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)
Oct 8, 2019, 11:20 pm
#2101
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,933
Me, as Platinum, I even get upgrades rarely enough (I live in an AA hub, and often have to connect through another AA hub, and those flights are too elite-heavy much of the time for anything to be left over for Platinums with low AA spend, let alone Gold), and therefore I try rarely enough, that the upgrades I earn for free keep piling up faster than I can use them. So for me, buying even more stickers would feel pointless.
I'm sure for some Golds it might have value, but not necessarily for every Gold.
If I were Gold instead of LT Platinum, I might find more value in buying up to MCE at booking time. But again, everyone's different, some people who are Gold might not care about MCE as much as I do as a 6-foot tall person.
Oct 9, 2019, 5:50 am
#2102
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: CT/ Germany - Ich spreche deutsch
Programs: UA 1K, Bonvoy LTTE, HH Dia, HY Expl
Posts: 4,657
Oct 9, 2019, 6:02 am
#2103
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: DXB
Programs: Marriott Titanium Elite, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, BA Silver, A3 Gold, Sixt Diamond
Posts: 2,811
Maybe I can sell my credit on eBay, lol.
Oct 9, 2019, 6:06 am
#2104
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: CLT
Programs: AA EP, AA AC
Posts: 4,268
If you're in a city with no Flagship Lounge, the credit will be good for food at a typical AC. Might be able to use it for buying up to PEY from regular Y. Change fees are covered if you need it. You could also use it to cover family members that may fly on AA for the incidentals, but you are correct, it is a tough road if you are an elite, for use of the incidental credit on AA.
Safe Travels
Safe Travels
Oct 9, 2019, 8:19 am
#2105
Join Date: Mar 2018
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP. Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,134
I was slow to the punch and didn't buy my AA GCs in Jan of this year like I did every other January. Then in Feb the GC loophole went away. I burned my $250 Aspire credit on AA Mileage Multiplier and switched my Platinum to WN and used the sub-$100 loophole for a few flights. Not the best value for the credit with AA, but I get MCE for free, already have Admirals club access, and saw no need to burn it on lounge food or whatever.
Oct 10, 2019, 6:38 am
#2106
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Dallas
Posts: 1
points transfer fee
will the American Air share miles fee from 1 account to another account covered by this $100 airline credit? say I want to transfer 20,000 points from 1 account ($150) to another account.
Oct 10, 2019, 9:06 am
#2107
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: KATL
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 9
Long time listener, first time caller!
- Purchased MCE from main cabin on 10/7 on the return portion of a RT.
- Changed from pending charge on Amex on 10/8
- Meter moved 10/10
Oct 11, 2019, 3:27 pm
#2108
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 2,272
UPDATE: meter finally moved for me. Roughly the same timeline as above. Three days after purchase.
Last edited by Red259; Oct 12, 2019 at 8:30 pm
Oct 12, 2019, 10:15 am
#2109
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Seattle, WA. USA
Programs: MR, AA, UA, DL, AVIS and growing
Posts: 1,172
Below is a snapshot of poster recently GC purchase on Sept 22 and confirming GC's on AA get reimbursed (Oct 2) with AMEX airline credit still.
Guess picking AA allows GC reimbursement.
Guess picking AA allows GC reimbursement.
Oct 12, 2019, 11:29 am
#2110
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,955
Thank you. One example is encouraging, but not conclusive. AA gift cards have not been reliably reimbursed since February, because AA began to explicitly code the purchases as Gift Cards. We would need to see the full details of the transaction (from the desktop website) to see if this the coding has changed, and then we would need volunteers to see if reimbursement can be replicated.
Oct 12, 2019, 11:44 am
#2111
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: CLT
Programs: AA EP, AA AC
Posts: 4,268
Thank you. One example is encouraging, but not conclusive. AA gift cards have not been reliably reimbursed since February, because AA began to explicitly code the purchases as Gift Cards. We would need to see the full details of the transaction (from the desktop website) to see if this the coding has changed, and then we would need volunteers to see if reimbursement can be replicated.
Safe Travels
Oct 13, 2019, 8:05 pm
#2112
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: SFO
Programs: UA MM, SQ KrisFlyer, SPG/Marriott Titanium
Posts: 1,231
A question. In order for my Plat airline credit to apply to AA, I have to pay for fees separately from the ticket?
So I buy a ticket on AA. Get it ticketed. Then can I go back into my reservation, add on baggage and MCE and pay for that with my Plat card?
Just asking because this is the first time I'm going to have to use my credit this way...
So I buy a ticket on AA. Get it ticketed. Then can I go back into my reservation, add on baggage and MCE and pay for that with my Plat card?
Just asking because this is the first time I'm going to have to use my credit this way...
Oct 13, 2019, 8:25 pm
#2113
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 2,272
A question. In order for my Plat airline credit to apply to AA, I have to pay for fees separately from the ticket?
So I buy a ticket on AA. Get it ticketed. Then can I go back into my reservation, add on baggage and MCE and pay for that with my Plat card?
Just asking because this is the first time I'm going to have to use my credit this way...
So I buy a ticket on AA. Get it ticketed. Then can I go back into my reservation, add on baggage and MCE and pay for that with my Plat card?
Just asking because this is the first time I'm going to have to use my credit this way...
Oct 13, 2019, 8:41 pm
#2114
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: SFO
Programs: UA MM, SQ KrisFlyer, SPG/Marriott Titanium
Posts: 1,231
Oct 15, 2019, 10:43 am
#2115
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Miami, FL
Programs: UA 1MM, AA Plat, Marriott LT Titanium, Hyatt Glob, IHG ♢ Amb, Hilton ♢, Hertz Pres
Posts: 6,017
Re separate charges... I understand the credit applies to change fees on AA. But sometimes, when I make changes there are airline fare increases too (and they seem to be lumped together into one charge). Would the $250 credit still apply in this scenario? Or will it solely apply when it sees a sole $200 change fee?