Amex For Travel Money: Is It Possible?

American Express Travel is a portal that allows American Express cardholders to book flights, hotels, and other travel reservations. The main draw of the portal is the ability to earn additional points on reservations. Depending on the type of American Express card you have, you may be able to unlock further features, such as Fine Hotels & Resorts and The Hotel Collection.

The Platinum Card® from American Express, American Express® Gold Card, American Express® Green Card, and The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express are some of the cards that offer bonus points when making reservations through the portal. Cardholders can also pay for reservations using their points, and even choose to pay a portion of the trip with points and the rest with cash.

How to book travel with Amex

To book travel with Amex, you must first have an American Express card. You can then log in to your American Express account and select the 'Travel' option. This will take you to the Amex Travel portal, where you can search for flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, and vacation packages.

When booking travel through the Amex portal, you can choose to pay with your Amex card, with Membership Rewards points, or a combination of both. If you choose to pay with points, you must redeem a minimum of 5,000 points, and the value of your points will depend on what you are booking. For example, points are redeemed at a value of 1 cent per point when booking flights or making Fine Hotels & Resorts reservations, but other eligible travel only receives 0.7 cents per point.

Benefits of booking travel on Amex Travel

Booking travel on Amex Travel comes with several benefits, including:

• Earning up to 5x points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through the portal with certain Amex cards.
• Paying for reservations using Pay with Points, allowing you to pay for all or part of your trip with points.
• Upgrading flights with points, giving you a 1 cent per point credit towards the cost of the upgrade.
• Discounted international flights through the International Airline Program (IAP) for Platinum cardholders.
• Fine Hotels & Resorts, a collection of resorts and benefits available only to Platinum Card members, offering perks such as a $200 statement credit, noon check-in, room upgrades, daily breakfast, guaranteed 4 pm late checkout, and more.
• The Hotel Collection, offering elite status-level perks at more than 600 hotels worldwide for AmEx Gold and Platinum cardholders, including a $100 resort credit and an upgrade upon arrival when staying for two nights or more.

Downsides of booking via Amex Travel

There are also some downsides to booking travel via Amex Travel, including:

Amex travel insurance

Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance

Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance is effective for round-trip purchases made entirely with your eligible Amex card. It protects against covered losses, such as sickness or injury to the traveller or travelling companion, inclement weather, changes in military orders, terrorist action or hijacking, jury duty, or your home becoming uninhabitable. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG company, at no additional cost to the card member. Coverage is subject to certain terms, conditions, and limitations, including limitations on the amount of coverage. This benefit provides secondary coverage.

Trip Delay Coverage

Trip delay coverage provides reimbursement for additional expenses incurred when your trip is delayed by weather, equipment failure, or a lost passport. Eligible expenses include accommodation, meals, medication, and toiletries. Amex will cover up to $500 in expenses per trip and only two claims in any 12-month period.

Baggage Insurance

The Baggage Insurance Plan covers the replacement cost of lost items, up to $2,000 for checked baggage and $3,000 for carry-on bags. High-risk items, such as jewellery, laptops, and camera equipment, are covered up to $1,000. These limits are per person, and coverage extends to the cardholder's spouse or domestic partner and dependent children under 23. New York state residents have a $2,000 per bag/suitcase limit, with a $10,000 aggregate maximum for all covered persons per covered trip.

Rental Car Coverage

The Amex Platinum Card provides rental car collision damage waiver, as well as loss and damage insurance. This insurance coverage protects you if your rental car is stolen or damaged, whether or not you are at fault. Coverage includes up to $75,000 for damage to or loss of the car, up to $200,000 in accidental death and dismemberment benefits for the primary cardholder and a further $20,000 per passenger, up to $5,000 per passenger in medical expenses for any type of injury, and up to $1,000 per passenger for damaged personal property, with a maximum of $2,000 per accident.

American Express also offers Premium Car Rental Protection, which has higher limits and fewer restrictions. This product is primary coverage, meaning you can file a claim immediately.

