Buying Airline Ticket with Delta Skymiles

[vicarrieous]

Just wondering if anyone has had experience with this:

We are planning a trip for 2017. I should have enough miles for one ticket possibly two. I need to buy 4 tickets. Can I buy them all at once and use miles to pay for 1 or 2 and then cash for the rest? Do I need to do these transactions separately? If I do not have enough for the second ticket I also would like to pay for the ticket partially with miles. So in theory I would love to buy them all at the same time (so I can choose seats next to eachother) and buy one with miles, one with miles and cash, and two with cash.

Any previous experience is appreciated.

 

[sam_gordon]

If the flight is "pay with miles" eligible, you can use miles to pay for part of the ticket. I think it's 100 points = $1 off, but I'm not positive.

This is different than using points for award flights (25k, 37.5k, or 50k points for a ticket.

 

[vicarrieous]

Yea I know that I can use Pay with Miles and its $50 for every 5000 miles. I am just wondering if I can do that transaction with other tickets as well that will be just cash and one that is only miles. So basically

1 ticket - All Miles
1 ticket - Pay with Miles and rest with cash
2 tickets - Cash only

Will I have to do three separate transactions? Can I do it all as one? With kids, I want to have it all as one so I can book seats together and also use the perks from my Delta Gold AMEX for free 1st checked bag and priority seating, but that means they all need to be under my reservation number correct?

 

[rhiansmom]

You will end up with two or three transactions. Call right away after you have all three booked and ask the ticket agent to "link" them together. We learned this lesson the hard way when I had DD and DH on one reservation and me on another ... our flight home got cancelled and they re-booked them on a different flight than I was on. They corrected it after a few phone calls but it was a PIA.

 

[vicarrieous]

You will end up with two or three transactions. Call right away after you have all three booked and ask the ticket agent to "link" them together. We learned this lesson the hard way when I had DD and DH on one reservation and me on another ... our flight home got cancelled and they re-booked them on a different flight than I was on. They corrected it after a few phone calls but it was a PIA.

'

Thats what I needed to know and thanks for the heads up about calling and having them linked together!

 

[DebbieB]

Just wondering if anyone has had experience with this:

We are planning a trip for 2017. I should have enough miles for one ticket possibly two. I need to buy 4 tickets. Can I buy them all at once and use miles to pay for 1 or 2 and then cash for the rest? Do I need to do these transactions separately? If I do not have enough for the second ticket I also would like to pay for the ticket partially with miles. So in theory I would love to buy them all at the same time (so I can choose seats next to eachother) and buy one with miles, one with miles and cash, and two with cash.

Any previous experience is appreciated.

When you say you have enough miles for 1 or possibly 2 tickets, are you basing it on the minimum 25,000? Don't count on that amount, they can be hard to find.

 

[vicarrieous]

When you say you have enough miles for 1 or possibly 2 tickets, are you basing it on the minimum 25,000? Don't count on that amount, they can be hard to find.

Nope, I am basing it on how many miles the flight costs currently.

 

[alliecat523]

Didn't Delta get rid of the agent fee if you called to book (a few airlines have done this recently and I can't remember which). If so, just call them to do it. It will be much easier.

 

[sam_gordon]

Yea I know that I can use Pay with Miles and its $50 for every 5000 miles. I am just wondering if I can do that transaction with other tickets as well that will be just cash and one that is only miles. So basically

1 ticket - All Miles
1 ticket - Pay with Miles and rest with cash
2 tickets - Cash only

Will I have to do three separate transactions? Can I do it all as one? With kids, I want to have it all as one so I can book seats together and also use the perks from my Delta Gold AMEX for free 1st checked bag and priority seating, but that means they all need to be under my reservation number correct?

As I understand/remember, you CAN book them all in one reservation. You book all three tickets, and when it comes time to pay, put in how many miles you want to use, and the rest will go on credit card.

 

[vicarrieous]

Didn't Delta get rid of the agent fee if you called to book (a few airlines have done this recently and I can't remember which). If so, just call them to do it. It will be much easier.

That's good to know! I will have to check on that.

As I understand/remember, you CAN book them all in one reservation. You book all three tickets, and when it comes time to pay, put in how many miles you want to use, and the rest will go on credit card.

I will give it a try first when I am ready to book. I keep going back and forth if I should just book for January. I feel like prices should drop, but I worry miles will go up as more seats are sold. The airfare waiting game is ALWAYS fun. Not to mention, waiting for Disney to release packages and discounts. ugh.

 

[Redarrow5150]

Just an FYI...I booked a one way trip via Delta (came back on another carrier) with my other credit card company. When I used my Delta CC for luggage they charged me on my Delta flight. That purchase showed up on CC statement and when I called I was charged for luggage because I didn't book a flight with Delta. Still ticked about that and once I reach my CC miles goal they will be cancelled. Really I use my Delta CC on there flight and because I didn't book through them I get charged? Garbage.

 

[pixiemama91]

We went in October and I had miles to pay for at least one flight. I think I had close to 45,000 miles. I purchased 3 tickets and when you go to pay you put in how many miles you want to use and it will tell you how much each ticket will be discounted. I believe ours knocked off $150 on each ticket which was essentially the cost of one flight.

 

[sam_gordon]

Just an FYI...I booked a one way trip via Delta (came back on another carrier) with my other credit card company. When I used my Delta CC for luggage they charged me on my Delta flight. That purchase showed up on CC statement and when I called I was charged for luggage because I didn't book a flight with Delta. Still ticked about that and once I reach my CC miles goal they will be cancelled. Really I use my Delta CC on there flight and because I didn't book through them I get charged? Garbage.

I don't understand what you got charged for that you thought you shouldn't be. I have the Delta AmEx credit card. I've purchased flights with other credit cards and get the free luggage. You have to have your Delta AmEx card "linked" with your Delta FF account.

 

[Redarrow5150]

I do. I'm just telling you what the representative told me over the phone. For me to get free baggage I needed to use my Delta miles card when I booked my flight and YES it's linked.

I don't understand what you got charged for that you thought you shouldn't be. I have the Delta AmEx credit card. I've purchased flights with other credit cards and get the free luggage. You have to have your Delta AmEx card "linked" with your Delta FF account.

 

[rhiansmom]

We went in October and I had miles to pay for at least one flight. I think I had close to 45,000 miles. I purchased 3 tickets and when you go to pay you put in how many miles you want to use and it will tell you how much each ticket will be discounted. I believe ours knocked off $150 on each ticket which was essentially the cost of one flight.

That is if you chose the "pay with miles" option and not the fixed miles per flight. Many of their routes aren't eligible for the new "pay with miles" option.

 

[newestkg06]

I did this for our trip. I bought the first three tickets together and then the one with miles separately. I picked seats together. It really wasn't a big deal. I like the deal of "linking" the tickets together. I put all of them on my Delta Amex, but that is a good idea to do anyway. I had to print out boarding passes anyway since my kids don't have smartphones for their own electronic boarding passes So, I just checked everyone in and printed out the passes. Of course, once we got there to check bags, we got more boarding passes....