How to book american express complimentary flight?

Question

Inti Goulding · Answer

Membership Rewards-enrolled Card Members get at least 1 Membership Rewards® point for every eligible dollar spent on their Membership Rewards program-enrolled American Express® Card. Those same Card Members will also get at least 1 additional point for each dollar of eligible travel purchases made on amextravel.com on their Membership Rewards program-enrolled American Express Card. Corporate Card Members are not eligible for the additional point. Eligible travel purchases include all travel purchases made with your Membership Rewards program-enrolled American Express® Card on amextravel.com, including air, prepaid hotels, prepaid car rentals, vacation packages (flight + hotel packages) or cruise reservations, minus returns and other credits. Platinum and Business Platinum Card Members are only eligible for 1 additional point on cruise reservations. Eligible travel purchases do NOT include non-prepaid car rentals, non-prepaid hotels, ticketing service or other fees, or interest charges. Bonuses you may receive with your Card on other purchase categories or in connection with promotions or offers from American Express may not be combined with this offer, such as 5X bonuses for Platinum and Business Platinum Card Members. Any portion of a charge that you elect to cover through redemption of Membership Rewards points is not eligible to receive points. If you have an Amex EveryDay Card product, additional points awarded under this offer will not be included in the extra points benefit. Additional points will be credited to the Membership Rewards account 10-12 weeks after final payment is made.

You will earn one point for each dollar charged for an eligible purchase in each billing period on The American Express Gold Card. You will earn: 3 additional points (for a total of 4 points) for each dollar charged at restaurants worldwide; 3 additional points (for a total of 4 points) on the first $25,000 of eligible purchases per calendar year at supermarkets located in the U.S. (superstores and warehouse clubs are not considered supermarkets); and 2 additional points (for a total of 3 points) for airfare on a scheduled flight charged directly with passenger airlines (charter flights and private jet flights are excluded) and airfare charged directly with amextravel.com. You may not earn additional points for purchases at a restaurant located within another establishment (e.g. a restaurant inside a hotel, casino, or event venue). For example, purchases made at a restaurant located within a hotel may be recognized as a purchase at a hotel, not a restaurant. You also will NOT earn additional points for purchases at bars, nightclubs, cafeterias, and convenience stores. Eligible purchases are purchases for goods and services minus returns and other credits. Eligible purchases do NOT include fees or interest charges, cash advances, person to person payments, purchases of gift cards, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents. Additional terms and restrictions apply. Merchants are assigned codes based on what they primarily sell. A purchase will not qualify for additional points if the merchant's code is not eligible or if we do not receive information that identifies your purchase as qualifying for additional points. Purchases made through a third-party payment account or on an online marketplace (with multiple retailers) will not qualify for additional points. A purchase may not qualify for additional points if the merchant submits the purchase using a mobile or wireless card reader or if you use a mobile or digital wallet.

You will earn one Membership Rewards® point for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on the American Express® Green Card. Travel: You will earn 2 additional points (for a total of 3 points) for each dollar charged on eligible travel purchases including airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, campgrounds, travel purchases on third party travel websites, and travel purchases on amextravel.com. You will not earn additional points for purchases of timeshare properties. Transit: You will earn 2 additional points (for a total of 3 points) for each dollar charged on eligible transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways. Restaurants: You will earn 2 additional points (for a total of 3 points) for each dollar charged at restaurants. You may not earn additional points for purchases at a restaurant located within another establishment (e.g. a restaurant inside a hotel, casino, or event venue). For example, purchases made at a restaurant located within a hotel may be recognized as a purchase at a hotel, not a restaurant. You will not earn additional points for purchases at bars, nightclubs, cafeterias, and convenience stores.

Eligible purchases are purchases for goods and services minus returns and other credits. Eligible purchases do NOT include fees or interest charges, cash advances, person to person payments, purchases of American Express gift cards, purchases of travelers' checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents. See membershiprewards.com/terms for the Membership Rewards program terms and conditions. Merchants are assigned codes based on what they primarily sell. A purchase will not qualify for additional points if the merchant's code is not eligible. Purchases made through a third-party payment account or on an online marketplace (with multiple retailers) will not qualify for additional points. A purchase may not qualify for additional points if the merchant submits the purchase using a mobile or wireless card reader or if you use a mobile or digital wallet.

