I don't think this has any bearing. American Express has been reimbursing these giftcard purchases since about 2011. They know the routine.
That's what I assumed, yet here we are 9 days in, and I haven't gotten reimbursed. Maybe I didn't wait long enough for after changing my airline choice... I checked online and it was changed to AA before I bought the gift cards. I've been doing this for years, and never had an issue.
Last year, I switched to UA and used the MPX app, this year I went back to AA. I'll post an update if/when I get reimbursed.
In any event, I go in knowing it's a gamble, and so I get something I will use even if they don't reimburse.