Splitting the Amex airline credit between 2 different airlines in the same year?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA MileagePlus (Premier Gold); Hilton HHonors (Gold); Chase Ultimate Rewards; Amex Plat
Posts: 6,605
Splitting the Amex airline credit between 2 different airlines in the same year?
Is this possible to do, within the official terms? Official terms state that:
- You may choose a new qualifying airline once a year during January
- If you do not select a new airline, you remain with the airline previously selected
Nothing says that you can only select a new airline if you haven't used any of the credit yet.
So if you use part of the credit with your old airline in January, then switch your qualifying airline because it's still January, can you split your airline credits between two airlines in the same year? Or does the act of switching airlines somehow trigger a clawback?
- You may choose a new qualifying airline once a year during January
- If you do not select a new airline, you remain with the airline previously selected
Nothing says that you can only select a new airline if you haven't used any of the credit yet.
So if you use part of the credit with your old airline in January, then switch your qualifying airline because it's still January, can you split your airline credits between two airlines in the same year? Or does the act of switching airlines somehow trigger a clawback?
#2
Join Date: Sep 2011
Programs: Virgin Atlantic Silver, IHG Diamond, Bonvoy Gold, Hilton Diamond, AA Platinum Pro
Posts: 1,385
Is this possible to do, within the official terms? Official terms state that:
- You may choose a new qualifying airline once a year during January
- If you do not select a new airline, you remain with the airline previously selected
Nothing says that you can only select a new airline if you haven't used any of the credit yet.
So if you use part of the credit with your old airline in January, then switch your qualifying airline because it's still January, can you split your airline credits between two airlines in the same year? Or does the act of switching airlines somehow trigger a clawback?
- You may choose a new qualifying airline once a year during January
- If you do not select a new airline, you remain with the airline previously selected
Nothing says that you can only select a new airline if you haven't used any of the credit yet.
So if you use part of the credit with your old airline in January, then switch your qualifying airline because it's still January, can you split your airline credits between two airlines in the same year? Or does the act of switching airlines somehow trigger a clawback?
There's only one little problem with your idea: the credit resets on January 1
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA MileagePlus (Premier Gold); Hilton HHonors (Gold); Chase Ultimate Rewards; Amex Plat
Posts: 6,605
January 1: Credit resets. Let's say you have the Platinum card so you get another $200 to use for 2020.
January 3: You purchase WN early bird checkin for 3 passengers @ $75 each
January 7: Receive credit for $75. $125 remaining.
January 11: Switch qualifying airline to UA. This is permitted because it's still January.
January 13: Purchase Economy Plus seating on a UA flight for 2 passengers @ $80 each
January 17: Receive credit for $125 of the $160 purchase
Can this happen? (In reality, you'd have the rest of the year to burn the credit for the new qualifying airline).
#4
Join Date: Sep 2011
Programs: Virgin Atlantic Silver, IHG Diamond, Bonvoy Gold, Hilton Diamond, AA Platinum Pro
Posts: 1,385
Exactly. Say you selected WN as your airline in 2019. So what happens in this hypothetical scenario?:
January 1: Credit resets. Let's say you have the Platinum card so you get another $200 to use for 2020.
January 3: You purchase WN early bird checkin for 3 passengers @ $75 each
January 7: Receive credit for $75. $125 remaining.
January 11: Switch qualifying airline to UA. This is permitted because it's still January.
January 13: Purchase Economy Plus seating on a UA flight for 2 passengers @ $80 each
January 17: Receive credit for $125 of the $160 purchase
Can this happen? (In reality, you'd have the rest of the year to burn the credit for the new qualifying airline).
January 1: Credit resets. Let's say you have the Platinum card so you get another $200 to use for 2020.
January 3: You purchase WN early bird checkin for 3 passengers @ $75 each
January 7: Receive credit for $75. $125 remaining.
January 11: Switch qualifying airline to UA. This is permitted because it's still January.
January 13: Purchase Economy Plus seating on a UA flight for 2 passengers @ $80 each
January 17: Receive credit for $125 of the $160 purchase
Can this happen? (In reality, you'd have the rest of the year to burn the credit for the new qualifying airline).
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA MileagePlus (Premier Gold); Hilton HHonors (Gold); Chase Ultimate Rewards; Amex Plat
Posts: 6,605
Self selection option has always showed up for me for all of January if I don't use it. Right now it no longer does for me however, because I switched my airline back to UA already (I have a change fee to burn the credit on so I figured I might as well).
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,927
I don't know, but my best guess would be that there wouldn't be a clawback, but rather that it would very difficult to switch after using part of the credit. I presume the online method for switching disappears the moment you use of part of the credit, even if that's in January. I presume then that if you try to ask someone to switch it for you, they're likely to run into the same thing. But I don't know either of those for a fact, because I didn't ever use a partial credit in January without switching airlines first. in previous years, I was able to use up the whole credit on one gift card if I used it in January, so I never had any credit left over after my first use of the credit. This year, I had to switch airlines first, so I obviously can't switch again until next year.
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA MileagePlus (Premier Gold); Hilton HHonors (Gold); Chase Ultimate Rewards; Amex Plat
Posts: 6,605
But I don't know either of those for a fact, because I didn't ever use a partial credit in January without switching airlines first. in previous years, I was able to use up the whole credit on one gift card if I used it in January, so I never had any credit left over after my first use of the credit. This year, I had to switch airlines first, so I obviously can't switch again until next year.
Still, I've got to think at least ONE person on here would be able to get a data point on this. If you want to switch airlines but can burn a partial amount of the credit with last year's preferred airline in January, and especially if you are unsure about being able to use the full amount of the credit with your new preferred airline without jumping through hoops, it seems like this would be a good option to try.
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: IAH
Programs: DL DM, Hyatt Ist-iest, Stariott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 12,760
While it isn't published policy, you can generally switch your airline once(?) if you call/chat and ask nicely even if you've previously used some of it during the year. Lots of DPs of this in the various airline threads.