American Express Adds Pay Later Feature With Delta Airlines

NEW YORK — American Express has added Plan It, American Express’ on-card buy now, pay later feature, as a checkout option for Delta Airlines tickets on delta.com. With this update, American Express U.S. Consumer Card Members can now choose from the available Plan It options while booking Delta travel.

According to an American Express survey, 68% of Gen Z and Millennial travelers surveyed say they would be more likely to take trips to their dream destinations if they knew they could pay for the flights over time. With Plan It at checkout on delta.com, eligible American Express Card Members get more flexibility and control in how they pay for Delta flights of $100 or more. Introduced in 2017, Plan It allows Card Members to split up large purchases into equal monthly installments with a fixed fee.

“Plan It is all about putting Card Members in control of how they pay for things,” said Anthony Cirri, Executive Vice President, Global Consumer Lending and Cobrand, American Express. “Our Card Members love flying Delta for its world-class service and appreciate the flexibility of Plan It. It’s the perfect time to bring these together as people are booking long-awaited trips, and our Card Members can book with confidence knowing they are backed by the strong partnership between Delta and American Express.”

American Express and Delta know their shared customers are looking for more options to pay for trips as they are booking them. American Express members that use Plan It will earn rewards as they usually do. Customers are also looking for reliability and protections from brands they trust, with a majority (88%) of consumers surveyed agreeing that it’s important that they purchase travel from a trusted brand.

“This update is another example of Delta and American Express’ shared passion for delivering exceptional experiences for our customers,” said Dwight James, Senior Vice President of Digital Strategy and Customer Loyalty, Delta, and CEO of Delta Vacations. “Everything we do is deeply rooted in knowing our customers and listening to what they need and what they want during their travel. With Plan It on delta.com, our joint customers can enjoy more flexibility and control at every stage in their travel journey.”

Plan It has become a popular tool for Card Members, with the volume of new plans originated in Q4 2021 more than doubling compared to Q4 2020. Additionally, 65% of plans created in the last year were from first time Plan It users. Plans are created without additional applications or accounts and can be managed directly from the Amex App.

American Express U.S. Consumer Card Members can use Plan It on delta.com by selecting their eligible American Express Consumer Card during checkout and choosing Plan It as their payment method. Plan It will become available as a checkout option on the Fly Delta app in Spring 2022.