Delta's most frequent travelers are rewarded with annual Choice Benefits that include upgrade certificates and SkyMiles. You have until January 31, 2023 to choose your benefits for the following year.
Choice benefits are available to both elite tiers, Platinum and Diamond. The choices for each tier are not the same. If you want to get the most value from your Choice Benefit, you need to study the value of each option. This year's benefits will be slightly different than this year's options.
You can see what each benefit tier has to offer and how to choose your benefits. The new benefit options that will be added for next year won't be included in this article.
You have until January 31st to choose your annual Delta Choice Benefits. You must choose your Delta Choice Benefit by January 31, 2023 if you qualified or re qualified in the year of your membership. Benefits earned for the 2024 membership year will be slightly different from what's offered for the 2023 membership year.
You can choose one Choice Benefit and three Choice Benefits once you achieve Delta Diamond Medallion status. If you go to this page, you can make your selections. You can't make choices later if you don't make them by January 31.
Which benefit should you use?
You can choose your first choice benefit when you become a Platinum Medallion.
These choices range in value.
All flights with first class and the domestic Delta One experience can be upgraded with Delta's Regional Upgrade Certificates. You have to use upgrade certificates by the end of the year.
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On flights to Hawaii and transcontinental flights with Delta One lie-flat seats, we love using these certificates. The total value of four RUCs is in the thousands of dollars because of the paid upgrade costs.
If 20,000 SkyMiles are valued at 1.41 cents, they will net you around $282 in value. This could be more valuable if you redeem your SkyMiles in a different way.
You can use your Choice Benefit to give Delta Silver Medallion status to someone you care about. Another traveler can get free checked bags and other perks. This low-tier elite status is valued at $600 per year by us.
If this person frequently travels with you on the same PNR, they will have access to most of your Delta Platinum Medallion benefits. They can be upgraded with you to Comfort+ and domestic first class.
One free checked bag and priority boarding are already included with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, so if you want to gift status to someone with this credit card, we recommend avoiding the Choice Benefit.
There is a guide to Delta Choice Benefits.
You can choose between a second, third and fourth choice benefit.
There are three Choice Benefits that are added to the single Choice Benefit. The ranges are similar to the Platinum annual Choice Benefits. Only upgrade certificates or Delta Sky Club access can be selected once.
Sky Club memberships can be selected by Diamond Medallion members as one of their annual choice benefits.
Delta Sky Club individual memberships include unlimited Sky Club access. You can bring up to two paid guests if you choose this membership.
If you join the Executive Sky Club you can get two Choice Benefits for a year. It is possible to bring up to two guests on every lounge visit if you are a member of this membership.
If you have a Delta Sky Club access card from an eligible card, you can pick a Delta Sky Club guest pass. When traveling with a cardmember, there is unlimited Delta Sky Club access for up to two guests.
We recommend using the Delta Sky Club guest pass for any of these deals. Sky Club access can be worth hundreds of dollars a year if you bring your guests to the lounge frequently.
Diamond Medallion elite members can choose from three certificates.
Global upgrade certificates can be worth thousands of dollars depending on how you redeem them. You can apply upgrade certificates to new bookings online. For the time being, you will have to call in to make new reservations.
Delta changed how global upgrade certificates work last year. You can only confirm a one-cabin upgrade with an upgrade certificate. Premium Select can only be confirmed on three-cabin flights, and will be wait listed for Delta One 24 hours before departure. Premium Select can confirm an upgrade to Delta One if award space is available.
Global upgrade certificates give access to Premium Select on international flights and first class on domestic flights. If there is an open seat in Premium Select or Domestic first class, you can upgrade to it with your Global upgrade certificate.
25,000 SkyMiles will give you $352 in value. If you have used one of the upgrade certificates or Sky Club passes to pair with your eligible credit card, this is a good bet.
This is a great option for a close friend who doesn't travel a lot, and it's valued at $1,870. If you frequently travel with your companion on the same PNR, there are perks such as free checked bags and upgraded airfare. If you gift it to someone who doesn't usually travel with you, it's a good idea.
Getting upgraded on Delta is the ultimate guide.
If you log in to your Delta account, you can choose Delta Choice Benefits. Click on the red link to choose your benefits. You will be taken to a page where you can choose which benefits you want.
Delta Sky Club memberships and bonus points will be in your account soon. You can return to the choice benefits page to view previous selections.
Getting upgraded on Delta is the ultimate guide.
You have until the end of the month to choose your benefit. If you don't pick your Choice Benefit by January 31, you'll lose out on this perk.
Andrew Kunesh reports additional reporting.
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