American Express paying with points refund?

I need clarification using American Express membership rewards to pay for hotels. If I need to change or cancel reservation, what is the the policy? I can find policy for changing/canceling when paying with $ but cannot find info about changing/canceling when paying with points.

When you Pay with Points the full cost of the transaction is billed to your American Express account. You then redeem points to offset the charge. If you later cancel the transaction any refund should come to your card account, but (in my understanding) you cannot convert that credit back into points.

I just cancelled a pay with points hotel stay, and - consistent with mia's comment above - AMEX issued an $1800+ credit to my account rather than refunding the points. Anyone ever able to get the points back instead? I had lots of points to start, so it won't be the end of the world if the cash refund is final.

same thing happened to me. I was issued a refund in cash but did not get the points back.

so in essence this is a way then to cash out at 1 cent per MR point

Yes, exactly.

Has anyone tried calling Membership Rewards and asking that the refunded credit be converted back into points? If so, what was the result - denial or did they accommodate you? I just cancelled a Qatar J flight booked mostly with points through AMEX because there was nothing in the fare conditions leading up to the purchase that said advance seat fee reservations of approximately $480 were extra costs in business class/Qsuites. The AMEX travel guy I spoke to said the approximately 300,000 points would be reflected as a cash credit to my account, but that I could call Membership Rewards and ask that the credit be converted back to points. Is there any likelihood of success if I try? Thanks.

Sorry to revive such an old thread, but I couldn't find a more recent one. If I book a flight through Amex Travel and pay with points, can I cancel after the 24 hour window, and what form does the refund take? TIA.

I recently had a few cancellations due to covid restrictions at final destination. Refundable main cabin flexible fare on AA, booked via Amex Travel portal using my points. After cancelling and requesting refund to CC (instead of flight credit), took about 10 days for the AA refund to be processed to my Amex CC. If it's non-refundable, then Amex Travel will hold a flight credit for you for that specific airline.

If it was refundable, and you want your points back instead of cash on your CC, I think you still have to call and ask. I did read elsewhere there was a period in 2020 where Amex was batch-processing refunds where they would issue a charge on your CC (to offset the refund you had received) and automatically re-instated your points. See here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...d-25-a-70.html around post #1042.

I'm not sure if that is still happening, however.

Sorry - this is a super old update - but yes AMEX did reinstate my points on this with a phone call. For those who might be in the same situation in the future and want their points back instead of dollars.

I used MR to book airline tickets. Sometimes I need to cancel the flights and always got credit refund to my account.

I am thinking about using all my MR to book ticket and cancel it later. Is this the legal way to cash out MR?

Great question. The answer will be very helpful for those who are considering using MR right now to book airline tickets which now have a much higher chance of being cancelled (even if we�re not trying to cash out MR).

Is that the usual refund method (instead of refunding MR)? Were your tickets specifically refundable? Any cancellation fees or penalties? How long ago? Thank you.

Usually within 24 hours. But some tickets were booked months ago but airline canceled the flight and got refund. Most higher value tickets refunded by MR but lower value tickets usually got cash credit.

Hope add more Data points.

Currently dealing with this mess right now. I booked two tickets on DL using the Amex Platinum travel portal and clicked "insider fare." I thought I was getting a very minimal discount and moved forward with my purchase. After purchasing I noticed I was charged for the tickets AND was debited points. I immediately called and spoke with an agent who canceled the booking and said I would receive a refund. Subsequently, I made a new booking for the exact same flights not using the insider fare and was charged correctly using only dollars. I have since received a credit for the dollar amount for the original purchase, but am still short the points. I've been trying to follow up for nearly an hour now, not seemingly able to get anyone to grasp the situation. I want the points, not a partial refund. Further, the original booking was canceled within 24 hours and the website clearly states, I am eligible for a FULL refund.

I wonder why I pay the exorbitant annual fee and use the Amex travel services. It's a constant battle each time for anything with them!

Persistence and escalation apparently pays off. Though I was escalated to a condescending and patronizing "supervisor" who also didn't grasp the situation, I got my refund of points instantly.

What are refund (and cancellation) policies, particularly regarding timing of cancellation, for Pay with Points purchased airline tickets? Is it a unique AmEx Travel policy? The airline’s policy? Something different? If an AmEx policy, a link or reference to the terms would be appreciated. Thank you.