Using Delta Upgrade Certificates on Award Tickets and Pay With Miles (2025 Guide)

Delta quietly allows a lot more combinations of Award Travel and upgrade instruments than many flyers realize. According to the official Medallion upgrade rules, Upgrade Certificates can be used on paid tickets, Award Travel tickets, Miles + Cash tickets, Pay With Miles tickets, Companion Certificates and Delta Vacations packages on Delta-operated flights, as long as the fare is not Basic Economy and other rules are met.

Part of the Delta Upgrade Certificates Guide.

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Why this guide exists

Your Global and Regional Upgrade Certificates are already covered in depth in the GUC and RUC guides. This page has a narrower job: to answer one specific question in 2025— what really happens when you mix Award Travel, Pay With Miles, or packages with upgrade certificates and when is it worth doing.

This page focuses specifically on the rules and exceptions around Delta Upgrade Certificates Award Tickets combinations, which is one of the most misunderstood topics for Medallion members.

The goal is not to repeat rule text. It is to help you make decisions:

• Is it smart to book an economy award and use a GUC, or pay cash for Premium Select instead.
• Is a Pay With Miles ticket treated like a paid fare for RUCs.
• What changes when you book Delta Vacations or Companion Certificates.

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1. Ticket types that work with Delta Upgrade Certificates Award Tickets combinations

Delta’s Medallion upgrade page is clear that Upgrade Certificates can be used on several ticket types on Delta-operated flights, excluding Basic Economy experiences:

Ticket type	Eligible for GUC / RUC on Delta-operated flights	Notes
Paid Main Cabin, Comfort+, Premium Select	Yes	Standard use case. Basic Economy is not eligible.
Award Travel (SkyMiles)	Yes, on Delta-operated flights	Can often be upgraded with GUCs or RUCs when inventory is available.
Miles + Cash	Yes, on Delta-operated flights	Delta treats these as eligible for Upgrade Certificates when other rules are met.
Pay With Miles	Yes, on Delta-operated flights	These are paid tickets with miles used as a credit. Basic Economy remains ineligible.
Companion Certificate tickets	Yes, when all other rules are met	Companion and primary must be on eligible fares and cabins.
Delta Vacations packages	Yes, on the air portion	Upgrades must be handled by phone with Delta.

These combinations and ticket types are listed in Delta’s current Medallion upgrade and Upgrade Certificate terms. Always confirm with Delta, since rules and partner eligibility can change.

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2. Using Global Upgrade Certificates on Award Travel

Global Upgrade Certificates are the most powerful tool in the system. They can move an eligible Award Travel ticket into Premium Select or Delta One on many long haul routes when inventory exists.

Eligible award itineraries

• Delta-operated flights booked as SkyMiles awards in Main Cabin, Comfort+ or Premium Select.
• Many mixed itineraries that include Delta long haul segments, as long as the upgraded segments are Delta-operated.
• Basic Economy awards are not eligible.

When using Delta Upgrade Certificates Award Tickets combinations on long haul routes, the limiting factor is almost always confirmable inventory rather than the award ticket itself.

For partner awards, Delta’s rules and partner availability are stricter. In many cases you must have the right type of award and partner booking class available at ticketing for a GUC to confirm. Always call or message Delta to check before you issue an expensive partner award.

How the process normally works

1. Search for award space while logged in and identify the long haul segment you care about most.
2. Book an eligible award in Main, Comfort+, or Premium Select on Delta-operated flights.
3. Contact Delta by phone or chat to apply your Global Upgrade Certificate to the award itinerary.
4. If confirmable space exists, you are upgraded immediately. Otherwise, you are waitlisted and may clear later as inventory opens.

Practical tip: If Premium Select is confirmable but Delta One is not, it can still be worth using a GUC on an award to lock in Premium Select and then ride the waitlist for Delta One later.

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3. Using Regional Upgrade Certificates on Award Travel

Regional Upgrade Certificates can also work on many award tickets on Delta-operated flights. The logic is similar, but the scope is domestic and short haul international rather than worldwide.

Common good uses for RUCs on awards

• Cross country award flights such as SEA to JFK or SEA to BOS, where First Class cash prices are high.
• Two to five hour award flights within North America, Mexico, the Caribbean or Central America, when you can see or confirm RUC space.
• Domestic wide body routes with Delta One or Premium Select cabins where RUCs can upgrade to a better seat when inventory allows.

The booking flow looks almost identical to cash fares:

1. Book an eligible Main Cabin or Comfort+ award on Delta-operated flights.
2. Look for the option to request an Upgrade Certificate while logged in. If you do not see it, contact Delta.
3. On some itineraries, RUCs will confirm immediately into First Class. On others, you will be waitlisted and clear later if inventory opens.

From a value perspective, RUCs on awards are most attractive when you would not pay the cash difference for First Class, but are happy to use a certificate to upgrade an award that you were going to fly anyway.

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4. Pay With Miles, Miles + Cash, and certificates

Delta’s published rules explicitly list Miles + Cash tickets and Pay With Miles tickets as eligible for Upgrade Certificates on Delta-operated flights, as long as the underlying fare is not Basic Economy.

