amex travel online portal

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Credit Cards

The complete guide to the Amex Travel portal

Carissa Rawson

Allie Johnson

“Verified by an expert” means that this article has been thoroughly reviewed and evaluated for accuracy.

Robin Saks Frankel

Published 7:39 a.m. UTC Feb. 28, 2024

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The American Express Travel portal offers valuable benefits to American Express cardholders, including special prices. Depending on which card you hold, you may also be able to pay for travel with Membership Rewards® points and get access to perks such as discounted airfare and specialty benefits at luxury hotels. Let’s take a look at how the Amex Travel portal works, whether the benefits are worthwhile and who can access Amex Travel’s website. 

• American Express Travel offers hotels, vacation rentals, flights, rental cars and cruises.
• Luxury hotel benefits and discounted airfare are two benefits of booking through Amex’s travel portal. 
• American Express cardholders can access Amex Travel. 

How to book travel through the Amex Travel portal

Booking travel through the Amex Travel portal requires you to have an online account associated with an Amex card. While you can complete a search on the Amex Travel website without logging in, you will need to do so in order to make a booking.

After you choose whether to book a flight, hotel, vacation rental, vacation package, rental car or cruise, you’ll need to enter your travel details.

For example, if you want to book a flight through Amex Travel, you’ll need to put in your departure airport and destination as well as your dates of travel. The site will then bring up a list of matching results.

You can filter based on when the flights take off as well as how many stops you’re willing to tolerate, among other options. 

The Amex Travel site offers a wide variety of hotel stays and flights, but you’ll always want to double check elsewhere before booking since it doesn’t always feature every option. 

Once you’ve selected a booking, you’ll be taken through the checkout process. This includes providing your personal information and can also include seat requests and adding in loyalty program numbers.

To pay for your booking, you can use your American Express Membership Rewards, if you have a card that earns them, or your American Express card or a combination of both. 

After you’ve booked, you’ll receive a confirmation email containing your reservation information. You can also find your bookings under the My Trips section of Amex Travel.

Who can use the portal?

Any American Express cardholder can use the Amex Travel portal to book travel. But those whose cards don’t earn Amex Membership Rewards points will need to pay with their Amex card.

However, many American Express cards  earn Membership Rewards points that can be redeemed for travel through the Amex Travel portal. These cards include (terms apply):

The Platinum Card® from American Express

• American Express® Gold Card
• American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
• Amex EveryDay® Credit Card * The information for the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express * The information for the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
• American Express® Business Gold Card * The information for the American Express® Business Gold Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

All information about American Express® Green Card, Amex EveryDay® Credit Card, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express and American Express® Business Gold Card has been collected independently by Blueprint.

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Welcome Bonus

Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

Regular APR

Credit score.

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

Editor’s Take

• Over $1,500 in travel and entertainment credits can offset the annual fee.
• Comprehensive lounge access benefit.
• Generous travel and purchase protections.
• High annual fee and spending requirements.
• Amex’s once-per-lifetime rule limits welcome bonus eligibility.
• Annual statement credits have limited use.

Card Details

• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card®. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Up Benefits are excluded.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card®.
• $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply.
• $300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $300 back in statement credits per calendar year on an Equinox membership, or an Equinox club membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you pay with your Platinum Card®. Enrollment required. Visit https://platinum.equinox.com/ to enroll.
• $189 CLEAR® Plus Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR Plus at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues nationwide and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card®. Learn more.
• $100 Global Entry Credit: Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card®. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• $300 SoulCycle At-Home Bike Credit: Get a $300 statement credit for the purchase of a SoulCycle at-home bike with your Platinum Card®. An Equinox+ subscription is required to purchase a SoulCycle at-home bike and access SoulCycle content. Must charge full price of bike in one transaction. Shipping available in the contiguous U.S. only. Enrollment Required.
• Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile.
• $695 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

Is the portal worth using?

The Amex Travel portal can be worth using in certain cases, though it won’t always make sense. For example, some flights aren’t bookable via Amex Travel, so if what you need isn’t available you’ll want to look elsewhere.

That being said, those with certain cards are entitled to exclusive benefits that can lower prices or allow them to redeem points for travel. There are also perks for booking luxury hotels within the portal. In these cases, Amex Travel is definitely worth investigating. 

