the taxes on both tickets.
If I use a companion ticket for main cabin since my certificate can I upgrade to comfort after my ticket is purchased because it wont let me upgrade at checkout?
This is my question, too!
I booked flights using my companion pass. The companion passes were going to expire, and at the time I booked Covid seemed much improved & we thought the trip would be fine. Now most of the activities we had booked to do on the trip have been cancelled due to resurgence of Covid. I cannot get a human from Delta on the phone. Now Delta has extended the deadline to use companion passes, but mine is already booked so I don’t know if they will reissue it. I would probably have to cancel my flight online so I wouldn’t be able to speak to a Delta rep to find out what they will do about my companion pass. Does anyone know if Delta’s policy is to reissue my companion pass, or do I just lose this?
My best advice to get someone on the phone is to try their newer text messaging feature- it takes them a short while to respond but once they do it’s just you one on one and I’ve contacted them with several different types of issues and they were always able to help.
Can i use the companion ticket as an international upgrade cert? when I read the terms it said the following.
Not sure if i am understanding in correctly.
Tickets are eligible for Global or Regional Upgrade Certificates but not eligible for mileage upgrades. Beginning April 6, 2017, Medallion Members traveling with one companion will be eligible for Complimentary Upgrades to both First Class and Delta Comfort+® based on the status of the higher-tiered Member, as long as the companion is a SkyMiles Member, Medallion Member or partner airline elite member, traveling in the same reservation.
No, the meaning of that paragraph is that tickets purchased with the companion offer are not able to upgrade using miles- they are however eligible for elite upgrades and certs. Does that make sense?
Hi, I got my Reserve Card in May, so do I only get the companion pass in May 2022, or should I have received it by now? Thanks.
I have an Amex Plat Companion Ticket and will use it for my wife on next trip. We like to go Comfort. Can I pay the difference and upgrade her to Comfort from Main?
You know- this is a great question and I had just assumed I knew the answer but wanted to make sure- since the companion cert follows the same fare rules as the primary ticket and it’s main cabin- I’m going with yes BUT I wouldn’t be surprised if you had to call to make the change so might as well call to make sure before booking.
Den Lauer, the answer is yes. I used my companion pass to book my husband’s main cabin seat; and then, after purchase, I paid to upgrade us to Comfort + (in hopes of getting a complimentary upgrade to First Class 24 hours before check-in due to my Reserve card. Note: I could have paid cash for the Comfort + upgrade but I used points.
I have a companion certificate booked but 1 of the travelers is not taking the return flight. What will happen at the gate to the other passenger. Will they let him on if the companion is a no show?
Yes absolutely- once the flight is ticketed it doesn’t matter.
Trying to use my companion ticket for a trip next July has been nothing but a hassle. I’m highly disappointed at the lack of inventory trying to get to the west coast from MSY.
My question is this: Can I book a companion ticket for the single flight that is available and then change it? Even if I have to pay the difference in price?
I don’t want these certificates to go to waste. Thanks in advance for the respoces.
Can I just use the certificate for myself? Instead of traveling with someone? I need to take a lot of solo flights for work….
No because in order to activate the companion cert there has to be a primary ticket purchased- sucks for those of us who travel alone often.
Do you know how I book two flights from different originating cities to the same final destination for the same dates, using my companion ticket for one of tickets? My sister and I want to meet up for a weekend, and I want to give her my companion certificate.
These certificates are no longer worth it! I have the American Express Delta Platinum card. Like many others, I have 3 outstanding Companion Certificates due to Covid. I have tried on numerous occasions to book flights to FL. CA, TX….nothing! Not one flight for any one of my 3 certificates. Zero! There is no inventory available. It’s time to let it go!
Wondering if worth it to upgrade to reserve Delta Amex Platinum from just Amex Platinum
Would it allow me to use companion certificate for any class showing for example W class
or are there only a certain number of W seats allotted to companion certificates? Spent 2 hours on hold last night to speak to representatives as we have many e credits and a companion certificate. Representative told me companion certificate seats are booked very far out. People book them when calendar opens. So how many seats in each class are really available for companion certificates? Looking like they are not worth the annual fee.
Better perks with other cards
If using miles+cash can you use the companion ticket? I know it can’t be used with miles only…Thanks for any answers
No unfortunately- BUT there is a workaround. You can redeem Skymiles for Delta gift cards and the rates are not terrible. A little less than a cent each.
My mother is giving me her Companion Certificate for upcoming travel. We are following all the rules – purchasing my flight with her credit card – allowing me to utilize the Certificate for myself – the Primary traveler on the itinerary with my wife as the companion. I know I will earn the Miles and I know I will be able for upgrades since I am gold medallion – but will I earn MQD’s. I am checking w/ Delta – but if anyone has experience with that – please advise.