Merchants are assigned codes based on what they primarily sell. We group certain merchant codes into categories that are eligible for additional points. A purchase with a merchant will not earn additional points if the merchant's code is not included in an additional points category. You may not receive additional points if we receive inaccurate information or are otherwise unable to identify your purchase as eligible for an additional points category. For example, you may not receive additional points when: a merchant uses a third-party to sell their products or services; or a merchant uses a third-party to process or submit your transaction to us (e.g., using mobile or wireless card readers); or you choose to make a purchase using a third-party payment account or make a purchase using a mobile or digital wallet.

Please visit americanexpress.com/rewards-info for more information about rewards.

You will get one point for each dollar charged for an eligible purchase on your Platinum Card® from American Express. You will get 4 additional points (for a total of 5 points) for each dollar spent on eligible travel purchases made on amextravel.com. Eligible travel purchases include the following purchases made on amextravel.com: scheduled flights, prepaid hotel purchases (including hotels and flight+hotel packages), minus returns and other credits. Eligible travel purchases do NOT include non-prepaid hotel bookings, car rentals and cruises, hotel group reservations or events, ticketing service, cancellation or other fees, interest charges, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents. To be eligible for the 5x Membership Rewards® points, you must both reserve and charge the travel purchase with the same eligible Platinum Card®. To modify a reservation, you must cancel and rebook your reservation. You can cancel and rebook your reservation on amextravel.com or by calling a representative of amextravel.com at 1-800-297-2977. Cancellations are subject to hotel cancellation policies. If hotel reservations are made or modified directly with the hotel provider, the reservation will not be eligible for this 5X Membership Rewards® point benefit. Bonuses you may receive with your Card on other purchase categories or in connection with promotions or offers from American Express may not be combined with this benefit. Merchants are assigned codes based on what they primarily sell. A purchase will not qualify for additional points if the merchant's code is not eligible. The benefits associated with the Additional Card(s) you choose may be different than the benefits associated with your basic Card.Your Platinum Card® from American Express will get 4 additional points (for a total of 5 points) on the first $500,000 on eligible air purchases of scheduled flights made directly with a passenger airline or through American Express Travel (via the phone by calling 1-800-525-3355 or online via amextravel.com) per calendar year. See membershiprewards.com/terms for the Membership Rewards program terms and conditions or to learn the benefits associated with the Additional Card(s) you choose, please call the number on the back of your Card.

Bonuses you may receive with your Card on other purchase categories or in connection with promotions or offers from American Express cannot be combined with this benefit. Any portion of a charge that you elect to cover through redemption of Membership Rewards points is not eligible to receive points. Additional terms and restrictions apply.

Merchants are assigned codes based on what they primarily sell. We group certain merchant codes into categories that are eligible for Additional Points. A purchase with a merchant will not earn Additional Points if the merchant's code is not included in an Additional Points category. You may not receive Additional Points if we receive inaccurate information or are otherwise unable to identify your purchase as eligible for an Additional Points category. For example, you may not receive Additional Points when: a merchant uses a third-party to sell their products or services, a merchant uses a third-party to process or submit your transaction to us (e.g., using mobile or wireless card readers), or you choose to make a purchase using a third-party payment account or make a purchase using a mobile or digital wallet.

Please visit americanexpress.com/rewards-info for more information about rewards.

You will get one point for each dollar charged for an eligible purchase on your Business Platinum Card® from American Express. You will get 4 additional points (for a total of 5 points) for each dollar spent on eligible travel purchases. Eligible travel purchases include scheduled flights and prepaid flight+hotel packages made online at amextravel.com, minus returns and other credits. Additionally, eligible travel purchases include prepaid hotel purchases made with American Express Travel, over the phone with our travel consultants or made online at amextravel.com, minus returns and other credits. Eligible travel purchases do NOT include non-prepaid hotel bookings, scheduled flights and prepaid flight+hotel packages over the phone, vacation packages, car rentals, cruise, hotel group reservations or events, ticketing service, cancellation or other fees, interest charges, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents. To be eligible for the 5x Membership Rewards ® points, you must both reserve and charge the travel purchase with the same eligible Business Platinum Card®. To modify a reservation you must cancel and rebook your reservation. You can cancel and rebook your reservation on amextravel.com or by calling a representative of AmexTravel.com at 1-800-297-2977. Cancellations are subject to hotel cancellation penalty policies. If hotel reservations are made or modified directly with the hotel provider, the reservation will not be eligible for this 5X Membership Rewards® point benefit. Extra points for air, prepaid hotel, and travel packages will be credited to the Membership Rewards account 10-12 weeks after final payment is made.

