Amex Airline Credit Guide

Although the COVID-19 pandemic caused countless consequences, lucky for us the new flexible airfare policies have made it easier than ever to use our credits. It’s a piece of cake to use the credits towards airfare now because any flight changes result in a credit to your account to use later on as opposed to a refund on your credit card. Annual Travel credits can be a source of pain for people paying big bucks for premium travel credit cards like the American Express Platinum Card, American Express Business Platinum Card, and the Hilton Aspire. If people can get full value from their credits, it helps to offset the annual fees. So what’s the big deal? The fees and charges officially covered by the Amex Airline fee credit are pretty restrictive compared to other premium card travel credits not to mention pretty much impossible to use if you aren’t traveling. Let’s be honest, historically people have been less than thrilled with these credits but now…. they couldn’t be EASIER! So no more complaining. In this post, I’ll explain the gray area issues and offer some “suggestions” for using your airline fee credits without even taking a flight!

MUST READ: Incredible Amex Platinum Flight Discounts! Save Over 75% on Transcon Flights

What Counts for the Airline Incidental Fee Credit?

Here’s the official language from Amex:

1. Select one qualifying airline
2. Use your Card to pay for eligible incidental travel fees from that airline.
3. Get a statement credit

What Can I Use Amex Airline Credit For?

Incidental air travel fees must be separate charges from airline ticket charges. Fees not charged by the Card Member’s airline of choice (e.g. wireless internet and fees incurred with airline alliance partners) do not qualify for statement credits. Incidental air travel fees charged before the selection of a qualifying airline are not eligible for statement credits. Airline tickets, upgrades, mileage points purchases, mileage points transfer fees, gift cards, duty-free purchases, and award tickets are deemed to be not eligible for the incidental credit.

Guide: Downgrade Options and Rules for Amex, Citi and Chase Reward Credit Cards

To further complicate matters, elite status requirements have been reduced and current status has been extended, which will make way for many more travelers to become elite. Status factors into this equation because many of the incidental fees are free for elite members. Even low-level status will often yield free bags, free drinks, lounge access, and premium economy (or better) upgrades. This doesn’t leave too many incidental charges for those of us lucky enough to be elites. Additionally, if you’re chasing status you want to pay cash for some of your tickets and upgrades so that they count towards qualification.

Guide: How to Choose Your Airline for the Amex Airfare Credit

Amex Airline Fee Credit Guide: Non-Travel Options

Before we get into the options that have worked for me the last few months I want to point out that these options preserve the value of your airline credits for future travel. These are not charges that would be refunded since Amex loves to unfairly claw back refunded transactions. You should be able to get the following charges reimbursed for Delta, JetBlue, United, Southwest (gross!), Alaska, Spirit (even worse!), Hawaiian, and American Airlines. In the past I spread the love for the Amex Platinum Airline Credits between Jetblue and Delta and never had any trouble maximizing my credits between seat upgrades and gift cards but as we all know gift cards are no longer an option. WOMP.

Check out: Guide: Best Way to Book JetBlue Mint

Vouchers for Changed or Cancelled Flights actually provide us with a unique opportunity to lock in the value of your credits for future travel.

While most people are not thrilled with getting a travel voucher in lieu of a refund for flight changes and cancellations they may actually be a good thing when it comes to your incidental credits because you’re receiving the travel voucher in place of a refund. If there’s no refund there’s no chance of the credit being clawed back by Amex (at least on the grounds that you also received a credit from the merchant.) This means you are probably safe booking award tickets with substantial taxes and fees since those are usually reimbursed by Amex and the taxes and fees will be credited to your airline account, not your credit card.

Amex Airline Fee Credit Guide – Alaska

• Seat Selection Changes
• Small Flight Purchases
• Pet Fees
• Bag Fees

Seat Selection Charges

Unlike Delta, Alaska considers Premium (which is their premium class), to be “part of economy”. Delta offers this as a standalone fare, but for Alaska, you can buy economy and then upgrade during or after the booking process to Premium. So this means that you can pay for seat selection fees using your travel credit. This works for both exit-row seats and Premium seats.

