Originally Posted by
Friendly Traveling Deathmerchant
I searched, but didn't find...
Will the Amex Aspire $250 airline credit apply if I have pre-selected AA as airline benefit, and I rent a car through AA.com?
I see on the AA FAQ one can use AA miles, (FAQ: "Yes. You can use AAdvantage miles to purchase hotel stays and rental cars.").
When you book an AA. com car rental, does the charge show up on the Amex? From AA? Or from Hertz/Alamo/whatever?
Most car rentals are "pay later" (ie, at the rental counter). Those definitely get billed by Hertz/Alamo/whoever. The only question would be if the AA.com car rental has an option for "pay now" rentals. But then you need to look to see if the AA.com car rental has a banner saying "powered by <some other site>", as the UA.com car rental site does. That probably means all payments are outsourced to that other site.
That's the same reason AA.com buying miles hasn't worked as AA purchase for years, because it's been outsourced to points.com. (I don't know if that's still the case or not, I just know it was true for many many years.)