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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.
Amex cards that offer annual airline fee credits
- The Platinum Card® from American Express: Up to $200 credit (see rates and fees)
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Up to $200 credit (see rates and fees)
- Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: Up to $250 credit (see rates and fees)
How to check the status of your airline fee credit
Checking whether you have any credit left is simple and best done via americanexpress.com instead of the Amex app:
- Log in to your Amex account
- Navigate to "Benefits"
- Scroll below "All Benefits" or select "Travel" to find the airline fee credit, which will read something like "$200 Airline Fee Credit"
- 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.
Check progress on other credits
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 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- The Platinum Card® from American Express: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the U.S. annually (Uber Cash and Uber VIP status available to Basic Card Member only, benefits renew annually); *up to $300 statement credit per calendar year on eligible Equinox memberships (enrollment required; visit https://platinum.equinox.com/ to enroll); up to $189 back per year on your CLEAR® Plus membership(subject to auto-renewal); up to $20 in statement credits each month ($240 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+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal (enrollment required) Terms apply for all benefits.
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Unlock over $1,000 in value per year for statement credits on select purchases with your card in the first year of membership, including up to $400 with Dell Technologies (up to $200 semi-annually), up to $360 with Indeed, up to $150 with Adobe, up to $120 on wireless telephone purchases and $189 back per year on your CLEAR® Plus membership. Enrollment required.
*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.
Information about the Hilton Honors Aspire Card has been collected independently by CNBC and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the cards prior to publication.
For rates and fees of the Platinum Card® from American Express, 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.
