[Last Chance To Finish Spending!] Testing Out Using 2023 AMEX Airline Fee Credit Uses, How Will You Use Yours?

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DansDeals will receive compensation if you are approved for a credit card via a link in this post. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers, visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

Update, 12/24: My United Travel Bank purchase made on 12/12 just credited to my account, don’t forget to finish your spending in the next week!

Update, 12/12: There are less than 3 weeks left to finish your 2023 airline fee credit spending! You can lock in future travel funds that can be used by anyone on airlines like Alaska, JetBlue, Southwest, or United!


Originally posted on 1/11/23:

There are 3 AMEX cards that give a credit to use for incidental fees on the airline of your choice.

While Chase Sapphire Reserve® allows you to use travel credit for anything travel related, AMEX is far more restrictive.

You need to register with a specific airline before spending. After you register for an airline you can officially only change your airline in January. However, I have had success changing the airline by chatting with AMEX online. 

You can choose to register for the following airlines:

  • Alaska
  • American
  • Delta
  • Hawaiian
  • JetBlue
  • Southwest
  • Spirit
  • United

Note that if you have a Business Platinum card, the airline you choose will also be the airline that will give you 35% of your points back when redeeming for coach travel. You may want to hold off on spending the $200 until the end of the year if you want to be able to change the airline more easily during the year, though I have never been denied an airline change by chatting with AMEX online. You also get back 35% of your points on all airlines in business and first class redemptions without having to register for an airline.

Testing out charges in 2023:

  • The United TravelBank is a great option for these credits. TravelBank funds are valid to book United flights for anyone for 5 years from the date of purchase. I made a $100 purchase in 2023 and was reimbursed for the purchase.
    • With this option you’ll have to weigh whether to do this earlier in the year, when you know it’s available and working or whether to wait to see if you’ll have actual airline fees to pay this year. It can also be worth waiting for a TravelBank funding promotion or to get a longer expiration date on the funds. Then again the option isn’t officially covered as an airline fee, so it can stop working at any time. In 2021 it stopped working for a couple of months, before becoming eligible again.
    • TravelBank funds can be used to book travel on United.com for anyone.
  • JetBlue paid tickets that are under around $129 have long worked for credit.
    • These can be converted into JetBlue Travel Bank funds. With JetBlue, those funds are valid for 1 year from the date of original purchase and funds can be used for anyone. In basic economy you’ll have to cancel within 24 hours of the purchase and you’ll need to have purchased the flight for more than 7 days from now. You’ll have to contact JetBlue to do this conversion. For non-basic tickets, you can cancel and convert into Travel Bank funds online more than 24 hours after the ticket purchase.
  • Southwest paid tickets that are under around $109 have long worked for credit.

These are other charges that have been reported to count for airline fee credit:

  • Delta tickets purchased with partial payment on your credit card and partial payment on an airline voucher or gift card are typically reimbursed. This is not officially covered as an airline fee, but should work anyway.
  • Taxes on award tickets are typically reimbursed. This is not officially covered as an airline fee, but often works anyway.
  • Award redeposit and change fees from airline of your choice. This is officially covered as an airline fee.
  • Baggage fees from airline of your choice. This is officially covered as an airline fee.
  • Buying extra miles or mileage multiplier offered with a ticket purchase online or at a kiosk. This is not officially covered as an airline fee, but often works anyway.
  • Flight change fees and same day change fees from airline of your choice. This is officially covered as an airline fee.
  • Food and drinks on the plane from airline of your choice. This is officially covered as an airline fee.
  • Food and drinks in a club from airline of your choice. This is officially covered as an airline fee.
  • Lounge access, memberships, and club pass fees from airline of your choice. This is officially covered as an airline fee.
  • Phone reservation fees from airline of your choice. This is officially covered as an airline fee.
  • Pet fees. This is officially covered as an airline fee.
  • Seat selection fees and Economy Plus/Main Cabin Extra fees from airline of your choice. This is officially covered as an airline fee.
  • Standby fees from airline of your choice. This is officially covered as an airline fee.
  • AA 500 mile upgrades. This is not officially covered as an airline fee, but often works anyway.
  • AA Five Star Service. This is officially covered as an airline fee.
  • AA WiFi monthly plan. This is not officially covered as an airline fee, but often works anyway.
  • $9 Spirit Fare Club Membership. This is officially covered as an airline fee.
  • United Economy Plus upgrades and Economy Plus Subscriptions. This is officially covered as an airline fee.
  • United Farelock. This is officially covered as an airline fee.
  • United WiFi Subscription Purchases And Gifts. This is not officially covered as an airline fee, but often works anyway.
  • United WiFi on mainline planes only or any other WiFi billed by the airline and not a 3rd party. This is not officially covered as an airline fee, but often works anyway.
  • United WiFi day pass on any United flight.

