How do airline card perks work for companions on my booking?

Two different perk families, often confused

Same booking perks are passive: put your companions on the same reservation and follow the card's rules, and bags or boarding extend to them automatically. Companion tickets or certificates are active: a voucher you must redeem through a specific booking flow, with fare class and route restrictions.

Decide which family you actually need. Traveling pairs who check bags mostly need same booking perks. Couples who take one bigger paid trip a year get the most from a companion certificate.

Same booking perks compared

The rules that make companion perks work

• check_circleEveryone must be on the same reservation as the cardholder. Separate bookings, even for the same flight, do not count.
• check_circleUnited requires the ticket to be purchased with the card.
• check_circleDelta requires the primary cardholder's SkyMiles number on the reservation, and only the primary cardholder's presence triggers the waivers.
• check_circleAdditional cardholders on your account generally do not carry the bag benefit themselves; check your card's terms.

Companion certificates: what they are and what they cost

Delta's SkyMiles Platinum (350 dollars) and Reserve (650 dollars) cards issue one companion certificate each year when the card renews. The Platinum certificate books a round trip main cabin companion fare; the Reserve version also covers Comfort+ and first class, on round trips within the United States and to Mexico, the Caribbean, or Central America. You pay the companion's taxes and fees.

Southwest offers a different model: its Companion Pass is earned through points activity rather than granted by a card, though Southwest card bonuses count toward it. Whatever the airline, a certificate is only worth what you would have paid for the second seat on a trip you would truly take, on routes and fare classes where the certificate can actually book.

Choosing a card for companion value

If you always fly with one other person and check bags, an entry level airline card already doubles its bag value, and the 99 to 150 dollar fees are easy to clear in a trip or two. If you take one substantial paid domestic trip a year as a pair, a Delta Platinum style certificate card can be worth its fee on that single booking, but only if the certificate books your dates and route.

Read redemption complaints before buying a certificate card: limited seat availability and fare class restrictions are the most common reason people fail to use these, and an unused certificate is worth exactly zero.

Common questions

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