How to maximize your Amex Travel benefits through the portal

International airline program.

Available to those who hold a high-end American Express card, including The Platinum Card from American Express, The Business Platinum Card from American Express and the American Express Centurion Black Card * The information for the American Express Centurion Black Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. , the International Airline Program (IAP) can save you money on certain international flights booked via the Amex Travel portal. 

All information about American Express Centurion Black Card has been collected independently by Blueprint.

This benefit is only available on tickets booked in premium economy, business or first class, but the savings can be significant. 

For example, we looked at a round-trip flight in premium economy from San Francisco (SFO) to Tokyo (NRT). Booking with Japan Airlines (JAL) directly resulted in a cost of $4,431.40, while the Amex Travel portal and the IAP charged just $3,797.40 for a savings of over $600.

Fine Hotels + Resorts ® and The Hotel Collection

American Express also offers the Fine Hotels and Resorts and The Hotel Collection to eligible cardholders. 

Fine Hotels and Resorts allows guests to book luxury hotels with special benefits. These include room upgrades, complimentary breakfast, an experience credit, late check-out, early check-in and more. 

The Hotel Collection offers similar but less exorbitant benefits. It’s directed toward more midscale properties and includes an experience credit as well as a room upgrade. 

35% rebate on redeemed points

Those who hold The Business Platinum Card from American Express are able to get a 35% rebate on points redeemed for eligible flights booked through the Amex Travel portal (up to 1,000,000 points per calendar year). 

Eligible flights include all fare classes on an airline that you select each year. It also includes first and business class tickets on any airline. 

Quick guide to Amex Membership Rewards

American Express Membership Rewards are the points you earn with eligible Amex cards. These highly flexible and valuable points can be redeemed in a number of ways, though they tend to be most valuable when transferred to Amex airline partners.

Other ways of redeeming Amex points include:

• Gift cards.
• Travel booked via Amex Travel.
• Online shopping. 
• Statement credits. 

While these are nice options to have, you’ll generally get much less value from your Membership Rewards points by redeeming them in these ways. Finally, although you can redeem your points in the Amex Travel portal, this isn’t necessarily a good idea if you aim to reap maximum value. Even if you’re taking advantage of the 35% rebate on redeemed points for flights, you’ll only ever receive a value of 1.54 cents per point. This is lower than you’d expect when transferring your Amex points to many airline and hotel partners. 

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

No, travel insurance is not automatically included when booking through the Amex portal. But many of the best credit cards feature complimentary travel insurance when using your card to pay, including those from American Express. Otherwise, you may be able to opt in to travel insurance during the booking process or via a third party provider.

Those with the The Platinum Card from American Express can earn 5 Membership Rewards® points per $1 for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 per calendar year, 5 points per $1 on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel and 1 point per $1 on other purchases. The card has an annual fee of $695 ( rates & fees ). 

Those with the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express * The information for the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. , meanwhile, earn 5 Membership Rewards points per $1 on flights and prepaid hotels through American Express Travel, 1.5 points per $1 at U.S. construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software and cloud system providers, shipping providers, and purchases of $5,000 or more on up to $2 million per calendar year and 1 point per $1 on other eligible purchases. The card has a $695 annual fee.

All information about The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint.

The phone number for American Express Travel is: 1-800-297-2977.

The number of Amex points that you’ll need to redeem for a flight will depend on the cash cost of your flight and whether you’re booking through Amex Travel or transferring your Membership Rewards points to an Amex airline partner. Amex Points are worth about one cent when booking flights through the portal, so a flight that costs $500 in cash would require about 50,000 Amex points. You’ll typically get a better deal with transfer partners than booking through the portal.

For rates and fees for The Platinum Card® from American Express please visit this page .

*The information for the American Express Centurion Black Card, American Express® Business Gold Card, American Express® Green Card, Amex EveryDay® Credit Card and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy . The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.

Carissa Rawson is a credit cards and award travel expert with nearly a decade of experience. You can find her work in a variety of publications, including Forbes Advisor, Business Insider, The Points Guy, Investopedia, and more. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her in your nearest airport lounge sipping a coffee before her next flight.

Allie is a journalist with a passion for money tips and advice. She's been writing about personal finance since the Great Recession for online publications such as Bankrate, CreditCards.com, MyWalletJoy and ValuePenguin. She's also written personal finance content for Discover, First Horizon Bank, The Hartford, Travelers and Synovus.

