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Pay-with-Points flights. BUSINESS Centurion 50% refund, Plat 35%, Gold 25% (2015-23)

Old Apr 22, 2015, 10:57 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: mia
Effective June 2017 the USA Business Platinum airfare Pay-with-Points refund was reduced to 35%. This brings the net value to $0.0153 per point, essentially the same as Chase Sapphire Reserve's Pay-with-Points redemption rate.

USA Business Centurion cardholders will continue to receive a 50% refund. The Centurion version is also broader than the Platinum benefit:

Centurion: beginning October 6, 2016 you will get 50% Membership Rewards points back when you use the Pay with Points feature for all or part of a flight on any airline. The maximum rebate per calendar year for Centurion members is (_______?)

Platinum: Business Platinum Card Members will receive 5 extra points for every 10 points they redeem for either a First or Business class flight on any airline, or for flights with their selected qualifying airline using Membership Rewards Pay with Points with American Express Travel (35% Airline Bonus). The maximum rebate per calendar year for Business Platinum Card Members is 1,000,000 points.

FAQ

Q1. How does the process work?

A1. Here is an example, buying a $1,000.00 ticket:
  • $1,000 charged to American Express card [Day 1]
  • 100,000 Membership Rewards points redeemed [Day 1]
  • $1,000 credited to American Express card [Day 2]
  • _35,000 Membership Rewards points returned [~a month later]
  • Net: $1,000 ticket for 65,000 points = $0.0154/point

Q2. Must the Business Centurion or Platinum card be used to purchase the ticket?

A2. When the benefit was refreshed in October 2016 you could pay with any card linked to the same Membership Rewards account, but it appears this changed in April 2017.

Q3. Will I earn Membership Rewards points on the purchase price?

A3. You will not earn base points, but you may earn bonus points if you pay with a card that awards a bonus for airline ticket purchases, such as Business Platinum, Personal Platinum, Business Rewards Gold, Premier Rewards Gold.


Q4. What happens if I cancel the ticket?

A4. There are mixed reports, but in most examples the cost of the ticket is refunded (a second time) to the card account. In one example American Express refunded the remainder of the points instead. If you prefer the points refunded rather than a cash credit, phone into AMEX and they will restore the points and remove the credit.


Q5. Can this benefit be combined with the International Airline Program companion ticket?

A5. One poster was told no, but another was able to do so.


Print Wikipost

Pay-with-Points flights. BUSINESS Centurion 50% refund, Plat 35%, Gold 25% (2015-23)

Old Sep 7, 2017, 5:16 am
  #766  
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
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Originally Posted by thexfactor
Yes, rebates are now posting as lump-sum 50% for bookings after about 7/28 (perhaps a bit earlier).
Good catch. Just realized that I got the full 50% back from a 1 August purchase. Hadn't really noticed because a few days later I got the 15% extra back from a purchase made a week before that. So, yeah, some time between 24 July and end of month seems to have been the switchover.
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Old Sep 7, 2017, 8:18 am
  #767  
mia
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Originally Posted by mia
creampiggy is asking if the 500,000 point cap applies to accounts which are still eligible for the 50% refund. To answer this definitively we would probably need a copy of the previous terms.
I located the email from the original announcement of the 50% benefit, and there is no mention of a cap in the fine print. However, there is a Read More link which no longer works.
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Old Sep 9, 2017, 3:48 pm
  #768  
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Irvine
Posts: 19
Amex Business Plat 50% Redemption

Has anyone had experience with Amex rewarding 50% points back even after the card is closed?
I just booked a flight with my preferred airline today using points. However, I heard that it might take 3 months to get the points to be posted. I would not want to wait until December as the annual fee for my card is going to hit again and I don't want to pay 450 annual fee again.
Thank you
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Old Sep 9, 2017, 4:12 pm
  #769  
mia
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Originally Posted by karstenth
...heard that it might take 3 months to get the points to be posted....
Where did you hear this? Our reports consistently show points refunding in about 30 days.

Bear in mind that the annual fee is really only $250.
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Old Sep 9, 2017, 6:41 pm
  #770  
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Irvine
Posts: 19
Originally Posted by mia
Where did you hear this? Our reports consistently show points refunding in about 30 days.

Bear in mind that the annual fee is really only $250.
My points took 10 weeks to post the last 3 times so thats why I thought there is like a 3 months hold.
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Old Sep 26, 2017, 4:36 pm
  #771  
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 1,608
Question about 50% grandfathered rebate .... lets say your card annual fee on November 1st, so your grandfathers 50% rebate drops down to 35% after that.

Now, do you have to just book before November 1st to get the grandfathered points, do do you have to leave enough time (31 days) so that the points actually post before November 1st also (effectively making your grandfathered clause ~10 months instead of a full year).

I'm nearing my annual date and need to know, and when calling different amex agents are giving different answers (or simply don't even know about the 50% grandfathered clause, or are clearly reading standard boilerplate off a screen about the 35% bonus).

