Earlier in the summer, I was considering a business trip to Dubai (DXB). Though it turns out I didn’t need to make it out to the Gulf, in the process of making my booking with Amex’s Platinum Travel Service (PTS), I did learn about a relatively new additional undocumented travel benefit that comes with the Amex Platinum Card – called the Single Traveler Benefit (STB).

The discounts under the STB program are in the 5 to 15% range, and vary by carrier. While not headline grabbing percentages, if you’re paying cash for an international business or first class ticket, even a few percent off can be significant in terms of dollars for tickets likes these.

Most Platinum cardholders are familiar with the 2-for-1 program that is included with the card for international business class travel (called the International Airline Program or IAP) on many major carriers (and also for first class travel on a smaller number of carriers). (A link to details of the IAP can be found here.) The STB is best thought of as a “light” version of the IAP, and offers discounts off of the lowest fare, for single travelers on most of carriers which also participate in the IAP.

Not every PTS agent even seems to know about the STB program, and a few have told me that the travel discounts are only for when two people travel! Of the few agents that have disputed the existence of the STB program, assuming the agent’s language skills are acceptable (which isn’t always the case with PTS, sadly), I’ve asked them to ask their supervisor. Each time, they came back and said something to the effect of, “Wow, I hadn’t heard of this.” If you get nowhere with an agent, simply end the call and try again. My current primary PTS agent, Nicole, is well versed in the STB. If you PM me, I can share her details with you. Nicole works Sundays through Thursdays and is very helpful.

I posted additional details of the STB and examples, as well as some updates on the IAP, here.