Amex Platinum $200 Airline Fee Credit: What Works?

Andy Medearis
Updated: January 7, 2025

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American Express offers airline fee credits worth up to $200 annually on several premium cards, including the Platinum and Business Platinum Card.

You’ll need to select one qualifying U.S. airline each calendar year, with eligible charges like checked bag fees, seat selection fees, and lounge passes automatically reimbursed within a few weeks.

While the credit is designed for incidental fees rather than airfare, there are various ways to maximize its value depending on your chosen airline. Knowing which purchases consistently trigger credits with your selected airline can make a significant difference in getting full value from this benefit.

What Amex Cards Offer an Airline Fee Credit?

These American Express credit cards each offer an annual $200 airline incidental fee credit:

American Express Platinum Card^®.
The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express.
Platinum Card® from American Express for Charles Schwab.
The Platinum Card from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley.
American Express Goldman Sachs Platinum Card.

Additionally, the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has a $200 airline credit (split into $50 each quarter), which applies to flights made directly with an airline or AmexTravel.com.

There’s a significant difference between these credits. The Platinum and Business Platinum cards offer airline fee credits, which means they only cover incidental charges like baggage fees, seat assignments, and lounge access. These credits won’t apply to actual airfare purchases.

The Hilton Aspire’s credit is more flexible. It’s a straight airline credit that can be used for flight purchases made directly with airlines or through AmexTravel.com, in addition to incidental fees.

Which Airlines are Eligible for a Credit?

You are required to choose an airline from the following list for American Express airline fee credit:

Alaska Airlines
American Airlines
Delta Air Lines
Hawaiian Airlines
JetBlue Airways
Southwest Airlines
Spirit Airlines
United Airlines

Setting up your airline choice only takes a few minutes. Sign into your American Express account and head to the “Benefits” tab. Once there, locate the airline fee credit section and click “Change Selected Airline.” You can then select your preferred carrier from a simple dropdown menu.

Remember to choose your airline at least one calendar day before making any purchases you want reimbursed. If you’re happy with your current selection, don’t worry about making a new choice in January – your previous airline will automatically carry over to the new year.

Your airline fee credits operate on a calendar year basis, running from January 1 through December 31. While you’re typically limited to changing your selected airline once per year in January, some customer service representatives may accommodate mid-year switches if you reach out.

After making an eligible purchase, you can expect to see reimbursements appear within 2-21 days, though it’s important to note that credits are applied based on the transaction date rather than when the credit posts. For example, a charge made on December 29, 2024, will count against your 2024 credit even if the reimbursement doesn’t appear until early 2025.

You can easily track your progress throughout the year by checking the “Benefits” section of your American Express account. There you’ll find a convenient tracker that displays how much of your annual credit you’ve used, helping you ensure you don’t leave any value on the table.

What is Officially Covered by the Fee Credit

American Express does not provide a full list of the eligible charges considered “airline incidental fees,” but the charges below are typically covered by the airline fee credit.

American Express states that “incidental airline fees must be separate charges from airline ticket charges,” so it is best not to add the fee when purchasing a ticket.

You may still request manual reimbursement if American Express fails to automatically reimburse the fee.

Seat Assignment Fees

Seat assignment fees for economy seats or premium economy seats are covered by the airline fee credit.

These premium economy upgrades that are covered are to:

Alaska’s Premium Class (extra legroom).
American’s Main Cabin Extra.
Delta Comfort+.
JetBlue’s Even More Space.
United’s Economy Plus.
Spirit’s Big Front Seat.

However, upgrades from economy to first class are generally NOT covered by the annual fee credit.

Bag Fees

Checked bags and overweight bag fees are covered by the American Express airline fee credit.

However, most airline credit cards already offer free checked bags for you and your travel companions, including:

In-Flight Fees for Food, Drink, & Entertainment

Charges for airline food, drinks, and entertainment trigger the airline fee credit. Charges for in-flight WiFi may not be covered if they are processed by third-parties.

Airport Lounge Memberships or Day Passes

You can purchase an annual membership or day pass to an airport lounge and get it covered by the Amex airline fee credit.

Eligible lounges include:

Ticket Change Fees

Fees to change your flight are covered by the American Express annual credit, but any fees for difference in airfare are typically not covered.

Pet Fees

If you want to fly with your dog, your American Express’ annual credit will cover the charge. Pet fees are typically $125-200, so the American Express credit can come in handy if your dog or cat needs to fly.

What is Officially Not Covered by the Fee Credit

The following fees are generally not covered by the American Express airline fee credit:

In-flight WiFi charges with third parties such as GoGo.
Incidental air travel fees charged prior to selection of a qualifying airline.
Airline tickets.
Upgrades (e.g. from Economy to First Class).
Mileage points purchases.
Mileage points transfer fees.
Gift cards.
Duty-free purchases
Taxes and fees for award tickets.

What Unofficially Works for the Fee Credit

There are several different purchases that officially don’t qualify as reimbursable by the American Express airline credit, but nonetheless typically trigger the fee credit such as flights under $100 or upgrades.

These purchases are not guaranteed to work, but we provided links to FlyerTalk forum topics on each credit, so that you can review recent data points to see if anything has recently changed.

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines flights under $50 to $100 or flights purchased with a combination of Alaska wallet funds plus an American Express card sometimes trigger the American Express airline fee credit.