Checked bag free on Delta but what if I'm booking with Chase?

Do you get free checked bags "because of" your Delta card or when you pay with your Delta card? It take it the Chase card is not the Delta card.

If you get the free bag only because of your Delta credit card, you have to book using the card. If you have status, you'll get a free bag because of your status and not because of the card.

If you don't have status, then why the heck do you pay for the Delta credit card? I don't fly enough to get status based on butt-in-seat, so I use the card spend to get status for when I do fly.

As a benefit of Card Membership, you can check your first bag free on Delta flights booked with your Card, saving up to $70 on a round-trip Delta flight per person.

The Delta website offers an explanation: https://www.delta.com/us/en/baggage/checked-baggage/first-checked-bag-free

The first sentence says, "As a benefit of Card Membership, you can check your first bag free on Delta flights booked with your Card, saving up to $70 on a round-trip Delta flight per person."

It seems you would have to book the flights with your Delta credit card to get a free checked bag.

Mardee, this is the scenario that you need to consider. You can always get a 1 cent per point cash value off of Chase. You get either 1.25 or 1.5 cents per point by booking through the Chase travel portal depending on which credit card you have (Preferred or Reserve). Is that .25 or .50 cents per point worth more than baggage fees on Delta? Do the math and determine which actually saves you the most money.

Thanks, all — if I would have sat and thought about it for a minute, I probably would have figured it out. :-)

Carol, yes, I remember you mentioning that. I was really more curious than anything, since I pack light enough that it's easy for me to go carry-on only.

That said, I wound up not booking with Chase because by the time I made my way through and was ready to use the points, everything had gone up astronomically. So headed out of there, and wound up booking some flights with my Capital One points I had.

When I have booked with miles, my bag has been free. I haven’t done it with Capital One though

If I understand it correctly, booking with Capitol One points is not the same as
booking with airline points. Capitol One points are redeemable for a cash value
amount, either $.01 or $.0125 depending if you have the Venture card or not.

So I suspect OP is not getting a free bag per se, because they are not booking
with points from an airline in Skyteam.

I think, but am not sure, that as long as the AMEX Skymiles card is in the record
you'd get the free bag (this should be visible during the booking process). If you
can pay with a combination of CO points and dollars, you could charge a small
amount (or just the taxes) with your Delta card. That would get it in the record.

I would think you would still get the free checked bag because of your Delta SkyMiles credit card but would definitely check with your credit card company and get what they say in writing. I sometimes buy Delta Basic Economy tickets (fee to check bag, last to board) to save money but we each get to check a bag for free and have priority boarding because of my husband's Delta AmEx. We don't have to pay for the tickets with his Delta AmEx to get the benefits.

"First Checked Bag Free

"Benefit is limited to Basic Card Members (not Additional Card Members) with the Delta SkyMiles® Gold, Delta SkyMiles® Platinum, or Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. Reservation must include the Basic Card Member's SkyMiles number..."
https://www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/card-application/apply/prospect/terms/delta-skymiles-gold-american-express-card/25330-10-0#offer-terms

Well, I probably won't check a bag anyway so it sort of is a moot question.

That said, I don't think I would be eligible to get a free checked bag. For one thing, I paid (well, cashed in points) on the Capital One site, and second, the flight was actually booked with KLM, which is a Delta code share partner.

Interestingly, I can access my trip on all 3 websites: Capital One, KLM and Delta. I have two separate confirmation codes also—one from KLM and one from Delta. And I tried to choose my seats at KLM but it wouldn't save them. However, I was successful at choosing seats on the Delta app. I also tried to upgrade to Comfort+ but there was no option for doing that. However, I think I can call them for an upgrade!

So much to figure out! :-) It's much easier just booking my ticket with Delta like I usually do, lol!

I hope your Cotopaxi gets to go on this trip since you won’t check luggage this time. : )

I am still deciding between my cheap G4Free bag & my Cotopaxi. I went to a chiropractor today. Both she & my regular doctor said I wouldn’t hurt myself if I brought the Cotopaxi. I really like the consistency of using the Cotopaxi because I know exactly where everything is kept in it - helpful when I first have jetlag.

