This will help you get the most value from your upgrades and help you spend more time at the front of the plane. The regional ones will get you a confirmed upgrade to first class on any domestic Delta flight, including transcontinental flights, Central America and some South American flights, and even Delta One flights to Hawaii starting April 1, 2018. Delta Platinum Upgrade Certificates. However, they can now also be applied to award tickets and Miles + Cash tickets on Delta-operated flights. Earn Miles Faster: Medallion members earn miles faster than non-Medallion members when flying Delta or its partner airlines. Availability of Upgrade Certificates is not guaranteed, but Diamond and Platinum Medallion Members have exclusive access. They can be used to upgrade to a higher class of service such as Economy Comfort, First Class, or Delta One. For selections made for 2024 Choice Benefits, recipient status is valid through January 31, 2025. What are the benefits of the platinum card? Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Travel must be completed by this date, not just booked. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Delta Comfort+ is typically offered on domestic and select international flights First Class is typically offered in North America and nearby destinations like the Caribbean and Central America Delta One is generally available on long-haul international flights and certain cross-country domestic flights As the names imply, they're redeemable for either domestic or international travel. You can request and confirm Upgrade Certificates as part of your Choice Benefits whenever you book a ticket. How have your status goals been affected by the Upgrade Certificate changes? We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. There's no point in having Global Upgrades in your account if you can't actually use them and would rather upgrade domestic flights instead. Choice Benefits - a Diamond & Platinum Medallion Exclusive More Miles & Rollover MQMs - a Delta Exclusive My loyalty goes to the better value!!! Id have the Porsche get you if I was Delta, too). Oftentimes the off-peak flight frequencies (think red-eyes) will have open upgrade space even if the daytime flight doesn't. Additionally, members with ones that would expire after June 30, 2020, will receive an additional six months beyond the current expiration date. Delta has revamped the upgrade process, and with it comes some major improvements to availability. What Is a Delta Regional Upgrade Certificate? Delta's top-tier flyers can now save themselves a phone call (and possibly a headache or two). 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. Worth it? Delta doesnt necessarily love Ren and me. You can log in to your Delta account, and select your choice benefits here. Can I Redeem My Delta Upgrade Certificate Online? Well worth the money, not an adv for them btw and note I was skeptical with the cost for 4 people, it took the headaches out of the process. After being Diamond for 12 years I keep hoping they make some improvement to the benefits. I am not interested in PS, and may take AA up on their matching offer. Id much prefer those over Main Cabin seats on international long hauls. Also, you could use your one Platinum choice benefit on the regional upgrades and then choose global upgrades for one of your Diamond choice benefits. Whats the alternative United? Travel On The Fly 2023 Currently, it's only available when making a new booking at Delta.com, though the airline plans to expand it eventually to existing flights as well as on its smartphone app. Feature photo by Zach Griff / The Points Guy. Instead, you have to call Delta Reservations and request that a certificate be applied after you book your ticket. Opinions expressed here are the authors' alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Delta Sky Club Lounges when Flying Delta; Escape Lounges - The Centurion Studio Partner; Eurostar Business Premier Lounges; Many elites haven't been able to use them due to reduced travel during the pandemic. The ability to apply Medallion upgrade certificates is now available online for new bookings. Sadly its a slow death. To redeem your certificates, you will need to log into your Delta SkyMiles account and navigate to the Upgrade section. This just changed and now travelers can request these upgrades online when booking a flight. Global upgrade certificates can be used to upgrade any route whether international or domestic. In addition to Delta Award Travel tickets, Miles + Cash tickets on Delta-operated flights can be upgraded using Upgrade Certificates. You might choose the Choice Benefit of 20,000 bonus . Yes, you can redeem your Delta Upgrade Certificates online through the Delta website. From Priority Pass to room upgrades, we've got you covered. You'll lose out on the bonus miles by changing from gold to Platinum. Improve earnings, maximize rewards and track progress toward dream trips. Are you sticking with Delta? A two-night minimum stay is required. But next year, you can only confirm into Premium Select from Main Cabin. Earlier this year, the carrier formally changed how GUCs work. Once you apply an upgrade certificate, you should then receive an email and a