On February 1, 2024, American Express introduced a series of new credits for each of the 3 main credit cards in their Delta co-branded lineup and their business variants.
One of those credits was the Delta Stays Credit, where users can earn capped statement credits annually for using their Delta SkyMiles American Express credit cards to book eligible hotel reservations through Delta Stays.
Like any new perk, however, there’s a lot of confusion and questions related to how to earn the Delta Stays credit.
Having redeemed a half dozen of these already myself, I’m very familiar with the process.
See my step-by-step guide below so you can confidently book your next stay and max out this annual benefit.
What is Delta Stays?
Many of you have probably never used Delta’s white-labeled solution for booking hotels. This is exactly why this perk was introduced.
Delta Stays is a partnership with Expedia for booking hotel and vacation homes. That’s right, Expedia.
As Delta looks to diversify its revenue streams, providing a platform to earn commissions on your hotel reservations fits right in with their customer base.
Even though it is co-branded with Delta logos, any assistance you get for bookings or support thereafter will be by Expedia representatives.
Ok, now to the stuff that you came here for….
How much is the Delta Stays Credit from Amex?
The Delta Stays credit from American Express varies from $100 – $250, depending on which eligible card you have.
Here’s the breakdown of the max credit amounts you can earn for each Delta SkyMiles credit card:
| Delta Co-Branded Consumer Amex Cards | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card | $100 |
 |
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card | $150 |
 |
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card | $200 |
| Delta Co-Branded Business Amex Cards | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card | $150 |
 |
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card | $200 |
 |
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card | $250 |
These credits follow a calendar year (January 1 – December 31) and are not based on renewal dates.
Any amount remaining at the end of the year is lost and DOES NOT rollover.
You can earn the credit in one booking or through multiple bookings. For example, if you have (2) $150 bookings and the $200 credit with Delta Reserve, you'll receive $150 credit on the first booking, $50 credit on the next booking and nothing on the rest of your bookings in that calendar year. If instead you have (1) $350 booking, you'd receive the max $200 credit and nothing on future bookings until next year.
How To Earn the Delta Stays Credit from Amex
Per the terms, to earn the Delta Stays Credit, you must book prepaid hotels or vacation rentals through Delta Stays on delta.com/stays
Here’s the dummy-proof step-by-step guide to earning the credit.
Be on the lookout for special notes where I answer common questions or pitfalls to earning the credit.
Step 1: Go to Delta Stays Website
Website: https://www.delta.com/stays/
This is what it looks like on desktop (mobile is similar):
Step 2: Login to “My Account” (optional)
Click “My Account” in the upper right and click “Sign In”:
You’ll be taken to the delta login screen where you can sign in to your Delta Skymiles account.
*It’s important to note that this isn’t a “required” step; however, it makes life a lot easier by automatically connecting your reservation to your skymiles account and pre-filling reservation information.
If you do not complete this step, be sure to enter your SkyMiles number on the checkout screen to earn maximum MQDs (during select promo periods only) and SkyMiles.
Step 3: Search for a property at your desired destination
This part is pretty intuitive. Just search the destination, the dates needed and the number of people that will be on the reservation.
For this demonstration, I’m going to pick The St. Regis Atlanta.
Step 4: Select Your Room and click “Reserve”
Select your desired room.
Ah, I’m feeling a little bougie tonight….let’s get the King Suite!
BUT WAIT!
This is where it gets confusing for many going through this for the first time.
You may be thinking:
To earn the credit, it has to be a prepaid stay.
Some say “Reserve Now, Pay Later”, but others do not?!? What about “fully refundable vs nonrefundable” rates?!?
How do I know if this booking will qualify for the credit?
😫
This is OK!
In most cases, any of these rooms will work. The most important step comes next!
Step 4: Select “Pay Now” (if given the choice)
This is the single most important step thus far.
For room rates that have the option to “Reserve Now, Pay Later” (as mentioned above), you will be presented with a choice to “Pay Now” or “Pay When You Stay/Pay at Property”.
You MUST click “Pay Now” on this screen.
Be careful, sometimes the “Pay Now” option is on the left and sometimes on the right (for desktop). On mobile, the option could be on top or on bottom.
It's important to double check this screen and click Pay Now. Otherwise, you will not be making a prepaid stay and therefore you will not receive the credit.
Note: If you do not receive a popup box like this and are taken directly to the checkout screen, continue to Step 5.
