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One great perk American Express offers on its most premium cards — including The Platinum Card® from American Express — is an Amex airline fee credit. Each year, card members can automatically get up to $200 in statement credits to offset qualifying airline fees.
The catch? This airline fee credit can only be applied to fees on the one airline you select before making an eligible purchase. That makes your airline choice quite consequential. Whether you're just enrolling in this benefit or switching your airline allegiance, here's how to change your preferred airline for the Amex airline fee credit.
How The Amex Airline Fee Credit Works
The Amex airline fee credit is a $200 calendar year credit for cardholders of both The Business Platinum Card® from American Express and The Platinum Card® from American Express (including all varieties of it). Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
Before this benefit can apply, you select an eligible airline. Here's the list of airlines you can choose from:
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- Hawaiian Airlines
- JetBlue Airways
- Southwest Airlines
- Spirit Airlines
- United Airlines
You can then use your airline incidentals for the following types of expenses:
- Airport lounge day passes and annual memberships
- Booking fees
- Checked baggage fees
- In-flight fees and entertainment
- Seat assignment fees
- Ticket change and cancellation fees
If you're happy with your airline choice, you don't need to do anything to stick with that airline for another year. The credit will automatically stay with your initial airline selection. There's no need to enroll in this benefit each year.
Related: How To Use the Amex Platinum Airlines Fee Credit
Which Cards Offer an Amex Airline Fee Credit?
After Amex cut this benefit from several cards, just two Amex cards offer an airline fee credit — but they are two of the most popular Amex cards around:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express: $200 annual Airline Fee Credit
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: $200 annual Airline Fee Credit
How To Change Your Amex Airline Fee Credit Choice
If you want to change your airline preference, it's easiest to do so in January. That's because the card benefit terms only allow card members the opportunity to change their airline choice one time per year in January. However, card members may be able to change their airline selection outside of January. We detail both of these options below.
Changing your airline preference in January
To select or change your airline choice during January, start by logging into your Amex account. Then, browse to this dedicated benefits page. There, Amex will display your current airline choice and give you the option to “change selected airline.” Then, you'll have the option to select a different airline:
Once you complete the process, American Express will email you a confirmation that it successfully processed the change.
Changing your airline preference mid-year
Say you initially selected United as your airline shortly after opening your Amex Platinum. But for whatever reason, you no longer fly United as much, and you'd be able to use this benefit on American Airlines. However, you find yourself outside January — which is when you can change your airline selection online.
Fortunately, you don't have to wait for another year to roll around. To change your designated airline for the incidental credit outside of Amex's window, you'll need to contact American Express and ask a representative to make the change for you. The easiest way to do so is via chat.
There are a few ways to chat with American Express. Log into your Amex account and navigate to the account's home page. Sometimes, if you're lucky, the option will pop up in the bottom right corner, and you can go that route. If not, in the upper right corner, click on “help,” and the option to chat will be available there.
Click on the chat button to start a conversation.
At this point, you will be connected to the automated system. Let the system know you want to change the airline for your annual incidental fee credit.
You may be prompted to select an option that says “Request to change airline selection.” Next, you'll be asked if you have used the airline credit for the year. Once you confirm that you have not, you will be given the list of airlines you can change your selection to. Finally, you'll be connected to a representative who will review several disclosures and confirm the change. And that's it. The entire process should take just a few minutes.
Note that you generally can't change your preferred airline during the year if you've used any of your Amex airline fee credits for the year. If you've used part of the credit, you'll need to wait until it resets in January of the following year.
And if the chat option isn't working — or you'd prefer to talk to someone on the phone — simply call the number on the back of your card.
Final Thoughts
The American Express airline fee credit is a great perk that can help offset the hefty annual fee of Amex's premium cards. Being able to change your preferred airline, especially in this era where travel plans are bound to change, makes the deal just a little bit sweeter.
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