Southwest airlines baggage fees 2019 code#

Sometimes other small airline ticket purchases also trigger the credit, as have some purchases of smaller ($50-ish) amounts of future airline travel credit. One other option that does appear to be working is to pay for a portion of a Delta ticket with a gift card and then charge the remainder to your Amex Platinum.Īs reported and confirmed by TPG, the remaining airfare becomes an “additional collection” and triggers the reimbursement credit. However, most gift card or credit type options are no longer working as of July 2019, based on tests from TPG staffers and data points from TPG Lounge. In the past, there were ways to get gift cards for some airlines reimbursed through the airline fee credit.

If the credit hasn’t posted after four weeks, you can call the number on the back of the card to get the credit manually approved for valid charges. The terms say allow two to four weeks after each charge for the statement credit to post to your account (though in our experience, it is often faster).

Southwest airlines baggage fees 2019 code#

The airline must submit the charge under the appropriate merchant code and required service or product identifier for the charge to be recognized as an incidental air travel fee.

Incidental air travel fees charged prior to the selection of a qualifying airline.

Fees not charged by the cardmember’s airline of choice (for example, wireless internet and fees incurred with airline alliance partners).

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).

Fees charged to other card accounts (besides authorized user accounts).

(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)Īccording to the terms, the Amex Platinum airline fee credit is not applicable for the following: Splurging for Spirit’s Big Front Seats can make your kids happy and be a great use of your airline fee credit. And here’s a real-world look at what triggers the fee credit across more airlines.

If American Airlines is your selected airline, check out this post on which American Airlines expenses trigger the Amex airline fee credit. Or, if you fly with your pet, based on the sky-high pet fees on most - but not all - airlines, you might use up your airline fee credit on just one or two flights with your pet.

Inflight entertainment fees (excluding wireless internet).Īs you can imagine, it’s not difficult for many travelers to use the airline fee credit in a typical year.įor example, you could select Spirit Airlines as your airline and then use the credit to purchase Big Front Seats or snacks and to check bags.

Inflight amenity fees (beverages, food, pillows/blankets, etc.).

Airport lounge day passes and annual memberships.

Generally, the following incidental fees will be reimbursed by using the Amex Platinum credit, as long as you make these purchases separately from the airline ticket itself (so the purchase will show up as a different transaction): So maximizing the Amex Platinum airline fee credit should be really easy. Enrollment is required for select benefits.ĭon’t forget about the low-cost carriers like Frontier or Spirit, either.ĭesignating one of them as your airline of choice could be a smart strategy since they charge extra fees for amenities that come automatically with some other airlines and fares, like seat assignments, checked and carry-on bags, and onboard snacks and drinks. You could use that credit for things like seat assignments, extra-legroom seats, bag fees, onboard drinks or food.

Instead, consider an airline with which you’re likely to incur at least $200 in fees each year.įor example, if you fly United most frequently and you hold elite status, but also fly American some during the year, you’ll potentially be better off choosing American for your airline fee credit. However, picking your primary airline automatically isn't always the best choice since many fees are already waived if you have elite status or a cobranded credit card with that airline.

Generally speaking, you might assume that the airline you most frequently fly with is the one to choose. There's no guarantee that will work for you, but it's worth trying if you find yourself flying a different airline you thought you would. 31 deadline for those who called or used the online chat feature to ask. Either way, you’ll see that you can choose from the following airlines:Īmex has been pretty lenient about permitting airline selection changes well beyond the usual Jan. You can also access the airline selection screen by scrolling to your online account's “Benefits” section. If you have an Amex Platinum, you can click here to select or change your airline choice each January - you’ll need to log in to access your Amex account. Want more credit card news and advice from TPG? Sign up for our daily newsletter. (Photo by Ryan Patterson for The Points Guy)