Step 5: Fill In Your Information
This is one of the final steps to making your booking.
If you logged into your Delta SkyMiles account on Step 2, you should see some pre-filled information.
Be sure that your Delta SkyMiles number has been added in the designated box.
Step 6: Payment Method (2 Important Notes)
You’re almost done.
It should be obvious that this is where you need to enter the Delta SkyMiles Amex card information that you’d like to use for the Delta Stays credit.
Take note of the green text:
Check for the green message in the Payment Method section indicating this reservation is eligible for the Delta Stays benefit. If you see this message, you know you are good to go!
Step 7: Complete Booking
Submit your reservation by checking to box and clicking “Complete Booking”
How will I know that I received the credit?
The Delta Stay Amex credit comes super fast. You will see it as a statement credit on your American Express account.
The initial charge should say something like “HOTEL*Delta” or “HOTEL*Delta SEATTLE WA”.
The credit will then go pending a few days later (I’d give it at least a week), and post typically under the same day as the initial charge.
Here are some samples of reservations I’ve booked this year:
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I receive the credit for international bookings?
YES, I have redeemed the credit for both international and domestic stays.
Do I have to be on the reservation to earn the credit?
NO, anyone can be on the reservation, you just need to pay for it with an eligible card.
What qualifies for the Delta Stays Credit?
Per the terms: “new Delta Stays prepaid hotel or vacation rental booking on the Delta Stays platform (delta.com/stays)“. Keywords here are “prepaid” and “delta.com/stays”.
What if the booking is less than my max credit amount?
This is an “up to” credit. You can use “up to” the max amount, across multiple charges if needed.
For example, let’s say you have a $200 credit and you book a hotel that only costs $150.
In this case, you’ll have up to the remaining $50 balance that can be applied on future bookings. Once the total credits received from all of your eligible bookings reaches the max credit amount (as defined per card above), you will not receive any additional credits for the remainder of the calendar year.
Do only charges by the primary cardholder count?
Purchases by both the Primary Card Member and any Additional Card Members on the Card Account are eligible for statement credits. However, the total amount of statement credits will not exceed the max amount as outlined above by card on the Card Account per calendar year.
Does the credit reset when my card renews or at the end of the calendar year?
Calendar year. And you can earn it as soon as you receive your card, so if you open your card in November or December, book fast!
Is there a minimum number of nights I have to book?
No, Delta and Amex just care about how much you spend. Whether it’s a 1 night stay or a week-long vacation, you’re covered!
I have multiple eligible cards, can I use all the credits on one reservation?
No, the credit is tied to the transaction and there’s only 1 transaction per reservation. However, a workaround is to book a couple nights on one card and a couple nights on another. At check-in, ask the hotel if you can stay in the same room so you don’t have to move.
Can I receive this credit by booking through Delta Vacations and/or other 3rd parties?
No, per the terms “Bookings through Delta Vacations and products other than prepaid hotels and vacation rentals booked through Delta Stays will not qualify for statement credits.”
I procrastinated and booked a stay on December 31st, will it count?
Only if it posts to your account by December 31st. Pending charges may take a couple days to settle. Do yourself a favor and don’t wait until the last minute.
Per the terms: “American Express relies on the merchant’s processing of transactions to determine the transaction date. The transaction date may differ from the date you made the purchase if, for example, there is a delay in the merchant submitting the transaction to us or if the merchant uses another date as the transaction date. This means that in some cases your purchase may not earn the statement credit benefit for the benefit period in which you made the purchase. For example, if an eligible purchase is made on December 31st but the merchant processes the transaction such that it is identified to us as occurring on January 1st, the January statement credit would be applied.”
My plans changed and I had to cancel the stay, will I lose the credit?
Yes, Amex is notorious about clawing back credits. If you receive the credit and then cancel your stay, expect the credit to be clawed back.
If you crossed over to a new year and the credit was applied in the previous year, you will lose the credit. If, however, you need to cancel a booking in the current year, you’ll still be able to earn the credit by booking a new stay within that calendar year.
I recently had an issue where the reservation payment through Delta Stays didn’t get sent to the hotel correctly and the hotel also charged me for the stay. I had to make sure that Delta Stays (Expedia) didn’t refund me, but sought reimbursement from the hotel instead. It took a while to get straightened out, but I couldn’t risk losing my credit that I earned in 2024 for a stay in Feb 2025.
No comments yet. Add your own