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)
Mar 26, 2019, 5:59 am
#1756
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 16,871
I switched from AA to DL as of 1/1/19 and got reimbursed for 4 x $50 (Amex Bus Plat) and 5 x $50 (Hilton Aspire) DL GCs.
Question: Did AA change its description of GCs so that they are no longer being reimbursed out of "nastiness" to its customers? If AA kept its "old" description (which was being reimbursed) losing money by doing so?
Question: Did AA change its description of GCs so that they are no longer being reimbursed out of "nastiness" to its customers? If AA kept its "old" description (which was being reimbursed) losing money by doing so?
Mar 26, 2019, 6:21 am
#1757
Join Date: Mar 2018
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP. Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,134
I switched from AA to DL as of 1/1/19 and got reimbursed for 4 x $50 (Amex Bus Plat) and 5 x $50 (Hilton Aspire) DL GCs.
Question: Did AA change its description of GCs so that they are no longer being reimbursed out of "nastiness" to its customers? If AA kept its "old" description (which was being reimbursed) losing money by doing so?
Question: Did AA change its description of GCs so that they are no longer being reimbursed out of "nastiness" to its customers? If AA kept its "old" description (which was being reimbursed) losing money by doing so?
I fully expect that in the future other GC options like DL and WN will simialrly be shut off.
Mar 26, 2019, 6:37 am
#1758
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: jfk area
Programs: AA platinum; 2MM AA, Delta Diamond, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 10,291
Its not a reimbursement from AA, to AA its a purchase transcation the same as anyting else. The reimbursemnt/statement credit comes from Amex- its their card benefit. It was a change to how the transation is coded so the tin-foil hat theory that AA did this to screw over people who use a particular credit card perk needs to be put aside. AA could care less about credit card perks from Amex. The credit was never intended to be used for GCs per Amex's T&C.
I fully expect that in the future other GC options like DL and WN will simialrly be shut off.
I fully expect that in the future other GC options like DL and WN will simialrly be shut off.
exception, FT is not the "dark web".
Mar 26, 2019, 6:43 am
#1759
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: jfk area
Programs: AA platinum; 2MM AA, Delta Diamond, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 10,291
Its not a reimbursement from AA, to AA its a purchase transcation the same as anyting else. The reimbursemnt/statement credit comes from Amex- its their card benefit. It was a change to how the transation is coded so the tin-foil hat theory that AA did this to screw over people who use a particular credit card perk needs to be put aside. AA could care less about credit card perks from Amex. The credit was never intended to be used for GCs per Amex's T&C.
I fully expect that in the future other GC options like DL and WN will simialrly be shut off.
I fully expect that in the future other GC options like DL and WN will simialrly be shut off.
Mar 26, 2019, 7:28 am
#1760
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 16,871
Although the more rational explanation is that Amex awards credits automatically based on how the transaction is coded by the airline without any human interaction.
Mar 26, 2019, 11:51 am
#1761
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: jfk area
Programs: AA platinum; 2MM AA, Delta Diamond, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 10,291
So, AA should code the transaction the same way they did when pax were getting credited.
Mar 26, 2019, 12:02 pm
#1762
Join Date: Mar 2018
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP. Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,134
So AA needs to fix something so you can get a credit that is was never covered under Amex's T&Cs in the first place. Got it. Here's the bottom line: they fixed the glitch. The loophole we leveraged is closed. The game evolved. Happens all the time in the points and miles world. Use your creativity and adjust your tactics to counter theirs. That's how you win at this.
Mar 26, 2019, 1:44 pm
#1764
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: jfk area
Programs: AA platinum; 2MM AA, Delta Diamond, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 10,291
Mar 27, 2019, 4:31 am
#1765
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 17,421
As I have $200 "trapped" on a Plat card, I guess I need to switch, too. I assume the first thing I need to do is call AMEX and have my continuing AA selection switched? That's an easy call, right?
Then I have to pick a new airline. Are WN and DL the only ones left to get gift cards/travel credits? UA, with its "travel bank" perpetually inoperable, is still out?
Then I have to pick a new airline. Are WN and DL the only ones left to get gift cards/travel credits? UA, with its "travel bank" perpetually inoperable, is still out?
Mar 27, 2019, 5:38 am
#1766
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 17
I'm just afraid that Delta will eventually go the same route as AA. With 3 Amex cards that give me $550 in airline incidentals, the benefit will soon become useless.
Mar 27, 2019, 6:37 pm
#1767
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,933
I switched from AA to DL as of 1/1/19 and got reimbursed for 4 x $50 (Amex Bus Plat) and 5 x $50 (Hilton Aspire) DL GCs.
Question: Did AA change its description of GCs so that they are no longer being reimbursed out of "nastiness" to its customers? If AA kept its "old" description (which was being reimbursed) losing money by doing so?
Question: Did AA change its description of GCs so that they are no longer being reimbursed out of "nastiness" to its customers? If AA kept its "old" description (which was being reimbursed) losing money by doing so?
And we've recently learned that (this time around) quite a few things at AA that aren't gift cards are coding as gift cards too. So it's apparently not about AA trying to identify gift cards and solely gift cards as such.
So it's not all clear whether any of this is intentional.
Mar 27, 2019, 11:13 pm
#1769
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: jfk area
Programs: AA platinum; 2MM AA, Delta Diamond, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 10,291
My base is NYC (mostly JFK). AA had forced me to connect in PHL or LHR when they abandoned the n/s between JFK and ZRH. I frequently fly to LAS, DL has 5 daily n/s to AAs 2 (sometimes 3). The Amex CCs perks were only secondary for my switching to DL.
Mar 28, 2019, 12:44 am
#1770
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 42
Do AA miles reinstatement fee ($175) get reimbursed by Amex business platinum?