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)
Dec 26, 2019, 8:57 pm
#2356
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 542
Booked 2 domestic award tickets on Dec 4th. Received credit for $11.20 on Dec 10th.
Dec 26, 2019, 10:00 pm
#2357
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Southern California
Programs: AA Exec Plat, UA Gold, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Gold, National Exec, Hertz Pres
Posts: 212
Any ideas on what the best way to use my AMEX credits if I'm not an AA elite and have no upcoming paid or award travel on AA or am I out of luck?
I was going to buy 500-mile upgrades since they never expire and can use them when I become an elite again but I just found out that only elites are eligible to purchase 500-mi upgrades.
I was going to buy 500-mile upgrades since they never expire and can use them when I become an elite again but I just found out that only elites are eligible to purchase 500-mi upgrades.
Dec 27, 2019, 9:34 am
#2359
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Southern California
Programs: AA Exec Plat, UA Gold, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Gold, National Exec, Hertz Pres
Posts: 212
Dec 27, 2019, 10:17 am
#2360
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Washington, DC area
Programs: Air: Many; Hotel: HH D, HY G, IHG P, MR S, RR
Posts: 504
Any ideas on what the best way to use my AMEX credits if I'm not an AA elite and have no upcoming paid or award travel on AA or am I out of luck?
I was going to buy 500-mile upgrades since they never expire and can use them when I become an elite again but I just found out that only elites are eligible to purchase 500-mi upgrades.
I was going to buy 500-mile upgrades since they never expire and can use them when I become an elite again but I just found out that only elites are eligible to purchase 500-mi upgrades.
Also, AAdmirals Club membership or one day passes might be an option, but if you don't have any AA travel planned, that probably is not useful for you.
Dec 27, 2019, 11:39 am
#2361
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: CAK/CLE
Programs: UA Plat/AA,DL Dirt/HH Diamond,Hyatt Something-ist/Hz Prez,Avis Pres Club
Posts: 674
$81 for mileage multiplier (2500 miles) hit on 12/22, reimbursed on 12/26. Wouldn't have gotten it but was trying to use up the $250. MCE purchased for $77 on 12/15 still not reimbursed but chat representative said it would be manually overridden and counted against 2019 balance; wonder how reliable that is! One would think that the MCE (a seat selection fee) is more within the spirit of the fee reimbursement than mileage multiplier (buying miles), but oh well. Going to have some money left over and don't know what to spend it on; wish they sold Admirals Club passes online. Should have asked at the ticket counter or something.
Dec 27, 2019, 11:43 am
#2362
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA Gold 1MM, AS MVP, UA Silver, WN A-List, Marriott LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 52,574
Dec 27, 2019, 12:11 pm
#2363
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,956
Dec 27, 2019, 12:44 pm
#2364
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 7,904
New to the Amex credit. Just upgraded my Hilton card and realized i could likely double dip. No flights led this year. I have a trip on AA in February. I have no status on American but my wife is gold. Could I buy 500 mile upgrades on her account? If not I pay to upgrade our flight to F for one segment and trigger the credit? Just don't want to screw something up and don't want to select AA until I am sure. Per wiki it looks the 500 mile segments work but wondered if the name would matter. (Same last name and same address). But was sure if the upgrade would work as I thought paid upgrades didn't count
Dec 30, 2019, 9:44 am
#2365
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 11
I still had most of my $200 AmEx Plat credit remaining, so went to the AA website and purchased a mileage multiplier for an upcoming trip for ~$130. I know it's not a great value, but had the credit to spend. I also purchased separately a 500 mile upgrade for $40. Got a credit for both purchases ~3 days after they posted. Also got the 5x points for purchasing directly from AA.
Dec 31, 2019, 6:33 am
#2366
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 22
Booked AA award tickets Dec. 26. Seat selection fees (purchased separately) reimbursed on Dec. 29, but the $5.60 award ticket fees were not.
Dec 31, 2019, 8:52 am
#2367
Join Date: Nov 2015
Programs: AAdvantage EXP, Marriott Ambassador (LT Titanium)
Posts: 94
Purchased 500-mile upgrade certs in mid-Dec 2018 at the airport kiosk and got an AMEX credit a couple of days later. I didn't even expect it but I supposed this is another way to use it as it is indeed a fee. Of course I didn't clear the upgrade window (because does anyone ever nowadays?) but that's another story.
Dec 31, 2019, 12:55 pm
#2368
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 615
Book a future flight that has a 24 free cancelation, purchase miles via the Mileage Multiplier, and then cancel the flight. The mileage purchase will stick, and there are multiple data points about it being reimbursed. It is poor value (you are paying over 3 cents per mile), but better than nothing.
Also, AAdmirals Club membership or one day passes might be an option, but if you don't have any AA travel planned, that probably is not useful for you.
Also, AAdmirals Club membership or one day passes might be an option, but if you don't have any AA travel planned, that probably is not useful for you.
Dec 31, 2019, 3:14 pm
#2369
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: Wyndham Diamond
Posts: 875
Purchased main cabin extra seats for 3 on Dec 25. Reimbursed on Dec 28 (dated Dec 27).
Award tax of $5.60 x 4 charged on Dec 24. Not reimbursed. Not expecting to be reimbursed either from past DPs so this is okay with me.
Biz Platinum.
Award tax of $5.60 x 4 charged on Dec 24. Not reimbursed. Not expecting to be reimbursed either from past DPs so this is okay with me.
Biz Platinum.
Dec 31, 2019, 8:21 pm
#2370
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: CAK/CLE
Programs: UA Plat/AA,DL Dirt/HH Diamond,Hyatt Something-ist/Hz Prez,Avis Pres Club
Posts: 674
Purchased a second $81 Mileage Multiplier on a separate reservation to use up funds before the end of the year; billed 12/27 and reimbursed 12/30. Chatted on 12/30 with AMEX about the $77 MCE that did not automatically credit from 12/15 and they nearly instantly agreed to credit it (as an agent said it would be best to do before year-end as that was more than 14 days after so it was after the time it "should" have happened and this would avoid problems with it possibly going against 2020 credit, which I may want to change to Delta), and today the meter decreased by that amount. I have $11 left and nothing to spend it on; hate to waste it but didn't plan well. At this point having gotten $239 back in the airline reimbursement and $250 in the resort credit plus some actual benefits at hotels "because you are a Diamond member" carrying the Aspire card, I will let the $11 go. :P Will be more careful in 2020 to spend the WHOLE airline fee waiver!
Last edited by UAzip; Dec 31, 2019 at 8:26 pm