In previous years, United and American required use of their credit card to get the free bags but Delta didn’t. I see this has changed and now they are all the same. Note that for a miles redemption the tax must be purchased with the airline card for free bags.

Jean, I'm considering it—it would be fun to bring that along again. And I'm glad you will be able to use yours!

Toby, thanks. One thing I found out last year is that even if you use your card to pay for a ticket, the ticket must be for you. I booked a trip last year for my son-in-law and used my AMEX card (they reimbursed me later), but because it was under his name and SkyMiles account, he wasn't able to get the checked bag.

Mardee, that last point is the same on AA - unless I am also flying and the 2 tickets are together in the same PNR.

You might want to consider whether a personal or airline cancellation is easier to manage under one way of booking or another. I prefer direct booking, even if it leaves some sort of bonus on the table. As you reported, codeshares have an intermediate amount of control by the buyer.

Correct me if I'm missing something, but wouldn't most international fares on major carriers include at least one checked bag?

Tim, I prefer direct booking, too, but I did the math and most of the fares I was finding were more expensive than what I was getting on Capital One.

Stoutfella, no, most international carriers now charge for checked bags unless you have some kind of status or card, like with Delta,

So, I must be taking different international carriers than Mardee. I have not been charged for checked bags on British Airways, Iceland Air, KLM, Korean Air, Turkish Airlines, Air Tahiti Nui or Japan Airlines. I really don't fly Delta, so it may be just an exception.

So, I was curious and looked up Delta International luggage fees. First checked bag is free.

Mardee,

I know nothing about Delta's policy, but on United the cc perks are tied to the UA MileagePlus account. So I get the bennies regardless of how I paid for the tickets as long as my MileagePlus number is on my reservation.

I get a free checked bag on international Delta flights and I have neither status nor any Delta or other travel-focused credit card.

I fly Delta internationally a few times a year - I have made three transatlantic round trips since late December.

(I do buy Main Economy instead of Basic Economy.)

I think the charge for the first checked bag on international flights happens with Basic Economy fares. I avoid those fares and book Main Cabin, which includes a checked bag. No airline credit card is required. In fact, my next international flight is to France on Delta, and my husband and I will both check a bag.

Booking a basic economy ticket with an airline credit card does raise a question. Since basic economy tickets do not award miles, does this extend to credit card holders as well? Meaning, if you book a basic economy ticket with your Delta credit card, will you still not receive miles?

Laurie, yes, I guess my point was that it's not free checked bags across the board like it used to be years ago. There are restrictions based on which category you purchase.

But that's a good point about using the Delta card and whether you would receive miles. It's my understanding that you would get miles for the actual money that you spent with your card to buy the ticket, but not the niles for the flight. Now if I book Main Cabin with my Delta card, I receive miles from the actual trip and miles from the money I spent. The miles for the trip are much more, though, so it's a lot to lose.

Fascinatingly complex. No wonder non-frequent travelers are confused! . Personally, I would not book the cheapest, basic economy fare from what I've seen on UA. By the time I add in a seat assignment, it's almost the same price as the next class of service.

Mardee, I've seen that inability to book seats on Star Alliance also, but when I log into the other connecting carrier's website, I can book seats. Since there's a KLM confirmation code, have you tried using it on KLM to book seats?

Hey didn't you just get back from London & Paris?! Where are you going next?

Sandancisco, yes, that's what I did. In my case, I tried to select seats on KLM since that is the airline I technically booked with. It let me select the seats but wouldn't let me save them. So I went to Delta and was able to select and save them there. But interestingly when I got back to the KLM site, the seats I selected on Delta were greyed out and no longer available, but it didn't show them as my seats. So I might call either KLM or Delta or both to make sure. It's still showing them as my seats on Delta, though. It's weird.

