How to use the Amex Platinum's $200 Airline Credit

The $200 Airline Fee Credit that comes with the American Express Platinum card is an important perk that can quickly help justify the card's $695 annual fee. The $200 amount refreshes yearly, so plan your travels (and airline for the year) accordingly!

Select your airline for the year

First thing's first, select the airline you would like your credits to go towards for the year. You can only select/change your airline of choice once per year, so try to have an idea of who you're going to be flying often. You can choose the airline online in your American Express account or by reaching out to Amex's Customer Service (chat or phone) in January. 

I have found that American Express agents are more lenient and likely to change your airline of choice later in the year if you haven't used any of the credit yet. (e.g. I had Alaska Airlines selected for the 2022 travel year and wanted to switch to Delta for 2023. I didn't finalize my travel strategy until March-ish 2023, but the agent still changed it since I hadn't received any of the credit with Alaska Airlines in that calendar year. 

Purchase your flight tickets

Next, you'll need to purchase your airline tickets with your carrier of choice if you haven't already. I strongly recommend putting the ticket purchase on your Amex Platinum. While you won't receive any of the $200 credit towards your flight purchase, you will earn 5X the Membership Rewards points and be covered by American Express's trip insurance (round-trip flight booking required), should any travel plans go awry. Be sure to book directly with the airline carrier for best results! 

IMPORTANT! Don't add any ancillary/fee items in your initial airfare purchase to receive the credit quickest. If your airfare portion is on the transaction, Amex may not see it as an ancillary purchase. I always book the flight first/separately, then add additional fee items. 

Add fee items to your flight reservation

With your flight ticketed, now you can add fee items to your reservation. These typically include add-ons like seat upgrades, seat selection, checked bags, pet fees, etc. Be sure to charge to your American Express Platinum card with the airline carrier directly and keep the receipt. 

Quick note: You don't need to use all of the $200 credit at once. I usually stretch the amount out for the year on seat selections. 

Keep an eye on your American Express statement

Now, we wait. And watch your Amex Platinum credit card statement for the reimbursement to be applied. America Express states it can take up to 6-8 weeks for the credit to apply on your statement, and this is true. I've had it take anywhere from 2 weeks to the full 8 weeks. Be patient, but watch for it. 

On one occasion with Delta, I didn't receive my credit after the 8 week period. I reached out to American Express over chat, and with a couple of quick email receipts showing my purchase was for seats, they applied the credit for me (this is why you keep the confirmation on hand). It's not a perfect reimbursement system, but it's very valuable nonetheless!