With the Amex Platinum Card, there are predominantly two ways to earn 5x points on airfare. They are:
- Booking a flight on Amex Travel.
- Booking a flight directly on an Airline’s website.
As mentioned, both methods will acquire 5 times the points on the Amex Platinum card. Now, what will end up being cost-effective is whole another question, and many blogs cover the pros and cons. The guidance below however, will cover buying airplane tickets with both of these approaches, followed by a few unique questions surrounding them and accumulating 5x points.
How To Earn 5x Points on Airfare With Amex Travel
Visit Amex Travel’s flight URL, and start your booking with the Platinum card. In fact, on your desktop, you will notice that Amex lists what Platinum benefits you have, with “5x Points on Travel” highlighted as the first one. Take a look at the image screenshot below for an accurate context.
As for anything else, make sure you utilize your platinum card to book and that you’re logged in. The second part may not be necessary, but it could help remove a lot of the hassle if you contest something with customer service reps.
How To Collect 5x Points on Airfare Booked Directly Through an Airline
There is nothing fancy to do here except to make certain you’re strictly obtaining your flight tickets on the Airline’s website using your Platinum card.
That’s it; nothing more or less. It might be possible to achieve the same result by calling the customer service number of that Airline. Generally speaking though, almost anyone would prefer to do it online.
FAQs for Earning 5x Points on Airfare Booked via the Amex Platinum Card
Exceptions may apply, but from personal experience, purchasing a one-off Lounge pass and consuming inflight items such as snacks and alcohol inside a United Airlines flight did in fact, earn 5x points. This event is from November 2021. (See attached image for proof).
If you aren’t sure, call customer service to confirm.
As of writing this post, per calendar year, between money spent on AmEx Travel, and those direct with Airline’s website, one can earn 5x points on up to $500,000. Remember that you can expend more dollars; you’d simply stop gathering 5x points after the $500K cap.
No, they do not. It may change in the future, but currently, these flights do not qualify for earning 5x points via airfare.
Technically, this type of purchase is not eligible. That said, the way the whole process works is based on “merchant codes.” According to Amex, the organization groups specific codes into the Additional points umbrella, so if your code matches, you’re good. Otherwise, not.
At the end of the day, I wouldn’t hold my breath with other online sites and agencies, but you can give it a shot. And again, you can always call customer service first to clarify doubts.
If you call customer service, they may tell you that it could take somewhere in the range of a high number of weeks from the day of purchase. Yet, anecdotally speaking, and from numerous citations online, it takes much less than that.
No, it does not. You must ensure though, that you’re either booking through the Amex travel site for flights or directly on the applicable Airline’s site.
You May Also Want to Check Out:
- What Is the Amex Platinum Hotel Credit, and How To Use It Correctly
- What Is the Amex Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® Fee Credit?
- What Is Clear® at the Airports and How Does It Work?
- What Is TRIP CANCEL GUARD™ From American Express (Amex) Travel?
- What Is the “Global Entry” Trusted Traveler Program?
- What Is the Airline Fee Credit for Amex Platinum and How To Use It?
- How To Use the $189 CLEAR® Credit From Amex Platinum
- Guide to Achieving Marriott Bonvoy™ Gold Elite Status With Amex Platinum
- How To Sign Up for Priority Pass With Amex Platinum
- What Is the $100 Experience Credit for Amex Platinum Cardholders?
Is It Guaranteed I Will Earn 5x Points on Airfare if Booked on AmEx Travel or Directly With an Airline — With the Amex Platinum Card?
Yes, unless the terms and conditions change. Procuring 5x points on airfare — when done correctly for eligible purchases is literally touted as one of the benefits of having Amex’s Platinum card.
If you ask them, they will never promise you anything on the phone. But, American Express has an excellent track record of doing what they say they will, and their customer service is superb for going the extra mile for their cardholders.
I’ve had instances where I have been able to earn refunds, extra membership reward points, or even both simply because I felt something was not reasonable.
Expert Sources: American Express (1 & 2).
By the way: This post is only penned down from the perspective of personal American Express Platinum cards. It does not take into account any corporate or business cards.