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Amex has eliminated the $100 Airline Fee Credit as a benefit for the American Express® Gold Card. For many, the new Uber Cash credits that have been added to the card will be just as valuable—and perhaps easier to use.
To be clear, the Airline Fee Credit is not available now (or in the future) if you opened your Amex Gold on or after February 4, 2021. However, if you opened your card on or before February 3, 2021, you have until December 31, 2021, to use your final $100 airline fee credit.
If you're thinking about getting this card, check out our Amex Gold review for a full rundown of its excellent benefits. If you're an existing Amex Gold cardholder, here's what you need to know about the airline fee credit.
Amex Airline Fee Credit
One of the benefits of several American Express cards—but one we most love to hate—is the Airline Fee Credit. This credit reimburses cardmembers for amounts spent on incidental charges (checked baggage fees, seat upgrades, lounge memberships, etc.). Currently, American Express offers these credits on several products, including:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
- Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
What's Changing
- Amex Gold cardholders who opened their account on or before 2/3/2021 can use their $100 credit until 12/31/2021.
- Starting on January 1, 2022, Amex will no longer provide this benefit for any Amex Gold cardholders.
We reached out to an Amex spokesperson to confirm this significant change in benefits and received this response:
As we are always looking to evolve our Card benefits and services to best support our Card Members’ needs, the Airline Fee Credit on the American Express® Gold Card will no longer be available at the end of 2021. Current Gold Card Members will be able to continue to use the Airline Fee Credit through December 31, 2021. We will continue to evolve and enhance our Card benefits and services to provide relevant and rich value to our Card Members in the areas they care about most, so stay tuned!
How big of a loss is this?
Like I said before, Amex's Airline Fee Credits are a benefit we love to hate. That's because unlike flexible travel credits offered on other popular travel cards (like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Citi Prestige® Card), Amex's credit restricts you to a much narrower window of purchases. To receive the credit, you have to:
- choose an airline you know you'll fly, and
- make a purchase that qualifies
If you regularly travel with a specific airline and often make eligible purchases, that may not be a problem. However, if you find yourself unable to travel (like many of us currently), this credit easily incurs breakage—or lost value. Consequently, it's not surprising that this credit has its fair share of critics.
Bottom Line
For Amex Gold cardholders with an account open as of February 3, 2021, 2021 is the last year you'll receive the $100 Airline Fee Credit. If you really liked this benefit, it's worth considering the Amex Platinum, which still offers a $200 Airline Fee Credit.
Historically, Amex has done a good job of making sure cardmembers continue receiving meaningful value from its products. While those who found it easy to use the Airline Fee Credit may still be disappointed, we think the new Uber Cash credits—worth up to $120 per year—are a pretty good replacement.
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
besides for rewards amex is a step ahead of any other credit card company. way easier to deal with, they dont shut you down like chase, and if you were charged for merchandise that is faulty they take care of you…
I’ve stopped applying for any of the “premium” Amex cards as the benefits don’t justify the fees anymore and you’re at the mercy of Amex who may determine they don’t think your purchases qualify you for spending bonuses. Too much risk/cost for such little reward.
If they replace the credit with a more useful benefit, it will make this card even better.
As was predicted here, they did indeed replace it with other benefits, in this case two Uber. So, at least you get to now ask yourself if you think those are more useful to you.
So-so credit. Hopefully, they will come up with a better offering. They have to stay competitive.
Disappointed, but AMEX airline credits have gotten more difficult to use over time.
Although a travel credit is somewhat useless at the moment, I hope American Express are replacing this with something that can be used rather than just stripping value out of this card!
I always found a card too expensive for what it offers. There are better ones.
At this time it’s not good to lose anything. I hope Amex reconsider do it.
It may be more of a refresh than anything. The Gold card is more about food with groceries and dining and the Platinum is more about travel.
Hopefully they will replace it with some more meaningful benefit (maybe around dining – given that it gives 4x for grocery and restaurants and $10 per month for Grubhub. Make it an all around “food” card.
What i DON’T want to see is
credits for something like loungebuddy (like the one on the AmEx Green card) which is totally useless
credits for something like Resy which can only promarily be used if you are in one of the big metros (NY, LA)
Something like 20% back on dining (uptil $100) similar to what they offer as a promo on the gold card could just work. After all their goal should be to make people put the spend on the gold card.
Agreed, the 20% back signup benefit was great as you got both 4x rewards and the statement credit. That would actually be an nice improvement as far as I’m concerned.
Loungrbuddy would be a terrible replacement. Maybe $10/month for a dining related thing. I think I’d sign up.
What I would like to see is a $100 credit toward purchased airfares, not incidental credits. I like my CSR credit card, like getting 3X on grocery spend.
Meh, for all the reasons you said, it was a benefit worth hating. That said, it was still a benefit, so this is a negative. But we’ll see what it means long term and for other cards, etc.
I am one who loves to hate this fee. It was easy to use when AA gift cards triggered the rebate! Now, I keep it until the end of the year (in case I need it for change fees or pet fees) then use it to buy miles in conjunction with a flight. That has worked in the past with AA. I’m certainly hoping for a general travel credit like Chase offers.
As always, customers are the victims of benefit reductions, while paying the same fees…
Hopefully there is a better benefit to come. If they do have a replacement in mind, it’s puzzling they would announce the elimination of the credit without also announcing what will take it’s place. AMEX really needs to step it up. Chase is killing it lately with the revamp to the Freedom line, COVID era credits for the Sapphire line, etc…. and here’s AMEX again gutting what used to be a very good card.
Just a plain travel credit or dining credit would be great