Apr 25, 2018, 6:21 pm
Last edit by: Prospero
What we know now:
Must be booked through ANEX PTS (Platinum Travel Service) or AMEX
AMEX Platinum members can contact AMEX PTS (Platinum Travel Service) and secure both cheaper fares than AA offers (when available) and fares with waived change fees for some routings, using AMEX “insider fares”, paying the $39 PTS booking fee (and $39 for ticket reissue if you change your original itinerary).
“If you book an "insider fare" on amextravel.com and pay with your points you will get free changes on AA ($39 phone fee applies per passenger)”
“If you want to pay in cash you have to call to get the insider/private fares... some agents know how to do it, others don't. You will have to pay $39 per passenger if you book this way...”
“Also, if you apply an SWU or upg with miles on one of these fares it makes it very difficult to change. It becomes an AMEX vs AA battle and can be very frustrating as AA takes "control" of the ticket when the upgrade is applied yet they still defer to AMEX for changes and AMEX defers to AA.”
“AMEX Platinum Travel telephone agent today shared with me the magic code to mention to invoke the AA change-fee-waiver: F80O
said it applies to AA bookings made via both AMEX Platinum Travel telephone agents (Phoenix address on statement) and AMEXTravel.com for Plats (Chicago address on statement) bookings.”
What we don’t know
If this applies to a subset of AMEX cards or if we can find these easily online. Let’s add what we learn and fill in the blanks; looks like a great payoff.
Thanks to Airstat, Colin, kar don.
Must be booked through ANEX PTS (Platinum Travel Service) or AMEX
AMEX Platinum members can contact AMEX PTS (Platinum Travel Service) and secure both cheaper fares than AA offers (when available) and fares with waived change fees for some routings, using AMEX “insider fares”, paying the $39 PTS booking fee (and $39 for ticket reissue if you change your original itinerary).
“If you book an "insider fare" on amextravel.com and pay with your points you will get free changes on AA ($39 phone fee applies per passenger)”
“If you want to pay in cash you have to call to get the insider/private fares... some agents know how to do it, others don't. You will have to pay $39 per passenger if you book this way...”
“Also, if you apply an SWU or upg with miles on one of these fares it makes it very difficult to change. It becomes an AMEX vs AA battle and can be very frustrating as AA takes "control" of the ticket when the upgrade is applied yet they still defer to AMEX for changes and AMEX defers to AA.”
Updated Experience: Obviously not every situation may work out so well but I just had an itinerary on insider fare (pay with points) which had an SWU applied. When I called AMEX, they said hands were tied. When I called AA Ex Plat desk, they said they had to call "contracts" to make any changes. The Ex Plat agent handled everything, made the change I wanted. I had to pay fare difference only (no change fee and no booking fees at all) and he applied the SWU to the new reservation. This is the 2nd time I've been able to make a change in this way, without incurring any additional booking fees (the prior one AA said they'd have to charge $50 to "takeover" the reservation but ended up waiving it because of my Ex Plat status). --cphurley
AMEX Centurion members may be able to do this as well, without paying the fee.“AMEX Platinum Travel telephone agent today shared with me the magic code to mention to invoke the AA change-fee-waiver: F80O
said it applies to AA bookings made via both AMEX Platinum Travel telephone agents (Phoenix address on statement) and AMEXTravel.com for Plats (Chicago address on statement) bookings.”
I used this a couple of weeks ago. I called the AMEX Platinum Travel and inquired about a ticket to BGI in business it was $200 cheaper than the AA website. She told me they normally had cheaper fares than what AA was offering. She also said it was changeable I just had to pay the $39 reissue fee.
If this applies to a subset of AMEX cards or if we can find these easily online. Let’s add what we learn and fill in the blanks; looks like a great payoff.
Thanks to Airstat, Colin, kar don.
