Apr 22, 2015, 10:57 am
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:
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.
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.
Pay-with-Points flights. BUSINESS Centurion 50% refund, Plat 35%, Gold 25% (2015-23)
Jan 18, 2022, 1:09 pm
#1111
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 779
Do pay with points transactions count toward sign up bonus minimum spending? Thanks.
Jan 19, 2022, 5:30 am
#1113
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: BOS/MHT/PVD/BDL
Programs: Belong to Many but No Longer Loyal to Any
Posts: 880
Points back cap has been raised from 500,000 to 1 million.
Jan 19, 2022, 6:40 am
#1114
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,956
Jan 19, 2022, 6:53 am
#1115
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: BOS/MHT/PVD/BDL
Programs: Belong to Many but No Longer Loyal to Any
Posts: 880
On the benefits page
Feb 13, 2022, 10:07 am
#1116
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 877
How to determine if a flight qualifies for the 35% rebate?
My airline selection is United Airlines. Yesterday, I searched for UA to CPT in business class.
The results yielded:
ORD EWR CPT + CPT JNB EWR ORD
This Morning I realized the ORD EWR segments were booked in Premium economy, not domestic first.
i also noticed the CPT JNB segment is on BA even though I specifically filtered for United flights.
i would like to confirm if this itinerary qualifies for the 35% rebate. It is technically not all in business class. It is also not all technically on United.
is there a department within AMEX that could help?
The results yielded:
ORD EWR CPT + CPT JNB EWR ORD
This Morning I realized the ORD EWR segments were booked in Premium economy, not domestic first.
i also noticed the CPT JNB segment is on BA even though I specifically filtered for United flights.
i would like to confirm if this itinerary qualifies for the 35% rebate. It is technically not all in business class. It is also not all technically on United.
is there a department within AMEX that could help?
Feb 13, 2022, 10:22 am
#1117
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,956
When the ticket is issued, check the number. If it starts with 016 it is a UA ticket.
Feb 17, 2022, 6:28 am
#1118
Join Date: Feb 2015
Programs: Delta DM
Posts: 552
Hi folks. It's been awhile for me since I last booked a flight through Amex using points. I have multiple business Platinum cards. One designated for Delta and one for United. In the past, I was able to select the exact credit card I'm using even if I'm paying with points. I no longer see this option. Do they just know that you have a business Plat card with the select airline and give you the bonus now? TIA
Feb 17, 2022, 8:24 am
#1119
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,956
You might create a separate online account for each card. You can do this yourself, no assistance from American Express customer service required. That way, if you login using the credentials for the Delta designated card, I would expect Amex Travel to use that card as the default method of payment. (Caveat: I have not tried this, it's just an idea.)
Feb 17, 2022, 9:53 am
#1120
Join Date: Feb 2015
Programs: Delta DM
Posts: 552
You might create a separate online account for each card. You can do this yourself, no assistance from American Express customer service required. That way, if you login using the credentials for the Delta designated card, I would expect Amex Travel to use that card as the default method of payment. (Caveat: I have not tried this, it's just an idea.)
Feb 17, 2022, 9:57 am
#1121
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,956
Feb 17, 2022, 12:45 pm
#1122
Join Date: Nov 2007
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Platinum, Hilton Honors Diamond, Delta Gold
Posts: 4,349
You might create a separate online account for each card. You can do this yourself, no assistance from American Express customer service required. That way, if you login using the credentials for the Delta designated card, I would expect Amex Travel to use that card as the default method of payment. (Caveat: I have not tried this, it's just an idea.)
Feb 17, 2022, 4:04 pm
#1123
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 282
I've done three pay with points transactions recently on AmEx travel(United flights) and all of them required me to select an MR earning card and input the security code to redeem them. Picked the Platinum based on the last 4 digits. Is that not a thing for other people or do your Business Platinums all have the same last 4?
Feb 17, 2022, 4:10 pm
#1124
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,477
Is PwP still possible on tix purchased directly from an airline and charged to AmEx Plat?
Feb 21, 2022, 5:47 pm
#1125
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
Programs: United 1K, JAL Sapphire, SPG Lifetime Platinum, National Executive Elite, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 42,205
You might create a separate online account for each card. You can do this yourself, no assistance from American Express customer service required. That way, if you login using the credentials for the Delta designated card, I would expect Amex Travel to use that card as the default method of payment. (Caveat: I have not tried this, it's just an idea.)