Delta Free Checked Bag With Delta Card Question!

[allysetraskos]

I will be flying out my younger niece on the unaccompanied minor program through Delta.
I am a delta card member we get 1 free bag per person when we fly.. Since I am booking her ticket will she get the free bag too or do I need to be present for her to take advantage of that?

 

[tinka-belle]

As far as I know, the card member has to be on the same itinerary for the free checked bag benefit.

Actually on the same record, not just the itinerary. My sister could not get the free bag since she had me purchase her ticket once for trip the 3 of us took together a week after DH and I purchased our tickets.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

As far as I know, the card member has to be on the same itinerary for the free checked bag benefit.

Actually on the same record, not just the itinerary. My sister could not get the free bag since she had me purchase her ticket once for trip the 3 of us took together a week after DH and I purchased our tickets.

Yes I do believe they have to be present to get the benefit (or at least that's my knowledge on the subject).

However, when we flew to Hawaii this past September we used Amex Delta Skymiles pts for one ticket and then purchased the other ticket using the Delta CC. Because of that we had two different reservation numbers.

Our 1 checked bag that we had used got pretty banged up by the time it made it to Hawaii. We spoke with the Delta desk and they immediately offered to give us a brand new suitcase free of charge....well the original one we didn't want to just throw away because it was still good for car trips just not for flying (we would use a good amount of duct tape to get the damage suitcase home) so that meant we had 2 large suitcases on the way home.

My husband called Delta just to see if they could extend the benefit to me for a free checked bag and they said yes. I don't know if it's because we are married and they could see that we had to purchase under two different confirmation numbers (because of using points for one ticket) or whatnot but they just "linked" our reservation numbers together and the benefit for 1 free checked bag applied to me. They actually told us we could have done that on the way to Hawaii but we didn't even think about that.

So my guess is there are situations when two different confirmation numbers can be linked together to extend the benefit but what those situations are I don't know other than what happened to us.

 

[AquamarineSteph]

When I book two Delta airline tickets for me and my other half using my Delta AmEx card, we both have the free bag even though the card is in my name. These tickets are booked together for the same departure, same flight, same everything.

It has always been my understanding that if the tickets are booked at the same time under one reservation for people traveling together, then the luggage benefits apply to all travelers in that party. I do not know that for sure, but that has always been my experience in the past.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

When I book two Delta airline tickets for me and my other half using my Delta AmEx card, we both have the free bag even though the card is in my name. These tickets are booked together for the same departure, same flight, same everything.

It has always been my understanding that if the tickets are booked at the same time under one reservation for people traveling together, then the luggage benefits apply to all travelers in that party. I do not know that for sure, but that has always been my experience in the past.

Yes that's how it works. You get up to 9 free checked bags (1 for each person) for those under the same reservation as yours regardless of you actually being the card member or not. Meaning you could bring your aunt, uncle, cousin with you if you are the card member and they would get 1 free checked bag each provided they are on your reservation with you (the Basic Card Member’s SkyMiles number has to be included on the reservation or so Delta's website says).

The issue that the other poster and myself commented on is because we weren't on the same reservation as others in our traveling party.

For my situation the Delta rep specifically said they needed to link the two reservations (1 reservation/confirmation # for using points and 1 reservation/confirmation # for using the CC to buy the other ticket) in order for the system to apply the benefit for my ticket that had been purchased with Delta Skymiles points. YMMV.

 

[allysetraskos]

Thanks!! - I was hoping we might be able to get to use the free bag because the darn unaccompanied minor fee is so much (more then the cost to fly two people).

 

[emmabelle]

so if I apply today and our trip is in 3 weeks, I should be able to fly our 5 suitcases for free? It will cost $250 to fly our suitcases with out the free baggage credit, so it seems like it would make sense.

 

[allysetraskos]

so if I apply today and our trip is in 3 weeks, I should be able to fly our 5 suitcases for free? It will cost $250 to fly our suitcases with out the free baggage credit, so it seems like it would make sense.

Thats exactly why we got the card too... Plus you get a $100 statement credit when you spend like I think $300 the first few months... The card DOES have an annual fee of $99 though so just be mindful of that if you plan on keeping it longer then a year. For us it made more sense to use it since we had to fly the 5 suitcases PLUS we got the 5 carryons.

 

[emmabelle]

I could always cancel the card before I have to pay the $95 since it's free for the first year.

I was thinking of making the family bring duffle bags that can go in the overhead, for some of the clothes, to cut down on the $50 per suitcase. But then it's such a pain to lug them through the airport.

 

[AquamarineSteph]

If you go with the Delta AmEx platinum card, it also includes baggage insurance. I'm not sure if the regular one does or not.

 

[emmabelle]

Delta emailed and said he was approved, with his 825 credit score it was a done deal. I already have his skymile number attached to the itinerary from when I booked the trip in February. Do I have to do anything else or will Delta know?

 

[disneyholic family]

Delta emailed and said he was approved, with his 825 credit score it was a done deal. I already have his skymile number attached to the itinerary from when I booked the trip in February. Do I have to do anything else or will Delta know?

you show your credit card...at least that's what we've had to do in the past..
show our credit card to obtain the benefit...