@K-in-Boston wrote:
@budugu wrote:At least from Seattle the inventory is really bad (especially nonstops). Also looking at the price seems like totally off peak time as well. Considering the price you pay 250$ for the card. The value seems to be at best 150$ coast to coast in what according to kayak is the cheapest week (traveling on a sat and returning on a Friday). As I said it is extremely YMMV thing. I found it useless.
ps:compared to Alaska it is very restrictive.
Where are you trying to go?
When are you trying to go?
How are you looking for inventory?
How in the world are you seeing maximum $150 round-trip transcons?
Even looking only TWO weeks out, I found ample inventory on every single nonstop that I tried to plug in from SEA in a just a few minutes. I'm honestly completely puzzled by your statements.
I may be wrong, but I 'think' @budugu was saying that after paying $250 for the AF, the most he could get out of it was $150. If a ticket costs upwards of $400 + companion taxes. That's roughly the $150 value.
@Loquat wrote:@K-in-Boston Do you know by chance if the companion certificate that comes with the Delta Platinum can be upgraded from Main to First using cash? I know with Alaska you can't upgrade past their version of "premium economy" until day of departure if space is available.
Yes, the tickets can be upgraded to Comfort+, First, or Delta One by paying, but not by using RUCs (or GUCs, but who would waste those on a domestic ticket?).
@imaximous wrote:I may be wrong, but I 'think' @budugu was saying that after paying $250 for the AF, the most he could get out of it was $150. If a ticket costs upwards of $400 + companion taxes. That's roughly the $150 value.
Gotcha. Since you have to pay for one of the tickets, maximizing the dollar amount of the savings on the companion ticket isn't a good thing if you can avoid it. 
There were examples as much as $800 in my earlier post since the dates are so close in, and while I'm confident I could locate numerous examples of $1000+ fares compatible with the companion fare, I certainly wouldn't be willing to pay that much for a domestic ticket, especially in Main Cabin.
@K-in-Boston wrote:
@imaximous wrote:I may be wrong, but I 'think' @budugu was saying that after paying $250 for the AF, the most he could get out of it was $150. If a ticket costs upwards of $400 + companion taxes. That's roughly the $150 value.
Gotcha. Since you have to pay for one of the tickets, maximizing the dollar amount of the savings on the companion ticket isn't a good thing if you can avoid it.
There were examples as much as $800 in my earlier post since the dates are so close in, and while I'm confident I could locate numerous examples of $1000+ fares compatible with the companion fare, I certainly wouldn't be willing to pay that much for a domestic ticket, especially in Main Cabin.
Exactly. While there may be situations when it's unavoidable to spend higher-than-average prices, I wouldn't purposely spend a lot on a ticket just to say that I squeezed the heck out of my companion fare 😁
If the Delta companion ticket was available for travel like the Alaska Air version, it'd be an amazing value. Even if they just allowed all US States from the mainland. *sigh*
Being in a big city and having access to a few major airports makes the Delta companion ticket less valuable for us. It's not too difficult to find good prices when you have lots of options. OTOH, the Alaska companion fare is always a great value going to HI even during low season. Plus, a stopover on the West Coast makes it less painful when traveling in main cabin 😅. We've held on to our 2 AS cards just for the tickets.