Robin Saks Frankel is a credit cards lead editor at USA TODAY Blueprint. Previously, she was a credit cards and personal finance deputy editor for Forbes Advisor. She has also covered credit cards and related content for other national web publications including NerdWallet, Bankrate and HerMoney. She's been featured as a personal finance expert in outlets including CNBC, Business Insider, CBS Marketplace, NASDAQ's Trade Talks and has appeared on or contributed to The New York Times, Fox News, CBS Radio, ABC Radio, NPR, International Business Times and NBC, ABC and CBS TV affiliates nationwide. She holds an M.S. in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University. Follow her on Twitter at @robinsaks.

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Table of Contents

Who can use the American Express Travel portal?

Benefits of booking travel on amex travel, how to book travel in the portal, is travel insurance included when booking through amex travel, downsides of booking via amex travel, final thoughts on the amex travel portal.

The American Express Travel portal is similar to many other online booking sites in that it allows you to purchase flights, hotels and other travel reservations. The main difference is that only those who hold an American Express card can use it.

Certain cards come with additional perks for booking in the portal. For instance, some AmEx cards allow travelers to earn extra points for bookings, receive a 35% points rebate, pay for a portion of the reservation with points, get room upgrades and more. Terms apply.

Here's a look at what the AmEx Travel portal offers and how to use it to maximize your benefits.

American Express Travel flights, hotels and other reservations are available for American Express cardholders. Depending on which American Express card you have, you may earn additional points on your reservation or unlock additional features. Terms apply.

For example, The Platinum Card® from American Express cardholders earn 5x points on flights booked directly with an airline or through AmEx Travel and 5x points on prepaid hotels booked through AmEx Travel. They also have access to the Fine Hotels & Resorts collection through the travel portal. Additionally, American Express® Gold Card and The Platinum Card® from American Express cardholders can book room reservations with The Hotel Collection . Terms apply.

Here are eight reasons why booking with AmEx travel could be a good idea.

1. Earn up to 5x points

When you book flight through the AmEx Travel portal, your credit card may earn additional points for the purchase. In addition, prepaid hotel reservations through the AmEx travel portal also earn extra points. These are a few of the cards that offer a bonus when making reservations through AmEx travel:

on American Express' website

• 5 points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel, on up to $500,000 spent per year.

• 5 points per $1 on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.

• 1 point per $1 on other eligible purchases.

Terms apply.

• 4 points per $1 at restaurant plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.

• 4 points per $1 at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per year).

• 3 points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel.

• 3 points per $1 on eligible travel purchases.

• 3 points per $1 on restaurants worldwide.

• 1 point per $1 on other purchases.

• 2 points per $1 on the first $50,000 in purchases each calendar year.

• 1 point per $1 on purchases above $50,000 in a calendar year.

» Learn more: AmEx Membership Rewards: How to earn and use them

2. Pay for reservations using Pay with Points

With American Express Travel, flights, hotels and more can be paid for with points instead of cash. Members can even choose to pay a portion of the trip with points and the rest with cash. Once your reservations have been booked, the full amount of your trip will be charged to your American Express credit card, and then a credit will be posted for the points redeemed within 48 hours.

You must redeem at least 5,000 points in order to use Pay with Points. Points are redeemed at a value of 1 cent per point when booking flights or making Fine Hotels & Resorts reservations. Other eligible travel receives only 0.7 cents per point. NerdWallet values Membership Rewards points at 2.8 cents per point if you take advantage of transferring to and booking through travel partners, so the redemption rates in the travel portal are significantly below our ideal value.

If you need to cancel your reservation, you'll receive a statement credit on your card for the cash equivalent. Members who would rather have the unused Membership Rewards points returned to their accounts must contact American Express customer service at 800-297-3276. Terms apply.

3. Upgrade flights with points

Eligible flights booked with cash can be upgraded using your American Express Membership Rewards points. You'll receive 1 cent per point credit towards the cost when upgrading a flight with points (which is again below our AmEx point valuation ).

To upgrade your flight with points, select your airline and provide your reservation details in the AmEx travel portal. You will be notified if your flight is eligible or not. If your flight is eligible, you can submit an offer to the airline for the upgrade. The airline will accept or reject your bid between one and five days of your flight's departure and you'll receive a decision via email.

