With credit cards like the *delta skymiles platinum card* and the *delta reserve card*, Delta flyers get access to companion certificates that should allow you to bring along a family member or buddy on your next trip for nearly free. But for years travelers have struggled to find fares that work with these tough-to-use certificates.
That's changing in a big way, though. This year, your Delta companion certificate is going to be easier to use than ever – if you know where to look.
Now you can fly not just within the mainland U.S. using a companion certificate, but out to Hawaii, down to Mexico, throughout the Caribbean, and beyond, too. And if you opt to fly during the winter season (the peak season in Mexico and the Caribbean), we're finding ample availability to put that companion certificate to use.
But time is of the essence. As these planes start to fill up with sun-seeking Delta flyers, the fare types will change and render your companion certificate ineligible. So it pays to get booking, and we suggest doing it right now while the prices are best.
Whether it's a beach escape to tropical hotspots like Sint Maarten or Turks and Caicos, or just a quick, easy roundtrip flight to California or Nashville, we've sent dozens of flight deals with companion certificate-eligible fares over the past few weeks to our Thrifty Traveler Premium members.
Don't let that certificate collect dust and expire this year. Use it to fly to paradise instead.
More Destinations to Use Your Companion Certificate
The Delta Companion Certificate is not as easy-to-use as the Southwest Companion Pass, which allows you unlimited companion tickets you can use as long as there's an empty seat on the plane. With Delta – like seemingly all things with Delta – it's more complicated.
For a long time, you could only use these certificates on a fraction of Delta's network, and on extremely select fares. And while not every Delta fare is allowed, the airline made thousands more flights eligible for the companion certificate earlier this year.
When Delta raised annual fees on its co-branded credit cards earlier this year, it also added or revamped some of the perks of these cards, including the expanding the list of eligible destinations where you can use your annual companion certificate.
In addition to flights within the continental U.S., you can now use your companion certificate for the following destinations:
- Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands
- Mexico
- Antigua
- Aruba
- Bermuda
- Bonaire
- Grand Cayman
- Cuba
- Jamaica
- Bahamas
- Turks and Caicos
- Dominican Republic
- Saint Kitts
- St. Maarten
- St. Lucia
- Costa Rica
- Belize
- Guatemala
- Panama
- Honduras
- El Salvador
This is huge news for Delta flyers who want to take a winter trip this year, because there are low fares for many of these destinations in December, January, February, and March if you know where to look.
Note: These expanded destinations are only available on certificates issued Feb. 1, 2024, and onwards. So if you've already got a certificate from the last year set to expire anytime before Feb. 1, 2025, you're stuck flying within the continental U.S. on this go around.
How to Book a Companion Ticket
If you're searching to one of those destinations in the list above, you only have to look for one other thing: The fare class.
While Delta describes almost everything as Basic Economy, Main Cabin, Comfort Plus, and so on, each fare has its own classifier within it, which you'll when you search for flights on Delta's website.
The fare classes will appear as letters. You can see which booking class you should be looking for when you look up your companion certificate in your Delta account.
In the case of the (already spent) companion certificate I get with my Delta Platinum card, it's L, U, T, X, and V fares. All of those fares are main cabin – basic economy fares are not eligible for companion passes.
The Delta Platinum card's companion certificate is good for one main cabin roundtrip fare. If you've got the top-tier Delta Reserve card, your annual companion ticket can also be used for Comfort Plus, Premium Select, and first class airfare.
When you search for eligible flights, you can see those fare classes displayed in the search results. I highlighted what you should look for in red in the screenshot below.
On this new nonstop route from Minneapolis (MSP) to Turks and Caicos (PLS), the Main Cabin fares are listed as “V” fares and should be eligible for companion certificates. That means if you search for two passengers, you should be able to apply your companion certificate and only pay the taxes and fees for a second passenger to fly with you!
Knowing these fare codes is helpful, but Delta actually has a Companion Certificate search feature now, too, meaning if you search a certain way, you can see all available companion fares when you book.
The Best Deals to Use Your Delta Companion Certificate Right Now
Delta flights down to Mexico and the Caribbean are as cheap as they're going to get right now. As the weather gets colder and people start to think ahead to their next warm-weather getaway, travelers are going to start booking up those seats – and possibly selling out the particular fare classes you need in order to use a companion certificate.
That means it's high time to snag fares like this for your winter escape to the beach.
To ensure the fare is eligible for a companion ticket, go through the booking process on Delta's website and look for the fare class like I highlighted below. Remember: Only Main Cabin fares or higher are eligible, so you won't get the cheapest basic economy price.
All the nonstop Delta flights to Turks and Caicos included in this deal were eligible for a companion certificate.
The same went for a Thrifty Traveler Premium deal we sent to Sint Maarten (SXM), too. All the Delta main cabin fares on this deal were listed as “T” fares eligible for companion passes.
When you search from New York (JFK), you can see exactly how to find these stellar fares.
First, filter for “Main Cabin” and then click “Use Certificates” underneath if you want to search the easy way. Then, go find your desired flights and book! You could get two, roundtrip tickets to this Caribbean island and back for the price of one (plus the taxes and fees of the second traveler).
Elsewhere in the Caribbean, Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ) is also wide open for companion certificate eligibility, and the prices are even cheaper!
Just double check that you're getting the right fare (a “V” fare in this case), and you're good to go. Just pay the taxes and fees on the companion's fare.
Many of the flights on this Thrifty Traveler Premium deal were Delta fares with companion certificate eligibility.
While you can now use your companion certificate for more destinations, there's still big value to be found using your pass on domestic flights. We've got plenty of great options for that right now, too!
This nonstop flight from Cincinnati (CVG) to San Francisco (SFO) was going to run you $830 roundtrip for you and a traveling companion, but if you use your companion certificate, you can snag it for just $500 total instead!
Plus, you can find cheap flight deals to get even more savings. This latest fare was from a Thrifty Traveler Premium deal on nonstop flights to and from Los Angeles (LAX), meaning LAX travelers could book a $248 roundtrip flight to Nashville (BNA) using the companion certificate and only pay $300 total for both passengers.
From Turks and Caicos to Nashville, we've sent our Thrifty Traveler Premium members plenty of great ways to use their companion certificates for a trip this winter.
Bottom Line
It's never been easier to use your Delta Companion Certificate, and that's especially true for flights this winter all over the U.S., Mexico, and the Caribbean.
But time is of the essence as these planes fill up and the eligible companion fares dissipate. So don't wait to use your companion certificate to book a winter getaway in 2025.