Bonuses you may receive with your Card on other purchase categories or in connection with promotions or offers from American Express may not be combined with this benefit. The benefits associated with the Additional Card(s) you choose may be different than the benefits associated with your basic Card. To learn about the benefits associated with Additional Card(s) you choose, please call the number on the back of your Card.

Merchants are assigned codes based on what they primarily sell. We group certain merchant codes into categories that are eligible for additional points. A purchase with a merchant will not earn additional points if the merchant’s code is not included in an additional points category. You may not receive additional points if we receive inaccurate information or are otherwise unable to identify your purchase as eligible for an additional points category. For example, you may not receive additional points when: a merchant uses a third-party to sell their products or services; or a merchant uses a third-party to process or submit your transaction to us (e.g., using mobile or wireless card readers); or you choose to make a purchase using a third-party payment account or make a purchase using a mobile or digital wallet.

Please visit americanexpress.com/rewards-info for more information about rewards.

To use Pay with Points, you must charge your eligible purchase through American Express Travel to a Membership Rewards® program-enrolled American Express® Card. Eligible purchases through American Express Travel exclude non-prepaid car rentals and non-prepaid hotels. Points will be debited from your Membership Rewards account, and credit for corresponding dollar amount will be issued to the American Express Card account used. If points redeemed do not cover entire amount, the balance of purchase price will remain on the American Express Card account. Minimum redemption 5,000 points.

See membershiprewards.com/terms for the Membership Rewards program terms and conditions.

If a charge for a purchase is included in a Pay Over Time balance on your Linked Account the statement credit associated with that charge may not be applied to that Pay Over Time balance. Instead the statement credit may be applied to your Pay in Full balance. If you believe this has occurred, please contact us by calling the number on the back of your Card.

Terms and Conditions for the Membership Rewards® program apply. Visit membershiprewards.com/terms for more information. Participating partners and available rewards are subject to change without notice.

The value of Membership Rewards points varies according to how you choose to use them. To learn more, go to www.membershiprewards.com/pointsinfo.

Valid only for American Express Card Members. If you book a qualifying hotel rate on amextravel.com and then find the same room, in the same hotel, for the same dates, the same number of children and adults, at a lower price online, before taxes and fees, we'll refund you the difference. For pre paid reservations, your claim must be submitted prior to your stay, before the date of check in. For verification of "pay later" hotel bookings, your claim must be submitted within thirty (30) days after you have completed the hotel stay, and the customer service representative may instruct you to mail a copy of your hotel receipt to American Express within that time period. American Express will honor the lower price for verified requests. The "Lowest Hotel Rates Guarantee" policy applies only to online rates available to the general public and excludes (1) rates or discounts that are not available to the general public, including, but not limited to, corporate, group, charter, meeting/convention, AAA, government/military, and senior citizen rates/discounts; or (2) hotel rooms booked through or in combination with frequent stay, loyalty, points, coupon promotions, rooms won through contests or sweepstakes or transferred, or rooms booked on opaque websites that do not allow you to see the name of the hotel until your reservation is complete; or (3) promotional packages, deals, all inclusive packages, or bundles that may include additional amenities such as parking, meals, or entertainment, or (4) rates booked through the Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection programs. Details

The Hotel Collection (THC) benefits are available for new bookings of two consecutive nights or more made through American Express Travel with participating properties and are valid only for eligible U.S. Consumer and Business Gold Card, Platinum Card® and Centurion® Members (Delta SkyMiles® Gold and Platinum Card Members are not eligible). Bookings must be made using an eligible Card and must be paid using that Card, or another American Express® Card, in the eligible Card Member's name, and that Card Member must be traveling on the itinerary booked. Room upgrade is subject to availability and is provided at check-in; certain room categories are not eligible for upgrade. The type of experience credit varies by property; the experience credit will be applied to eligible charges up to $100. Advance reservations are recommended for certain experience credits. Benefit restrictions vary by property. Benefits are applied per room, per stay (with a three-room limit per stay). Back-to-back stays booked by a single Card Member, Card Members staying in the same room or Card Members traveling in the same party within a 24-hour period at the same property are considered one stay and are ineligible for additional THC benefits (“Prohibited Action”). American Express and the Property reserve the right to modify or revoke the THC benefits at any time without notice if we or they determine, in our or their sole discretion, that you have engaged in a Prohibited Action, or have engaged in abuse, misuse, or gaming in connection with your THC benefits. Benefits cannot be redeemed for cash and are not combinable with other offers unless indicated. Benefits must be used during the stay booked. Any credits applicable are applied at check-out in USD or the local currency equivalent. Benefits, participating properties, and availability and amenities at those properties are subject to change.