If your upgrade offer is accepted, the points will be deducted from your account. Your statement will show a charge and a credit for the corresponding points.

» Learn more: You can now use AmEx points to bid on flight upgrades

4. Discounted international flights through AmEx IAP

Platinum cardholders have access to discounted flights through International Airline Program (IAP) , which allows members to book first, business and premium economy at a discount on select airlines and routes. Plus, you'll receive 5x Membership Rewards points on the booking when using your The Platinum Card® from American Express or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express to pay for the flight. Terms apply.

There are 25 airlines that participate in this program. You can book refundable and nonrefundable tickets for up to eight passengers through the IAP. Tickets can be paid with your card, points or a combination of the two. You will have to pay a $39 nonrefundable ticketing fee, however the discount received on these tickets should outweigh the fee.

5. Cancel For Any Reason insurance

CFAR is shorthand for an insurance policy that allows you to cancel your trip for any reason whatsoever and receive a refund. In May 2022, AmEx launched its own version of CFAR coverage for airfare booked through the travel portal using an AmEx card.

This feature, called Trip Cancel Guard, will get you up to a 75% reimbursement on nonrefundable airfare costs, provided you cancel at least two calendar days out from your departure. You'll need to purchase Trip Cancel Guard coverage at the point of booking and if you cancel, whether through the airline directly or through AmEx Travel, you can request reimbursement online or over the phone.

» Learn more: The guide to Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) travel insurance

6. 35% points rebate with The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

When The Business Platinum Card® from American Express cardholder book flights using points through the AmEx travel portal, they can receive up to 35% of their points back . The benefit is available on first or business class flights on any airline and all economy flights with their chosen airline. This benefit provides up to 500,000 points back per calendar year.

However, as with all AmEx credits , it's not as straightforward as you may hope. You will have to designate the airline for the 35% rebate and the airline must be the same as the one chosen for the $200 airline incidental credit .

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

7. Fine Hotels & Resorts

The Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando. (Photo by Sally French)

Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR) is a collection of resorts and benefits available only to Platinum Card members. There are over 2,000 properties worldwide that participate in this program. When making reservations with Fine Hotels & Resorts for one night or more, you'll receive the following benefits:

$200 statement credit provided once per year.

Noon check-in (when available).

Room upgrade upon arrival (when available).

Daily breakfast for two.

Guaranteed 4 pm late checkout.

Complimentary in-room WiFi.

Unique property benefit valued at least $100.

These benefits rival those that many travelers receive when booking directly with hotels to obtain elite status perks. Some locations also offer a last-night free benefit, depending upon when you make your reservation. And some of the best hotels to book using FHR credits offer especially-unique amenities.

For example, many theme park fans consider Loews Portofino Bay Hotel as the best FHR hotel in Orlando . That's because — on top of all the above benefits — guests receive complimentary Universal Express Unlimited ride access, which allows you to skip the lines inside the Universal theme parks .

8. The Hotel Collection

The Loews Sapphire Falls at Universal Orlando falls under The Hotel Collection. (Photo by Sally French)

AmEx Gold and Platinum cardholders receive elite status-level perks at more than 600 hotels worldwide. When you stay for two nights or more, you'll receive a $100 resort credit and an upgrade upon arrival (when available). In addition, you can use your AmEx Membership Rewards credit card to book and pay for your reservation entirely or partially with your points.

While you can book travel over the phone with an agent, it is often quicker and more convenient to make your reservations through the AmEx Travel portal.

Here's how to book travel in the American Express travel portal:

Go to americanexpress.com/en-us/travel/ .

Log in with your username and password.

Select flights, hotels, flight + hotel, cars, or cruises.

Enter your travel dates, cities and other relevant information.

Choose options based on your trip.

Pay with your American Express credit card, points, or a combination.

Since you need an American Express card to make reservations through AmEx travel, you may already hold a card that offers complimentary travel insurance . If you don’t get travel insurance perks through your AmEx card, you can purchase Trip Cancel Guard through when making your booking.

Trip Cancel Guard works similarly to CFAR in that it allows you to cancel your trip for any reason whatsoever and get up to a 75% reimbursement of your travel costs as long as the cancellation is made two full days before your trip.

What is the AmEx Travel cancellation policy?

