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The Platinum Card® from American Express has a hefty annual fee. That much is for sure. But baked into that annual fee is a lot of value — think hundreds of dollars worth of credits and other perks that can easily offset the card's steep price tag if you maximize them. One of those perks that helps justify the annual fee is the Amex Platinum‘s $200 airline fee credit.
Here's what you need to know about the airline fee credit — what it covers and what it doesn't — plus how to get full value from it every year.
- You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you're approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount - all with no credit score impact. If you're approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
- $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney+ bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
- Enjoy the benefits of the Global Lounge Collection, with over $500 of annual value if you visit Centurion Lounges and each of our partner lounges including Delta Sky Club® lounges when flying an eligible Delta flight (subject to visit limitations) , select Lufthansa lounges when flying Lufthansa, Plaza Premium lounges and Escape Lounges, and enroll in Priority Pass Select. See terms.
- A Walmart+ membership can get you free shipping with no order minimum on eligible items shipped by Walmart. Use your Platinum Card® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) and receive one statement credit for up to $12.95 (plus applicable taxes. Plus Ups not eligible) each month. Free Shipping excludes most Marketplace items, freight & certain location surcharges. Paramount+ Essential plan only, separate registration required.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card® Account. American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details.
- $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card® Members can ride or dine in style with $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December after adding their Card to their Uber account. Use your Uber Cash on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR® Plus helps get you to your gate faster by using unique facial attributes to verify you are you at 50+ airports nationwide. Receive up to $199 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for your CLEAR Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) with the Platinum Card®.
- Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
- Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card®. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- Use Global Dining Access by Resy to access premium dining experiences. Receive Priority Notify and unlock insider access to some of the world's most sought-after restaurants with Global Dining Access by Resy. Download the Resy iOS app or log into Resy.com and add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile to take advantage of your special benefits and discover restaurants near you.
- $695 annual fee.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- Earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
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Amex Platinum Airline Fee Credit Overview
The Amex Platinum airline fee credit is what it sounds like. It provides up to a $200 credit towards incidental airline fees that you, as the cardholder, can use every year to offset the cost of travel. It's available to you starting January 1 and will expire on December 31 if unused; it's a use-it-or-lose-it type of benefit.
You'll want to be aware of certain restrictions, though. The airline fee credit doesn't cover everything, and you can't use it on every airline.
And before we go further, note that enrollment is required to enjoy the credit. If you don't enroll and select an eligible airline, you won't receive any statement credits to offset what you'll pay for incidentals.
Related: All About The Platinum Card® from American Express
Which Airline Should You Choose?
When you receive your new Amex Platinum in the mail, one of the first things you should do is select an eligible airline. Or, if you already have the Amex Platinum, this is a step you'll need to take each January — by the 31st at the latest — if you want to change to a different airline this year.
The airline you select is the one you'll receive credit for on eligible incidental purchases. You can choose from the following air carriers:
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- Hawaiian Airlines
- JetBlue Airways
- Southwest Airlines
- Spirit Airlines
- United Airlines
Whichever airline you fly the most likely isn't the best choice. In other words, if you have status with that airline or a co-branded credit card, there's a low chance you'll incur at least $200 in fees with that airline.
Thus, a better option is choosing a separate airline you might not fly as much. For instance, American Airlines is my airline of choice; I have AAdvantage® elite status and a co-branded credit card, so I don't have to pay for checked luggage. I fly Delta a few times a year and don't have a free checked bag benefit. But with the Amex Platinum airline fee credit, up to $200 of my checked bag expenses are covered when I charge the cost of the bag to the card.
Spirit Airlines is another fair choice if you fly the airline a few times annually. There's very little Spirit doesn't charge for, and the Amex airline fee credit can help offset the cost of adding à la carte items, such as seat selection fees.
Thus, you'll want to be strategic with your choice. It's the best way to ensure you get the full $200 worth of value out of your credit.
Can you use the credit on partner airlines?
Suppose you choose Delta as your airline for the Amex airline fee credit. But what if you book a ticket through Delta for a flight operated by its partner airline, Air France? Will purchases you make on your trip count? The answer is likely no. Thus, you shouldn't expect to use your Amex Platinum to pay for checked luggage at Air France's ticket counter and receive part of your annual fee credit.
What Is Covered by the Amex Airline Fee Credit?
