Jan 4, 2017, 6:59 am
Last edit by: mia
CAUTION: In February 2019, American Airlines changed the coding of gift card transactions. Although there are a few successful data points since, in general, Gift Card purchases are now explicitly identified, and no longer reimbursed by American Express.
Reminder: you must enroll and select your airline BEFORE making a reimbursable purchase. http://www.americanexpress.com/airlinechoice -or- "Call the number on the back of your Card to select a qualifying airline."
Data Points on automatically reimbursed incidentals since 2017:
Admirals Club Memberships: Admirals Club Passes:
Wifi is provided by one of three third-party providers and is thus not eligible for the incidental credit.
* For items not automatically reimbursed but which are not excluded by Amex, you can try and request manual reimbursement from American Express; however, you may need to wait 14-28 days first.
To review AA reimbursement reports from 2011-2016 as well as information on gift cards, click HERE.
Reminder: you must enroll and select your airline BEFORE making a reimbursable purchase. http://www.americanexpress.com/airlinechoice -or- "Call the number on the back of your Card to select a qualifying airline."
Data Points on automatically reimbursed incidentals since 2017:
Admirals Club Memberships: Admirals Club Passes:
- Yes - Hilton-gold, moe8555
- No - ShrinkTheGlobe, canesfan, jasmians, soy
- Yes - Dedicated, Rakibullslam, tsmith12, lotrbfme, mia, GTITAN, cdoobiest
- No - Alex_I, exmike, jb0506, fangtl, nall, javabytes, chitink
- Mixed - PatrickTM, Visconti, iahphx
- No - cubs105, prhocky2607
- No - PatrickTM, mileshound
- Yes - LuizMiranda, fotoflyer88, nk15, joshvworld, Hilton-gold, captaink, JCN, aftortoriello, nall
- No - pubsmeister
- Yes - jvel
- Yes - JDiver
- No - AUSINSIGHT
- No - mrlemm
- Yes - Segments
- Yes - wireless_999, saunders111, mosfet, Budoka, sdsearch
- Mixed - inevitability
Wifi is provided by one of three third-party providers and is thus not eligible for the incidental credit.
* For items not automatically reimbursed but which are not excluded by Amex, you can try and request manual reimbursement from American Express; however, you may need to wait 14-28 days first.
To review AA reimbursement reports from 2011-2016 as well as information on gift cards, click HERE.
Airline fee $250/$200/$100 reimbursement reports: AA only (2017-2019)
Feb 17, 2019, 8:15 am
#1606
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: AUS
Programs: BAEC Gold, AA PPro, Hyatt Globalist, Amex Plat
Posts: 7,039
So we often end up with 4 or 5 posts from the individual where one would have sufficed after the fact, "I purchased a gift card for $X value, on X date, and the credit posted on X date." Done.
Anyhow, I agree with your thesis and to other would be posters, we now have a pretty established window of when this change appears to have taken place. So at this point, posts about purchases made and credits received in January 2019 are largely irrelevant and just cluttering up the thread. Before posting, please consider whether your data point is actually adding value/information to the current conversation.
Regards
Feb 17, 2019, 10:02 am
#1607
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 1
My Options if $100 w/Amex if $100 aa.com not received?
purchased $ 100 aa.com online gift card about 8 days ago & still not credit. any suggestions what to do? thanks
Feb 17, 2019, 11:02 am
#1608
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Northern VA
Posts: 150
The last three years I've made this purchase ($100 gift cards x 2), it was coded on my Amex Platinum as "Document Type: MISCELLANEOUS TAX(S)/FEE(S)". Credited back every time within three days.
The purchase I made on Feb 10 was coded as "Document Type: GIFT CERTIFICATE". Not credited back.
Thankfully I decided to only do 1 but this is obviously bad timing on my part. Oh well, if this ride has come to an end, I'll just find another way or another airline to use the credit on.
The purchase I made on Feb 10 was coded as "Document Type: GIFT CERTIFICATE". Not credited back.
Thankfully I decided to only do 1 but this is obviously bad timing on my part. Oh well, if this ride has come to an end, I'll just find another way or another airline to use the credit on.
Feb 17, 2019, 11:28 am
#1609
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 75
Actually delta GC does show as "travel-airlines", from LAX to LAX.
I will try today to see if I can use the method I mentioned on delta and still get credit.
Perhaps AA is different, but hey, if the AA GC is not an option, somebody can give this a try and see what happens. lol
I will try today to see if I can use the method I mentioned on delta and still get credit.
Perhaps AA is different, but hey, if the AA GC is not an option, somebody can give this a try and see what happens. lol
Feb 17, 2019, 11:57 am
#1610
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,954
Welcome to Flyertalk.
If you have been reading recent posts in this thread you will see that AA just recently changed the way they code gift card purchases. If your transaction shows Document Type: GIFT CERTIFICATE it will likely not be reimbursed. You should redeem it towards an AA flight, and use the card to make some other type of reimbursable expense.
If you have been reading recent posts in this thread you will see that AA just recently changed the way they code gift card purchases. If your transaction shows Document Type: GIFT CERTIFICATE it will likely not be reimbursed. You should redeem it towards an AA flight, and use the card to make some other type of reimbursable expense.
