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)
Jan 3, 2017, 1:46 pm
#16
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Berlin
Programs: BA Gold; Accor Plat; IHG Diamond-Amb; Meliá & HH & Marriott Gold
Posts: 5,447
How do you know?
I don't know about $150. But even if I knew it had worked for me, I couldn't say that it would work for you. I know that $12x worked for me, just over a week ago, but that's no guarantee that it will work for anyone else.
I suspect that charges *sometimes* get flagged to be checked by a human before reimbursement is approved. I suspect that those humans are less likely to pull up all the details of a transaction if the card account is active. My gift card purchases were surrounded by other airline purchases, which I suspect gives me more leeway than people whose only transactions are those they want reimbursed, by reducing the likelihood of charges being flagged for inspection and reducing the extent of any checking that does occur. But I'm only speculating.
I don't know about $150. But even if I knew it had worked for me, I couldn't say that it would work for you. I know that $12x worked for me, just over a week ago, but that's no guarantee that it will work for anyone else.
I suspect that charges *sometimes* get flagged to be checked by a human before reimbursement is approved. I suspect that those humans are less likely to pull up all the details of a transaction if the card account is active. My gift card purchases were surrounded by other airline purchases, which I suspect gives me more leeway than people whose only transactions are those they want reimbursed, by reducing the likelihood of charges being flagged for inspection and reducing the extent of any checking that does occur. But I'm only speculating.
Jan 3, 2017, 1:49 pm
#17
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,952
By reading reports like this one:
so another DP - ordered 2 $100 gift cards, but messed up and did it on the same order which posted to amex as $200 AA MISC SALE. Realized my mistake, and placed another 2 orders for 100 each. The $100 orders got reimbursed , even though they were placed after the $200, so looks like another DP that over $100 will not be reimbursed.
Jan 3, 2017, 2:02 pm
#18
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Berlin
Programs: BA Gold; Accor Plat; IHG Diamond-Amb; Meliá & HH & Marriott Gold
Posts: 5,447
Jan 3, 2017, 2:19 pm
#19
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,952
I think we have sufficient data to "know" that $100 (or less) is reliably reimbursed, and that $200 is seldom reimbursed. We do not have many reports of intermediate amounts. Your report is appreciated.
Jan 3, 2017, 2:28 pm
#20
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Berlin
Programs: BA Gold; Accor Plat; IHG Diamond-Amb; Meliá & HH & Marriott Gold
Posts: 5,447
I'll be buying my 2017 AA gift cards soon and, as long as I have other airline purchases, will experiment.
Jan 3, 2017, 4:12 pm
#21
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: CLT
Programs: AA EXP; Avis PC; Hertz PC; Marriott LT Gold; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,133
Jan 4, 2017, 5:55 am
#22
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: ORD
Programs: Once a somebody now a nobody
Posts: 514
2017 success
My $100 AA gift card that I purchased on Jan 1 was reimbursed this a.m. Going in for round two now 
Jan 4, 2017, 6:20 am
#23
formerly gemini573
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: LAX, HKG, and BKK
Programs: CX Emerald, WOH Globalist, Marriott Platinum, AA Lifetime Platinum, Virtuoso, Prive, STEPS, STARS
Posts: 2,233
Success as well.
Purchased two gift cards on Jan 1st. One for $90 and the other for $60. Reimbursed on Jan 3rd.
Purchased two gift cards on Jan 1st. One for $90 and the other for $60. Reimbursed on Jan 3rd.
Jan 4, 2017, 8:00 am
#25
Join Date: Oct 2008
Programs: AA PLT, SPG Plat
Posts: 295
Got my credit
I bought 4x $50 gift cards on 1/1, and the credit was there this AM on 1/4. ^
Jan 4, 2017, 8:14 am
#26
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: LAX
Programs: SPG
Posts: 55
Switched my airline from Delta to American on Jan 1st then purchased a $100 AA gift card. Transaction posed on Jan 2 and reimbursement on Jan 3.
Jan 4, 2017, 8:21 am
#27
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 39
Another report of success. 1x$100 on PRG, 1x$100 on Plat purchased 1/1, posted 1/3, travel credit posted today but dated 1/3.
Jan 4, 2017, 9:30 am
#28
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 3
Just purchased 2x100 on separate transactions. Will notify when posted.
Jan 4, 2017, 10:57 am
#29
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: FRA
Programs: MR, DL, MM, HH
Posts: 57
Success with $100 on Platinum. Doing one more round as well as the PRG.