push notification in the Delta app confirming your upgrade request and whether you have been assigned a new seat or added to the waitlist once you've completed the checkout process. He has flown over three million miles, mostly in his favorite bulkhead seat (1B). Given the very interesting changes that AA has made to earning status in 2022, it makes for an interesting dilemma. If you have upgrade certificates in your account, you'll see upgrade availability underneath the flight info. Upgrade certificates are available as choice benefits to Delta Platinum and Diamond elite members. This change means Im going to be way less willing to go out of my way to stretch to Diamond, and will probably just stay around a Platinum. Each upgrade certificate is good for a one-way flight, so it takes two certificates to upgrade an entire round-trip flight. Ask me about the flight I took from DFF-DTW with no water on the plane and wet wipes in the bathroom. Global Upgrade Certificates are available for Diamond Medallion Members, which can be used to upgrade domestic and international flights with Delta and select partner airlines. Simply log in and search for flights as you normally would. All rights reserved. Related: Which 2021 Delta Choice Benefit should you pick for a pandemic travel year? Frank, Your email address will not be published. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. If Im on Delta planes a bunch next year or see that I will be in 2023, then Ill still pursue Diamond. Even though AA can be a dumpster fire at times, I really havent had a bad experience with any of my travel with them this year at all. If your itinerary has multiple segments, you can click on the text to check flight-specific availability. Most other airlines, such as American Airlines, don't let you use upgrade certificates on awards. The Bulkhead Seat provides the tips and tricks hes learned along the way as well as his thoughts on airlines, hotels, destinations, attractions, restaurants, and ways to get more out of loyalty programs. Haha its only a Porsche! This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. But Global Upgrade Certificates surely dimmed in luster during the past 24 hours. Delta says that these updates will be automatically reflected in your SkyMiles account by March 8, 2021. Likewise, your Global Upgrade certificate is worth more when flying long-haul from the U.S. than on a domestic U.S. hop. after you upgrade to the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business American Express Card and spend $3,000 in eligible purchases within the first six months of Card Membership.1 Now. RUCs are eligible for the same routes as Medallion Complimentary Upgrades all Delta-operated domestic flights and select short-haul international flights. Some upgrades are automatic, while others can be redeemed with certificates you can apply for. I was offered 50k miles to upgrade to Platinum. Advertiser Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links below. Nice folks on the front lines, but corporately they are killing themselves. These requests can be made online, through the Delta mobile app, or by contacting Delta customer service. Upgrade certificates cannot be applied online, you must call Delta at 1-800-323-2323 in order to book an upgrade. Find the right card for you. However, the news hasn't all been about improvements. Priority check-in, boarding and baggage handling: Medallion members are given priority check-in, boarding and baggage handling over other passengers. You can apply an upgrade certificate to a flight without upgrade space and be added to the upgrade waitlist. All unused, active and/or previously expired Global Upgrade Certificates and Regional Upgrade Certificates that were selected between March 1, 2019 - Dec. 31, 2020 are being extended or reissued so that they may be booked and flown by Dec. 31, 2021. Your upgrade can clear immediately or all the way up until departure. Upon hitting these status tiers, elites get to pick several Choice Benefits, including Global and Regional Upgrade Certificates. American? When you're ready to use the certificate, call Delta and request that an agent apply it to your reservation. Thanks for catching that. All Rights Reserved, 2 global upgrade certificates and 4 regional upgrade certificates. The next criteria to consider is which cabins you are eligible to be upgraded into. This was especially true following the change to the AmEx spend waiver, which meant I had to go out of my way to snap up the clients that paid for business class on international travel in order to get my MQDs, rather than preferring close, convenient domestic clients. They can be applied to all paid, published Main Cabin and Delta Comfort+ fares, on Pay with Miles tickets, and on Companion Certificates. But confirmed Delta One upgrades going away is a major bummer. We'll run a soft credit check to find special offers, but it wont affect your credit score. This isn't the only positive development for Upgrade Certificates in recent months. Specifically, Global and Regional Upgrade Certificates can be selected as Delta Choice Benefits when earning or requalifying for elite status. This is indeed the final nail in the coffin for me when it comes to my loyalty to Delta. But being I qualified for Platinum status again in 2023, I just went in and selected the four regional upgrade certificates as my 2023 choice benefit. Upgrade certificates can only be applied online for new flights and this must be done on Delta.com. Therefore, it is best to wait until you need the upgrades before choosing this as your benefit instead of choosing them immediately after qualifying for status. This is just the latest move in a string of changes that Delta has made to the upgrade process. Overall, this is great news for Delta Platinum and Diamond members looking to maximize their coveted certificates. Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Regional upgrades on the other hand are only eligible to be used on domestic and select international routes. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Diamond members can select four Global, eight Regional, or two Global and four Regional. The Atlanta-based carrier began rolling out a hotly anticipated new feature to its website this week that allows Diamond and Platinum Medallion members to apply upgrade certificates during the booking process. The specific choices which each level of elite member can choose are follows: If you are a Diamond elite trying to decide between these alternatives, there are two primary considerations. Editors note: This post has been updated to reflect that Upgrade Certificates can now be applied to award and Miles + Cash tickets. The Delta Amex Platinum comes with a companion certificate when you pay the annual fee of renewal. Your email address will not be published. Plus, earn 150,000 bonus Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases on the card within your first 3 months of Card Membership approval. Therefore, if you travel both domestically and internationally you may want to diversify your ability to be upgraded and choose the global certificates. After factoring in the wait time for a representative (and finding one who was well versed in redeeming upgrades), this manual process has been a major drawback to Delta's upgrade system. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. And the Porsche thing? I found it much harder to use the systemwide upgrades with AA than the GUCs with Delta. DELTA From there, you'll complete the checkout process, and you'll then receive an email and push notification in the Fly Delta mobile app confirming your upgrade request and whether you've been assigned a new seat or added to the waitlist. Delta Airlines reserves what are known as its upgrade certificates, specifically for upper-level Delta Platinum and Diamond Medallion elite members. Unfortunately, there is no way around this rule so you will have to at least book a main cabin fare in order to be eligible for an upgrade. Plus, Delta reps generally bend rules or magically make things happen for people with upper tier. If you mostly travel domestically, it's in your best interest to pick either eight Regional upgrades or two Global and four Regional Upgrades as one of your Diamond Choice Benefits. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this sites author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. The regional upgrades are generally only eligible for domestic first class and comfort+, with the exception of transcontinental routes which offer the ability to upgrade into Delta One. Anthony is a road warrior with a love of all things travel. Your email address will not be published. Im new to status, I started this past August. Choice Benefits: Medallion members have the option to select certain benefits, such as additional miles, extra baggage, or a Regional Upgrade Certificate. One important restriction: You can't be flyingDelta basic economy. Related: The ultimate guide to getting upgraded on Delta. Unfortunately, Deltas Regional and Global Certificates still can't be applied online. As the names imply, theyre redeemable for either domestic or international travel. So for the first year you do not receive a companion certificate, only when you start the second year. We are reader supported and a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. In April 2020, Delta announced that Upgrade Certificates set to expire between March 1 and June 30, 2020, would have their expiration dates extended to Dec. 31, 2020. . If you didnt know, Delta Medallion is the frequent flyer program of Delta Air Lines. Ill probably just pay for international business on the airline with the best price and schedule. If you dont see your ticket updated in your online profile, call Delta to ask for a status update. Not all available credit card issuers or card offers are included on the site. They have better routing and partnerships for my travels quite often anyway. As long as you're logged in to your Platinum or Diamond account, you'll be able to check upgrade availability before you book on Delta's website a feature that first debuted in March 2021. Here are a few pointers you can use to ensure you're not 'wasting' your upgrade certificates. See, The ultimate guide to British Airways Executive Club and Avios, Unlock incredible value with Virgin Atlantic points, How to transfer your Avios between British Airways, Qatar Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus accounts, 7 ways to save money on a trip you already booked without canceling your vacation, Old-world elegance in a classic grand hotel: A review of The Langham, London, Air France confirms new LAX lounge, reveals remade SFO lounge, Londons Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse restricting access for some elite members, How to use Google Flights to find cheap flights and maximize your next travel booking, Big Boeing orders, helicopter aerial displays and other highlights from day 2 of Paris Air Show, The Flying Scotsman is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a series of luxury-packed trips, 10 tips for traveling with valuable luggage and handbags, From London to Rio, international Pride events that happen throughout the whole year, The biggest aircraft order in aviation history and other cool things from day 1 of the Paris Air Show. Plus, your own feed of TPG content. These responses have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the bank advertiser. They can be earned through Deltas frequent flyer program or purchased directly from the airline. Read Chris was picked up, but cant help but wonder if Delta knows who they are picking up. Because of these changes, I dont plan on pursuing Diamond in 2022. Platinum Medallion members can use one of their two Choice Benefits selections to nab four of the Regional variety. If you dont place priority on the hard-to-get leg, and the upgrade clears on any other leg, your upgrade certificate is considered used. That means, in most cases, Diamond Medallions can no longer book a main cabin economy seat and then use an upgrade to hop into Delta One suites they'd instead move up toDelta Premium Select, then get added to a waitlist for a final upgrade up front. 4 Regional. Delta was generous to upgrade people from main cabin to D1. Once its burned, its burned. When checking out, the Upgrade Certificate Request window will appear. You can view which flights have upgrade space available when searching for flights on the Delta website. More reason for me to pursue Diamond for 2022! These certificates have a higher priority than Medallion Complimentary Upgrades and may be requested and (subject to availability), cleared as early as when you book your ticket. Ive always claimed them the last week of January. And that was before I took over the blog . However, many travelers report than Deltas IT does not always work as it should, so it is best to take it upon yourself to check on the status of your upgrade. 2023 RewardExpert.com. But they have Diamonds in their eyes. Upgrade Certificates are available exclusively for Diamond and Platinum Medallion Members as a part of your Choice Benefits. You cannot apply these upgrade certificates to basic economy tickets. You can use them on all Delta flights and also on select partner-operated flights. Note, other Choice Benefits, such as the $200 Delta travel vouchers, weren't extended any further. Plus, your own feed of TPG content. But they arent. But will I go out of my way and pocket to qualify for Diamond Medallion status in the future? Again, if your upgrade doesn't clear at the time of booking, you will be added to the upgrade list where upgrades will clear at the airport if available. If available, you'll find the new Upgrade Certificate Request window during the checkout process on Delta.com about halfway down the page. Though Delta Medallions will undoubtedly appreciate the improvements, perhaps the biggest winners are those who plan to call Delta the airline's customer service numbers should be considerably less busy with the debut of the new online upgrade functionality. He has flown over three million miles (mostly in his favorite bulkhead seat: 1B) as he visited over 80 countries. You can also request to be placed on a waitlist if a confirmed upgrade isn't yet available. The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. The regular Amex Platinum doesn't have a . Once one is in the AmEx ecosystem HPs tend to be rare and it won't show as a new account. You also have to pay for Upgrades on American depending on the level you are. Back in October, Delta teased this new online feature while announcing some big changes to earning and using Medallion status for 2023 including higher spending requirements and a few new and improved choice benefits for top elites. Premium cabins and luxury hotels are where he is most often found. The complete table of eligible regions is displayed below. What think chances are? This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post. Delta's regional and global upgrade certificates can be tricky to use because of space constraints, but they're extremely useful when they work. With the Delta SkyMiles Reserve or Reserve Business and Delta SkyMiles Platinum or Platinum Business American Express Cards, you'll receive a Companion Certificate each year just for renewing your Card. Plus, enjoy a welcome bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points, when you upgrade to the Platinum Credit Card from the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card and spend 4,000 in your first three months. Delta upgrade certificates are one of the best benefits of elite status