Amex travel cancellation policy

The Amex Travel cancellation policy is determined by the airline or hotel. Amex instructs travellers to refer to the cancellation policy on the itinerary or contact customer service with any questions.

Amex Travel offers an optional benefit called Trip Cancel Guard, which allows travellers to cancel their eligible flight for any reason up to two full calendar days before departure and receive up to 75% reimbursement when an airline credit or voucher is not available or expires. Trip Cancel Guard must be purchased at the time of booking and is only available for flights booked on AmexTravel.com.

Trip Cancel Guard is not insurance and can be purchased in addition to any other travel insurance. It is also subject to certain terms, conditions, and limitations, including limitations on the amount of coverage.

Downsides of booking with Amex

While there are many benefits to booking with Amex, there are also some downsides to be aware of. Here are some of the main considerations:

• You won't earn hotel credit or elite status when booking through Amex Travel: Most hotels will not let you earn loyalty program points or elite credits on stays booked through Amex Travel, and you may not be able to use your hotel elite status benefits during your stay. This is because most properties consider Amex Travel to be a third-party booking site, and elite benefits usually apply only when you book directly with the hotel. This is a significant drawback, especially if you're chasing elite status with a major chain such as Marriott or Hilton.
• Trip changes, interruptions, and cancellations can be harder to manage through Amex Travel: Many airlines allow you to change your flights these days, especially if you booked a refundable fare or are willing to pay some additional fees. But when you book through a third-party website like Amex Travel, you may get mixed messages regarding which company you should contact if you need to change your travel plans. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, many travelers ping-ponged back and forth between customer service representatives at the airline that canceled their flight home and those from the third-party OTA that sold them their ticket.
• American Express Membership Rewards cards can be expensive: The annual fee for some American Express Membership Rewards cards is high, with the Amex Platinum Card charging one of the highest annual fees among premium travel cards. If you're not making use of the benefits offered by these cards, you may be better off with a different option.
• Bonus categories on some cards leave something to be desired: While some American Express Membership Rewards cards offer excellent bonus categories, such as the Amex Gold Card's 4x points at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 in purchases per year, then 1x), the bonus categories on other cards may not be as competitive. For example, the Amex Platinum Card offers 5x points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (up to $500,000 per calendar year, then 1x) and 1x points on all other eligible purchases. If you're looking for a card with strong bonus categories across a wide range of spending, you may want to consider other options.

Amex travel portal benefits

The Amex Travel portal is a booking platform for American Express cardholders. It allows users to book flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, and other reservations. The main benefits of booking travel on the Amex Travel portal are:

• Earning extra points: Cardholders can earn up to 5x points on flights booked directly with airlines or through the Amex Travel portal, and on prepaid hotel reservations.
• Pay with Points: Cardholders can pay for reservations using their Membership Rewards points. They can choose to pay partially with points and the rest with cash.
• Upgrade flights with points: Eligible flights booked with cash can be upgraded using Membership Rewards points, with a value of 1 cent per point.
• Discounted international flights: Platinum cardholders have access to discounted first, business, and premium economy flights on select airlines and routes through the International Airline Program (IAP).
• Fine Hotels & Resorts: Platinum Card members have access to a collection of resorts and benefits, including a $200 statement credit, noon check-in, room upgrade, daily breakfast, guaranteed 4 pm checkout, complimentary WiFi, and a unique property benefit.
• The Hotel Collection: Gold and Platinum cardholders receive elite status-level perks, such as a $100 resort credit and room upgrade, at over 600 hotels worldwide when staying for two or more nights.
• Travel insurance: Cardholders can purchase Trip Cancel Guard, which allows them to cancel their trip for any reason and receive up to a 75% reimbursement if cancelled at least two days before departure.
• 35% points rebate: Business Platinum Card members can receive up to a 35% rebate on points used to book flights through the Amex Travel portal.

The Amex Travel portal offers a convenient way for American Express cardholders to book travel and earn rewards. However, there are some downsides, such as lower value for points redemption and potential issues with customer service and hotel elite status benefits.

Frequently asked questions