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AMEX Platinum

villanelle

Nihongo dame desu
Contributor
Yeah, but then you gotta pick up the phone and dial and stuff. It's Christmas, I can't be expected to do all that work!



That's where I went and I didn't get that. Interesting. Looks like I'll have to give them a call, not that it matters this late in the year. I forgot to buy my two Delta "lunches" with my AMEX last week while traveling anyway, so whatevs.

It definitely still matters as you can still buy gift cards for your preferred airline. It's technically not a guaranteed reimbursement, but most people have success as long as the keep the values low. $50 or less seems to be the sweet spot.
 

e6bflyer

Used to Care
pilot
Yep. My airline is AA (shocking, I know, I haven't always worked for SWA) and I ordered 2 $100 gift cards last month and they were both reimbursed. I always check flyertalk right before I do it just to make sure. They have threads dedicated to this very practice for each airline. Now I have $400 in aa cards and can get another 200 in January.
Also, there is a limited time 40% bonus when you trade your rewards points for British Airways Avios right now. You can book your travel through their website and it will codeshare to whatever airline works. You can book Miami to Sheboygan if you want along with whatever international stuff you had been planning on.
I retire from active duty as of five days from now, so I am curious if they will attempt to charge my annual fee this year. When they asked what my expiration date of active duty was, I told them "indefinite" since I wasn't under a contract. They didn't like that answer and so I told them 2020 since I really wasn't sure at the time. If they do charge the fee, I will probably just cash in my points and ditch it. It is a great free card, but there are a lot better deals out there for travel, etc. that don't charge the $450 annual fee.
If I traveled for leisure more or traveled extensively for any other industry than the airlines, I could probably squeeze the $450 out of it. As it stands now, I get the gift cards and occasionally (as in once a year) go to the Centurion lounge. As an airline employee, I have to change out of my uniform if I want to go in. No thanks.
 

pelexecute

Active Member
pilot
None
Did you just purchase gift cards from the Southwest website with your Platinum card and they were automatically reimbursed?



UOTE="Tycho_Brohe, post: 800386, member: 27638"]Just a heads-up for cardholders, if you weren't aware, the annual $200 airline fee reimbursement CAN be used to buy gift cards with certain airlines (make sure you select the airline on your Amex account online before you buy the gift cards), so if you forgot, you still have about a week to go. I purchased mine from Southwest on the 18th, was reimbursed on the 24th. To make sure your airline goes along with this regardless of what the fine print says, go here , search for "airline reimbursement fee," and find the thread for your particular airline.

Happy holidays, everyone
 

Tycho_Brohe

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
Did you just purchase gift cards from the Southwest website with your Platinum card and they were automatically reimbursed?
Yup. I purchased a single $200 gift card from the site and had them e-mail it to me, and about six days after the charge posted on my Amex, the credit came in.
 

villanelle

Nihongo dame desu
Contributor
Did you just purchase gift cards from the Southwest website with your Platinum card and they were automatically reimbursed?



UOTE="Tycho_Brohe, post: 800386, member: 27638"]Just a heads-up for cardholders, if you weren't aware, the annual $200 airline fee reimbursement CAN be used to buy gift cards with certain airlines (make sure you select the airline on your Amex account online before you buy the gift cards), so if you forgot, you still have about a week to go. I purchased mine from Southwest on the 18th, was reimbursed on the 24th. To make sure your airline goes along with this regardless of what the fine print says, go here , search for "airline reimbursement fee," and find the thread for your particular airline.

Happy holidays, everyone


That's what I did on the Delta website. Regular purchase of 4 $50 cards (in one transaction), charged to the Amex.
 

Rugby_Guy

Livin on a Prayer
pilot
Just did this today. Also, for those wondering, you can get an additional card (got one for my wife) and the $175 fee is waved for that card also.
 

villanelle

Nihongo dame desu
Contributor
Just did this today. Also, for those wondering, you can get an additional card (got one for my wife) and the $175 fee is waved for that card also.

