Topic Wiki
Topic Wiki
Q: How can I take advantage of the Amex Platinum $200 airline fee reimbursement?
A: There are 3 options:
PGGM:
Q: I know I'll get this benefit with the American Express Platinum Card, But how about the American Express Mercedes-Benz Platinum card? Is that card eligible for this awesome benefit?
A: Yes.
Q: Wow! And how about the American Express Business Platinum card?
A: Yes! That card also offers the credit!
Q: Is there anything I need to do in order to be eligible for the credit?
A: Yes, you must first register for a particular airline you want to get credited for.
Q: How do I register for an airline?
A: You can call the number on the back of your card, or you can do it here: https://americanexpress.com/airlinechoice
Q: Once I choose an airline, can I change my airline of choice?
A: Per the Terms & Conditions, you can only change once in a calendar-year, but you can ask them to change it if your credit hasn't been used yet.
Q: How can I maximize this benefit to get the most out of it?
A: Since you're eligible to receive the $200 credit each calendar-year, you can apply for the card at the end of the year and get $200 in December + another $200 in January.
Notes:
Cannot buy Delta Gift Cards online. Additionally, Delta GC's can only be used at a ticket office or the airport.
JetBlue gift cards do not seem to work
A: There are 3 options:
- Airline Fees- Use your Amex Platinum card to pay for any fees charged by an airline, such as close-in booking; award processing; baggage; etc (not valid for tickets).
- Gift Cards - Purchase $200 worth of airline gift cards in increments of $100 or less. Some have purchased $200 flat and have gotten reimbursed.
- PlatinumGuy's Grand Mehalech (aka PGGM).
PGGM:
- Register for Delta Airlines as your airline of choice;
- Purchase a non-refundable Delta ticket departing from a USA airport (even on another card) that has at least 3 passengers or 3 segments (e.g. NYC-TLV-NYC-LAX). Make sure to choose international flights, or longer flights within the USA such as JFL-LAX. [Most flights within the USA have EC's that are $59 or cheaper, and will therefore require more segments. Some flights do not have EC's at all.]
Alternatively, you can book a round-trip JFK-TLV for 1 passenger. - Go to 'My Reservations' and purchase Economy comfort (EC) seats on your plat card.
[You may have to scroll "up" on the seatmap using the hard-to-find scrollbar on the right, to find the EC seats].
EC prices fluctuate, the main things is that all your EC's add up to $200, and that none of them are more than $150 each.
[Current examples: JFK-LAX @ $89 each; three segments/passengers required. JFK-TLV @ $119 each; two segments/passengers required.] Edit from ae123: Keep in mind that some tickets will not have any EC available while others may allow for free EC upgrades. This is something you won't know until AFTER buying the ticket. Hence, you may need to buy a few tickets before building up the $200. - After 4 minutes to 24 hours, call Delta to cancel the ticket and ask for a refund. Make sure to mention EC refund. (You can do this online, but its sometimes a PITA to have everything credited correctly.)
Recent reports are that cancelling online has successfully reflected refund of EC charges without issues. To cancel online go to mytrips, selected the trip and choose cancel in the top right corner. The message coming up after cancellation says "Any Economy Comfort seating charges have been refunded" - The ticket itself will remain a pending charge and will disappear in a few days (or will actually post and you'll receive a credit thereafter).
- The EC charge will also post. Initially, the charges may post in "pending charges" as one large lump sum, but will eventually post to your statement as separate charges.
- Thereafter (from several days to several weeks), you'll get reimbursed by AmEx.
- Say thanks to PlatinumGuy!
Q: I know I'll get this benefit with the American Express Platinum Card, But how about the American Express Mercedes-Benz Platinum card? Is that card eligible for this awesome benefit?
A: Yes.
Q: Wow! And how about the American Express Business Platinum card?
A: Yes! That card also offers the credit!
Q: Is there anything I need to do in order to be eligible for the credit?
A: Yes, you must first register for a particular airline you want to get credited for.
Q: How do I register for an airline?
A: You can call the number on the back of your card, or you can do it here: https://americanexpress.com/airlinechoice
Q: Once I choose an airline, can I change my airline of choice?
A: Per the Terms & Conditions, you can only change once in a calendar-year, but you can ask them to change it if your credit hasn't been used yet.
Q: How can I maximize this benefit to get the most out of it?
A: Since you're eligible to receive the $200 credit each calendar-year, you can apply for the card at the end of the year and get $200 in December + another $200 in January.
Notes:
Cannot buy Delta Gift Cards online. Additionally, Delta GC's can only be used at a ticket office or the airport.
JetBlue gift cards do not seem to work
« Last edited by ae123 on May 17, 2013, 05:53:18 pm »
