Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts: How to Actually Get the Credits

Short answer: Fine Hotels + Resorts is a booking channel, not a status perk. Book through American Express Travel® and you get 4pm checkout, a room credit, breakfast for two, and a possible upgrade. Book the same room on the hotel’s own site with the same card and you get none of it. That distinction is the entire benefit, and it’s the one people get wrong.

One of my favorite travel card benefits is one not many people seem to know about.

While chatting with several American Express Platinum Card® cardholders who aren’t necessarily deep into the points and miles world, I discovered they aren’t familiar with the card’s Fine Hotels + Resorts feature. (We commonly refer to it as “FHR.”)

Depending on what deal you find, you can come out ahead. Or it can just help you save money while treating yourself. It can save The Business Platinum Card® from American Express members a few bucks while entertaining clients during a business trip (or treating your loved ones to a nice vacation!).

But do be careful of how much you spend — it’s easy to get carried away.

(Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.)

What Is Fine Hotels + Resorts?

Amex’s Fine Hotels + Resorts feature is available on certain cards (more on that in a minute).

Select hotels around the world participate in the program. Most of them are relatively high-end with price tags that match. (But you can occasionally find some great deals.)

Cardholders are entitled to:

• 12:00 PM check-in (when available)
• Room upgrade (when available)
• Complimentary Wi-Fi
• Daily breakfast for two people
  • (Valued at up to $60 total per room, per day)
• Minimum $100 property credit per stay
  • (Generally valid toward food and beverage purchases at eligible restaurants and bars or spa purchases — it varies by property, as does the credit amount. You’re given a list of participating restaurants during check-in.)
• Guaranteed 4:00 PM checkout

I’ve enjoyed countless Fine Hotels + Resorts stays over the years, most of them in Las Vegas.

The early check-in has always been available. Room upgrades are hit-or-miss. Some are “here’s a better view!” Or “here’s a corner room.” But we recently enjoyed a Luxury King Suite upgrade from a Premium King Suite at Palazzo in Las Vegas.

Complimentary Wi-Fi is nice but not necessarily a must.

I love, love, love the guaranteed 4:00 PM checkout. We can squeeze in another late morning and afternoon at the pool. Or just take our time if we have a late afternoon or evening flight. It’s also a nice option for people who want to spend more time in a port city before boarding a cruise departing later in the day.

There’s a bunch to go over about the property credits. I’ve learned some of them the hard way and others by reading the fine print.

We’ll discuss those in a few minutes.

Which Cards Are Eligible for Fine Hotels + Resorts?

The Amex Platinum Card, Business Platinum Card, and their co-branded versions (i.e., Schwab). Oh, and the Centurion Card.

For our purposes, we’ll stick with the first two. The American Express Platinum Card® carries a $895 annual fee (Rates & Fees). For The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, see Rates & Fees.

Paid additional cardholders are also eligible to make FHR reservations.

However, co-branded Platinum cards (Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card) are not eligible. Neither are Delta SkyMiles® Gold cards. If you assumed your Delta cobrand covered this, it doesn’t — though Gold and Platinum Card Members do get The Hotel Collection, which is a lighter version of the same idea.

Up to $600 in Statement Credits

Both Amex Platinum and Amex Business Platinum members can earn up to $300 back in statement credits semi-annually ($300 from January through June, then $300 from July through December) on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel®.

Stack that with the in-stay benefits and a single night can come out remarkably cheap. The statement credit covers up to $300 of the room. The breakfast benefit is worth up to $60 a day. The property credit is at least $100. On a one-night stay that’s up to $460 in value before you’ve counted the upgrade or the late checkout.

For example, I’ve paid $200 for a one-night FHR stay at a hotel that charged $200 for that night. We used the breakfast benefit and the $100 property credit. Even though we spent a little extra money on food and beverages, we still basically ate and stayed for free that night.

Do You Have to Prepay FHR Reservations?

Yes. If the cash price is too much for your wallet, you can apply Membership Rewards® points toward the cost.

Can You Cancel FHR Reservations and Get a Refund for the Room and Tax You Paid?

Yes.

You’ll likely lose your $300 statement credit for that calendar period, though.

Can You Change the Date of an FHR Booking?

Yes — Amex added that ability a while back. Changing the date is generally easier than canceling and rebooking, since a cancellation can cost you the statement credit for that period.

Where Do You Make Reservations?

FHR reservations must be made through American Express Travel®: AmexTravel.com (accessed through your Amex account), the Amex Travel App™, or by calling the phone number on the back of your eligible card.

Reservations made directly through the properties or other reservation channels are not eligible.

Let’s say you want to stay at The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park. But you make your reservation through Ritz-Carlton’s website. Even if you reserve the room or prepay with your Platinum Card, you aren’t eligible for the FHR benefits.

When you show up at the Ritz at 1:30 PM and ask about early check-in, an upgrade, breakfast, and a property credit, you’ll probably get a “Too bad, so sad” response.

You must book through Amex.

WORTH REPEATING: You Must Book and Pay Through American Express

Do not make your reservation directly through the eligible property. You will not qualify for the FHR perks.

Flashing your Platinum Card at check-in and asking where your room upgrade, late checkout, breakfast, and property credit are could make you social media fodder.

Can You Book Multiple Stays for the Same Dates?

Yes. Cardholders can book up to three (3) concurrent room stays.

Let’s say my wife and I want to meet up with two other couples at an FHR property. I could reserve three rooms for all of us. I’d have to prepay all of the room nights and taxes in advance on my eligible Platinum Card.