Ha ha, this is for a fall trip to Romania and Budapest. I'm flying into Bucharest and flying out of Budapest. It will be my first time to both places, so I'm excited about it.

on United the cc perks are tied to the UA MileagePlus account. So I get the bennies regardless of how I paid for the tickets

Unless things have changed recently this isn’t true, although possible in the first 90 days of card according to asterisk.

https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/travel/baggage/free-bags-for-cardmembers.html

Mardee mentioned the inability to earn miles on frequent flier flights. I just wanted to mention that starting in 2025, any flights booked through the Alaska Airlines Web page or app (for any of their many partners) whether booked with FF miles or money earn frequent flier miles. I used a ticket purchased with Alaska Frequent Flier Miles and flown on Korean Air and Japan Air last month and earned over 10,000 miles.

I just wanted to mention that starting in 2025, any flights booked through the Alaska Airlines Web page or app (for any of their many partners) whether booked with FF miles or money earn frequent flier miles. I used a ticket purchased with Alaska Frequent Flier Miles and flown on Korean Air and Japan Air last month and earned over 10,000 miles.

Carol, that's very nice. If I lived nearer to the west coast, I'd be using them a lot, although I could start checking their flights out of MPS and see how the prices compare to Delta.

Imho on Delta, you have at least 50% chance I’m not having to pay

The AMEX card is linked to your account and generally that waives the check bag fee regardless of how you paid I say that because I have had to buy tickets using a corporate credit card and still gotten free checked bags ( now it’s been a while because I now have enough status that I get free check bags from that).

Aside to Mardee: Usually twice a year, Chase has a 30% bonus on transfers to Virgin Atlantic which intermittently has great points redemptions on Delta. May is when this option often happens. It’s a fair amount of work to find Delta redemptions but they can be stunning. Of course pay the taxes with your Delta card if it’s basic economy or not intercontinental to get the free bag(s).

on United the cc perks are tied to the UA MileagePlus account. So I get the bennies regardless of how I paid for the tickets as long as my MileagePlus number is on my reservation...

Not to put too fine a point on it (as noted above, such things are ridiculously complicated), on United, if you do have a United card, and if you "paid" for your ticket with United Miles, you get free bags if (and only if) you paid the associated fees using your United card. If you book with miles and pay the fees with some other form of payment (not a United card), then you do not qualify for free bags, even if you have a United card that you didn't use - at least not automatically. You might be able to sweet-talk a United agent into waiving the 1st bag fee by waving your United card, but that would be at their discretion.

Bottom line: If you want the free bag benefit, be sure to use that airline's card for (at least some part of) the transaction.

FWIW I occasionally purchase airline tickets via Chase (using Chase points to pay for the tickets). IME you do NOT get free bags that way unless you have some status with the airline (not just having the airline credit card). Via the Chase portal, there is usually some (slightly higher priced) option that includes a checked bag - and you can (almost) always buy-up to get a checked bag (or a second one) after you have your ticket, by going directly to the airline's website and diving into "manage my booking" or whatever they call it. This can be a little hit-or-miss with some airlines. Of course, I generally prefer to book directly with most airlines, but I typically only use points for flights; when using small/obscure airlines, going through the Chase portal (or Citi's or another) is often the only way to book flights using points, so it's something I do occasionally for short/connecting/obscure flights. It's not a perfect experience but usually works well enough to be worth the hassles.

Usually twice a year, Chase has a 30% bonus on transfers to Virgin Atlantic which intermittently has great points redemptions on Delta.

Toby, thanks! I will keep an eye out for it.

David, I think I'm going to do just carry on. For one thing, the 2nd leg of my flight is with Tarom, which I know nothing about other than that it is a Romanian airline. So I think I'd rather play it safe and just carry on my bags. But thanks for the info!!

Mardee: A few years ago I booked 2 one-ways to Sacramento for a Yosemite trip with Delta miles about 8 months prior, locking something in to make sure the trip was on. Then I checked Virgin every day for the same flights. About 5 months out availability showed up so I booked the same flights with VA points (quite a bit fewer needed than SkyMiles) then redeposited the SkyMiles.

I am doing the same thing now with a Mexico City trip in March.

Note the free redeposit of VA points isn’t available. Flying Blue (KLM, Air France) may be an easier to use Chase points transfer than VA, for Europe destinations from MSP. Domestic Delta one way nonstops are pretty easy to get at 22,000 VA points.

Thanks, Toby—good to know!