How to use the Amex Platinum $200 airline fee credit
The American Express Platinum Card and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express come with annual statement credit of up to $200 for airline incidental fees. Enrollment is required. This credit operates on a calendar-year basis, meaning you have from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 to use it.
Choose the right airline
Selection or change your airline choice each January. Choose from the following airlines:
Alaska Airlines
American Airlines
Delta Air Lines
Hawaiian Airlines
JetBlue
Southwest Airlines
Spirit Airlines
United Airlines
Covered Expenses
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, since the charge comes from the service provider and not the airline)
Overweight/oversized baggage fees
Pet flight fees
Phone reservation fees
Seat assignment fees
Pick Your Seats
Whether you're flying on a budget airline or on a basic economy fare, paying to pick your seat on the plane is the new normal.
Paying for a seat could easily be worth it. It sure beats playing middle seat roulette, and it's a great way to make flying United basic economy, American basic economy, and Delta basic economy a bit more bearable.
These big airlines typically charge between $9 and $29 or even more for a seat assignment on domestic flights. That means you can use your American Express airline credits to pick your seat on dozens of flights each year.
Just pay for your seat on your designated airline with your American Express Platinum Card, and the travel credit should kick in to cover the cost.
Note that this also works on budget airline carriers like Spirit and Frontier, where seat selection fees are generally unavoidable.
Not Covered Expenses
Airline tickets
Award tickets
Charges that aren't separate from airline ticket payments (for example, you may pay to select seats when purchasing a ticket, but that may not trigger the credit)
Duty-free purchases
Fees charged to other card accounts (besides authorized user accounts)
Fees not charged by the cardmember's airline of choice (for example, wireless internet and fees incurred with airline alliance partners)
Gift cards
Incidental air travel fees charged prior to the selection of a qualifying airline
Mileage points purchases
Mileage points transfer fees
Upgrades
Notes
Adding fund to the United Airlines TravelBank used to trigger the credit but stopped working starting February 2026.
Using the credit to cover seat assignment is a good way to trigger the credit.