How to Get the Most Out of Your Amex Platinum Travel Credit – Forbes Advisor

The American Express Platinum Card® (Conditions apply; see Fees & Fees) is a premium card with premium benefits and a $695 premium annual fee. When you look at the membership fee, you might think, “Wow, I can’t afford to pay that much for a card enrollment.” But you might think differently when you see how much value you get from using the card’s perks.

Amex Platinum allows cardmembers to redeem up to $300 in Equinox credit, up to $240 in digital entertainment credit, up to $200 in Uber Cash on Uber purchases in the US, or prepay at Fine Hotels+ Resorts or The Hotel Collection Provide cardholders with annual statement credits, including up to $200 in hotel credits. American Express Travel, $189 CLEAR® credit, up to $155 Walmart+ credit, and up to $100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit. The card also includes up to $200 in airline bill credit. Some benefits require registration.

Let’s take a look at exactly what an Amex Platinum Travel Credit is and how to claim it.

What is the Amex Platinum Travel Credit?

The Amex Platinum Travel Credit is an airline fee credit of up to $200 offered as a benefit of the American Express Platinum Card® (applicable on select airlines). Credit is applied as a statement credit for airline purchases considered incidental, such as checked baggage, seat selection, in-flight meals and beverages.

Amex Platinum Travel Credit is available on the following cards:

• American Express Corporate Platinum Card
• American Express Platinum Card®
• American Express Platinum Card® for Charles Schwab*
• Goldman Sachs American Express Platinum Card®*
• American Express Platinum Card® for Morgan Stanley*
• American Express Business Platinum Card®

Given the rather high annual fees on all of these cards, you can offset them with a $200 airline fee credit. If you have multiple cards with Amex Travel Credit, please charge each card before it expires.

How to claim your Amex Travel Credit

Before you can claim your American Express airline fee credit, you must be enrolled in the offer and select an airline from the list of participating airlines. You can change your selection each January.

If you do not change airlines, your previous selection will remain. As of January, unless you have redeemed your credit, you can send a message to Amex and ask them to change your airline of choice.

Eligible airlines are:

• Alaska Airlines
• american airlines
• delta airlines
• Hawaiian Airlines
• jetblue airlines
• spirit airlines
• Southwest Airlines
• united airlines

If you select an airline, you can claim up to $200 for incidental charges charged to the above Eligible Cards by the selected airline. Primary cardholder and authorized user charges are subject to airline fee credits, but the total must not exceed $200 per calendar year.

Please note that it may take up to 8 weeks for the statement credit to appear on your American Express card account.

What can I use my Amex Travel Credit for?

Unfortunately, Amex airline fee credits cannot be used exclusively for airline purchases. Ticket purchases are specifically excluded from the list of eligible fees. Additionally, no upgrades, gift cards, duty-free purchases, award tickets, wireless internet (if processed by a third party), mileage purchases, or mileage transfer fees are covered, making travel credits less convenient to use . you might have wanted

The following charges are generally eligible for Amex Travel Credits:

• airport lounge pass
• Checked Baggage Fee
• EarlyBird check-in (in Southwest)
• In-flight meals and entertainment
• Pet travel fee
• Telephone reservation fee
• Seat selection
• Fees for unaccompanied minors

When will my Amex Travel Credit reset?

Airline fee credits do not roll over and reset each calendar year. This means that if you are a cardholder, you must use it by December 31st of each year. Otherwise, the credit will expire. You will receive your new travel credit on January 1st.

How to get the most out of your Amex Platinum Travel Credit

Amex Platinum Travel Credits are fairly limited and require creativity to fully use each year. Here are some ideas for making the most of your Amex Platinum travel credit before it expires.

Purchase a lounge pass

Airport Lounge Passes are valid for a fairly long time and do not need to be used on the day of purchase. So if your travel credit has expired and you need to use it, buy a lounge pass for an airline you know you’ll be flying with in the future. For example, the Admirals Club sells his day pass for $59 and the United Club sells his one-time pass for $59. If you know you’ll be flying with either airline in the future, why not enjoy some lounge time?

Prepaid checked baggage

If you know for sure that you won’t be able to live with carry-on baggage during your already booked trip, consider prepaying for checked baggage and using Amex airline fee credits. In some cases, you can even get a discount by prepaying for your bag online instead of at the airport. For example, United charges a non-elite member $30 for the first bag if prepaid on domestic flights and $35 if paid at the check-in counter.

Choose a Preferred Seat

Another way to use your Amex Travel Credits before they expire is to book a seat. For example, if you book a ticket for the main he cabin with American Airlines, the airline will charge extra for the seats you want, such as seats closer to the front of the cabin or seats with more legroom. You can prepay for premium seat selection and get a refund from American Express. When you book a Basic Economy ticket with Delta, you can choose your seat one week before departure for an additional fee and are also eligible for Amex Platinum Travel Credits.

Conclusion

Amex Platinum Travel Credits are available annually, but due to their limited use, you may not find a way to redeem them each year. Use airline fee credits to pay for checked baggage, prepay for seats, or purchase lounge passes. If you can use up all of the $200 each year that you are a cardholder, it will help offset the card’s high annual fee.

To view rates and fees for The Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this page.