Fine Hotels + Resorts® (FHR) program benefits are available for new bookings made through American Express Travel with participating properties and are valid only for eligible U.S. Consumer, Business, and Corporate Platinum Card® Members and Centurion® Members (Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Card Members are not eligible). Bookings must be made using an eligible Card and must be paid using that Card, or another American Express® Card, in the eligible Card Member's name, and that Card Member must be traveling on the itinerary booked. The average total value of the program benefits is based on prior-year bookings for stays of two nights; the actual value varies. Noon check-in and room upgrade are subject to availability and are provided at check-in; certain room categories are not eligible for upgrade. The type of experience credit varies by property; the experience credit will be applied to eligible charges up to the amount of the experience credit. Advance reservations are recommended for certain experience credits. The type and value of the daily breakfast (for two) varies by property; breakfast will be valued at a minimum of US$60 per room per day. If the cost of Wi-Fi is included in a mandatory property fee, a daily credit of that amount will be applied at check-out. Benefits are applied per room, per stay (with a three-room limit per stay). Back-to-back stays booked by a single Card Member, Card Members staying in the same room or Card Members traveling in the same party within a 24-hour period at the same property are considered one stay and are ineligible for additional FHR benefits (“Prohibited Action”). American Express and the Property reserve the right to modify or revoke FHR benefits at any time without notice if we or they determine, in our or their sole discretion, that you may have engaged in a Prohibited Action, or have engaged in abuse, misuse, or gaming in connection with your FHR benefits. Benefit restrictions vary by property. Benefits cannot be redeemed for cash and are not combinable with other offers unless indicated. Benefits must be used during the stay booked. Any credits applicable are applied at check-out in USD or the local currency equivalent. Benefits, participating properties, and availability and amenities at those properties are subject to change.

You can earn up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when you use an eligible U.S. Consumer Basic Platinum or Additional Platinum Card to pay for eligible prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings made through American Express Travel (meaning through amextravel.com, the Amex® App, or by calling the phone number on the back of your eligible Card) or when you use an eligible Additional Gold Card on such Platinum Card Account to pay for eligible prepaid bookings for The Hotel Collection made through American Express Travel (meaning through amextravel.com, the Amex® App, or by calling the phone number on the back of your eligible Card). Fine Hotels + Resorts® program bookings may be made only by eligible U.S. Consumer Basic Platinum and Additional Platinum Card Members. The Hotel Collection bookings may be made by eligible U.S. Consumer Basic and Additional Platinum Card Members and Additional Gold Card Members on the Platinum Card Account. Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Card Members are not eligible for the benefit. To receive the statement credits, an eligible Card Member must make a new booking using their eligible Card through American Express Travel on or after July 1st, 2021, that is prepaid (referred to as "Pay Now" on amextravel.com and the Amex App), for a qualifying stay at an available, participating Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection property. Bookings of The Hotel Collection require a minimum stay of two consecutive nights. Purchases by both the Basic Card Member and any Additional Card Members on the Card Account are eligible for statement credits. However, the total amount of statement credits for eligible purchases will not exceed $200 on the Card Account per calendar year. Eligible bookings must be processed before December 31st, 11:59PM Central Time, each calendar year to be eligible for statement credits within that year. American Express relies on the merchant to process transactions within the same calendar year that you made the prepaid booking in order to apply the statement credit in the calendar year that it was intended. For example, if you make an eligible prepaid booking on the last day of the year, but the merchant doesn't process that transaction until the next day, then the statement credit available in the next calendar year will be applied to the Card Account, if the purchase is eligible. Statement credits may not be received or may be reversed if the booking is cancelled or modified. Eligible bookings do not include interest charges, cancellation fees, property fees or other similar fees, or any charges by a property to you (whether for your booking, your stay or otherwise). Please allow up to 90 days after an eligible charge is posted to the Card Account for the applicable statement credits to be posted to the Card Account. Call the number on the back of your eligible Card if statement credits have not posted by that time.To be eligible for this benefit, your Card account must not be cancelled or past due at the time of statement credit fulfillment. If American Express does not receive information that identifies your transaction as eligible, you will not receive the statement credits. For example, your transaction will not be eligible if it is a booking: (i) made with a property not included in the Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection programs, (ii) not made through American Express Travel, or (iii) not made with an eligible Card. Participating properties and their availability are subject to change. If American Express, in its sole discretion, determines that you have engaged in or intend to engage in any manner of abuse, misuse, or gaming in connection with this benefit, American Express will not have an obligation to provide and may reverse any statement credits provided to you. Please refer to AmericanExpress.com/FHR and AmericanExpress.com/HC for more information about Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection, respectively.

