How To Get and Use the Delta Companion Certificate

What’s better than getting a great deal on a plane ticket? Getting 2 plane tickets for the price of 1! Getting a 2-for-1 deal on a plane ticket is possible with a companion ticket.

Southwest Airlines’ Companion Pass is probably the most well-known companion ticket perk, but did you know that Delta also offers a companion certificate? It’s not quite the same, but it still has a lot of value.

Here’s how to get a Delta Companion Certificate and use it for maximum value!

What Is the Delta Companion Certificate?

The Delta Companion Certificate is a great perk that comes with select Delta credit cards. This perk allows you to essentially get a 2-for-1 deal on a plane ticket. When you purchase 1 ticket, you can use the Delta Companion Certificate to purchase a second ticket, and you only have to pay the taxes and fees (between $22 and $250 — for itineraries with up to four flight segments).

Here are a few rules from Delta to keep in mind when using your Delta Companion Certificate:

• The ticket is good for domestic, Caribbean, or Central American travel
• Companion certificates can be transferred, so you can book for someone else. But once the ticket is issued, it’s not transferable.
• Companion certificates can’t be applied to fares that have already been purchased.
• If you cancel your reservation, your companion certificate won’t be reissued.
• The companion ticket must be for the exact same flight as the original paid ticket. You can’t use the companion certificate to purchase a fare for a friend on a different flight.
• Travel for the Companion Certificate must be booked and completed by the date on the certificate.
• The paid ticket and companion ticket are both eligible for upgrades as long as both passengers are either Delta SkyMiles members or elite members of a SkyTeam alliance partner airline. Any upgrades will be processed according to the passenger with the highest Delta status.
• Companion ticket fares may require an advance purchase of up to 14 days, a 3-night minimum stay, or a 30-day maximum stay.
• Some flights may be excluded, and stopovers and open jaws aren’t eligible for companion flights.
• Blackout dates are subject to the rules of the primary ticket fare purchased.
• The primary, paid ticket on the itinerary earns Delta SkyMiles, but the companion ticket does not.
• Delta eCredits can be applied as payment toward the cost of the primary ticket, companion ticket, and any government-imposed taxes and fees.

Bottom Line: A Delta Companion Certificate allows you to purchase a second ticket on select flights for only the price of the taxes and fees on the second ticket.

How To Get a Delta Companion Certificate

You can earn a Delta Companion Certificate simply by having the right Delta credit card in your wallet.

American Express offers 4 co-branded personal Delta credit cards and 4 co-branded Delta business credit cards in total, but not all of them come with the Delta Companion Certificate.

The Delta Companion Certificate is only available with the following cards:

• Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card
• Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum Business American Express Card
• Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card
• Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card

The companion certificate varies slightly depending on what credit card you hold.

Delta Platinum Credit Cards [Personal and Business]

Both the Delta Platinum card and Delta Platinum Business card come with the companion certificate benefit. This perk offers 1 round-trip, Main Cabin companion ticket per year after you pay your annual fee. The Companion Certificate will be available for redemption in your renewal month.

You’re responsible for paying the taxes and fees on the companion ticket. The companion ticket is valid for L, U, T, X, and V classes of service only (these letters refer to different levels of economy fares) and may not be available on all flights or in all markets. Both the first ticket and the fees for the second ticket must be charged to your Delta card.

Delta Reserve Credit Cards [Personal and Business]

If you have either the Delta Reserve card or the Delta Reserve Business card, you’re eligible for 1 round-trip companion certificate per year after you pay your annual fee. You’re responsible for paying the taxes and fees on the companion ticket.

Both the first ticket and the fees for the second ticket must be charged to your Delta card and/or eCredits.

Bottom Line: A Delta Companion Certificate is a perk that comes with the personal and business versions of the Delta Platinum card and Delta Reserve card. If you aren’t sure which of these credit cards is right for you, check out this guide to the best credit cards for Delta flyers.

How To Use the Delta Companion Certificate

Your Delta Companion Certificate can only be used on Delta.com; it can’t be used on Delta flights that are purchased on any other website.

Once you’re logged in to your account, you’ll be able to see your companion certificate in the My Profile section. There is also a SkyMiles Quick Link for View vouchers, eCredits, & Certificates that can get you there.

From there, you can select your companion certificate and then search for flights as you normally would. The system should automatically filter out the flights that aren’t eligible for a companion certificate ticket.

There isn’t a price limit to the ticket you can purchase with your Delta Companion Certificate. So, the higher the price of the ticket, the more value you get from this perk.

Let’s say you and a friend want to travel from New York to Los Angeles for a long weekend, but the tickets are $500 each. While you might not want to spend $1,000 for this trip, with the Delta Companion Certificate, you can purchase both tickets for just $500 (plus the taxes and fees on the second ticket).

You can easily get hundreds of dollars of value from this 1 perk!

Final Thoughts

The Delta Companion Certificate is a great deal. This perk allows you to buy a second seat on a Delta flight for the price of the taxes and fees. That means you and your companion can fly for essentially the price of just 1 ticket!

The companion certificate is available as a perk on 4 Delta Amex credit cards: the Delta Platinum card, Delta Platinum Business card, Delta Reserve card, and Delta Reserve Business card.