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Extended: Amex Platinum cardholders can book discounted domestic airfare through March
Andrew Kunesh is TPG's Points & Miles editor. He has been active in the points and miles space since 2014, using them to travel far and wide around the world. He is originally from Chicago but moved to New York City after graduating from DePaul University. His work is featured on Credit Karma, UpgradedPoints, ValuePenguin and various other travel and finance publications. He currently holds Delta Diamond Medallion and Marriott Titanium status, and 20+ credit cards that each have a special place in Andrew's wallet.
January 5, 2021 • 8 min read
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Quick summary
A temporary promotion allows select premium cardholders to book discounted domestic airfare through a travel portal until March 31, 2021, for travel through May 31, 2021.
Discounts are available on both economy and first-class tickets, with savings up to 20% reported on certain routes operated by major airlines.
The promotion is currently offline but will resume booking availability starting January 10, 2021.
Not all routes qualify for discounts, and the best deals are often found between major cities.
What to consider
Eligible flights are limited to specific carriers and do not include basic economy fares; only standard economy and premium cabins are discounted.
All bookings must be completed by March 31, 2021, and travel must occur by May 31, 2021.
Discounted fares are most easily identified on the travel portal when logged into your account and may not apply to every route or class.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed walkthrough of sample discounted routes and practical tips for maximizing savings with this limited-time airfare promotion.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Great news for Amex Platinum cardholders: Through the end of March, The Platinum Card® from American Express and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express can book discounted domestic airfare through Amex Travel.
The discount works similarly to American Express' International Airline Program, which offers discounted premium cabin airfare on international flights. This promotion, however, applies the discount to both economy and first-class travel.
This promotion was originally valid on flights booked by Dec. 31, 2020, for travel through March 31, 2021. It's since been extended through March 31, 2021 for travel between Jan. 10 and May 31. The promotion is currently offline but will be available for booking starting Jan. 10.
The discounts are widespread and offer pretty substantial savings — even on last-minute tickets. Here's a closer look at the promotion and a handful of sample routes.
Booking discounted domestic airfare with Amex Travel
You can book discounted American and Delta flights with Amex Travel through the end of the month. (Photo by Markus Mainka/Shutterstock)
In my research, I found that only flights operated by American and Delta are eligible for discounts.
Amex states that discounts up to 20% are possible. In practice, I was able to find discounts on both first and economy class tickets, with some discounts being at high as 15% off the price advertised by Google Flights.
You can find discounted flights at the last-minute and when booking far out from your date of departure. Just note that all flights need to be booked by March 31 and the discount is only valid on tickets departing on or before May 31.
Again, the promotion is currently offline, but will be available starting Jan. 10, 2021.
Unfortunately, not all routes are discounted. During the 2020 promotion, I had the most luck searching for flights between major cities, but it's worth searching regardless of where you're flying.
It's also worth noting that Amex doesn't sell basic economy tickets, so all economy tickets show prices for standard economy.
How to find discounted domestic flights on Amex Travel
Finding these discounted fares is easy.
As discussed in the intro, all you have to do is search the Amex Travel website for your flight of choice. Make sure you're logged into your Amex account before you search, so the discounts show up. You may also want to search Google Flights at the same time to cross-check pricing.
(Image courtesy of Amex Travel)
You're likely to find the best discounts on flights marked as "Recommended Flights" in the search result. This is shown right above the flight's timing.
(Image courtesy of Amex Travel)
One word of warning before you search: try and stay away from Insider Fares. These are discounted rates that can only be booked with your Membership Rewards points at a rate of 1 cent per point, which isn't a good deal, since TPG values Membership Rewards points at 2 cents per point.
You can save a nice chunk of change with Amex's new discount. (Photo by Mark Rightmire/Orange County Register/Getty Images)
So, what type of discount can you expect? It turns out, Amex is offering a hefty discount on many routes.
For example, I searched for an economy class round-trip flight from New York (LGA) to Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) departing next week. The cheapest nonstop flight on American Airlines was $317, according to Google Flights.
(Image courtesy of Google Flights)
Amex Travel showed the same flights for $282, giving you a $35 discount over booking direct.
(Image courtesy of Amex Travel)
I also searched for a flight from New York-JFK to San Francisco (SFO) departing in early March. Google Flights showed a Delta flight pricing at $333 round-trip in economy.
(Image courtesy of Google Flights)
On Amex Travel, the same flight priced at $286. This means that you get a $47 discount by booking through the portal with your Amex Platinum.
(Image courtesy of Amex Travel)
Unfortunately, not all discounts are so exciting. This New York (LGA) to Miami (MIA) round-trip flight on Delta costs $277 when booked through Google Flights.
(Image courtesy of Google Flights)
You can book the same flight for $269 through Amex Travel, for a discount of $8. It's a nice discount to have, but you'll have to deal with Amex Travel if you need to change or cancel your flight.
Alternately, you can use your Amex discount to book the flight for $1,020. This means you're saving $177, which is a great discount for a premium flight.
(Image courtesy of Amex Travel)
An American itinerary from San Francisco (SFO) to Miami (MIA) is showing a discount too. This round-trip first-class itinerary costs $764 through Google Flights.
(Image courtesy of Google Flights)
The flight costs $719 on Amex Travel for a discount of $45.
(Image courtesy of Amex Travel)
Some shorter routes are discounted too. This first-class flight from Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) to Atlanta (ATL) on American Airlines is $418 when booked through Google Flights.
(Image courtesy of Google Flights)
Amex Travel prices the same ticket at $377.50, giving you a discount of roughly $41.
(Image courtesy of Amex Travel)
Oddly enough, I can only find discounted first class fares on American Airlines. Other airlines — including Delta — are all pricing premium flights the same as Google Flights.
It's great to see Amex continue to add benefits to the Platinum Card during the coronavirus pandemic. Offering discounted flights during this time means more business for the airlines and more value for cardholders, which seems like a win-win to me.
Better yet, this promotion actually offers substantial discounts on some routes. This show of goodwill from Amex is one that cardholders like myself are sure to remember in the future, encouraging us to keep the Platinum card in our wallets for years to come.
Personally, I'd love to see Amex make this a permanent benefit like the International Airlines Program. It makes the Platinum Card feel more premium than it already does and is a definite add to my Amex Platinum benefit wishlist.
Feature photo by Philip Pilosian/Shutterstock
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