Small Flight Purchases

Alaska offers “Saver” (Basic Economy) flights for as low as $44 on routes such as LAX-LAS, SFO-LAS, and LAX-PDX. Since these are so cheap, Amex will a lot of times think that this is not an airfare charge, and instead a seat fee, a legitimate purchase, etc.

Another option is to use a combination of flight credits and your credit card. There are successful data points on FlyerTalk that this works, so if you use, for example, $50 in flight credits and $44 on an Amex Platinum, then it should work.

Pet Fees

Last but not least for Alaska is using your airline credit towards pet fees. Alaska charges $100 per pet, which means you could use your airline credit 2.5 times.

Bag Fees

Alaska charges $35 per bag and $45 for the second if you don’t have elite status, and you can use the Amex travel credit to cover the cost of it.

Amex Airline Fee Credit Guide – AA

• Mileage Multiplier
• Seat Upgrades/Selection
• Additional Collection/Small Fare Differences
• Admirals Club Membership/Dues
• Pet Fees
• Bag Fees

Mileage Multiplier

When you book an AA flight you have the option to purchase additional miles at approx. 3 cents a piece. Of course, 3 cents is not a great value but you can certainly redeem those miles for way more than that, especially if they’re free. You should pay for the flight first without adding the multiplier so that the transactions are separate. For full details on mileage multiplier check out the dedicated AA page. I can once again confirm as of 11/2020 this still works.

New Data Point: Purchased Milage Multiplier for $150 (Amex Reimbursed it 3 days later)

Can I Use the Amex Airline Credit for Upgrades?

Travel Booking Basics: (30K Miles Up For Grabs) Stack Offers for Tons of Extra AA Miles

Seat Upgrades/Selection

Although expressly excluded by Amex from eligible fees upgrading a seat after the initial booking has worked for me when the upgrade price was under $200, I haven’t tried anything over that amount. Paying extra for Main Cabin Extra or for any preferred seating should work as well.

Additional Collection/Small Fare Differences

For some small fare differences (I would recommend staying under $50 to be safe), you should be able to use your Platinum card to wipe out the charges.

Admirals Club Membership/Day Passes

It is possible to use your Platinum Card to help with offsetting the $850 annual cost. Since the credit is for $200, it means you could get the price reduced to $650, and also even less depending on your elite status level. You could also use the airline credit for a day pass, which costs $79, and get that credited.

Pet Fees

For non-service animals, there is a cost associated with bringing your pet when flying American. That fee is $150 per kennel as a carry-on and varies when checking your pet. But regardless, this is another eligible option to use the airline fee credit.

Bag Fees

Alaska has bag fees on domestic flights, and if you don’t have any elite status or credit cards, the price is $35 (if booked online, $40 if not), per bag per way for the first one and $40 for the second (if paid online).

Amex Airline Fee Credit Guide – Delta

• Award Fees (taxes and fuel surcharges) under $200
• Additional Collection (think E-Credits)
• Split Airfare Purchase
• Seat Upgrades (not a class upgrade, well sort of)
• Pay With Miles
• SkyClub Guesting Fees
• Service Fees
• Inflight Purchases
• Pet Fees
• Bag Fees

Award Fees (tax and fuel surcharges) Under $200

According to the specific Flyertalk thread for Delta, award taxes should also work when it comes to using the $200 airline credit. I’m not sure how it is any different than a regular cash fare (maybe it’s the lower cost), but it has been proven to be successful for years. This can be done by simply using your SkyMiles and then using your Platinum card to pay for taxes.

Additional Collection (think E-credits)

Any changes you make to an existing flight that requires additional payment codes as an additional collection have been consistently reimbursed. This is especially great for anyone who has an E-credit on their account because they can simply find a flight that’s more expensive than the original credit amount and pay the balance with their Amex card. (Note, even if you end up having to cancel the flight, the amount is added to your e-credit, so Amex won’t try to claw back the credit since no refund will show on your account.)

Splitting Ticket Payment between an Amex card and a Delta Gift Card

Flights are partially paid for with a gift card code differently than straight purchases and Amex has credited me each time I’ve done this. NOTE: I’ve never tried anything over the total credit amount.

