Delta has announced some new changes to their Global and Regional Upgrade certificates for their Platinum and Diamond Medallions, who choose these as part of their choice benefits.

They’re adding the ability to use these on both Pay with Miles tickets and SkyMiles Companion Certificates, allowing for even more options to use. Additionally, you can now us for a companion without having to use one for yourself as long as you’re traveling on the same flight.

So you still can’t technically gift it to someone else, but let’s say you’re a Diamond flying New York (JFK) to Los Angeles, and your friend is on the flight, you can then use one for them, and chance getting a complimentary upgrade, which starts on April 1, 2018 on their domestic routes with Delta One.

Per Delta,

Starting January 22, 2018, Upgrade Certificates, which are available exclusively for Diamond and Platinum Medallion Members as a Choice Benefit, may now be used to upgrade on Pay with Miles tickets and SkyMiles Companion Certificates in addition to regular retail tickets.

Additionally, Certificate owners can now use an Upgrade Certificate on a companion without having to use one for themselves. So when two SkyMiles Members (one of which has Upgrade Certificates in their account) are traveling together on the same flight—whether in the same reservation or a linked reservation—an Upgrade Certificate can now be used for just one Member*. For example:

• Previously, if a Member was flying to Europe for business in Delta One, and had a companion traveling on the same flight, he/she would not have been able to use an Upgrade Certificate to upgrade the companion to Delta One.
• Now, in the same scenario, the Member will be able to use one Upgrade Certificate to upgrade his/her companion to Delta One as long as the companion is a SkyMiles Member.

Hat Tip: One Mile at a Time