How Many Times Can You Use the Fine Hotels + Resorts Benefit?

There’s no limit to how many times you can use Fine Hotels + Resorts bookings. If you travel often and can afford the FHR hotels’ price tags, knock yourself out.

That said, keep this next point in mind.

Can You Book Back-to-Back FHR Stays?

Amex frowns upon it and reserves the right to claw back the benefits.

Here’s the pattern they’re watching for:

You check in on Monday, use all the credits, and check out Tuesday. Late checkout, naturally.

You check in at the same hotel that same Tuesday, use all your credits, and check out late on Wednesday.

You check in again on Wednesday, use the credits, and leave on Thursday.

To be 100% honest, it’s something I used to do because, at the time, that was apparently allowed. Several commenters scorched me for it. But I think they’re just upset they didn’t think of it first. 🙂

The terms now treat back-to-back stays booked by the same Card Member at the same property within a 24-hour window as a single stay — one set of benefits for the whole thing. Don’t build a trip around stacking them.

Let’s Talk About the Property Credits

First things first: charge everything to your room during your hotel stay. That’s how the property knows what to deduct from your folio.

Let’s say you dine at a restaurant eligible for the food and beverage credit. Charge it to your room. That’s how the hotel reconciles the bill later. You won’t receive the credits if you whip out your Amex and pay with that. (Unless you spend a lot of time later fighting it with the front desk and their supervisors.)

The only time you’ll present a card is during check-in and checkout.

That’s it.

When a restaurant bill comes, charge it to your room.

Getting a spa treatment? Charge it to your room.

Also, make sure you’re part of the hotel’s loyalty program because you’ll probably get points for incidental charges.

The $100 property credit is another excellent perk. The property determines how and where you can use it. But it’s usually for food and beverage purchases at select restaurants and bars (the property gives you a list at check-in) or spa.

A few properties offer more than $100. For example, Wynn Las Vegas FHR guests receive up to $150 in credit for purchases made at the spa — but no food and beverage credit.

Credits do not include fees, taxes, and gratuities. Think of everything in terms of menu prices.

For math’s sake, let’s say your resort’s pool bar is one of the restaurants eligible for the $100 property credit. You and a friend order food and beverages at the pool. Your subtotal is $80. I have $20 of credit left! you think. So you jot down a $20 tip for your fantastic server.

That’s awfully kind of you. But you’ll only receive $80 in credit. The $20 tip will show up on your room bill.

That’s why you might get some sticker shock at checkout. During a recent stay, we tipped about $50 total to two servers. That showed up on our final bill. Our meal and drink taxes did, too.

Don’t Get Carried Away

I’ve made mistakes and want people to learn from them. Speaking from experience — especially during Fine Hotels + Resorts stays — it’s easy to charge things to your room and think, I have all this credit! Be very careful about that.

FHR properties are not budget hotels. Food and beverages at eligible onsite merchants are generally not cheap. A cocktail at a Vegas pool bar runs north of $20 in a lot of places, and a round for four people is most of your property credit gone before lunch.

Yes, the credits offset some of those purchases. But an extra drink or three adds up faster than the credit does.

How Do I Make Sure I Get the Credits?

Again, charge everything to your room. That way, the hotel can process your credits.

If I’ve Gone Over My Credit Limit During a Stay, Which Card Should I Pay With?

That’s up to you.

Let’s say you blow through the $100 food and beverage credit during the first day of a three-day FHR stay.

If you want that hotel program’s loyalty points, keep charging everything to the room.

If you don’t, pay with whatever card earns the most for the purchase. The American Express® Gold Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve® are especially good at restaurants. The Amex Gold earns 4X Membership Rewards® points at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X. Includes takeout and delivery in the U.S.). The Chase Sapphire Reserve® earns 3X Chase points on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services. (All information about the Chase Sapphire Reserve®® was collected independently by Eye of the Flyer. It was neither provided by nor reviewed by the card issuer.)

A Word of Warning

Make sure your breakfast and property credits are reflected on your final bill before you check out. Sometimes restaurants and bars won’t process your charges until late in the day.

Get a copy of your bill at checkout — even if the credits haven’t posted yet. That happened to me recently at The Palazzo in Vegas. I called their front office a few days later and spoke to an excellent representative. She helped issue the correct refunds to my Platinum Card.

Do I Need to Pay the Final Bill with My Platinum Card?

No. Any U.S.-issued American Express card will do just fine.

I remember needing to reach a spending requirement on my Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card and that’s what I used to pay for an FHR stay at checkout.

Paying with a Hilton Honors card — Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, Hilton Honors American Express Card, or Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card — for an FHR stay’s incidentals at a Conrad or Waldorf Astoria might be a good way to go. (All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by Eye of the Flyer. The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is no longer available through Eye of the Flyer.)

The American Express® Green Card earns 3X Membership Rewards® points on travel purchases (airfare, hotels, tours, campgrounds, car rentals, cruises, vacation rentals, and more). So that’s a solid option, too. (All information about the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Eye of the Flyer. The American Express® Green Card is no longer available through Eye of the Flyer.)

Final Approach

The Fine Hotels + Resorts program is a strong benefit for Amex Platinum Card and Business Platinum Card members. Many participating properties are on the spendy side. But you can occasionally find great deals.

If you take one thing from this: book through Amex, charge everything to the room, and check your folio before you leave. Those three habits capture nearly all of the value. Everything else is a bonus.

Did you know about Fine Hotels + Resorts? Do you ever use it? What do you like and not like about it?

For rates and fees of the American Express Platinum Card®, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Green Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, please visit this link.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, please visit this link.

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