Seat Upgrades (Manually Adjusted)

Another way to get Amex credit is to upgrade your flights. However, this does not include upgrading the overall class (which is done by changing your flight on the manage my booking page). Instead, the right way to do it is to change your seat on the seat map to either a preferred seat or an exit row. And as far as I know, using the seat map and then clicking a seat in a more premium cabin should also work.

Pay With Miles

For SkyMiles cardholders, you have an option to redeem SkyMiles for 1 cent each. This offers a flat redemption and guarantees a below-average redemption for all Delta flights. With that option, you can use your miles alongside cash with a redemption option called “Cash + Miles”. Provided the amount is under $200, your Amex credit should cover all of the cost, and your SkyMiles will cover the rest.

SkyClub Guesting Fees

If you have a Platinum Card or a Delta Reserve card and want to extend access to your guest, it is possible to use that airline credit towards that. I have done this twice with the Platinum Card as my mom had complimentary access while I did not at the RDU (Raleigh-Durham) SkyClub as well as the one in SLC (Salt Lake City). Both times the charge was credited a couple of days later.

Service Fees

Another way to use the credit is to pay for service fees. This includes things such as same-day change, bag fees, and same-day standby. These should work, and they are all “legitimate”.

Inflight Purchases

Another way you can use your airline fee credit is on inflight purchases. This means that you can use it on any of the buy-on-board options available on short-haul flights. In addition, if you buy WiFi on long-haul flights, you should get a credit back. But having said that, it depends on the plane. Viasat planes trigger the credit, but buying it on GoGo-equipped planes does not as it is a third party processing their payment.

Pet Fees

Last but not least, you can use the Amex fee credit for Delta pet fees. The charges are as follows:

• To/from the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, or the Virgin Islands
  • /USD
• International destinations
  • 200 USD/CAD/EUR
• Brazil
  • 75 USD

Bag Fees

Delta charges $35 for the first bag and $45 for the second. You can use the Amex travel credit to cover this cost, as it is an incidental charge.

Amex Airline Fee Credit Guide – JetBlue

• Food Items
• Seat Upgrades
• Award Taxes
• Low Priced Plane Tickets
• Pet Fees
• Bag Fees

Food Items

Similar to Delta, it is possible to purchase food items and get them reimbursed. Although you get free snacks in Economy and meals on Mint, if you want to purchase snacks in Economy then you should be able to get them reimbursed.

Seat Upgrades

Like other airlines on this list, it is possible to use the Amex Travel Credit on seat upgrades. This includes upgrading your seat to an exit row, paying extra for preferred seats, etc.

Award Taxes

For domestic flights, award taxes are usually $5.60 per person per way. But for international flights, these taxes can be in the hundreds of dollars. Fortunately, data points suggest that you should be able to use your credit to cover these costs. Airfare does not work, however.

Low Priced Plane Tickets

According to Flyertalk, it looks like it is possible to use your airline fee credit towards low-priced tickets. Many people have been successful in getting sub-$150 tickets reimbursed.

Pet Fees

JetBlue charges $125 each way for pets, and since this is an eligible fee, you can use your airline incidental fee towards this charge.

Bag Fees

JetBlue charges bag fees based on off-peak and peak seasons, and the fee also varies whether or not if it is within 24 hours of departure. The first bag is the first number, and the second number is the second bag. The chart is as follows:

Amex Airline Fee Credit Guide – Southwest

• Plane Tickets under $109
• Award Flight Taxes
• A1-15 Boarding
• Additional Collection
• Inflight Beverages
• Split Payment of Travel Funds and Card
• Pet Fees

Plane Tickets under $109

An unofficial way to use your Amex fee credit is towards airfare less than $109. Datapoints suggest that $109 is the cutoff for getting the airline credit to wipe off the cost, so I would recommend staying under that limit.

Award Flight Taxes

Another way to use your Amex fee credit is towards award taxes, which range from $5.60 for one person flying one way to the ~$100 range for certain international destinations.

A1-15 Boarding/Early Bird Boarding

A1-15 Boarding costs between $40 and $80 per person per flight, and Early Bird boarding costs between $15 and $25 per person per flight. This is another way to use the Amex incidental credit.

