Link: Learn more about The Business Platinum Card from American Express
Continue reading: Amex Business Platinum Underrated Benefit: 35% Pay With Points Rebate
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Does anyone have any experience with what happens when your flight goes haywire when using the Amex Travel site to book airfare? Generally speaking, the consensus is to never book with an OTA, but rather directly with the airline as refunds, etc. are then under DOT regulations, whereas with an OTA you are left holding the bag.
Not disagreeing that it's fine to redeem Amex points with the 35% rebate for flights... I max out the million point rebate each year. But it's definitely time you update your MR point valuation in this case, Ben. By redeeming these 22,346 points instead of paying $344 with a Plat card, you're forgoing the 1720 MR points you would have earned on the purchase, so you've effectively redeemed 24066 points for $344. That's a valuation under 1.43 cents per point.
Ben - you teased stacking the International Travel Program with the 35% rebate - but then didn’t explain how to do it
One significant difference being that you can’t do a chargeback if something goes wrong, because Amex won’t do a chargeback against Amex Travel which is his Amex… at least that’s what’s happened to me.
Agreed. If you factor in the earnings I get from miles, it takes it closer to 2cpp especially if you have elite status multipliers on earnings. I look at it as a 35% kickback from AMEX and another kickback from the airline. I also prefer this as I can book economy and get upgraded with status to first. Some airlines don’t allow upgrades with award bookings which is why booking with Amex works great.
Don't get all the excitement as this is about the same as the CSR going thru the portal. It was great when it first rolled out with the 50% back I used that quite a bit but now meh I'd rather transfer. I guess if you have a ton of MR points vs Chase points than it helps.
Starlux and Etihad launched a codeshare agreement today. Hopefully there will be coverage on this site.
This is a great point, Ethan, re: opportunity cost of the 5x earning on the flight in question. However, I would add that you should also factor in the miles *earned* on the fare (which varies based on your airline status, fare type, etc.) from the airline since it is a paid fare, and this amount earned would reduce the 24,066 from your example downward to a lower amount, likely back down to the original redemption value of 1.54 (or possibly better if you have a high mileage accrual bonus as a DL Diamond or an AA exec platinum).
He'll earn the Delta (or partner) miles either way, though, after he flies. Whether he "pays" with his Amex points or pays with his Amex credit card. No difference there.
Business Platinum is one of the worst cards IMO. They keep removing useful perks. Will be getting rid of it before my renewal in August.
He won't earn redeemable miles on award flights. only SQM. On Paid flights, he will earn both type of miles, which is what SEAmericanExpat is referring to.
"Eligible flights include First and Business Class tickets as well as any fare class with your selected qualifying airline booked through American Express Travel®.
The airline selected for the 35% Airline Bonus and the $200 Airline Fee Credit‡ must be the same."
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I take this to mean the 35% points back is eligible ONLY for the selected airline, not for ANY airline in First and Business Class. Data points ? ? ?
Contrary to the article which states 35% points back on any airline in First and Business Class, the terms are pretty clear. 35% points back ONLY on the selected airline regardless of ticket class.
How It Works
Select the qualifying airline you want online, or by calling the number on the back of your Card.
Use Membership Rewards® Pay with Points to book flights with your selected airline through American Express Travel online or by calling Business Platinum Travel Service.
You’ll receive 35% of the Membership Rewards® points used for flights with your selected airline back, approximately 6-10 weeks after charges appear on your billing statement.
Does anyone know how Amex Travel tickets mixed airline itineraries ? Lets assume it is an economy ticket with an outbound on UA with a UA flight number and the return on LH with a LH flight number. Will this ticketed as one UA ticket (and hence would qualify for the rebate) ?
Airfares under the International Travel Program will appear as such on a given search. You simply select it and then select Pay With Points (designating your Business Platinum as the paying card). That's it. Separately, sometimes Amex Travel has preferential airfares on domestic flights as well.
Thanks Ben does the same deal apply to my Amex Platinum card especially an Australian issued one ?
Tim
As someone who certainly likes to get great redemptions through transfers the increasingly difficult landscape of redemptions coupled with my sometimes inflexible travel dates, I do value this benefit.
I've done this a few times and it's annoying how it sometimes takes 3 days to get your rebate and other times it takes months. Just chatted with Amex support about my last such ticket and they said "we won't look into your missing rebate until the 10 week mark, sorry"
It's not great customer service when things go wrong. That said, I have been able to get resolution even when it required Amex to coordinate with the airline on complicated schedule changes, etc. It takes patience, persistence, and knowing exactly what they should do though, don't expect they'll have any idea how to handle anything complicated without coaching and potentially asking for a supervisor to get involved.
I've used the 35% rebate a lot over the past few years, but it is getting increasingly more difficult of late.
I used to think that AMEX Travel was an OTA like any other OTA (like Expedia, for example, whose platform AMEX Travel uses), but it isn't. AMEX Travel is a consolidator/broker. They do not have access to all bookable flights and fares - they ONLY have access to whatever "bulk" fares they have been allocated by the airlines. This is hugely restrictive.
Flights and fares that I can find by paying cash directly with the airlines or through any number of online travel agents are simply not available at all through AMEX Travel - not even if I want to pay cash using my Biz Plat card to earn the 5x MR points.
I don't feel like it was always this bad. Today, though, for example, a $4600 JAL ticket is $6800 through AMEX Travel, and with all the JAL new A350-1000 segments swapped out for dumpy AA 777s. If AMEX Travel was an actual travel agent, this benefit would be awesome. Being relegated to crappy consolidator makes this a much more tenuous benefit.
Not sure what you're talking about, DMoney. Flights paid for with Amex points earn the same miles as paid flights. They're not coded differently.
Any business or firstt class tickets on any airline, plus any ticket on your selected airline. I have done this many times.
Not true. It’s on *any* business class fare, any airline. I have used it in last 3 months alone for ANA, Air India, and Saudia — none of which are my “designated airline” — and have been rebated the 35% points.
It is indeed an amazing benefits. I booked an Asia trip with my aunt, my wife and father in law paying ~$2500 cash each with $2000 in points. After the discount, only had to use 130k points each. All on business class, booked just 4 months before the trip, visiting 2 countries, and don't need to worry about availability (which could be difficult for 4 people). The key is, you need to find good cheap fare to begin with, and that often means you have to connect. Take my trip as an example, if I don't connect, the fare will be over $8000. So I decided to visit two countries instead of one.