Feb 17, 2019, 4:47 pm
#1612
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,755
It works on DL - I received 4x $5.60 on 4 one-way domestic awards. I believe someone just posted similar experiences - paid DL award ticket taxes and all got reimbursed.
Feb 17, 2019, 4:49 pm
#1613
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 26
Since AA GC are out, what DPs are out there for what Amex WILL reimburse?
Obviously baggage fees, food and drink but what else? The $75 close in ticketing? (Sadly, I just paid two of those with my Blue Business Plus if that's the case).
Obviously baggage fees, food and drink but what else? The $75 close in ticketing? (Sadly, I just paid two of those with my Blue Business Plus if that's the case).
Feb 17, 2019, 9:10 pm
#1614
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 22
Reimbursement - Cobranded AMEX
Does anyone know if it would be the same case for cobranded AMEX cards such as the PenFed Pathfinder or the FNBO TravelElite?
Feb 17, 2019, 10:06 pm
#1615
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: BGI | MIA
Programs: AA Platinum Pro | Hyatt Globalist | HH Diamond | SPG Gold
Posts: 316
Co-branded cards are cards that are still issued by American Express directly. Examples : Delta, Schwab Platinum , Mercedes Benz Platinum (RIP) Ameriprise.
You are talking about cards cards that are issued by another bank but run on the Amex network. This is not the same thing at all.
You would need to research the T&C for each of those cards
Feb 18, 2019, 7:59 am
#1616
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Washington, DC, USA
Programs: Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards
Posts: 191
Sooooooo,
I chatted with Amex last night about my 2 x $100 GCs and 1 x $50 GC purchases on 1/31. I asked if there was something wrong with Amex reimbursement process since the charges made on my Aspire weren’t reimbursed and that it usually takes 2-3 days to see it. They asked what was actually charged for $100, $100 and $50, and I said cancellation fees since these GCs were coded as Misc.
After a long wait, the CSR told me that the credit request was accepted and that I should see the credit within 5 business days. This morning the whole counter shows it will renew again in 2020.
I was very friendly, used a lot of ! and emojis lol
I chatted with Amex last night about my 2 x $100 GCs and 1 x $50 GC purchases on 1/31. I asked if there was something wrong with Amex reimbursement process since the charges made on my Aspire weren’t reimbursed and that it usually takes 2-3 days to see it. They asked what was actually charged for $100, $100 and $50, and I said cancellation fees since these GCs were coded as Misc.
After a long wait, the CSR told me that the credit request was accepted and that I should see the credit within 5 business days. This morning the whole counter shows it will renew again in 2020.
I was very friendly, used a lot of ! and emojis lol
Feb 18, 2019, 8:45 am
#1617
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 16,871
Sooooooo,
I chatted with Amex last night about my 2 x $100 GCs and 1 x $50 GC purchases on 1/31. I asked if there was something wrong with Amex reimbursement process since the charges made on my Aspire weren’t reimbursed and that it usually takes 2-3 days to see it. They asked what was actually charged for $100, $100 and $50, and I said cancellation fees since these GCs were coded as Misc.
After a long wait, the CSR told me that the credit request was accepted and that I should see the credit within 5 business days. This morning the whole counter shows it will renew again in 2020.
I was very friendly, used a lot of ! and emojis lol
I chatted with Amex last night about my 2 x $100 GCs and 1 x $50 GC purchases on 1/31. I asked if there was something wrong with Amex reimbursement process since the charges made on my Aspire weren’t reimbursed and that it usually takes 2-3 days to see it. They asked what was actually charged for $100, $100 and $50, and I said cancellation fees since these GCs were coded as Misc.
After a long wait, the CSR told me that the credit request was accepted and that I should see the credit within 5 business days. This morning the whole counter shows it will renew again in 2020.
I was very friendly, used a lot of ! and emojis lol
Feb 18, 2019, 10:02 am
#1618
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Washington, DC, USA
Programs: Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards
Posts: 191
Feb 18, 2019, 10:40 am
#1619
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 39
Those are NOT cobranded Amex cards.
Co-branded cards are cards that are still issued by American Express directly. Examples : Delta, Schwab Platinum , Mercedes Benz Platinum (RIP) Ameriprise.
You are talking about cards cards that are issued by another bank but run on the Amex network. This is not the same thing at all.
You would need to research the T&C for each of those cards
A lesson for the lurkers here, just because it worked out for this guy does not mean you should do it. This game is getting tighter because of people like him getting eyes on their accounts and banks asking ... is going on.
Feb 18, 2019, 10:54 am
#1620
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: BGI | MIA
Programs: AA Platinum Pro | Hyatt Globalist | HH Diamond | SPG Gold
Posts: 316
So you broke the #1 rule of Fight Club and you "called" the bank.
A lesson for the lurkers here, just because it worked out for this guy does not mean you should do it. This game is getting tighter because of people like him getting eyes on their accounts and banks asking ... is going on.
A lesson for the lurkers here, just because it worked out for this guy does not mean you should do it. This game is getting tighter because of people like him getting eyes on their accounts and banks asking ... is going on.
I never called the bank. I know better then that. You either get the credit or you dont. It's against the T&C for GC's so no point in calling