What Still Works For Amex Airline Incidental Credits In 2026?

What Still Works For Amex Airline Incidental Credits?

One of the more valuable perks that American Express has on their premium cards is the airline incidental credits. These have become more restrictive over the years, and some people are leaving money on the table because of it. We want to show you what still works for Amex airline incidental credits, which should make maximizing all of your credits easier. There are the obvious options and then ones that are not so obvious. Let’s take a look at all the angles and make sure you get a big chunk of your annual fees back. Update 3/12/26: Updated below as United TravelBank is now officially listed in the exclusion terms. HT Reddit

Which American Express Cards Have Airline Fee Reimbursements?

First, before we talk about what works, we should discuss which American Express credit cards actually offer these Amex airline incidental credits.  There have been some changes over the years, and cards have been added and removed. Here is a list of the current cards that offer the airline fee reimbursements and the total for each. Th:

• American Express Platinum Card – $200
  • Includes Charles Schwab, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs variations
• American Express Business Platinum – $200

These credits are based on calendar year: January 1st to December 31st.  Because of that, it is possible to get two in the first year of card membership, which can be very lucrative. If you would open a card in September, you could use a credit before December 31 and then use another in the beginning of the following year – all before your next fee rolls around in September. If you time your application in December then a triple dip is actually possible in the first year because of the timing of the annual fee posting.

Be Sure To Select Your Airline Before Making Any Purchases

Now that we know which cards from American Express have airline incidental credits, you need to make sure you properly activate the benefit before making any purchases.  The list of airlines available are as follows:

• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• Delta Airlines
• Hawaiian Airlines
• JetBlue Airways
• Spirit Airlines
• Southwest Airlines
• United Airlines

You will want to wait 24 – 48 hours after activating your airline selection before making your purchase. This allows the system to update and properly track everything.

Links To Select Your Airline For Each Card:

• American Express Platinum Card
• Goldman Sachs Platinum Card
• Morgan Stanley Platinum Card
• Charles Schwab Platinum Card
• American Express Business Platinum Card

You need to select an airline that you fly often or know you can use the credit for. Some of that will depend on what way to use the credit works the best for you, which brings us to our next section.

What Should Work For Amex Airline Incidental Credits?

American Express has listed out what should work, is approved, for the credits and things that should not work for the airline fee reimbursements.

These Fees Are Included In The Terms Of The Benefits

• Checked baggage fees
• Overweight/oversize baggage fees
• Change fees
• Pet flight fees
• Airport lounge day passes and annual memberships
• Phone reservation fees
• Seat assignment fees
• Inflight amenity fees
  • Food & beverages
  • Headphones, etc.
• Inflight entertainment fees
  • This DOES NOT include WiFi

These Fees Are Listed As NOT Eligible

• Airfare / ticket purchases
• Charges on airlines that are not your selected airline
• Upgrades
• Purchasing Miles
• Anything purchased BEFORE you make your airline selection
• Airline miles transfer fees
• Gift cards
• Duty-free purchases
• Award tickets
• United TravelBank

What Actually Works For Amex Airline Incidental Credits / Reimbursements?

Now that we know what is listed as approved and what is “not” approved, what does this look like in practice? We all know there are the way terms are written and the way things really are. There are always things the slip through the cracks.

First off, anything listed on the approved list works, of course. If you can maximize your airline incidental credits with these options, that’s great. The reimbursements work with buy Spirit Airlines big front seats, the best deal in domestic airline travel. We will take a look at this airline by airline.

Alaska Airlines

Here is what works for Alaska Airlines when using your Amex airline incidental credit:

• Award redeposit fees
• In flight purchases
• Luggage
• Pet Fees
• Fare difference when changing a flight and the increase is around $50 or less
• Seat selection (sometimes have to ask via chat)
• Club membership
• Scattered reports of reimbursements on saver fares costing under $80
• Link to most recent data points (reports show crediting issues and the need for manual credits)

American Airlines

• Main cabin extra purchased at check-in kiosk
• First class upgrades purchased at check-in kiosk
• Day passes & memberships to Admirals Club
• Elite status buyback
• Seat selection / Main Cabin Extra fee
• In flight purchases
• There are mixed results on award taxes & fees, change fees, pet fees and upfares
• Bar tab at Admirals Club
• Same day flight change
• Luggage (including curbside baggage fees)
• Link to most recent data points

Delta Air Lines

• Companion ticket taxes
• Award tickets taxes and fees
• Split airfare purchases totaling under $250 on your card (must be paid partially with a gift card or e-credit + the rest on a credit card)
• Comfort Plus upgrades have mixed reports but should be eligible if you ask via chat
• Luggage
• Pet Fees
• Rare data points on Mileage Booster reimbursements
• Seat assignment fees
• In flight purchases
• Award booking fees have mixed reports
• Sky Club access & memberships
• Link to most recent data points

Frontier Airlines (Removed As An Option November 2022)

• Discount Den membership
• Airfare when under $50
• Airfare paid with a mix of vouchers and credit card payment
• Seat selection
• Link to most recent data points

Hawaiian Airlines

• Airfare payments under $50 or when combined with gift card to get it under $50
• Luggage
• Pet fees
• Food & beverage on board
• Seat upgrades / assignments
• Link to most recent data points

JetBlue Airways

• Airfare under $150
• Paying taxes & fees on award bookings (under $300)
• Cancellation fees
• Seat selection
• Even More upgrades
• Split airfare payments putting under $100 on your credit card and paying the rest with a voucher
• Link to most recent data points

Spirit Airlines

• $9 Fare Club membership
• Big Front Seat (not if an upgrade bid)
• Partial airfare payments after using a credit/voucher
• Airfare under $100 (your mileage may vary)
• Link to most recent data points

Southwest Airlines

• Airfare under $109
• Luggage
• Seat fees
• Pet fees
• Early bird check-in, Award fees
• Priority boarding group A1-15
• Split payment of gift card / flight credit and airfare under $100
• In-flight drinks
• Ticket change fee for fare difference
• Link to most recent data points

United Airlines

• Lounge passes
• Smaller award fees
• Luggage
• In flight purchases
• Upgrades / seat assignments
• Same day flight changes
• Seat upgrades at kiosk
• Travel bank loads (dead February 2026)
• Economy+ seats as long as they are under $150 (above that, Amex seems to think the fee is something else). Some reports above that amount though.
• Link to most recent data points

What If You Need To Change Your Selection?

While American Express opens up enrollment for your airline each January, you are not completely out of luck if you need to change it. Maybe you had United selected but the TravelBank option going away has that being a kind of useless selection for you. As long as you have not used any of your Amex airline incidental credit they will likely change it for you as a one time courtesy. Just reach out via chat and ask.

Going into your second cardmember year and beyond, the same airline should be auto selected. It is always good to double check before starting your purchases though. We did see some glitches with this earlier in the year, with the grandfathered airline selection not displaying properly. People did seem to get their credits per usual though.

What Still Works For Amex Airline Incidental Credits In 2026?

This is our best understanding of what still works for Amex airline incidental credits as of writing. There are ultra-rare reports you can find for other things, but 1 isolated person saying it worked for them doesn’t mean it will work for you.

A word of caution as your proceed: planning to use credits in ways that are not specifically mentioned in the terms is not a guaranteed success. While there are solid data points for items that we didn’t mark as “rare”, it’s not a 100% sure thing. Approach these opportunities as a bonus and be happy if you succeed, rather than assuming you’ll get a reimbursement and being disappointed when something in a gray area doesn’t work out for you.