Reminder To Update AMEX Platinum $200 Airline Credit Preference
One of my favorite features about the AMEX Platinum Card is that every calendar year, you get up to $200 in “Airline Expenses” reimbursed.
Last November, I used this feature to get $200 worth of United Gift Certificates!
Well since it is a brand new year, last night I figured I might as well get a jump on 2013 and order this year’s $200 United Gift Certificate.
To receive your $200 reimbursement, you have to physically select an Airline. Enrollment is NOT automatic (full instructions to select an Airline can be found here). Once your Airline is selected for the year, you CANNOT change it until the following year.
For those of you that got in on the 100,000 Point AMEX Platinum offer last week, you can choose your Airline for the $200 Credit whenever. Personally I’d recommend doing it sooner rather than later because AMEX might just decide one day to stop reimbursing Airline Gift Certificates.
Although I selected United as my designated Airline last year, just to be on the safe side, I logged into my AMEX Account to double check that United was STILL selected for 2013. Luckily it still was, so I didn’t need to do anything.
One thing I did see though (and The Points Guy beat me in posting this today), is that if you selected an Airline in 2012 and would like to change to a different Airline in 2013, you only have until January 31st, 2013 to do so.
If you forget to do so or choose to do nothing, then whatever Airline you had last year will be selected again as your Airline for 2013. You will NOT be able to change it again until January 2014.
I already had one $200 United Gift Certificate, so I opted to just stay with United and get another $200 Gift Certificate, so now I have $400 in United Gift Certificates now!
Although I paid the hefty $450 Annual Fee last November, so far I have gotten $400 in United Gift Certificates and a $100 Global Entry credit out of it, so in my book I am up $50.
-Parag
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