Ayaz Mishti · Answer

While American Express Travel is available for anyone (not just cardmembers), holding an Amex card can definitely help you get extra value when using the program.

Here’s a look at what Amex Travel is, what services it provides, what the cost to use, the best ways to use it, and when it’s worth using!

Table of contentsWhat Is Amex Travel?Why Should You Use Amex Travel?Fees for Using the PortalBooking Flights With Amex TravelSearching for FlightsInsider FaresFeesRatesAmex Travel Hotel ProgramsThe Hotel CollectionAmerican Express Fine Hotels and ResortsStandard Hotel BookingFlights+Hotel PackagesSearching for PackagesTermsFeesRatesCompare Flights+Hotel to Booking SeparatelyDownsidesRental CarsSearchingRatesCruisesSearching for CruisesRatesSpecial OffersCruise Privileges ProgramAmex Travel InsidersFinal Thoughts

At its most basic, American Express Travel is an online travel booking portal (or “online travel agency”) just like Expedia, Kayak, and Orbitz.

You can use it to book a whole trip or just a flight, hotel (or flight + hotel packages), rental cars, or even cruises. If you’d like extra assistance from a customer service agent, you can book by phone as well.

Flights booked through the portal can be subject to small fees. However, sometimes the benefits can make these fees worth it, and they’re waived for holders of the Platinum Card® from American Express.

There are also a few “sub-categories” that fall under the Amex Travel umbrella, including the Hotel Collection and Fine Hotels and Resorts.

The main reason to book with American Express Travel is the incredible customer service. If you run into any problems during your trip (like delays, cancellations, over-bookings, etc.), you can connect with a live travel agent by phone 24/7 who will work with you to find a solution.

Additionally, if you hold an Amex credit card that earns Membership Rewards points, you can often earn 2x points or more by using it to pay for travel services booked through Amex Travel.

Hot Tip: If you use your Amex Platinum card, you can earn 5x Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel.

Anytime you book a flight through the Amex portal (either on its own or as part of a package), you’ll pay a fee of $6.99 for domestic flights and $10.99 for international flights.

These fees are waived if you have the Amex Platinum card and are logged into your account.

If you choose to book a flight by phone rather than online, there’s an added $39 phone service fee.

If you make changes to your flight, there’s a $39 reissue fee in addition to whatever fee the airline charges. This only applies to advance changes, not changes due to problems like canceled flights.

Below, we’ll take a look at how to use Amex Travel to book flights, hotels, vacation packages, rental cars, and cruises.

Searching for flights with Amex Travel is similar to other online travel agencies. You can search by city or by specific airport, select your departure and return dates, and click whether you want to search for lower fares within 3 days of your chosen dates.

On the results page, American Express lists the most relevant Delta result at the top highlighted as a “featured airline.” The featured airline is followed by the lowest available fares.

When you scroll down, you can use the controls on the left sidebar to filter the results by the number of stops, departure/arrival times, airline, or even specific flight number.

By default, flights are displayed in price order starting with the lowest, except for a featured Delta flight at the top (when available). At the top of the search window above the results, all available airlines are shown, as well as the lowest available price with each airline.

Depending on your search, you may see a blue tab labeled “Insider Fares Available” above some of the airlines listed at the top of the search window.

These are discounted fares, and they only apply if you pay for the entire flight with Membership Rewards rather than cash. Note that cash prices are rounded to the nearest dollar.

If you’re logged in and have enough Membership Rewards points to cover the entire flight, you will be able to see these discounted fares.

For example, in the below search, you’ll see an example of an Insider Fare available for purchase. The Insider Fare offered a slight discount rather than just matching the cash price in points with each point worth 1 cent (more on that below).

The difference can be fairly minimal. In the JFK-ATL example above, the discount was from 25,259 Membership Rewards points to 24,120 — changing the value from 1 cent per point to about 1.05 cents per point.

American Express Travel charges a fee to book, but they bundle this into the displayed price. The fee is $6.99 per domestic ticket or $10.99 per international ticket. These fees are waived as a benefit of the Amex Platinum card, just make sure you’re logged into your Amex account when booking.

Hot Tip: American Express Travel now offers Trip Cancel Guard coverage that you can add when purchasing flights via Amex Travel whether paying with an American Express card, with Membership Rewards points using the Pay With Points option, or a combination of both. It provides for reimbursement of up to 75% of the cost of the non-refundable prepaid flight expense, penalty and change fees caused by the cancellation, or the amount of any expired vouchers/flight credits received for the canceled flight. Coverage is applicable when your flight is canceled for any reason and is valid until 2 full calendar days prior to your trip’s originally scheduled departure date.