It’s worth noting that upgrades to another cabin is not officially covered as an airline fee. However you can chatting with AMEX 14 days after a charge to request reimbursement for it or any other charge. YMMV on the rep crediting your account for it, but that has worked for me in the past.

What airline fees have you been credited for on your AMEX card in 2023?

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114 Comments On "[Last Chance To Finish Spending!] Testing Out Using 2023 AMEX Airline Fee Credit Uses, How Will You Use Yours?"

All opinions expressed below are user generated and the opinions aren’t provided, reviewed or endorsed by any advertiser or DansDeals.

Yehuda

Any tricks to get the hotel credit?

Shimon

Hi, Dan.
Could you please tell more about Amex Hotel credit usage?

Kir

Are you looking for $98 flights that are refundable?

CtownBin

Definitely not. If you book refundable and later cancel, they will just refund the ticket to your AMEX card and AMEX will then claw back the credit.

Valentin

I’m not sure whether you mention somewhere else but $100 Bank of America premium rewards airfare credit is reimbursed if you charge it to United Travel Bank, among so many other options.

Tirza Swift

I will advise in a few days hopefully, if the united travel bank in $100 increments worked

Last two years it worked fine

EH

were did you use your amex fine hotel and resort?

Chai

So weird. My last united travel bank end of December didn’t work. On other cards it did earlier in the year but it didn’t work for the last one.

Ah giten

ok, looks like we need a list amex FHR’s that are below $300…

zow

@Dan, how do you plan to recoup the $32.42 and $2.96 “overages” from FHR?

Eli

If I made a purchase on jetblue a few days ago and change my swlected airline now to jetblue, will it trip the credit?

yankel

what did u charge for amex fine hotels and resorts? on the Business play

jonny

This is why I cancelled all my Amex cards. Way too difficult to benefit, plus their points have plummeted in value. Lucky if you can get 1:1

Y

Dan what’s preferable to use the $200 credit for united tb or jb tb? Previously you wrote about jb tb..

S.z.

Do you find this weird:
Me and my wife have Business Platinum. We chose United for the airline.
On Dec 20 I swiped for myself and my wife 100 x4 in the United travel bank. My wife’s got credited back but I did not.

flyingace

Try chatting from your account. I got mine applied manually,

Cs

What did you ask them?

Deal Guy

Nothing with cheap American tickets?

Josh

Dan: How did you get TWO Fine Hotels credits? I thought it is only ONE $200 credit/year

Dani Klein

Where are you finding $200+/nt fine hotels?

Howard

Does the travel bank have to be bought and applied to a United account with the same name on the amex card?

My08701

“ You’ll have to contact JetBlue to do this conversion.” basically book a cash ticket and text or call them to cancel the flight and they should convert into JetBlue Travel Bank funds?

My08701

A little surprised that you only spent $119 on CLEAR & didn’t find someone else for $60 that could have used it 🙂

my08701

you rock, like always!

sam

+1000!!!!!!!!!!!

Nosson Rosenzweig

I book refundable JetBlue and add a pet for both legs of the trip. JetBlue bills the pet charge separately, I get the credit, and I cancel the ticket for a full refund.
Just need to make sure you add the ‘Refundable’ option before booking.

chaim

does business platinum have FHR credit or just regular platinum ?

Plat Personal

Gold au get additional air credits ?is it per au?

Which comment u explained hotel above ?
Comment number ?

3 how long after opening will AF billed ?

Ly
Ly

$5.60 for delta award ticket tax

SB

Looking to buy GS status for 2023
If any one have please contact me

Yanky

How can you get reimbursed for Frontier discount den when it’s not an available airline choice?

Ash

Bought 2 x $100 United Travel Bank Credit with Amex Personal Platinum on Jan 4th 2023, got reimbursed on the 10th.

SR

United denied my TB charge for $250 (maybe it was too high)

They wrote, Eligible charges are:

~Airline fee charge transactions billed after airline selection
~Airport lounge day passes and annual memberships
~Change fees
~Checked baggage fees
~In-flight amenity fees (beverages, food, pillows / blankets, etc.)
~In-flight entertainment fees (excluding wireless internet)
~Overweight / oversize baggage fees
~Pet flight fees
~Phone reservation fees
~Seat assignment fees
~Unaccompanied minor fee

Avi

United TravelBank is down for me the last few days.

Noam

When I check JetBlue flights it always says non refundable. Does this mean I can still get the travel credit or I need to find refundable fares?

