It’s no shock that the American Categorical Platinum Card® is full of premium journey advantages. Some of the beneficiant perks of this premium way of life card is its annual assertion credit score of as much as $200 for airline incidental charges. This perk can cut back the sting of the cardboard’s $895 annual payment (see charges and costs) by offsetting widespread airline charges for checked luggage, seat project and even lounge passes. Enrollment is required.
The identical credit score can also be discovered on The Enterprise Platinum Card® from American Categorical. As an Amex Enterprise Platinum cardholder, the airline you choose for the incidental credit score would be the solely airline for which the 35% Pay with Factors bonus perk applies to Amex Journey purchases (as much as 1 million factors again per calendar yr).
This credit score operates on a calendar-year foundation, that means you could have from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 to make use of it. On paper, it’s worthwhile to choose your airline for the yr by Jan. 31, although we’ve heard anecdotally that Amex has been versatile on this in the event you name or chat with a consultant and request a change.
Amex Enterprise Platinum Card: Earn 200,000 Membership Rewards factors after spending $20,000 on eligible purchases inside the first three months of card membership.
First, word that enrollment is required upfront to obtain credit score for this profit. Here is all the pieces else it’s worthwhile to know.
5 recommendations for learn how to use the airline payment credit score this yr
Listed below are some concepts for utilizing your Amex Platinum airline incidental credit all through 2026:
- Enable an approved person to make use of the payment credit score on considered one of their flights.
- Pay for checked bag charges and seat assignments.
- Buy airline lounge day passes for future use. These are sometimes legitimate for one yr from buy, however remember to verify the precise phrases earlier than shopping for any passes. You should buy single-use passes from Alaska Airways for $65, from American Airways for $79 and from United Airways for $59. Additionally, word that this doesn’t work throughout all airways, so do some on-line analysis for current information factors.
- Splurge on meals and drinks whereas in flight.
Enrollment is required upfront for choose advantages.
Reward your inbox with the TPG Every day publication
Be a part of over 700,000 readers for breaking information, in-depth guides and unique offers from TPG’s consultants
Associated: The best way to get Delta Sky Membership entry, together with through elite standing and bank cards
Select the fitting airline
When you have an Amex Platinum, you may click on right here to pick or change your airline alternative every January. (You’ll must log in to entry your Amex account.) You may as well entry the airline choice display screen by scrolling to your on-line account’s “Advantages” part from both the Amex web site or the cellphone app. Both manner, you’ll see you can select from the next airways:
- Alaska Airways
- American Airways
- Delta Air Strains
- Hawaiian Airways
- JetBlue
- Southwest Airways
- Spirit Airways
- United Airways
Amex has been comparatively lenient in allowing airline choice modifications nicely past the same old Jan. 31 deadline for many who name or use the net chat function. There’s no assure that it’s going to be just right for you, however it’s value attempting if you wish to change your airline later within the yr and haven’t used any of the credit score but.
Instinctively, you would possibly assume that the airline you most regularly fly with is the most effective one to decide on. Nevertheless, selecting your main airline by default isn’t at all times the only option. That’s as a result of many charges are waived in case you have elite standing or a cobranded bank card with that airline — so you will be attempting to make use of credit to reimburse checked bag charges or seat choices with an airline that won’t cost you for these to start with.
As a substitute, take into account an airline with which you’re more likely to incur at the very least $200 in charges every year.
For instance, think about you fly United regularly sufficient to carry elite standing with that airline, but additionally fly American a couple of instances every year. On this state of affairs, you is likely to be higher served by selecting American in your airline payment credit score.
You would use that credit score for issues like checked bag charges, extra-legroom seats or onboard meals and drinks. TPG bank card author Danyal Ahmed holds elite standing with American Airways, so the Oneworld Sapphire advantages for checked luggage and seat choice additionally carry over to its companion airline Alaska Airways. Because of this he selected United for the incidental credit score reimbursement as a substitute, to maximise the worth of this perk, as he’d need to pay for these bills on a United flight.
Don’t overlook about finances airways, both. Deciding on a low-cost service like Southwest or Spirit as your airline of alternative might be a wise technique, since they cost steep further charges for facilities which might be in any other case included along with your fare on different airways.
What is roofed by the airline payment credit score?