Has anyone already gone over their grandfathered timeframe and has datapoints?

Btw, to the person asking about cancelling card before rebate posts - you won't get the rebate if you cancel the card for sure. T&C say that card must be active.
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Old Sep 28, 2017, 5:21 am
  #772  
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: PHL
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, AA Gold, FB Gold, ITA Volare Executive
Posts: 3,293
Originally Posted by nomiiiii
Question about 50% grandfathered rebate .... lets say your card annual fee on November 1st, so your grandfathers 50% rebate drops down to 35% after that.

Now, do you have to just book before November 1st to get the grandfathered points, do do you have to leave enough time (31 days) so that the points actually post before November 1st also (effectively making your grandfathered clause ~10 months instead of a full year).

I'm nearing my annual date and need to know, and when calling different amex agents are giving different answers (or simply don't even know about the 50% grandfathered clause, or are clearly reading standard boilerplate off a screen about the 35% bonus).

Has anyone already gone over their grandfathered timeframe and has datapoints?

Btw, to the person asking about cancelling card before rebate posts - you won't get the rebate if you cancel the card for sure. T&C say that card must be active.
Same situation, and I just got an e-mail from Amex telling me to the day my "drop dead" date for the 50% rebate. So I'm convinced as long as we book/pay by that date, we'll get the full 50% back.
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Old Sep 28, 2017, 11:45 pm
  #773  
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If I book and pay with points for a reservation that totals $5,000 (or more) on my business platinum card -- where I earn 1.5x for large purchases -- how many points do I get?

Using $5000 as an example would this be crrect?

$5,000 charged to the account
500,000 points deducted
$5,000 posted to the account for pay-with-points
25,000 points earned for 5x spent on airline tix
2,500 bonus points for the extra 0.5x based on $5000 or more in a single purchase
250,000 posted to the account after ~30 days
Net payment (I'm still in 50% land): 225000 points
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Old Sep 29, 2017, 10:32 am
  #774  
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 81
Originally Posted by Xyzzy
If I book and pay with points for a reservation that totals $5,000 (or more) on my business platinum card -- where I earn 1.5x for large purchases -- how many points do I get?
Here's my data point thus far using Biz Plat + MR for airfare:
9/2 use Amex portal to purchase $490.40 economy tickets on my travel credit chosen airline
9/2 $490.40 charge appears on Biz Plat
9/2 -49,040 MR deduction appears on MR account
9/4 $490.40 credit appears on Biz Plat, backdated to 9/2
9/24 statement closes with $0 balance

Looking at pending MR points, 0 is showing for Biz Plat September statement. EDP & BBP cards show points pending from September statements.

I'm not confident I will receive any MR points for the airfare "purchase." The answer to your question may, in fact, be 0 MR points earned. I hope I'm wrong.
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Old Sep 29, 2017, 11:54 am
  #775  
mia
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Originally Posted by holyPockets
...
I'm not confident I will receive any MR points for the airfare "purchase." ...
Correct. No base points awarded for the purchase because it is offset by the points redemption credit. Bonus points, however, have still been awarded when using (for example) a card that earns a bonus for airline ticket purchases. To learn more about this scroll back.
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Old Sep 29, 2017, 5:57 pm
  #776  
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 81
Originally Posted by mia
…Bonus points, however, have still been awarded when using (for example) a card that earns a bonus for airline ticket purchases. To learn more about this scroll back.
Thanks. The thing is, in an Amex portal airfare purchase, the Biz Plat is supposed to earn 4x bonus points just like the personal Plat. I finally found upstream in comments 639, 643, 644 that the Biz Plat will not earn the bonus points which differentiates it from the personal Plat and the PRG.

Last edited by holyPockets; Sep 29, 2017 at 5:58 pm Reason: corrected error
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Old Sep 29, 2017, 6:04 pm
  #777  
mia
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Originally Posted by holyPockets
...Biz Plat is supposed ...
Understood, but because the 50/35% refund is a feature of Business Platinum American Express set the software to recognize these transactions, and not award any points. This has apparently not been done for other cards, perhaps because very few people who have a Business Platinum have tried paying with a different card.
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Old Sep 30, 2017, 12:41 pm
  #778  
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: AA MM PP, MR LT Plat, Globalist
Posts: 990
Originally Posted by Biggie Fries
Same situation, and I just got an e-mail from Amex telling me to the day my "drop dead" date for the 50% rebate. So I'm convinced as long as we book/pay by that date, we'll get the full 50% back.
What was the email title? Trying to find it as it seems the only source of our "drop dead" date for booking.
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Old Sep 30, 2017, 1:10 pm
  #779  
mia
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Originally Posted by eethan
What was the email title?
Get 50% points back wherever you're traveling next
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Old Sep 30, 2017, 2:15 pm
  #780  
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: AA MM PP, MR LT Plat, Globalist
Posts: 990
Originally Posted by mia
Get 50% points back wherever you're traveling next
FYI - my benefit expires 10/6 and I got the email on 9/27.
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