offered by any major US airline. Still, these upgrade certificates are among the most valuable choice benefits available. Check here before booking an award fare. The certificate is valid for one year from the date of purchase, and can be used for travel on any Delta or Delta Connection flight. I worry more about the idea that Platinum and Diamond numbers are sooooooo high for 2022 with all the rollovers that it will be like a concert exit trying to board with early groups too. big changes to earning and using Medallion status, Is Delta Medallion Status Worth it? Global Upgrade Certificates can be used on Delta-marketed, Aeromexico-operated flights when the Diamond Medallion Member also has an international Delta flight included in the same itinerary. Talk to a Delta agent at the airport and make sure you are added properly (your priority will be higher with the certificate than just with your elite status). So they take partner mileage runs to boost their MQD and MQM earnings. If you have Upgrade Certificates in your account, there will be a line indicating whether upgrades are available found just below the flight details that lists the route and flight times. We'll run a soft credit check to find special offers, but it wont affect your credit score. Kind of like you see with some of the super cheap no frills carriers. (Remember, Delta now allows Upgrade Certificates to be used on award bookings and on several passengers with whom you travel .) Delta makes it easy to see if upgrade space is available. If the upgrade is available, the certificate will be automatically applied, and the upgrade confirmed. Being a Medallion member offers a variety of benefits such as: Note that the benefits vary based on Medallion tier, higher level members will have more benefits. I recently booked JFK-BKK with ANA in the room at $3800.00 while Delta was selling at $6800.00. If you're a top-tier Delta flyer, you'll now be able to request an upgrade using any unexpired Regional Upgrade Certificates or Global Upgrade Certificates when making a new reservation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). So, What Is a Delta Regional Upgrade Certificate (RUC)? I would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. There are annoying aspects of these changes, most notably the change in the expiration that gives me one year to use 12 upgrades. Joined FF program in 1983. The new "Upgrade Certificate Request" window appears during the checkout process on Delta.com. Lounge Access: Medallion members have access to Delta Sky Club lounges, as well as partner lounges. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Related: How to earn Delta elite status with credit cards. Of course, not all Delta flights will have upgrade space available at the time of booking. Meaning: Main Cabin goes to Comfort+, Comfort+ goes to First/D1. For example, you currently can purchase a Main Cabin ticket and upgrade straight to Delta One (skipping over Premium Select Deltas premium economy offering) if inventory permits. The worst part is a lot of those FC seats go empty, so its not even like they see revenue from this move. Global Upgrade Certificates (GUC) are available only to Diamond Medallions and one of the reasons people pursue that top-tier status. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. As part of the new one-cabin rule, Delta now promises last-seat upgrade availability in long-haul premium economy and in domestic and short-haul international first class. Upgrade Now. is a former senior editor at The Points Guy covering loyalty programs. Diamond and Platinum Medallion Members can use Regional Upgrade Certificates for regional upgrades. Delta offers two types of upgrade certificates: Regional Upgrade Certificates (RUCs) and Global Upgrade Certificates (GUCs). The certificates work on the same routes as complimentary Medallion upgrades (see the table above). You can quickly and easily select the flights you want to use your certificates. 4 Global or 8 Regional or 2 Global AND 4 Regional. They can also be used on award tickets, miles + cash tickets on Delta-operated flights, Pay with Miles tickets, companion certificates, and tickets booked as a part of a Delta Vacations package. This ensures that you're getting the most value from your Choice Benefits and have upgrades you can actually use. Learn here how to apply. Complimentary Upgrades: Medallion members are eligible for complimentary upgrades to Delta Comfort+ or First Class on certain flights. . We may earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to our readers. He's been a miles and points fanatic since 2014 and previously wrote for Upgraded Points and Credit Karma. Have you already qualified for Delta Platinum or Medallion status for 2023? The one time I was picked up was at an LAX shuttle bus stop between T2 and T3 (when it was still operating). You can choose betweenfour Global Upgrade Certificates (for international flights),eight Regional Upgrade Certificates, or a mix oftwo global upgrades and four regional upgrades. You have to use these certificates by the end of the Medallion year (Jan 31 of the next year): not just book your flights, but actually travel.
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