Unspecified new benefits for USA AMEX personal Platinum coming Spring 2015?
May 3, 2015, 8:03 am
#106
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: NYC/LA
Programs: DL Plat, AA Plat Pro, Marriott Titanium, IHG Diamond Amb
Posts: 7,489
Because of the service charge, I've never used Amex Travel to book airfare, so I'm not sure when this change went into effect.
May 4, 2015, 7:14 am
#107
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Miami
Programs: AA Gold; Hyatt Exp.; Hilton/Marriott Gold; CSR; Citi Prestige; Amex Plat, EDP, Gold, etc.
Posts: 58
Taking a trip is about to cost a little less. As a Platinum Card® Member, you will no longer be charged an American Express® booking fee when you log into your Platinum Card account and book on AmexTravel.com.
You can continue to use Membership Rewards® Pay with Points for all or part of your flight, hotel booked and paid in advance, vacation package or cruise booking. Plus, when you search for hotels backed by our “Lowest Hotel Rate Guaranteed” policy, we're so confident they'll be the lowest online, we'll even put money on it. We know you'll enjoy our wide selection of hotels at the lowest nightly rate, guaranteed.
On your next trip, take full advantage of all the benefits your Platinum Card offers.
May 4, 2015, 7:31 am
#108
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: ATL
Programs: DL Scattered Smothered Covered Medallion, Some hotel & car stuff, Kroger Plus Card
Posts: 10,745
Seems that it is. Received the following email from Amex this morning touting this as a "new benefit." I hope this is not the exciting new benefit that we've been waiting for . . .
Taking a trip is about to cost a little less. As a Platinum Card® Member, you will no longer be charged an American Express® booking fee when you log into your Platinum Card account and book on AmexTravel.com.
You can continue to use Membership Rewards® Pay with Points for all or part of your flight, hotel booked and paid in advance, vacation package or cruise booking. Plus, when you search for hotels backed by our “Lowest Hotel Rate Guaranteed” policy, we're so confident they'll be the lowest online, we'll even put money on it. We know you'll enjoy our wide selection of hotels at the lowest nightly rate, guaranteed.
On your next trip, take full advantage of all the benefits your Platinum Card offers.
Taking a trip is about to cost a little less. As a Platinum Card® Member, you will no longer be charged an American Express® booking fee when you log into your Platinum Card account and book on AmexTravel.com.
You can continue to use Membership Rewards® Pay with Points for all or part of your flight, hotel booked and paid in advance, vacation package or cruise booking. Plus, when you search for hotels backed by our “Lowest Hotel Rate Guaranteed” policy, we're so confident they'll be the lowest online, we'll even put money on it. We know you'll enjoy our wide selection of hotels at the lowest nightly rate, guaranteed.
On your next trip, take full advantage of all the benefits your Platinum Card offers.
While I'd love a more tangible benefit (like Gogo passes or something) to boost the Plat car back up, this might actually make me move some spend back to my Plat card.
IIRC, booking through Amex Travel gets you 2x MR. In the past, that hasn't been worth the booking fee, especially since the majority of my flying is on DL and I already get 2x SkyMiles using that card.
But with no fee, and MR worth more than DL miles if for no other reason than the flexibility, I may actually start using my Plat card and booking through Amex for the additional MR and better travel insurance.
(And yes, I know I can get more MR on airfare from other cards. I use some of the other Plat benefits, though, and to this point just haven't felt the need to juggle yet another card for an extra 15k points a year or whatever).
May 4, 2015, 7:39 am
#109
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,958
Does the fee reappear if you pay with another card, such as Premier Rewards Gold?
May 4, 2015, 7:54 am
#110
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: NYC/LA
Programs: DL Plat, AA Plat Pro, Marriott Titanium, IHG Diamond Amb
Posts: 7,489
IMHO this isn't a huge change for those with just Plat cards, but for those who also have a PRG, this now means 4x MR points for airfare, which is not bad.
May 4, 2015, 8:20 am
#111
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: SAN
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, American Air, National Car
Posts: 1,131
Plat benefit - no AMEX Travel fees - May 2015
Got an email this morning of this new PLAT cardholder benefit - no booking fees, so it doesn't cost us to actually redeem points for travel
May 4, 2015, 8:59 am
#112
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Charleston, SC
Programs: SPG/Marriot Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 412
My fee is about to become due in a month or so, and I was hoping we'd see these exciting new features added to this card, but if this is it, I don't think I will keep it, especially with my traveling being less than what it was.
I was hoping they'd add bonus categories to it like for restaurants or something, but I doubt it now. The PRG card seems to be the card to maximize point earnings nowadays.
I was hoping they'd add bonus categories to it like for restaurants or something, but I doubt it now. The PRG card seems to be the card to maximize point earnings nowadays.
May 4, 2015, 9:37 am
#113
Join Date: Jan 2015
Programs: Marriott Titanium and LTP, Hilton Gold, United Silver
Posts: 786
My fee is about to become due in a month or so, and I was hoping we'd see these exciting new features added to this card, but if this is it, I don't think I will keep it, especially with my traveling being less than what it was.
I was hoping they'd add bonus categories to it like for restaurants or something, but I doubt it now. The PRG card seems to be the card to maximize point earnings nowadays.
I was hoping they'd add bonus categories to it like for restaurants or something, but I doubt it now. The PRG card seems to be the card to maximize point earnings nowadays.
May 4, 2015, 9:51 am
#116
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,958
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...ption-usa.html
May 4, 2015, 12:02 pm
#117
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
I haven't gotten any emails from Centurion yet. However as far as booking fees, there's never ever been any booking fees for me as a charter Centurion member.
May 4, 2015, 12:12 pm
#118
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,958
https://travel.americanexpress.com/home
Booking through CTS or PTS is different.
May 4, 2015, 1:50 pm
#120
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: DCA
Posts: 126
underwhelmed...
Would love to say I'm excited Amex finally got with the program and stopped charging a transaction fee for using their website to book travel, but I look at this as something they should have been doing anyways and certainly not a benefit to be championed on high.
With the loss of the lounge programs at American, US Air and to a lesser degree Delta (I realize I still get in myself) and no real replacement, these tiny new benefits just aren't cutting it.
Come on Amex, step up to the plate like you actually want to have the Platinum Card have some value beyond FHR and Centurion lounges
With the loss of the lounge programs at American, US Air and to a lesser degree Delta (I realize I still get in myself) and no real replacement, these tiny new benefits just aren't cutting it.
Come on Amex, step up to the plate like you actually want to have the Platinum Card have some value beyond FHR and Centurion lounges