jdl196

I've looked around for this and have yet to find an answer so I figured maybe someone here could answer this question. I just got the Premier Gold card because of the 3x on flights, which I saw in the terms and conditions must be for a merchant that registers as an airline. The main question is, what happens if I book through the amex travel website to get the 2x rewards from that, will I also get the bonus for the airfare spending? If anyone has knowledge on this, the input is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

tvetter01

I believe that for most airfare purchases, Travelocity (AMEX Travel) will use your card to pay for the airline tickets directly with the airline, so you'll see a charge to Continental (for example) for the tickets and a separate ($7, or so) fee charged from AMEX Travel. In this case, you should get the bonus points for using the travel site and the triple points from the card.

I'm not sure about all airlines (for Southwest, I know you have to call), and I'm not sure what happens if you book a travel package (including hotel), but I know it did this for me for Continental a while back.

jdl196

Great, thanks a lot.

Amex Customer Care

Hi FTers, it’s Rachel with Amex Customer Care.

It appears as if the airlines that receive the bonus may have changed, here is a revised list:

Aegean Airlines, China Airlines, Olympic Airlines
Aer Lingus, Continental Airlines, Pacific Coastal Airline
Aeroflot, Delta Airlines, Qantas Airways
Aeromexico, El Al, Qatar Airways
Air Canada, Emirates, Royal Jordanian Airline
Air China, Finnair, Satena,
Air France, Frontier, Scandinavian Airlines
Air India, Gulf Air, Singapore Airlines
Air New Zealand, Hawaiian Airlines, Sky Airlines
Air Pacific, Iberia, South African Airways
Air Tran, Icelandair, Southwest Airlines
Alaska Airlines, Jal Swiss Airlines
Alitalia, JetBlue, TAM
American Airlines, Korean Air, Thai Airways
Asiana, KLM, United Airlines
Austrian Airlines, Lan Airline, US Airways
Avianca, Lot ,Polish Airlines, Virgin Air
British Airways, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic
Caribbean Air, Malaysia Airlines
Cathay Pacific Airways, Mexicana Airlines

I hope this helps.

Rachel
Amex Customer Care

mia

Does this refer to Virgin Atlantic Airways, Virgin America, or the entire Virgin family of airlines?

http://www.virgin.com/travel

dkelly1110

Thanks for the info - most helpful for gf and her biz trips to Iceland.

sjg284

I upgraded to Premier Gold in December, specifically for the triple airfare points. I knew I was going on some flights this year, which would pay for the fee easily with triple points.

I took my first flight in December, and waited and waited for the bonus to post. I contact customer service in February and they told me they would post soon. It is now April, so I contacted them again, and got this-

"I would like to inform you that you that airlines charge of $XXXX.XX from <airline> was posted on 12/xx/09.
This merchant is registered with us as Airlines & Air Carriers and it is not an eligible charge. Therefore, you did not receive the bonus points on this charge."

So the airline charge, with an airline, which is registed as an "Airlines & Air Carriers" merchant, is not an eligible charge for triple airfare rewards points?

They gave me about 2/3 of the points I was due "as a courtesy", but what does the above mean.

Could the issue be that it was a non-US based airline?
Fine print I found online-
"You can earn triple points on charges for purchases of tickets on all major US passenger airlines only if the merchant submits the charge for your purchase under the appropriate merchant code, industry code, or required service or product identifier established by us and the merchant. "

Given that I never fly US-based airlines, I guess this card was pointless..
For reference, it was CX.

thanks

mia

[Moderator enters ...]

I have moved your post into this existing thread on the same topic. In the fourth post you will find a list of eligible carriers, including CX, which was posted by Rachel from American Express Customer Service in December.

[...moderator exits]

Was the charge processed by CX in the USA in US Dollars, or was it processed in another country or currency? I am not saying that this matters, just trying to explore the possibilities.

sjg284

mia-
Turns out a few emails back and forth with them got me a more helpful customer service rep who credited me the remaining points.

I am as always, pleased with Amex Customer Service.

On the other hand, I am disappointed this did not automatically process 2 months ago, and instead required this much of my attention.

I will have to keep an eye on my rewards credits for other airfare I booked more recently...

mia

Agreed, that's why I wondered if the country where the transaction was processed, or the currency, might interfere with automatic recognition. It's certainly the case with other cards. For example, a card which awards a bonus for supermarket purchases may not recognize a European chain probably because the merchant classification codes are different (even if the descriptions are similar).

Okto

I had exactly the same issue. Earlier this year I bought plane tickets to take the family to Spain on IB, one of the airlines listed in Rachel's post. So, with the 3X MR point feature, we're talking almost 20,000 points in a single transaction. The monthly cycle closed, another cycle went by, and no bonus points anywhere in sight. Only the base charge points posted. I called AMEX on the phone and the agent acknowledged that the charge was properly submitted, under the correct category and that bonus points should've posted. The CSR said they would transfer the case to a MR specialist and that I would hear back the next day. The next day I heard back from the Membership Rewards department and I was informed that the transaction did not qualify for 3X points because the charges were submitted by a foreign merchant outside of the U.S. and that they couldn't do anything about it, blah, blah.

I then sent a message via the secure message center (which is what I should have done from the beginning), pasting the transaction details from my online statement, which showed a transaction coming from "Iberia U.S.A" (based in Miami, FL) and billed in U.S dollars. No reference at all to anything having happened outside of the US. The CSR acknowledged that it was a properly submitted charge and credited me the missing points as a "goodwill adjustment".

I'm glad I got the points after a few days but I'm disappointed that I might have to fight this issue every time I buy tickets from a European carrier.

tasnam

I have this card.

We get 3X point for airlines charges. No problem.


What if I charge, say $3,000 on Orbitz for a business class ticket.

Do you think this website would qualify for the 3X points charge.

My gut says no, but I do not want to pull the trigger and buy the ticket until I get some experienced comments.

Thoughts?

WashParkRam

I have the same card and a simliar question. I bought a ticket through a travel agent(friends girlfriend, did a favor) is there anyway to see if I got Triple Miles for that? I am new to AMEX and don't know where to find where miles are linked to individual purchases.

richardvf

What airline will you be flying for your Orbitz purchase? I used Orbitz twice this year to purchase international flights with my Gold Premier Rewards card. My first international flight purchase was for a flight on US Air to Germany. My second international flight purchase was for a flight on China Airlines (a Delta codeshare) to Thailand. Although I booked both flights on Orbitz, my Premier Rewards statement listed the first flight as a US Air purchase and the second flight as a Delta purchase. I received triple points for both flight bookings.

tasnam

GOOD to know..!!

Thanks.


from PWM to the UK and from AMS to PWM

on SAS or AC.


Can anyone else verify?