Ray

Any way to use the Amex hotel credit without actually booking a hotel?

Alexander

Do I get it on Centurion card?

Alvin

If I load $250 to UA Travel Bank using Aspire card , will I get $250 and $50 credits?

Ariel

My  Business Platinum card, registered with delta.
How can I use the $200 before year end?

Danfan

Call in Amex and change to united

Yankel

I gave most of my miles to Kanfei Chaim. Especially that I will loose

Josh

Has anyone ever tried buying airline gift cards for the credit?

Srulky

@Dan, I purchased 2 tickets on jetblue. The first for 84 and the second for 113. I cancelled them so that i can get the credit to my travel bank as per your instruction. I however havent gotten my airline credit yet from amex. It has been two weeks. Any advice what to do here?

Yossi

Southwest flights worked for me, can confirm!

Ed A

My sister told me she used $160 of her Amex Plat airline credit last January for Delta expenses and was able to change her airline to United to buy a travel bank credit with the remaining $40. (a $50 credit actually). Is this possible as I thought you could not change airlines after you spend some of the credit?

MB

One the JetBlue website it says funds for cancellations are issued as a JetBlue travel credit, valid for 12 months from original ticketing date (not the redeposit date).

PHX - AZ

Are United Travel Bank credits still working?

Chaim

I made a $100 purchase in November from United travel bank and was reimbursed on Dec 8.
However that charge showed on my statement as “UNITED AIRLINES HOUSTON TX”
yesterday I made another $100 purchase from united travel bank, but now it shows up as “UNITED ELECTRONIC TICKETNG” can anyone verify if this is still working?

JP

Same here. I made a purchase today and it was showing “UNITED ELECTRONIC TICKETNG”. I guess when pending settled, it will change.

Veteran Traveler

Weird question about the $50 aspire airline credit and having a negative balance…
So I had roughly a $270 negative balance on my aspire card. Bought $50 United Travel Bank…now I have $220 negative balance…question is, would this still trigger the $50 airline credit? Or does the AMEX system prioritize using negative balance $ over the $50 airline credit? Obviously I don’t want to call AMEX about this. Like I said, weird question

Shalom

Any chance to buy united travel bank today and still get creditedbefore e 12/31, also can I use multiple platinum cards for one travel bank account?

yossi

as long as the charge posts before the 31 your good
yes

ROYA

I bought travel bank on 12/11/2023. Any reason to be worried? I did not get a credit yet. I see for Dan it credited in 5 business days….

Joe

I made a $50 charge last week to United Travelbank. On the Amex website it says “Special Service Ticket” from O’Hare to O’Hare, and sets forth my name as the passenger name and lists out a ticket number (I got 5x points for airfare charge). Don’t recall seeing this in prior years – has anyone had similar experience of late and had the charge reimbursed?

Curious to know before spending another $150 in the next few days. Thanks in advance.

rr

Hello
Keep getting error on United travel bank

Enter valid credit card
The credit card you’ve entered couldn’t be processed. Make sure your information is correct or enter a new card.

rr

Zip needs to match with cc and United travel bank account

dovi

will buying united travelbank work nor or the credit needs to be posted before jan 1?

elquijote

I bought an Alaska ticket a few days ago with an ecredit and paid the balance of $40ish with the platinum card. the charge has posted to amex, and it’s showing the full itinerary details. I’ve asked the chat rep about the airline credit, saying that this was a seat selection charge. Rep said to wait 3-4 weeks for the credit to post automatically. What’s the chances of this triggering the credit? Would I be better off asking amex to change the selected airline to united to try my luck with 2x $100 top-ups to my united travel bank?

Shmuli

United travle bank, works!

bruce

I bought 2 $100 United travel bank on 12/19 I still haven’t been refunded. Anyone else having an issue?

bruce

actually I just saw it posted!

Joey

Hi Dan, how many times a year did you change your preferred airline with Amex Platinum? You mentioned you never had an issue changing in the online Amex chat. Thank you !

Myi

Any good use for Spirit?

Yosef M

I made a bunch of travel bank purchases in Friday. They are still in pending status…is it risky to do more tonight?

nate

Is it a new thing that you cannot purchase united economy plus fare with travelbank credit and can only purchase the base fare or has it always been that way?

AE

If the purchase shows on my credit card for December but the credit posted in January, does that mean I used my 2024 credit or will that count for 2023? When I look at my membership benefits it shows $0 usage for this year but I am concerned.

Alex

Is this working for 2024?

Nun

I read that AA gift cards work on the Aspire. Does anyone know how it appears on the statement? It used to be AA MISC. does it indicate gift card anywhere? Thanks!

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