This past month Kathy & I had a delightful adventure to visit home, aka Northern California. This was a nice mix of visiting family and simply escaping the house (given my recently broken leg, to say I’ve felt stir-crazy is an understatement). The trip was lovely, full of sleeping in late in nice hotels, windy roads to different wineries, and some delicious foods. Highly recommend on all fronts – Healdsburg to Bodega Bay and Point Reyes.
Even though this was a domestic trip, it was still quite expensive. The average domestic airfare alone for a single ticket is $385.50 (see BTS Q2’25 fares). While this obviously varies greatly by airport, connections, etc., the simple fact is it’s not cheap. There are so many opportunities for discounted fares, promotions, and points redemptions, so it’s always worth a little hunt to see if there’s a worthwhile deal.
Enter Delta Companion Pass.
This is an annual renewal perk for the American Express Delta Platinum card. The card comes with a steep annual fee ($350), but also quite a few benefits (like this companion pass) that make that absolutely worthwhile beyond the free checked bag and premium boarding group. The math for our flight is pretty impressive.
- Ticket cost: $431.97
- Taxes: $82.40
- Companion ticket cost: $50
- Total paid cost: $534.67 ($431.97 + $82.40 + $50)
- Total value: $828.72 (for my calculation purposes, this is the basic economy flight I would have purchased two tickets for instead)
- Savings: $828.72 – $534.67 = $294.05 (only slightly less than the annual fee alone!)
Now here’s the thing. This is far from the optimal value I could have got, as there was a specific schedule and flight we wanted. There are options now for some international flights as well, which certainly would be even more savings. Regardless, that’s a free hotel night and a nice dinner. Nothing to scoff at.
It’s also true that there are fare restrictions, so not all routes/dates are available for redemption. Ultimately I’ve found it’s harder to use than it should be, but there’s still plenty of options to get good value. Obviously it only makes sense if you have two folks traveling.
There are a number of cards offering some version of companion passes, though note there are widely varied requirements (note, these all have annual fees). This is not comprehensive, but here are a few of the current offers:
- AMEX Delta Platinum Card – Annual companion fare with card renewal
- Bank of America Atmos Card – 25k points or $99 companion fare with signup/spend requirement
- Citi AAdvantage Globe Card – Companion pass with card renewal for $99 booking fee