When searching several different flights across different online travel agents, we found similar results to the below example each time.

To compare prices, we searched multiple online travel agents and portals using the same search parameters: departing John F. Kennedy-New York (JFK), arriving at London-Heathrow International (LHR), round-trip, 1 traveler, economy, and nonstop on specific dates.

We selected the lowest-priced nonstop flight available through American Express Travel: a Finnair flight operated by Oneworld partner, American Airlines.

When searching on Amex Travel, the flight was $595.86. This breaks down to $133 in base fare and $462.86 of government, airline, and American Express-imposed fees.

We received the same search results when we replicated this search on Finnair’s U.S. website, Kayak, and Orbitz.

In a second search, we looked for a domestic round-trip from Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) to Los Angeles International (LAX) on the same dates. This flight was priced at $199.40. Keep in mind, you would usually see this rate plus the $6.99 Amex booking fee, but again, this is waived for Amex Platinum cardholders.

When cross-referencing this itinerary on Delta’s website, we found the same price listed for a regular economy fare of $199.40. However, there was a basic economy option that was a bit cheaper, which was not available through Amex Travel.

Other online travel portals, including Orbitz and Kayak, listed the same price.

This means, if you’re already set on the specific itinerary you want to fly, booking through Amex Travel can often cost the same as booking directly with the airline, or through a third party. This assumes you receive waived booking fees for being an Amex Platinum cardholder.

However, what if you’re just looking for the cheapest flight on a particular day? If you do a general search for a route on set dates, will American Express Travel find the same rates as other portals? In our experience, the answer is no.

In our example search, here are the lowest available regular economy non-stop flights we could find between New York (any airport) and London (any airport) when searching the same set of dates on a few different websites (sorted by price ascending):

*Including a $10.99 Amex Travel booking fee.

The reason for these results is likely due to the fact that the Amex portal doesn’t include some low-cost carriers like Norwegian, so travel portals that do will often win on price.

Even excluding the low-cost carriers, though, other portals like Expedia and Orbitz were able to offer lower fares by about $15.

That said, American Express Travel was able to find about the same fares you would find when booking directly with an airline.

Hot Tip: If you hold The Business Platinum Card® from American Express you can get a 35% rebate on select flights when you pay with points through Amex Travel.

There are actually 3 programs offered for booking hotels:

The Hotel Collection is a program through American Express Travel only available to holders of certain cards:

When you book a hotel through The Hotel Collection, you get certain perks including:

Usually, American Express guarantees that any hotel booked through Amex Travel will have the lowest publicly-available rates (prepaid rates only), but this rule does not apply to bookings through The Hotel Collection per the terms & conditions. Be certain to check multiple booking options to ensure you’re getting the best deal.

Rooms have to be booked through Amex Travel. That means that if you book directly through the hotel or another service, you won’t get the perks, even if the hotel is a part of The Hotel Collection and you pay for the stay with your American Express card.

Further, you must stay a minimum of 2 nights, and you cannot book consecutive stays within 24 hours of each other.

The good news is that these benefits are available for up to 3 rooms per stay. So if you book 3 rooms for family members, you’ll get a total hotel service credit of up to $300.

Typically, you won’t earn points through a hotel loyalty program if you book through a third party, and this includes the American Express Travel portal.

Further, you won’t get any elite benefits that you might otherwise be entitled to if you have status with that hotel chain.

Bottom Line: The Hotel Collection is potentially useful if you’re planning to pay with your eligible Membership Rewards-earning card. This comes at the expense of hotel-specific elite benefits, including points and elite credits in any hotel loyalty program.

American Express Travel runs a second hotel program called Fine Hotels and Resorts (FHR). It can be a little bit confusing since it sounds like it would overlap with the Hotel Collection, but that’s not the case.

The Fine Hotels and Resorts program is exclusive to Amex Platinum cardholders (personal or business), as well as those with the invitation-only Centurion Card.

FHR includes different hotels and resorts than The Hotel Collection, with minimal overlap. The FHR collection tends to be more geared toward leisure travelers who wish to book stays at higher-end properties.

