Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.
Well this was fast after yesterday’s confirmation about the AMEX Premier Rewards Gold card, NO LONGER OFFERED. PLEASE LEARN MORE ABOUT THE American Express® Gold Card “Airline Fee Reimbursement” option for us Delta flyers. I also hold, for now, both a personal and business non-Delta AMEX Platinum card.
The Platinum Card® from American Express (Learn More)
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express OPEN (Learn more)
There are few travel cards that I appreciate more than these two! I love being able to visit, and bring two guests, into the AMEX Centurion lounges. I love the Gogo passes I get with the business card (that even works on international Delta flights). I love the free upgrades to SPG Gold status and Hilton Gold status as well. The list just goes on and on!
One of the other great values of these non-Delta platinum cards is that each year they each offer $200 in Airline Fee Reimbursement. Last year the sweet spot was $50, that is, buying a $50 e-Gift card on Delta.com triggered the credit. I have tested for this year 2016, and as you can see from the above, it is working again this year as well for both cards.
If you registered last year to have Delta as your airline of choice for the Platinum cards you don’t have to change anything this year to get the credits this year. However, if you have NOT registered or chose another airline last year then you want to see THIS POST from last year for step by step instructions to register before you buy anything to get credit.
Now you don’t have to buy e-Gift cards. You can also pay for things on-board like food and drinks (but not Gogo) and get credit back up to $200 / year. You can also pay for Sky Club $29 +1 fee and get credit. But I hate to leave any value on the table each year and I do pay for Delta tickets and can use up to 3 e-Gift credits on one ticket (plus a use a card, like the Premier Rewards Gold card, NO LONGER OFFERED. PLEASE LEARN MORE ABOUT THE American Express® Gold Card to pay for the rest that pays 3x points on airfare direct booked) at a time so I just do what’s simple each year and buy the e-Gift cards.
The non-Delta Platinum cards really provide some great value to me. I also truly value the Membership Rewards to be able to transfer them to partners like KLM that many times have discounted award seats and much greater award availability than Delta does. These are points I earn and burn and value. The $200 airline fee reimbursement is just one more perk that makes me keep the card, despite the fee, a value each year to me! – René
Editorial Note: This content is not provided by American Express. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express.
Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.
Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Question: I hold a personal and Bus Reserve card and I just canceled a DL Plat Bus Amex to reset for a late 2016 re-acquisition / bonus. In your experience, will I be eligible for the bonus if I get the non-DL Plat Bus Amex now? Assume I would not be eligible for any bonus if I obtained the non-DL personal Plat because I hold the personal Reserve. Thanks
@Frank – Yes but to be uber safe wait 91+ days then go for it and no other AMEX b4 then.
Is it safe to 1) put one’s own name as the “To” recipient and 2) use the same e-mail address one has registered with Delta.com? Thanks, Rene!
@Chris C – Does not matter. I put my name in but all that matters are the numbers that spit out. 🙂
So I’m guessing this is a good work-around to use the $200 AMEX plat credit for C+ upgrades? Buy the e-certs and apply them for uprgade fees?
Does anyone have any clues to people getting reimbursed at 2x $100? I just tried it out. Charges were made on the 7th, but haven’t been reimbursed. Thinking that it’s not gonna go. Just curious.
Hi Garrett, what happened?
@Johnny – You can not do $100 ones. Only $50 ones and get credit.
Can I do 2 (or more) x $50 in the same transaction. Or is it wiser to do one at a time?
@Jake – 1x per transaction!
Impatient me. I did 2x in a single transaction before I saw your response. Luckily, I got reimbursed but won’t chance it and will do 1x from now on. =)
Has anyone tried this for 2017?
@Tim in AZ – Yep: http://renespoints.boardingarea.com/2017/01/10/confirmed-2017-amex-platinum-travel-credit-max-50-per-purchase-delta/