How I saved over $1,200 on a trip next year with this 1 credit card perk

I've always been a planner — especially when it comes to travel. Sure, there are last-minute deals and pots of award availability that come up shortly before departure, but with a 10-year-old daughter bound by a school schedule and a spouse who also works full time, planning ahead is a necessity.

And recently, it allowed me to snag a fantastic deal on a flight for a trip next April.

Here's how I saved over $1,200 booking first-class flights using my Delta Air Lines companion certificate.

Overview of the Delta companion certificate

I've held the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for a number of years, and it remains in my wallet for a few key reasons:

• Elite status: Each year, I earn 2,500 Medallion Qualification Dollars just for holding the card, plus another 1 MQD for every $10 I spend in a calendar year.
• Sky Club access: I get 15 Sky Club visits every year, plus four one-time guest passes.
• Statement credits: The card gives up to $240 in statement credits each calendar year on eligible Resy purchases in the U.S. (up to $20 per month). I also get a statement credit of up to $200 every calendar year by booking prepaid hotels or vacation rentals via Delta Stays.

In addition, new cardmembers can currently earn a welcome bonus of 70,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.

On top of all that, one other reason to consider keeping the card is the annual companion certificate you receive upon renewal.

This allows you to bring a companion on an eligible round-trip flight in economy, Delta Comfort, Premium Select or first class, simply by paying the taxes and fees (starting at $22) on your companion's ticket. This benefit is valid on select fare classes on Delta-operated domestic flights or short-haul international flights to Mexico, and select destinations.

(This benefit is also available on the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card.)

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And with my 2025 certificate, I knew exactly how I wanted to use it.

Related: Why the Delta SkyMiles Reserve card is still one of the best cards I've added to my wallet

Booking my companion ticket

The companion certificate will be posted to your Delta SkyMiles account on (or around) your card renewal date. To find it, log in at delta.com or through the Delta app, navigate to your account and open the "Certificates & eCredits" section.

To use it, simply select it, then click "Redeem" at the bottom.

This will bring you to the search box, with a notice at the top that you're booking a flight with your companion certificate.

For this year, I knew that we were planning a getaway to Utah for either late-season skiing or some national park exploration, so I had my eyes on a round-trip flight from Orlando International Airport (MCO) to Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC).

I entered those in the search box. When the results came up, I had my pick of cabins, which were indicated by the "Certificates Applied" under each one.

I ultimately opted for the last flight out so my wife and I could work a full day, and then I chose a late-morning return. And since this was a vacation, I opted to splurge on first class. My total price for me and my daughter: $1,268.58.

When I looked at the pricing breakdown, my ticket was $1,237.98, and hers was just $30.60 in taxes.

I had to charge the ticket to an American Express card to use this benefit, though it doesn't have to be the Delta Reserve. I opted to use my The Platinum Card® from American Express to earn 5 points per dollar spent on flights (on up to $500,000 spent on flights booked directly with airlines or via American Express Travel® per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent), which earned me 6,345 Membership Rewards points.

Even better? My ticket counts as a full revenue ticket, earning me roughly 8,000 redeemable miles as a Gold Medallion member plus 1,124 MQDs.

Yes, that's a lot to spend on a plane ticket, but I viewed it as spending less than $635 per passenger. For relatively long first-class flights — one of them is blocked at more than five hours — I felt that it was worth it. And without the certificate, these same flights would've been nearly $2,500!

All in, the certificate saved $1,207.38.

Of course, I could've gone for economy or Comfort, and while the savings on those options would've been less significant, they still were substantial:

• Economy: $568.58 with the certificate instead of $1,075.96, a savings of $507.38
• Delta Comfort: $788.57 with the certificate instead of $1,515.94, a savings of $727.37

The Delta Reserve card imposes an annual fee of $650 (see rates and fees), so any of these discounts would cover most if not all of that fee.

Read more: Is the Delta Reserve Amex worth the annual fee?

Important restrictions

As noted previously, this companion certificate isn't valid across Delta's entire global network. Instead, it applies to domestic flights (including to Alaska and Hawaii) as well as international flights to select destinations. While you can use it for economy, Delta Comfort, Premium Select or first class on these routes, it is limited to the following fare classes:

• Economy: L, U, T, X and V
• Delta Comfort: W and S (but only when one of the eligible economy fares is also available)
• Premium Select: A and G
• First class: Z and I

If these are sold out on one or more of your flights, you won't be able to use the certificate.

This happened to me last year, as only the outbound flight was available in first class, and I had to settle for Delta Comfort on the return.

In addition, it must be a round-trip itinerary on Delta-operated flights. It's not valid on partner airlines, and you can't book a one-way or open-jaw routing.

Finally, you must book and complete travel by the certificate's expiration date. I've found that these certificates are typically issued at the beginning of your renewal month and are valid through the end of the month after your card renews, which gives you nearly 14 months to use them.

In spite of these restrictions, if you plan far enough in advance, you shouldn't encounter too much difficulty.

Bottom line

I recently used my annual companion certificate from the Delta Reserve Amex to book a first-class flight for my daughter and me to Utah next spring. Based on the cost of the ticket, I saved over $1,200, effectively dropping each of our flights to less than $635.

Sure, I could've gone with economy or Delta Comfort, but there's something fun about starting (and ending) a trip with a comfortable ride in the sky.

I'd never consider booking these first-class flights at the full price ($1,237.98 each) — but the companion certificate put them within reach.

To learn more, check out our full review of the Delta Reserve Amex.

Apply here: Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card

For rates and fees of the Amex Delta Reserve, click here.