How to use your Amex airline fee credit

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

American Express offers premium travel benefits on many cards, including annual airline fee credits. The catch is that these credits reset each calendar year, so it's important you use them before the reset.

Eligible cardholders can benefit from annual airline fee credits up to $250 to cover incidentals, such as seat upgrades, checked bags and in-flight refreshments. The Amex cards that offer these credits often come with steep annual fees, so it's important to use the full benefit in order to offset those costs.

The good news: You can book future travel and use the credit now. For example, if you're planning a vacation for next year, you can purchase the flight and add any checked bags or seat upgrades to your reservation now, therefore using your annual airline fee credit to offset the cost of incidentals.

• American Express Platinum Card® *: Up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year (Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details. see rates and fees)
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express*: Up to $200 in statement credits (see rates and fees)
• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card*: Up to $200 in statement credits (see rates and fees)

*Enrollment required

Checking whether you have any credit left is simple and best done via americanexpress.com instead of the Amex app:

1. Log in to your Amex account
2. Navigate to "Benefits"
3. Scroll below "All Benefits" or select "Travel" to find the airline fee credit, which will read something like "$200 Airline Fee Credit"
4. Expect to see either the credit you have remaining or a statement saying you used the full credit

Note: Before you can take advantage of the credit, you have to select an airline to benefit from this perk. You should do this before you book your travel.

While you're checking your airline fee credit balance, consider checking any other credits that expire at the end of the year. Enrollment may be required to take full advantage of the credits.

• American Express® Gold Card: $120 Uber Cash on Gold:  Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction. 
• Platinum Card® from American Express: Enjoy up to $200 Uber Cash + $120 Uber One Credit: With the Platinum Card® you can receive $15 in Uber Cash each month plus a bonus $20 in December when you add your Platinum Card® to your Uber account to use on rides and orders in the U.S when you select an Amex Card for your transaction. Plus, when you use the Platinum Card® to pay for an auto-renewing Uber One membership, you can get up to $120 in statement credits each calendar year. Terms apply. (Use your Uber Cash on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction); *up to $300 statement credit per calendar year on eligible Equinox memberships (enrollment required; visit https://platinum.equinox.com/ to enroll); up to $219 back in statement credits per calendar year on your CLEAR+ membership (Excluding any applicable taxes and fees. Subject to auto-renewal) ; up to $25 in statement credits each month ($300 annually) when you pay for eligible purchases with the Platinum Card® at your choice of one or more of the following providers: Disney+, a Disney+ Bundle, ESPN streaming services, Hulu, The New York Times, Paramount+, Peacock, The Wall Street Journal, YouTube Premium, and YouTube TV (enrollment required) Terms apply for all benefits. There is a $895 annual fee. (See rates and fees).
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Unlock over $4,000 in statement credits with business and travel benefits annually* with your card in the first year of membership, including up to $150 with Dell Technologies (an additional $1,000 statement credit after you spend $5,000 or more on that same Card per calendar year), up to $360 with Indeed, up to $250 statement credit after you spend $600 or more on U.S. purchases directly with Adobe per calendar year, up to $120 on wireless telephone purchases and up to $209 back per calendar year on your CLEAR+ membership when you use The Business Platinum Card® from American Express. Subject to auto-renewal; Enrollment required. There is a $895 annual fee. (See rates and fees).
  
  *After meeting qualifying spend thresholds

*Starting in 2023, statement credits for the $300 Equinox Credit benefit will be provided on an annual basis of up to $300 per year and will no longer be provided on a monthly basis of up to $25 back per month. See offer terms for details. Enrollment required.

For rates and fees of the American Express Platinum Card®, click here.

For rates and fees of the Business Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.

For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express, click here.