mattrag

So, I was browsing the travel benefits of my Platinum card and saw The Travel Collection at the very bottom of the page. It looks like it is part of a big travel agency conglomerate. Normally, membership costs $295 per year, but is free for a lot of American Express cardmembers. Their website says they can get discounts on several travel providers, including United Airlines. Has anyone tried this? I have a call in right now about a flight I was going to book anyway, so I'll see if they have a better offer.

mia

I do not recall previously seeing that feature listed. Travel Leaders Group is a spin-off from Carlson:

https://www.travelleadersgroup.com/about-us/


...with many operating brands:

https://www.travelleadersgroup.com/our-brands/

janeway1153red

I called to enroll in this benefit earlier today. The airlines with discounts of some sort are (in no particular order):

United (includes Lufthansa transatlantic flights marketed by UA and ANA transpacific flights marked by UA),
Aereolineas Argentinas,
Air Europa,
Air New Zealand,
Avianca,
Cathay Pacific,
Copa,
Fiji Airways
Qantas,
Qatar.

I'd be curious what the discount amount is; the terms state that it can vary based on fare class. Note that some of these discounts only apply on certain routes and may not be available for partner flights marketed by the discounted airline.

Kagehitokiri

travel leaders also available via travel agents?

JHake10

xcollon

Never saw this before. I will check it out as well on Amex site

JHake10

Just enrolled now. There is no way this model can scale. You have to call to enroll and after making an on line account you realize no rates are published. I called back to get a price on a sample United flight. While all the reps are nice, they put you on hold for a few minutes just to pull up basic airfare.

UA.com
11/10/2018 - 11/17/2018
SJC-EWR
1,033.40 RT (P fare)

TheTravelCollection
11/10/2018 - 11/17/2018
SJC-EWR
3,458.81 RT (first quote was a refundable ticket option)
I asked for the cheapest first class fare and was put on hold for another 5 minutes ...
1,033.41 RT

Wasted 10 minutes and their flights turns out to be a penny more I also assume booking with this agency wouldn't count for 5x airfare on the personal platinum since its not "direct with the airline". Seems like another fake benefit.

Gig103

I'm wary just because, from the list of brands, they include "Crucon", and the one time I looked at them, I didn't like that they charged a cancellation fee in addition to whatever the cruise line did. I'll stick to Costco Travel and get my 2% executive rebate and 3% cash back (I'd only get 1x MR on my Plat card for a cruise).

nyc2cal

I can't really figure out why AMEX is pushing another travel agency when they have AMEX Travel. Gig103, you'd get 2X MR on a cruise if you booked it with them.

mia

Depends how the transaction is processed. Tickets booked through an agency are often billed directly by the airline.

mattrag

They had the exact same prices as United.com. They also charge a $39 per ticket fee, which they are currently refunding since they are new. The lady I spoke with said that buying plane tickets through them would still earn 5 points per dollar.

JHake10

spainflyer

The Points Guy has a very short list of Travel Collection prices vs. Google Flights. Looks like it might be interesting, but mostly not. As others have said, calling to get a price is like having your travel agent look it up in one of those old, OAG books. As they deal with boutique hotels, it looks like their business proposition is based on “exclusivity” and “prestige.”

tangfish

This has been exactly my experience. Thus, I never even check anymore.

anutham

Looked up hotel prices for a trip to Tokyo. The hotels with the added benefits were priced much higher than the hotel prices available online using google... Wasted a bunch of time with this one