Award Ticket Fee: American Airlines Amex Travel Credit

American Express offers a $200 airline fee credit for its Platinum Card and Business Platinum Card members. The credit is intended to cover airline fees and incidental costs, such as checked baggage, in-flight refreshments, and flight change fees. However, it does not cover airfare, upgrades, mileage points purchases, gift cards, duty-free purchases, or award tickets. The credit is valid from January 1 to December 31 each year and can be used for purchases made directly with a selected list of airlines. While there is some ambiguity around what charges qualify for the credit, American Express has provided a list of eligible expenses, and card members can also refer to community forums and personal blogs for further insight and creative ways to maximise their credit.

What purchases qualify for the Amex airline fee credit?

The Amex airline incidental fee credit can reimburse you for qualifying fees on one airline you select from a list of eight US carriers. The eligible Amex cards for this credit are The Platinum Card from American Express, The Business Platinum Card from American Express, and the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. The maximum airline fee credits you can receive per year varies by card, but the benefit resets at the end of the calendar year and does not roll over to the next year.

• Checked baggage fees (including overweight and oversize fees)
• Itinerary change fees
• Phone reservation fees
• Seat assignment fees
• In-flight amenity fees (beverages, food, pillows, blankets, and headphones)
• In-flight entertainment fees (excluding wireless internet, which is usually charged by a third party)
• Airport lounge day passes and annual memberships

Although American Express only publishes a partial list of airline fees that qualify for reimbursement, some cardholders have had success triggering the credit with transactions that aren't listed as eligible. Anecdotal reports from card members suggest other incidental fees that are not mentioned by Amex are also eligible, including priority boarding, award ticket cancellation, and mileage-redeposit fees.

What are the best ways to use the Amex airline fee credit?

The Amex airline fee credit is a valuable perk offered by a handful of American Express premium travel cards. This credit can provide cardholders with up to $200 or $250 in statement credits to reimburse eligible incidental airline expenses. The best ways to use the Amex airline fee credit include:

Official Ways

• Airport lounge day passes and annual memberships - While the Amex Platinum card includes extensive lounge access, it doesn’t include access to all U.S. carrier’s lounges. You can use your Amex Platinum card’s credit to buy day passes to lounges like the American Airlines Admirals Club.
• Itinerary change fees - Changing a trip’s date can be expensive, but your Amex Platinum card’s incidental fee credit covers the itinerary change fee. Note that the incidental fee will not likely cover the airfare difference as this is often charged like a plane ticket.
• Checked baggage fees - If you planned on checking a bag but it isn’t included with your ticket, you can charge it to your Amex Platinum card. This is especially helpful if you’ve selected a low-cost carrier, such as Spirit, as your airline, as these carriers generally charge more for baggage.
• In-flight entertainment fees - The incidental fee credit covers in-flight entertainment fees including TV, movies, and tablet rentals charged directly by the airline. Unfortunately, this does not cover inflight internet, as a third party generally bills this.
• Seat assignment fees - Most airlines charge anywhere from $10 up to $50 for a seat assignment on domestic flights.
• Pet fees - If you’re taking a furry companion with you, use your Amex Platinum card’s incidental credit to cover the pet fee.
• Priority boarding purchases - Priority boarding purchases work on virtually all airlines. Again, remember that the incidental fees only cover priority boarding fees on your selected airline.

Unofficial Ways

• Fill your United TravelBank account - United’s TravelBank allows you to fund the account with cash to use on future United flights. Any money you put in your TravelBank account does not expire for 5 years, provided there is account activity at least every 18 months.
• Admirals Club food or drink purchases - A number of American Airlines Admirals Club locations have premium food and drink available for purchase. American Express has reimbursed these purchases, as they’re billed directly by American Airlines.
• Delta Airfare purchased partially with a gift card - There are reports of Delta tickets purchased partially with a gift card being reimbursed by American Express. This is because, when the purchase processes, it adds an “additional collection” to the transaction instead of listing an airline route, like most airfare purchases.
• Airfare of $99 or below on certain airlines - There have been reports of below-$99 fares on Delta, Southwest, and JetBlue being reimbursed by the incidental fee credit.
• Spirit Saver$ Club memberships - Spirit Airlines has a members-only discount club called Spirit Saver$ Club, which includes access to discounted tickets and other perks but has an annual fee. We’ve seen reports of Spirit Saver$ Club memberships being reimbursed by American Express.
• $5.60 TSA Passenger Security Fee on award tickets - There have been instances of the $5.60 TSA passenger security fee being reimbursed on multiple award tickets in the past.

What is the Amex airline fee credit?

The Amex airline fee credit is a benefit offered by a handful of American Express premium travel cards. Cardholders can receive up to $200 or $250 in statement credits to cover eligible incidental airline expenses. The specific amount depends on the card. The three cards that offer this credit are:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express: $200 annual airline fee credit
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: $200 annual fee credit
• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: $250 annual airline fee credit

Cardholders must select one airline from a list of eight US carriers to use the credit with. The credit can be used for various expenses, including checked baggage fees, seat selection fees, inflight purchases, and lounge passes. However, it's important to note that the credit only applies to incidental fees and does not cover airfare, mileage points purchases, or gift cards. The benefit resets at the end of each calendar year, and any unused credits do not roll over to the next year.

How to register for Amex airline fee credits?

To register for Amex airline fee credits, you must first have an eligible Amex card. The following Amex cards offer airline fee credits:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express: Up to $200 credit
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Up to $200 credit
• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: Up to $250 credit

Once you have an eligible card, you need to enrol in the benefit. You can do this by logging into your American Express account and selecting the "Benefits" tab. After enrolling, you must select a preferred airline. You can change your selected airline once per year in January, but Amex agents may allow you to change it outside of this period if you haven't used any of your credits.

After enrolling and selecting an airline, you can start making qualifying purchases with your chosen airline to receive reimbursements. Eligible purchases include:

• Checked baggage fees
• Itinerary change fees
• Phone reservation fees
• Seat assignment fees
• In-flight amenity fees (beverages, food, pillows/blankets, headphones)
• In-flight entertainment fees (excluding wireless internet)
• Airport lounge day passes and annual memberships

What purchases do not qualify for the Amex airline fee credit?

The Amex airline fee credit is a valuable perk offered by a handful of American Express premium travel cards. This credit can provide cardholders with up to $200 or $250 in statement credits to reimburse eligible incidental airline expenses. However, there are several purchases that do not qualify for the Amex airline fee credit.

• Airline tickets : The credit cannot be used to purchase plane tickets, including upgrades and award tickets.
• Mileage points purchases and transfer fees : Buying frequent flyer miles or transferring points is not covered by the credit.
• Gift cards : Gift card purchases from airlines do not qualify for reimbursement, even though they were technically allowed in the past.
• Duty-free purchases : Any purchases made at duty-free shops in airports or on planes are not eligible for the credit.
• In-flight Wi-Fi : In-flight Wi-Fi is generally billed by a third party, such as Gogo or Panasonic, and is not considered an incidental fee charged by the airline.
• Charges made by airline partners : Fees charged by airline partners, such as in-flight entertainment service providers, are not covered by the credit.
• Trip/baggage insurance : Trip and baggage insurance are not considered incidental fees and are, therefore, not eligible for reimbursement.

It is important to note that the list of ineligible expenses may vary depending on the specific Amex card and the terms and conditions of the benefit. Cardholders should carefully review the terms and conditions of their card to understand what purchases do not qualify for the Amex airline fee credit.

Frequently asked questions