The American Express® Platinum Card® Airline Fee Credit
5 Min Read | Published: December 15, 2025
Fly smarter with the Amex® Platinum Card® Airline Fee Credit. This premium travel perk covers fees like bags and snacks to make every trip smoother.
At-A-Glance
- You could receive up to $200 back per calendar year in automatic statement credits for eligible incidental airline fees charged to your Platinum Card®.
- Incidental fees may include checked bags, in-flight food, and seat selection with your chosen airline, but not airfare or fees from non-selected airlines.
- Platinum offers this credit alongside premium travel benefits like Global Lounge Collection® access, hotel credits, and TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry fee credits.
The Amex Platinum Airline Fee Credit helps you cut down on extra costs from your preferred airline with up to $200 in statement credits each calendar year for eligible incidental fees. From checking an extra bag to renting a movie mid-flight, the Platinum Card® helps turn annoying airline fees into a smoother, more enjoyable trip. Here’s a look at how the Airline Fee Credit works, which charges qualify, and how best to make use of it when you fly.
What Is the Amex Platinum Airline Fee Credit?
Platinum lets you select your favorite qualifying airline and receive up to $200 back each year in statement credits for any incidental fees that airline may charge you.1 Simply select your airline, and any eligible fees, like checked bags or in-flight refreshments, will automatically trigger a credit when charged to your Card. Note that the Airline Fee Credit will only apply to charges from your selected airline.
American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after eight weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Credits issued for this benefit are up to $200 per calendar year. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. Please see terms and conditions in your confirmation email for more details.
What Counts as an Incidental Airline Fee?
To count as an incidental fee, your selected airline must first charge a good or service to your Platinum Card separately from your ticket.2 Then, if the charges include any of the following, they’re typically considered incidental fees and will be reimbursed via a statement credit.3 Check with your selected airline for details.
- Checked luggage fees
- Oversized or overweight baggage fees
- Flight change fees
- Seat selection or reassignment fees, excluding seat upgrades.
- In-flight food and beverage fees
- In-flight entertainment fees, excluding wireless internet
- Fees for flight bookings you make over the phone
- Annual airline club membership fees
- Airport lounge day pass fees
What Doesn’t Count as an Incidental Airline Fee?
Generally, these charges don’t qualify as incidental airline fees regardless of how or when they’re charged:4
- Airline tickets
- Any upgrade-associated fees
- Mileage points purchases or transfer fees
- Gift cards
- Duty-free purchases
- Award tickets
How to Use the American Express Platinum Airline Fee Credit
Using your Airline Fee Credit benefit is simple:
- Enroll through American Express by choosing a partnering airline through your Amex online account or by calling the number on your Card.
- Charge any qualifying incidental fees from your selected airline to your Platinum Card.
- Get back a maximum of $200 in automatic statement credits per calendar year.
Your $200 Airline Fee Credit doesn’t roll over, so you’ll need to use it before the end of the year. In January, the credit resets, and you can choose a different preferred airline.5 If you don’t make a new airline selection, you’ll stick with your current choice.6
Frequently Asked Questions
When enrolled with Platinum, you’re covered for up to $200 of incidental airline fees every year for your chosen airline, but this doesn’t apply to airfare itself.
Generally, no. But if your selected airline happens to code the upgrade as an incidental fee, then yes. Alternatively, whether or not you’ve upgraded your seat, you can use the credit to pay for in-flight snacks, beverages, entertainment, or any other qualifying incidental fees for a smoother flight experience.
The Airline Fee Credit is annual and doesn’t roll over, so if you don’t use some or all of it before the start of a new calendar year, the credit resets back to $200. Keeping your Card handy while flying may help you remember to charge incidental fees to it each year.
The Takeaway
Using your Airline Fee Credit can help upgrade your travels when you fly with your favorite airline. While the Airline Fee Credit doesn’t apply to airfare, it reimburses up to $200 each year for the little fees that can get in the way of a full luxury-travel experience. You can also pair this perk with other Platinum luxury travel benefits, like elite airport lounge access and credits towards eligible hotel purchases , to get the absolute most out of your jet-set lifestyle.
1 Explore Platinum $200 Airline Fee Credit terms and conditions to learn more details.
2,4,5,6 Explore Platinum Benefit Terms & Amex Assurance Disclosures to learn more details.
3 “Maximizing Your Amex Airline Credit: A Complete Guide,” Business Insider
Liv Gillespie is a Philadelphia-based writer with a double M.A. in English Linguistics & Literature and Secondary Education. Her work focuses on personal finance.
All Credit Intel content is written by freelance authors and commissioned and paid for by American Express.
Related Articles
Annual Fee vs. No Annual Fee Credit Cards
Using a credit card with no annual fee could help you save money, but cards with an annual fee may offer better rewards like travel perks or cash back.
How Much Is the American Express Platinum Card® Annual Fee?
Want to know more about the annual fee for The Platinum Card®? Here’s an overview, plus a look at the Card’s abundance of travel and lifestyle credits, perks, and services.
What Is a Credit Card Annual Fee?
The benefits and rewards of a credit card can be worth more than the annual fee. Discover if paying a credit card annual fee is worth it for you.
The material made available for you on this website, Credit Intel, is for informational purposes only and intended for U.S. residents and is not intended to provide legal, tax or financial advice. If you have questions, please consult your own professional legal, tax and financial advisors.
