Maximizing Your Amex Airline Credit: A Complete Guide

12.03.2024 - 00:53 / insider.com / Airlines

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One of the most valuable benefits offered by premium American Express cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, and Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is a yearly airline incidental fee credit. When you use your card to pay for extras like checked baggage, seat selection, or inflight purchases on one eligible airline of your choice, you'll receive a statement credit toward the charge, up to a certain amount each year.

The maximum airline fee credits you can receive varies by card, but in all cases, the benefit resets at the end of the calendar year. They don't roll over to the next year; if you don't use them, you lose them.

Here's where things get a little tricky: American Express only publishes a partial list of airline fees that qualify for reimbursement. And although the terms and conditions for the benefit specifically exclude certain types of airline purchases, some cardholders have had success triggering the credit with transactions that aren't listed as eligible.

Depending on the Amex card you have, you'll receive up to a specified amount in airline incidental fee credits on your selected airline:

When you open the card, Amex allows you to choose one airline from a list with which to use the credit, and you can change your selection each January. You can make your selection under the "Benefits" section in your Amex online account, through online chat, or by calling the number on the back of your card.

Unofficially, it's possible to change your airline even if it's not January — in the past, many cardholders (self included) have been able to do so easily via online chat — but there's no guarantee this will always work. This can be handy if you've had a change of travel plans, or if it's near the end of the year and you want to use up the credit before it expires.

Once you've made your choice, you'll receive a statement credit toward eligible purchases made with the card on your selected airline, up to the yearly limit. The reimbursement typically posts within a few days of the transaction, although the terms say it can take up to four weeks.

Amex relies on airline transaction data to determine if a charge qualifies for the credit, so if you don't see a