Booking hotels through the Fine Hotels and Resorts collection entitles you to a handful of potentially valuable perks, including:

Unlike The Hotel Collection, rooms booked through Fine Hotels and Resorts are not all prepaid. In fact, most are standard rates that you’ll pay for at the end of your stay when you check out. In comparing several properties, including the Park Hyatt in Chicago, we found rates identical to the non-prepaid rates when booking directly through the hotel.

However, keep in mind that the hotel may directly offer prepaid and early-purchase options which may be much cheaper, though you won’t benefit from the Fine Hotels and Resorts perks.

There are fewer terms with Fine Hotels and Resorts than with The Hotel Collection. You must book through American Express Travel/FHR to receive the benefits.

As with The Hotel Collection, if you book directly with the hotel or through a different travel agency or portal, you won’t be able to claim FHR benefits even if it’s a participating hotel. Other terms vary by property.

Good news here! Unlike stays booked through The Hotel Collection, stays through American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts count as “qualifying rates” for hotel loyalty programs. That means if you’re staying at a hotel that’s part of a loyalty program, you’ll be able to earn points and receive the relevant benefits if you hold elite status.

Hot Tip: Want to know about the differences between these programs? Dig into our dedicated guide on the differences between the Hotel Collection and Fine Hotels & Resorts.

Searching for hotels at Amex Travel works more or less the same as with flights. You enter your city, dates, number of rooms, and guests. You can check a box to have properties from The Hotel Collection and Fine Hotels and Resorts displayed at the top.

Of course, if you’re interested in booking through either of those programs, you could also just book on their dedicated pages.

By default, search results are ranked by “recommended,” which seems to be decided by an algorithm factoring in price, location, and reviews.

Terms vary by the specific hotel and rate you book, so make sure to read the fine print.

The site can be a bit confusing when trying to compare prices since American Express doesn’t include all taxes and fees in the price displayed (while some hotel websites do).

For example, we searched for a 4-night stay at the Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill. American Express quoted an average of $337/night, which should make the total stay around $1,348. When you go to book, though, the total with fees is $1,625.

While it initially looks more expensive to book directly with Hyatt (where the cost is quoted at $404/night), that price includes all taxes and fees, so you’ll actually pay $1,611, or $14 less.

Our search for the Marriott Regent Park yielded similar results. It’s listed at $233/night in the search function, which implies the total to be $932.

In reality, once you click through, the total is $1,120. Booking directly with Marriott, rates are listed at $261/night, but that includes taxes and fees — for a total prepaid rate of $1,080.

For the 2 hotels in question, here’s how total prices compared through different portals (sorted by price ascending):

Marriott:

Hyatt:

In both tickets, American Express Travel was within a few dollars of the other online travel agencies, which were all more expensive than booking directly through the hotel’s website.

Similar to The Hotel Collection, rates booked through American Express Travel aren’t eligible for elite benefits or hotel loyalty points.

Bottom Line: Like most other online travel portals and agencies, prices can vary between Amex Travel and the hotel’s direct booking channel. You won’t get elite benefits or hotel points, so it might be worth booking directly if those are valuable to you.

Like with many online travel portals and even airline websites, you can book packages that include flights and hotels through Amex Travel. Usually, the point of booking these packages is to get a discount, special perks, or promotions.

The search window for Flights+Hotels is simple: input airports (or cities), dates, number of travelers, and rooms. Results are listed in a recommended order by default just like when searching for a standard hotel.

Terms vary by the specific package you book, so make sure to read the fine print!

As with standalone flight reservations, Amex Travel charges a fee to book Flights+Hotel packages: $6.99 per domestic ticket or $10.99 per international ticket.

Again, these fees are waived for holders of the Amex Platinum card or the Centurion card.

In the results field, a total starting price per person is listed, including all taxes and fees with the cheapest flight option. American Express also lists how much you’re saving with the package, although this is missing for some hotels.

Once you select the hotel, you can customize your flight. The total price changes based on which flight you select.

In a sample search, we chose the Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill, and picked the cheapest nonstop flight: British Airways flight, which was Newark Liberty International (EWR) to LHR and London-Gatwick (LGW) to JFK. The package came to $1,446 per person, or $2,892 total.

Annoyingly, American Express Travel doesn’t show a breakdown of hotel and airfare costs and fees; instead, it just displays a total per person.

For comparison, you can search the flight and hotels separately. We tried searching for the flight first on the same day.

We found Finnair flights operated by American Airlines for $660 per person — an option that wasn’t offered as part of the package (although with the booking fee, the flights should have been $671). When we filtered the search to British Airways only, it showed a ton of options for $671.