The Amex Platinum airline fee credit covers a lot but doesn't cover everything you may pay for before or during your trip. The key word to remember is “incidental.” Incidental purchases charged to your card separately from the airline ticket itself count — most of the time. For example, eligible charges could include:
- Airport lounge day passes and annual memberships (provided the airline doesn't code this purchase as airfare)
- Change fees
- Checked baggage fees (including oversized baggage charges)
- Inflight food and beverage purchases
- Inflight entertainment purchases (charged by the airline and not a third-party provider)
- Pet fees
- Phone booking fees
- Seat selection fees
This isn't an all-encompassing list. Amex Platinum cardholders routinely share data points of things covered but not on the official list of inclusions. Thus, while your mileage may vary, be sure to read the section on what isn't covered before making a purchase you're convinced will count. And pay attention to that inflight Wi-Fi purchase; it's often billed by a third-party provider, meaning it won't trigger the credit.
When will you receive your credit?
You should receive a statement credit for incidental purchases charged to your Amex Platinum within eight weeks of purchase. Purchases made by additional card members on the enrolled account count, too.
And remember, you won't receive the full $200 at once unless you purchase something that size. You'll receive the equivalent of what you spent on incidentals — up to $200 annually.
What Isn't Covered by the Amex Airline Fee Credit?
The “what's not included” list might make you think the Amex Platinum fee credit is restrictive. Compared to airline fee credits or travel credits you'll find on other premium rewards cards, we could see why you'd say that, but it's still easy to earn in full every year if you play your cards right (pun intended).
So, what's not covered? Here's a look:
- Airline tickets
- Award taxes and fees
- Duty-free purchases
- Gift card purchase
- Inflight Wi-Fi (when charged by providers like Gogo or Viasat and not the airline)
- Paid upgrades
- Points and miles purchases or transfer fees
Sometimes, you'll get lucky, purchasing something on the forbidden list that counts towards your airline fee credit. Great for you. However, those are rare exceptions to the rule (possibly errors) that could change at any time. Moreover, remember that only purchases with the airline you selected at enrollment will trigger the airline fee credit.
Claim the Amex Airline Fee Credit Twice in the First Year
One of the big benefits of the Amex airline fee credit is that it can be claimed twice in the first cardholder year. This is because the credit resets at the start of every calendar year (January 1), rather than the Card Member year.
If you time your application right, the airline credit can be claimed once during the first calendar year as a card member. Then, you can claim it again before the annual fee is due on your account anniversary.
All the Amex Cards That Offer Airline Fee Credits
The Platinum Card® from American Express is one of many Amex products that offer an airline fee credit. You'll find an identical airline fee credit on other flavors of Platinum cards, such as:
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
- Note that you can only use the Pay With Points perk on the airline you select for the fee credit.
- The Platinum Card® from American Express for Goldman Sachs
- The Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley
- American Express Platinum Card® by Charles Schwab
- The American Express Corporate Platinum Card®
But that's not all. The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card also offers up to $200 worth of reimbursement for eligible purchases, dubbed a “flight credit.” You'll receive up to $50 worth of credits quarterly.
Final Thoughts
The Amex Platinum airline fee credit is a valuable perk that helps offset the card's $695 annual fee (Rates & Fees), so remember to use it!
For most travelers, maximizing the credit is easy to do. Just select an airline with which you'll incur at least $200 in incidental fees and charge the purchases to your Amex Platinum. Soon enough, you'll get some money back as a statement credit. It's that simple.
- You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you're approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount - all with no credit score impact. If you're approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
- $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney+ bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
- Enjoy the benefits of the Global Lounge Collection, with over $500 of annual value if you visit Centurion Lounges and each of our partner lounges including Delta Sky Club® lounges when flying an eligible Delta flight (subject to visit limitations) , select Lufthansa lounges when flying Lufthansa, Plaza Premium lounges and Escape Lounges, and enroll in Priority Pass Select. See terms.
- A Walmart+ membership can get you free shipping with no order minimum on eligible items shipped by Walmart. Use your Platinum Card® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) and receive one statement credit for up to $12.95 (plus applicable taxes. Plus Ups not eligible) each month. Free Shipping excludes most Marketplace items, freight & certain location surcharges. Paramount+ Essential plan only, separate registration required.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card® Account. American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details.
- $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card® Members can ride or dine in style with $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December after adding their Card to their Uber account. Use your Uber Cash on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR® Plus helps get you to your gate faster by using unique facial attributes to verify you are you at 50+ airports nationwide. Receive up to $199 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for your CLEAR Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) with the Platinum Card®.
- Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
- Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card®. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- Use Global Dining Access by Resy to access premium dining experiences. Receive Priority Notify and unlock insider access to some of the world's most sought-after restaurants with Global Dining Access by Resy. Download the Resy iOS app or log into Resy.com and add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile to take advantage of your special benefits and discover restaurants near you.
- $695 annual fee.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- Earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees)
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