American Express attracts a loyal following of customers who appreciate the benefits of their products as well as their excellent customer service. Among their customers, Platinum cardholders are especially enthusiastic about their cards. In fact, the American Express Platinum card offers so many benefits that many cardholders aren’t even aware of all of them. That is unfortunate, as some of these perks can be very valuable. For example, American Express offers cardholders an annual credit of $200 against any airline fees. This particular reward reduces the cost of carrying the American Express Platinum card to $250 for any cardholder who takes full advantage, making this one of the cheapest high end rewards credit cards to carry.
How the Fee Credit Works
Each calendar year, cardholders can charge up to $200 in incidental airline purchases and expect to be reimbursed for them by American Express. To utilize the fee credit, cardholders must contact American Express customer service and designate an airline for which fees will be credited back. After that, any incidental purchase will be automatically credited back to the cardholder’s account, until the $200 annual limit is reached. An incidental purchase is defined as nearly any airline charge, with the exception of a ticket. For example, baggage fees, change fees, and lounge access charges are considered to be incidentals. In addition, all in-flight fees for entertainment, food, and Internet service are also eligible for the fee credit. Unfortunately, the purchase of miles is often processed through a third party, and is not considered an incidental fee that is eligible for reimbursement.
Creative Ways To Utilize This Fee Credit
Although most people complain about airline fees, many American Express cardholders do not normally find themselves paying them. As frequent travelers, they are likely to hold elite status in their favorite airline, which often includes waivers for most fees. In fact, when being upgraded to Business or First class, as many elites are, it is difficult to find any services that require additional charges. Nevertheless, there are still ways to find value in this fee credit. For example, cardholders could purchase single day lounge passes. Even though the Platinum card already includes access to several different lounge programs, cardholders can distribute these passes to others as gifts. Likewise, cardholders could offer to pay for the change fees or baggage fees of employees, co-workers, or friends.
The American Express airline fee waiver is a great program, but only if cardholders are aware of it and know how it works. By making an airline selection ahead of time, and using the card for qualified incidental purchases, this fee waiver alone can make up for much of the card’s $450 annual fee.
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This article was accurate at time of posting. Please note that terms may have changed. This offer is not available at this current time on our site. Please visit our American Express issuer page to view other cards that may fit your needs.