Waived AA Change Fees for Amex Card members booking F80O fare via AMEX
Jan 18, 2021, 9:45 pm
#76
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: SAN
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, American Air, National Car
Posts: 1,131
don't know if this is related, but on the close-in flights I've looked at recently, AMEX Plat travel service (and also comporate concur service) are $60 less for RT than booking on AA.com. directly -- has been this way for a month now
Jan 19, 2021, 12:27 am
#77
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP, Hyatt Glob, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Plat, Total Wine & More Reserve
Posts: 4,498
https://www.americanexpress.com/en-u...ower-airfares/
Don't see any benefit with these F80O fares these days due to the same flexibility now being offered on all AA "I" fares. It helps crystalize a decision to cancel AMEX Biz Plat, which I was keeping purely as a way to painlessly self-service book cheap & flexible cheap business fares. Only saving ~10% is not worth the hassle factor of being forced to deal with Expedia for changes.
From Sept 1 – Mar 31, 2021, Amex Platinum Card Members can access lower fares
Last edited by econ; Jan 19, 2021 at 12:35 am
Jan 19, 2021, 11:33 am
#78
Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 263
They're constantly 10-15% (I think there's a specific, consistent percentage but I forget) cheaper than AA directly due to some not-very-well publicized agreement between Amex and AA, which I believe was linked earlier ITT. I'm assuming this is the reason you're seeing a fare difference anyway.
Jan 19, 2021, 1:24 pm
#79
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: ORD
Programs: AA PLT
Posts: 2,781
They're constantly 10-15% (I think there's a specific, consistent percentage but I forget) cheaper than AA directly due to some not-very-well publicized agreement between Amex and AA, which I believe was linked earlier ITT. I'm assuming this is the reason you're seeing a fare difference anyway.
They're constantly 10-15% (I think there's a specific, consistent percentage but I forget) cheaper than AA directly due to some not-very-well publicized agreement between Amex and AA, which I believe was linked earlier ITT. I'm assuming this is the reason you're seeing a fare difference anyway.
Jan 19, 2021, 4:19 pm
#80
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Live: IWI; Work: DCA/Everywhere; Play: LAS/SJU/MLE
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Ambassador/LTP, Nat'l Exec Elite, LEYE Gold
Posts: 6,670
Jan 20, 2021, 12:02 am
#81
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,528
(Do you still have to call to book these btw? I have a Platinum card but I've never used this.)
Jan 20, 2021, 12:59 am
#82
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP, Hyatt Glob, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Plat, Total Wine & More Reserve
Posts: 4,498
No fee if you book through the website.
Jan 20, 2021, 2:59 pm
#85
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP, Hyatt Glob, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Plat, Total Wine & More Reserve
Posts: 4,498
Feb 5, 2021, 9:37 am
#86
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: ORD
Programs: AA PLT
Posts: 2,781
My previous search that was showing with a 5% discount is now showing with a ~14% discount. Very nice.
Feb 5, 2021, 1:25 pm
#87
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP, Hyatt Glob, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Plat, Total Wine & More Reserve
Posts: 4,498
Feb 16, 2021, 8:11 am
#88
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: New York City + Vail, CO
Programs: American Airlines Executive Platinum, Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite
Posts: 3,226
I just talked to Platinum Travel Service, I didn't realize this earlier, but they are waiving the $39 ticketing fee for all reservations right now!
Apr 17, 2021, 12:51 pm
#89
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: BOS
Programs: AA PP, DL PM
Posts: 2,086
I just booked an F80Q fare through the Amex Travel website; this seems to be a similar program where certain flights show up as "Recommended Flights" with a star. The fare ended up being $73 through Amex instead of $145 through AA, which I consider a pretty good discount.
Apr 17, 2021, 2:01 pm
#90
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Live: IWI; Work: DCA/Everywhere; Play: LAS/SJU/MLE
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Ambassador/LTP, Nat'l Exec Elite, LEYE Gold
Posts: 6,670
Also, I had an Amex ticket that I canceled the other day and applied to a new ticket... but because AA had changed it before I canceled it, AA had taken the reservation over so I had to use the flight credit with AA rather than Amex (which is a good thing!). Interestingly, same % discount that applied to the original ticket carried over to the new ticket that I used the funds for, even though I bought the new ticket through an AA agent.