Typically, the next incidental charges can be reimbursed utilizing the Amex Platinum credit score, offered you make these purchases individually from the airline ticket (so they may seem as separate transactions).
Nevertheless, something not expressly categorized as an incidental payment isn’t assured to work and should change based mostly on how the airline codes the transactions. For instance, we’ve heard that United lounge passes could be coded as airfare — and, subsequently, seemingly wouldn’t set off the credit score. Listed below are another examples which will or might not set off the credit score:
- Airport lounge day passes and annual memberships
- Change charges
- Checked baggage charges
- In-flight amenity charges (drinks, meals, pillows/blankets, and so forth.)
- In-flight leisure charges (excluding wi-fi web, because the cost comes from the service supplier and never the airline)
- Chubby/outsized baggage charges
- Pet flight charges
- Telephone reservation charges
- Seat project charges
With so many potential fees that might qualify for this airline incidental payment credit score, it’s not tough for a lot of frequent vacationers to make use of the airline payment credit score in full throughout a typical yr.
What isn’t coated by the airline payment credit score?
In response to the phrases, the Amex Platinum airline payment credit score is not relevant for the next:
- Airline tickets
- Award tickets
- Fees that aren’t separate from airline ticket funds (for instance, you could pay to pick seats when buying a ticket, however that won’t set off the credit score)
- Obligation-free purchases
- Charges charged to different card accounts (in addition to approved person accounts)
- Charges not charged by the cardmember’s airline of alternative (for instance, wi-fi web and costs incurred with airline alliance companions)
- Reward playing cards
- Incidental air journey charges charged previous to the choice of a qualifying airline
- Mileage factors purchases
- Mileage factors switch charges
- Upgrades
The airline should submit the cost below the suitable service provider code and required service or product identifier for the cost to be acknowledged as an incidental air journey payment. The phrases state that the assertion credit score will publish to your account six to eight weeks after every cost (although in our expertise, it’s typically a lot sooner). If the credit score hasn’t posted by then, you may name the quantity on the again of the cardboard to have the credit score manually accredited for the legitimate fees.
Associated: How lengthy does it take to obtain assertion credit from Amex, Capital One, Chase and Citi?
It’s additionally value increasing on the bullet level for “charges not charged by the cardmember’s airline of alternative.” If you happen to guide a ticket by way of your most well-liked airline however will fly on a companion airline as a substitute, you gained’t be capable of benefit from your incidental credit.
Right here’s an instance. Say that your most well-liked airline is United and also you guide a flight by way of United’s web site, however you’ll truly fly a codeshare flight on Air Canada. If you verify in on the airport with Air Canada, checked bag charges could be charged by Air Canada — not United — so that you wouldn’t be capable of use your Amex Platinum incidental credit right here.
Typically, different small airline ticket purchases, journey financial institution reloads and even the taxes and costs additionally set off the credit score, as have some purchases of smaller quantities (round $50) of future airline journey credit score.
Nevertheless, these are off-label makes use of that might change at any time and shouldn’t be relied on. Moreover, keep in mind that solely purchases with the airline you chose will set off the credit score.
Different Amex playing cards with airline payment credit
The Amex Platinum isn’t the one Amex card that gives an annual airline payment credit score (as much as a specific amount). The next Amex playing cards additionally provide assertion credit (advance enrollment is required):
The main points of the airline payment credit score on these playing cards are comparable.
Associated: Amex Platinum vs. Enterprise Platinum: Which premium Amex card is best for you?
Backside line
The as much as $200 Amex airline payment assertion credit score is a type of use-it-or-lose-it advantages that’s solely value what you make of it.
Usually, it’s fairly straightforward to maximise this airline payment credit score in the event you perceive the way it works and have a plan for the yr forward. At this level, you must have a good suggestion of what does and doesn’t work for the Amex Platinum Card’s airline incidental credit and the way you should use them even in the event you aren’t touring instantly.
To be taught extra about Amex’s playing cards with airline payment credit, learn our full opinions of the Amex Platinum, the Amex Enterprise Platinum and the Hilton Amex Aspire Card.
Apply right here: American Categorical Platinum Card
Apply right here: The Enterprise Platinum Card from American Categorical
Apply right here: Hilton Honors American Categorical Aspire Card
For charges and costs of the Amex Platinum, click on right here.