And this is worth doing! I've never used my card for purchases, but I've used it to get into the Delta lounge at the airport. I was with Husband, but the lounge only let in one person for free with each card. There's no good reason not to get a second card.
 

SynixMan

HKG Based Artificial Excrement Pilot
pilot
Contributor
Delta changed the rules earlier in 2014 to not allow companions into the lounges for free. However, the extra card is free, so there's nothing but benefits to getting it.
 

HH-60H

Manager
pilot
Contributor
Delta changed the rules earlier in 2014 to not allow companions into the lounges for free. However, the extra card is free, so there's nothing but benefits to getting it.

The AMEX Centurion Lounges (LAS, DFW, SFO, LGA, soon MIA) are money. AMEX Platinum gets you free access plus two guests.

Make sure you also sign up for the Priority Pass as a Platinum benefit, it gets you access to lounges around the world. They aren't all equal, but a free quiet place with a light snacks (at worst) is better than sitting around in the terminal.

I also use LoungeBuddy (iOS App) to know what lounges I can use in each airport.
 

wink

War Hoover NFO.
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Make sure you also sign up for the Priority Pass as a Platinum benefit, it gets you access to lounges around the world. They aren't all equal, but a free quiet place with a light snacks (at worst) is better than sitting around in the terminal.
Boy ain't that true! Stopped by the Priority Pass lounge at Tokyo Narita a few months ago. It was a dump!!!! Super small. Uncomfortable chairs crammed into tiny room. No reading material. One self serve soda fountain with 4 oz paper cups and no food at all. It absolutely WAS worse than the terminal. Had a cup of diet coke and left. Horrible, but not my experience with other Priority Pass lounges. In fact, the one in Nice, France was great. Locations at PHX, DFW, and LHR are worth the stop.
 

insanebikerboy

Internet killed the television star
pilot
None
Contributor
Boy ain't that true! Stopped by the Priority Pass lounge at Tokyo Narita a few months ago. It was a dump!!!! Super small. Uncomfortable chairs crammed into tiny room. No reading material. One self serve soda fountain with 4 oz paper cups and no food at all. It absolutely WAS worse than the terminal. Had a cup of diet coke and left. Horrible, but not my experience with other Priority Pass lounges. In fact, the one in Nice, France was great. Locations at PHX, DFW, and LHR are worth the stop.

I've gone to the Korean Air lounge in Narita and it's pretty great, go there next time your through there.

The Priority Pass app is really great at telling what lounges are available, to include individual airline lounges.
 

wink

War Hoover NFO.
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
I've gone to the Korean Air lounge in Narita and it's pretty great, go there next time your through there.

The Priority Pass app is really great at telling what lounges are available, to include individual airline lounges.
That's true. Priority Pass does get you into some airline lounges that are almost always pretty fine. But sometimes they are just generic contract lounges that serve several client organizations or smaller airlines. In our terminal we were stuck with the crappy little Priority Pass contract one. No time to make our way to the KAL lounge.
 

HH-60H

Manager
pilot
Contributor
Boy ain't that true! Stopped by the Priority Pass lounge at Tokyo Narita a few months ago. It was a dump!!!! Super small. Uncomfortable chairs crammed into tiny room. No reading material. One self serve soda fountain with 4 oz paper cups and no food at all. It absolutely WAS worse than the terminal. Had a cup of diet coke and left. Horrible, but not my experience with other Priority Pass lounges. In fact, the one in Nice, France was great. Locations at PHX, DFW, and LHR are worth the stop.

That's good to know. I have tried a couple through Priority Pass (I think they were airline ones, if I recall) in the Middle East and one in San Diego that were good enough. It's hard to imagine a lounge that's worse than a terminal.... what's the point?

But if you have an AMEX Platinum don't waste your time anywhere else if there is a Centurion Lounge. I have been to one lounge that was better, a Lufthansa lounge in Frankfurt.... that place was amazing. Centurion is close but not quite.
 

KTBQ

Naval Radiator
pilot
Anyone tried the Citi Prestige card? It will get you back into AA lounges, although there are conflicting reports regarding SCRA reimbursement
 
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