Amex’s Big Premium Flight Discounts Are Now Bookable Online
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
One of the lesser-known benefits of Amex's premium cards is the International Airline Program (IAP). While the offering's branding could perhaps use a touch more excitement, cardmembers in the know are able to save thousands of dollars on certain paid airline tickets.
Access is fairly limited, though you can take advantage of the program if you have one of the following premium cards:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
- The Centurion Card from American Express
Previously, IAP tickets could only be booked over the phone or via Amex's chat tool, which made searching a pain and required a $39 service fee per ticket. That's no longer the case, though — now, as TPG reader Steven pointed out, eligible cardmembers can book discounted first, business and premium-economy tickets via Amex's website as well.
Officially, there are 25 participating airlines, though in practice not all will return a discount every time. I've found that Delta is the most common US-based carrier to offer a discount, though the savings can be limited, depending on the fare and route.
While the discount is available starting with premium economy, you'll see the savings jump as the cabin (and fare) goes up.
All searches reference the regular fare as well, which I found to be accurate every time — Amex lists the non-discounted fare as $2,719 above, and that's indeed what you'll pay if booking directly with Delta.
You'll save considerably more with first-class bookings — this Cathay Pacific round-trip is marked down by more than $3,000, which can certainly make a big dent in a sky-high fare.
You will indeed pay more for the same flights when booking directly through Cathay — moving forward, if you're in the market for any premium-cabin fares, it certainly makes sense to do a quick search through Amex Travel, too.
You can book these tickets via cash, earning 5 points per dollar for the purchase (equivalent to a 10% return, based on our valuations), or you can pay with points if you prefer. Business Platinum customers who book IAP tickets with points through amextravel.com will be eligible for the 35% Airline Bonus, in the form of an account credit, up to 500,000 bonus points per calendar year.
Note that you'll need to be a US-based cardmember in order to take advantage, and only flights originating in the United States or certain Canadian gateways are eligible. Assuming you meet those requirements, though — and you have an Amex Platinum, Business Platinum or Centurion Card attached to your account — you should be good to go.