American Express Extends Its Buy Now, Pay Later Feature to Delta Flights

Cardholders can finance tickets of $100 or more over time during checkout

American Express announced today that it has partnered with Delta Air Lines to give its cardholders the ability to pay off Delta flights over time. The card issuer's Plan It feature has been added to the airline's checkout process when you use an eligible American Express credit card.

Key Takeaways

  • American Express has partnered with Delta to offer a buy now, pay later feature for Amex credit card holders.
  • Eligible consumer cardholders can select from various Plan It plans during the checkout process.
  • Plan It provides cardholders with a little more flexibility and a set repayment term on eligible purchases.
  • Consumers should think twice about using a credit card to book a vacation unless they can pay it off in full by that month's due date.

Plan It Extended to Delta Flights

The American Express Plan It feature was first introduced in 2017 and allows eligible Amex cardholders to break up eligible purchases of $100 or more over time. Instead of charging interest, Plan It purchases are assessed a fixed monthly fee.

Generally, you need to select purchases from your American Express account after they've posted to start the process. But now, you can put the cost of a Delta Air Lines flight on a Plan It plan directly during the checkout process.

As you check out, you'll select Plan It as your payment option. Then, you'll choose your plan length—options can range from three to 24 months—and complete your purchase. Your Plan It payment will be added to your minimum payment for each month until the purchase has been in full.

The new payment option is available only on American Express U.S. consumer credit cards. Business credit card holders are not eligible. It's currently live on Delta's website and will be added to the Fly Delta mobile app in Spring 2022.

Is the New Payment Option a Good Thing for Cardholders?

Buy now, pay later (BNPL) services can make large purchases more affordable for consumers, but it's easy to let things get out of hand if you're not careful.

Unlike some traditional BNPL services, Plan It charges a fee, which is fixed and charged on a monthly basis. Depending on your eligibility, that fee may or may not save you money compared to your card's interest rate. You'll need to crunch the numbers to determine if it's the right fit.

Plan It could be helpful in the event that you want to pay off that specific purchase with fixed monthly installments instead of just adding it to your general credit card balance. But it's best to avoid using the feature if you can pay off your balance in full every month.

If you can't pay your balance in full, it may be best to avoid using your credit card altogether to book a vacation, even if you can pay it off in fixed monthly installments.

Article Sources

  1. American Express. "Plan It Pre-Purchase Calculator." Accessed Feb. 17, 2022.

  2. American Express. "Buy Now, Pay Later with Plan It by American Express." Accessed Feb. 17, 2022.

  3. American Express. "American Express U.S. Consumer Card Members Can Now Check Out with Plan It on" Accessed Feb. 17, 2022.

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