Searching hotels next, we again chose the Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill’s lowest prepaid rate. It was listed as $337 per night for 1 room (plus taxes and fees), for a total of $2,031. For the 2 flights and the hotel, that comes to a total of $3,351, or $1,675.50 per person.

In this case, booking the trip as a package saves almost $460, even though the search results page didn’t highlight any savings specifically.

The main downside to booking a package is that you have less flexibility. Say you want to change hotels for part of the trip or maybe stay with a friend for the last few days. This isn’t an option because you must book a single hotel for the entire time between your flights. It can also make solutions harder to find if there are any problems — although the American Express Travel customer support should make up for that.

Bottom Line: If you’re using American Express Travel and your plans allow for the lack of flexibility, you might be able to save a lot of money with a package. Just make sure to compare the listed price to booking everything separately. Note that you can’t book a package retroactively: you have to book the flights and hotel at the same time.

American Express Travel also offers a rental car booking service. You can make reservations from rental stations at airports and elsewhere.

To search for rental cars, simply enter an airport or city. You can also click a button to search near a specific address.

Results are shown in a handy grid format, with each column showing a different rental company, and each row displaying the pricing for a different category of car (economy, compact, midsize, and so on).

Bookings of up to 4 days are charged a daily rate, while bookings 5-7 days are charged on a weekly basis. There are specific rates for weekends and weekdays, as well as monthly options, with specific details varying by the rental agency.

In several sample searches, prices were generally consistent with other online travel agencies — though sometimes lower by $1-$2/day. Prices were identical to booking with the rental company directly.

Bottom Line: Renting a car through Amex Travel doesn’t get you any benefits above what you’d receive for paying with your credit card, such as the collision damage waiver for paying with your Amex Platinum card. However, the convenient search page makes it a great option for comparing multiple prices at once.

Amex Travel also offers tools to book cruises. In addition to letting you search for cruises all over the world, Amex Travel periodically highlights special offers on cruises, usually in the form of credits to use onboard.

To search for cruises, you need to enter the region you want to travel in, the cruise line(s) you want to travel with (or search all available lines), the month you’re planning the trip for, and the approximate length of the cruise you want.

Results are shown in order, from the lowest-priced option to the highest. Note that this is based on the lowest available rate; hovering over any result will show all available cabin types and the corresponding prices.

Under each result, the information shown includes the port of departure/return, date of departure, and ports visited.

Hot Tip: Wondering what to pack for your time at sea? Check out our ultimate cruise-based packing list — it’s printable and complete with tons of tips and advice!

Cruise rates booked through American Express Travel were within $1-2 of rates found on other online travel agents and websites. We found identical prices on the various cruise company websites — though each online travel portal and cruise line offers different promotions, so it might be worth comparing them.

For example, during a sample search for a weeklong Caribbean cruise in December, we found that Royal Caribbean was offering a $50 onboard credit if you booked directly.

On the search results page, you might notice a tab labeled “Special Offers.” Those offers are generally onboard credits, but can also include discounts or other special features. If you aren’t committed to a specific cruise line, these are often worth exploring.

Those with the Amex Platinum card have special access to the Cruise Privileges Program. Like the Fine Hotels and Resorts program, this is only available on specific cruises, although it’s more limited than FHR.

It includes onboard credit (often higher than otherwise offered) and a special onboard amenity, like complimentary dinner for 2 or a bottle of premium champagne.

Bottom Line: It can be worth booking a cruise through American Express Travel, especially if there are special offers. Make sure to compare different booking sites, though, as some may have better or exclusive promotions.

Amex Travel offers a feature called Travel Insiders. When you use the program, American Express connects you with a travel expert who can help you plan an itinerary based around your desired destination. Fees vary based on location, length of the trip, and details of the itinerary.

Amex Travel can be a very useful tool when booking flights, hotels, vacation packages, cruises, or rental cars. In many cases, it may not offer the best rate options, but it’s worth comparing to other booking sites and airlines or hotels directly.

If you have an American Express card that offers access to the Hotel Collection or Fine Hotels and Resorts, the perks can be very worthwhile.

Additionally, the extra Membership Rewards points you earn by booking through Amex Travel can be valuable, as long as the price is right.

Aside from the Hotel Collection and Fine Hotels and Resorts, the real value of American Express Travel is in the customer service provided. Booking a trip on your own is easy — dealing with problems when they arise can be less so!

If you book through Amex Travel, you’ll have easy access to someone who can help you get on a new flight, find a new hotel, or manage whatever other issues come up day or night. So if you’re looking to have that extra support, then Amex Travel might be a great choice for you!

Sinbad Hille · Answer