How to know if space is confirmed or waitlisted<\/span><\/h3>\nDelta makes it pretty simple to see if a flight is confirmable or if you\u2019re going to have to waitlist. Once you\u2019re logged into your account and searching for a flight, you\u2019ll be able to see if the space you\u2019re looking for is confirmed or waitlisted.<\/p>\n
For example, take a look at this flight from Seattle (SEA) to Atlanta (ATL). You can see on the bottom left that it says \u201cFirst Class Available with Regional or Global Upgrade Certificate\u201d meaning that if you were go use one of your RUCs, you would be able to get moved up to First Class upon booking.<\/p>\nDelta upgrade availability. Credit: Jon Nickel-D'Andrea<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\nAlternatively, on this same flight just an hour later, since there is no availability, you can only request an upgrade. \u00a0This means that you could buy your economy seat and have your upgrade certificate applied, but nothing would be guaranteed until you got within the upgrade window 24 hours out. It should be noted, however, that your upgrade certificates, when applied, put you higher on the list for an upgrade above other travelers with elite status.<\/p>\nHow to request an upgrade using certificates. Credit: Jon Nickel-D'Andrea<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\nFor Global Upgrade Certificates, it\u2019s a little bit different. You\u2019ll be able to see confirmable space and waitlisted space in different cabins, depending on the route.<\/p>\n
On this Los Angeles to Sydney (SYD) route, you can see that, using a Global Upgrade Certificate, you can confirm yourself right away into Premium Select and then be waitlisted for Delta One\u2026<\/p>\nPremium Select upgrade availability. Credit: Jon Nickel-D'Andrea<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\nIf you move just one day later, you can use your certificate to move right into Delta One.<\/p>\nDelta One upgrade availability. Credit: Jon Nickel-D'Andrea<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\nAlso, if you wanted to burn one of your Global Certificates domestically, most routes open availability if you\u2019re using one of the more coveted certificates.<\/p>\n
Things to Watch Out With Delta Upgrade Certificates<\/span><\/h2>\nOver the years using these certificates I\u2019ve found that they don\u2019t always work like they\u2019re designed to. Technically, you should be able to apply them at checkout and have them work automatically, but I find that there\u2019s often a glitch and it doesn\u2019t quite work. Therefore, I find myself calling the dedicated Medallion member customer service line to make sure they get applied correctly.<\/p>\n
The second problem comes when calling the Medallion line for assistance. There are two steps that phone agents must do when they apply a certificate. First, they have to take it out of your account (obviously\u2026), but also they have to re-issue the ticket. This final step is the one that most agents miss out on, and this could cause issues when you go to check in for your flight.<\/p>\n
If they don\u2019t reissue the ticket, you\u2019ll get an error message when checking in with something along the lines of \u201cthere is no e-ticket attached to your itinerary\u201d or \u201ccall for assistance with your check-in.\u201d If you don\u2019t have this taken care of before you get to the airport, you\u2019ll find yourself stuck and not able to board. Make sure to ask the phone agent to completely reissue the ticket before you get off the phone.<\/p>\n
Final Thoughts<\/span><\/h2>\nMoving up to First Class or Delta One can be the start to an amazing vacation, and what better way than having it confirmed at time of booking. Delta offers its top-tier elite members the ability to upgrade their flights using Regional and Global upgrade certificates, but with a lot of caveats. Make sure you know exactly what you\u2019re booking and how before you run into disappointment at the gate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Delta\u2019s Regional and Global Upgrade Certificates let elite members secure upgrades to First Class or Delta One. But, knowing how to use them can be tricky. From understanding eligible routes to spotting confirmable space and managing the upgrade process, this guide covers everything you need to know to get the most value from Delta\u2019s coveted upgrade certificates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":187747,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[12068],"tags":[12763],"coauthors":[36498],"class_list":["post-210263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-award-programs","tag-delta-skymiles"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210263"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210263\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":257074,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210263\/revisions\/257074"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/187747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210263"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=210263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Delta](\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\")
<\/div><\/div>Delta SkyMiles\u00ae<\/sup> Platinum American Express Card<\/div>Welcome Bonus:<\/strong>\r\nYou may be eligible for as high as 90,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.<\/div><\/div>How to Apply<\/a><\/div>Annual Fee<\/strong>![\"Delta](\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/CardArt-DeltaSkyMilesPlatinumAmericanExpressCard.png\")
<\/div><\/div>![\"Delta](\"https:\/\/cdn.nextinsure.com\/imaging\/opt\/47dd49f9-d80b-4251-aa8e-2fbf313e6402.jpg\")
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![\"Delta](\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Choice-Benefits-Delta.png\")
![\"Delta](\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SEA-ATL-Regional-or-Global.png\")
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