How Pay With Miles behaves

Pay With Miles tickets are essentially paid fares where you apply miles as a form of currency at checkout. For upgrade purposes, they behave like most other paid Main or Comfort+ tickets:

• If the fare is Main Classic, Main Extra, Comfort+, or Premium Select, you can generally attach GUCs or RUCs.
• Basic Economy purchased using Pay With Miles is still not eligible.
• You earn MQDs and mileage on the cash portion, subject to Delta’s current rules.

Miles + Cash awards

Miles + Cash awards sit between a pure cash fare and a pure award. Delta’s terms include Miles + Cash in the list of ticket types that can use Upgrade Certificates on Delta-operated flights. In practice, the main constraint is availability rather than the ticket form.

Working rule of thumb: if the underlying experience is treated like Main, Comfort+, or Premium Select on a Delta-operated flight and is not Basic Economy, your Upgrade Certificate can usually be attached, subject to inventory.

For travelers who mix miles and cash strategically, these Delta Upgrade Certificates Award Tickets rules make it possible to save cash while still upgrading into premium cabins.

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5. Companion Certificates and Delta Vacations

Companion Certificates

Delta confirms that Companion Certificate tickets can be eligible for Global and Regional Upgrade Certificates on Delta-operated flights when all other rules are met. The primary and companion must both be on eligible fares and cabins.

• If you apply a GUC or RUC to an itinerary that includes a Companion Certificate, the certificate applies to the itinerary rather than just one person.
• Clearing upgrades for two people is often harder than clearing for one. Routes with larger premium cabins and off-peak timings help.

Delta Vacations packages

Delta explicitly lists Delta Vacations packages as eligible for Upgrade Certificates on the air portion of the trip on Delta-operated flights. You cannot usually attach a certificate online. Instead:

1. Book or price your Delta Vacations package.
2. Call the dedicated Delta Vacations or Medallion support line.
3. Ask the agent to verify upgrade certificate eligibility on the flights and apply your GUC or RUC.

Treat this similar to a complex partner booking. It often requires an experienced agent and may need more than one call to get the booking and upgrade exactly how you want it.

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6. Strategy: when mixing miles and certificates is worth it

In practice, the question is less “is it allowed” and more “does this give better value than paying cash for a higher cabin.” Here are a few common patterns.

Good value scenarios

• Long haul GUC on an economy award: book Main Cabin or Comfort+ to Europe or Asia as an award and use a GUC to move into Premium Select or Delta One when inventory is available.
• Cross country RUC on an economy award: book SEA to JFK or SEA to BOS as an award and use a RUC to move into First Class when confirmable space exists.
• Pay With Miles when cash fares are high: use miles to offset the base fare on a Main Extra ticket, then apply a certificate for the upgrade instead of paying for a premium cabin in cash.

Weaker value scenarios

• Short flights under two hours where a premium cabin does not change the trip much.
• Itineraries where award pricing in Premium Select or Delta One is reasonable and you would rather keep your certificate for a more expensive route.
• Situations where you expect very low upgrade availability and do not want to risk the certificate sitting on a waitlist and expiring unused.

From a planning perspective, treat your certificates as a limited resource and your miles as a flexible currency. Combine them only when you can significantly improve comfort or save a large amount of cash compared with buying the higher cabin outright.

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7. Quick FAQ

Can I use a Global Upgrade Certificate on an award ticket?
Yes, on many Delta-operated Award Travel itineraries in Main Cabin, Comfort+, or Premium Select, subject to upgrade inventory and current Delta rules. For partner awards, you usually need to call Delta and confirm that the fare and booking class are eligible.

Can I use a Regional Upgrade Certificate on an award ticket?
Yes, on many eligible Delta-operated Award Travel itineraries within the Regional coverage area. Basic Economy awards are not eligible, and clearance still depends on upgrade inventory.

Are Pay With Miles tickets eligible for Upgrade Certificates?
Yes, on Delta-operated flights where the underlying fare is eligible. Pay With Miles is treated as a paid ticket with miles used as a credit, and Delta lists Pay With Miles as an eligible ticket type for Upgrade Certificates. Basic Economy remains ineligible.

Can I apply Upgrade Certificates to Delta Vacations packages?
Yes, on the air portion of the trip on Delta-operated flights. To do this you must call Delta or the Delta Vacations number and ask an agent to verify and apply the certificate.

Do these combinations work on partner airlines?
Partner usage is narrower. Some partner itineraries allow GUCs on paid or award tickets, but rules are route and fare specific. RUCs do not work on partners. Always confirm with Delta before booking a complex partner award if your plan is to add a certificate.

Does Google care whether this is a page or a post?
No. For search engines, this is just another URL and piece of content. Use whichever content type (page or post) matches your other Delta upgrade guides in WordPress so your internal structure stays consistent.

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8. Official references

• Delta Medallion upgrades and Upgrade Certificate rules
• Delta Choice Benefits (GUC and RUC selection)
• Pay With Miles terms