Additional Collection

If you have existing travel funds, you can use them with your Platinum card. There are two reasons you would want to do this. First, if you are changing to a different flight and there is a fare difference, then you can use the credit to pay the difference. Or, if you have a $150 travel credit, you can use this credit in conjunction with the travel credit for a $200 flight. With that being said, it is probably best to keep the money you are charging to your card under $109 just to be on the safe side.

Inflight Beverages

Southwest sells spirits and other alcoholic beverages at a cost ranging from $7 to $9. You can get these charges wiped off with the travel credit.

Pet Fees

Southwest charges a $125 fee for bringing a pet onboard. This is an eligible charge, which means the fee credit will “wipe” out the cost.

Amex Airline Fee Credit Guide – Spirit

• Phone Reservation Fees
• Seat Selection (Big Front Seat and non-Big Front Seats)
• Bag Fees
• Saver$ Club
• Change Fees
• Pet Fees

Phone Reservation Fees

Spirit charges $25 to book a flight with an agent, which is another one of their junk fees. Fortunately, it is considered an incidental fee, so the Amex travel credit will cover this charge.

Seat Selection (Big Front Seat and non-Big Front Seat)

Spirit offers a “first-class lite” product, where you can pay extra for the first two rows, but it does not include anything except the seat. This varies depending on the flight, route, etc., but you can expect to pay at least $50 and less than $300 per passenger per flight. Fortunately, you can use the Amex airline credit to cover this fee.

Bag Fees

Spirit charges for bags, and this price starts at $35 during check-in for carry-ons and checked bags and goes up typically to $45 during check-in but it is dynamic depending on your flight. If possible, it’s probably not good to pay for this fee during booking as it may be coded as a ticket purchase rather than an incidental.

Saver$ Club

Spirit has a club known as the Saver$ club that costs $69.95 per year and offers discounts on things such as flights, shortcut boarding, and flight flex. Since it is an incidental fee, you can use your Amex card to cover the cost.

Change Fees

Unlike many full-service airlines, Spirit charges extra for change fees. These vary depending on the price of your ticket when you make the change, etc., but using the airline credit is a great way if you want to use your airline credit as it is a rather dumb fee.

Pet Fees

Spirit charges $125 for pet fees, and since it is an incidental fee, it is an eligible fee.

Amex Airline Fee Credit Guide – United

• Phone Reservation Fees
• Seat Fees
• Travel Bank
• In Flight Food/Beverage Purchases
• EconomyPlus
• United Club
• Same Day Change
• Pet Fees

Phone Reservation Fees

Unlike Delta and American, United charges $25 to book flights over the phone, but this fee is waived for most elite members. If you are not an elite member and need to contact them, you can at least use the airline credit to not pay the fee.

TravelBank

This is probably the most your mileage may vary option on this list, but you can use the Amex travel credit to buy either $50, $100, or $250 worth of TravelBank which can be used on flights. I have personally had it not post, but chatting with Amex fixed the issue. If this happens to you, never say that it is TravelBank, as this could shut down the loophole or mean you can’t get the charge credited.

In-Flight Food/Beverage Purchases

United has buy-on-board options for domestic flights, and you can use the annual credit to wipe off the charges.

EconomyPlus Subscription

United offers subscriptions that allow you to select EconomyPlus subscriptions. For one person, it costs $599 for the Continental U.S., $699 for North and Central America, and $799 for a Global subscription. You can then use your airline credit to wipe off the costs for this.

United Club Pass/Dues

United charges $59 for access to the United Club and then between $550 and $650 for United Club access, and you could use your airline fee credit to pay for all of the former and some of the annual lounge dues.

Checked Bag Fees

Like other airlines, United charges checked bag fees, and the fee is $35 for the first bag if booked 24+ hours before the departure, and $40 if purchased within 24 hours. For the second bag, it is $45 for a prepaid bag and $50 if purchased within 24 hours of the flight.

Same Day Change

If you want to confirm a same-day change and you are not an elite in the MileagePlus program, it is going to be a $75 charge per person, and since it is incidental, it is an eligible charge.

Pet Fees

United, like the other major airlines, charges a pet fee of $150 each way. This is another eligible way to use your airline credit, as it is as incidental and has been shown to “trigger” the credit and is an eligible way per the terms of the airline fee credit.

If you bought any other items with your credit that are not mentioned above, please let me know in the comments!