When you book travel through the American Express travel portal, you may be eligible to cancel your reservation within 24 hours and get a full refund. However, the cancellation policy is determined by the airline.

As such, AmEx instructs travelers to refer to the cancellation policy on the itinerary or reach out to customer service with any questions. Terms apply.

There are many appealing reasons why travelers want to book reservations with the AmEx travel portal. However, there are some downsides as well. These are some of the most common reasons why you shouldn't:

Low value for your points. Redeeming points through the AmEx travel portal yields a value of 1 cent per point or less. That's at least a 50% reduction compared to our value of Membership Rewards points.

Complicated customer service. Resolving flight or hotel reservation issues becomes more complicated when you book through a third party such as AmEx travel. The airline or hotel blames the booking agency and may not immediately resolve the problem in some instances. However, providers have no scapegoat when you book direct.

No hotel elite status benefits or loyalty credits. Most hotels require you to book directly to receive elite status benefits, stay credits or earn points. For travelers looking to take advantage of their elite status or earn status for the next year, booking AmEx travel hotel reservations is not a good idea.

Despite the above policy, hotels booked through Fine Hotels & Resorts allow you to earn elite night credit and earn loyalty perks associated with your elite status level on any hotel reservations — regardless if you book in the portal or not.

The AmEx travel portal offers numerous benefits for all American Express cardholders. If you have a Membership Rewards credit card, you can pay for all or part of eligible travel reservations using your points.

And any portion that you pay with your Membership Rewards card can earn up to 5x points. AmEx Travel also offers two hotel collections that provide additional perks similar to elite status benefits.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

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How to use the amex travel portal: booking flights, hotels and more, you can use amex points to book flights, hotels, car rentals and more through its travel portal..

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit  americanexpress.com  to learn more. Information about the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.

Using American Express Membership Rewards (MR) points to book prepaid flights, hotels, cruises, rental cars and vacation packages through the Amex Travel portal can be a great way to save money on your next vacation. But are you really getting the best value by redeeming your hard-earned points this way?

Whether you use the portal or transfer points to an American Express travel partner is up to you, as are other factors — from travel date flexibility, award availability and the type of credit card you're using to personal preferences for brands, seat class and comfort level. These will all come into play during the booking process.

Below, CNBC Select breaks down the best ways to book prepaid flights, hotels, cruises, rental cars and vacation packages with Amex points through the Amex Travel portal.

Our best selections in your inbox. Shopping recommendations that help upgrade your life, delivered weekly.  Sign-up here .

Earning and redeeming Amex Membership Rewards points

You can access the Amex Travel portal and pay for flights, hotels and other travel needs with cash as long as you have an American Express branded credit card, but you will need one that earns Membership Rewards (MR) points to view the number of MR points required for a booking.

Luckily, American Express has several travel rewards cards that you can earn lucrative welcome offers to help you get started:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express : Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $8,000 within the first six months of card membership.
• American Express® Gold Card : Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first 6 months of card membership.
• American Express® Green Card : Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Plus, earn 20% back on eligible travel and transit purchases made during your first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $200 back in the form of a statement credit.
• Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express : Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the card within your first 3 months of card membership.
• The Business Platinum Card from American Express : Earn 120,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 in eligible purchases on the card within your first 3 months of card membership.
• American Express® Business Gold Card : Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $10,000 in eligible purchases on the card within your first 3 months of card membership.

Depending on which credit card you have, there may be opportunities to earn bonus points or receive partial rebates when redeeming MR points for flights. The Platinum Card , for instance, lets cardholders earn 5X points on flights booked through the Amex Travel portal or directly with the airline on up to $500,000 worth of flights per calendar year.

The Business Platinum Card also gives cardholders redeeming MR points for economy flights with their preferred airline or booking premium-class flights through the portal a 35% points rebate (up to 500,000 points per calendar year). Those booking with the American Express Business Gold Credit Card receive a similar rebate of 25% back on up to 250,000 points each year.

Another valuable perk of having The Platinum Card or The Business Platinum Card is the up to $200 annual airline credit you can use to cover checked bag fees, change fees, charges for pet's flights, choosing your seat and inflight amenities with your preferred airline, all of which can quickly add up.

The Platinum Card® from American Express

Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year, 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel, 1X points on all other eligible purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.

Regular APR

See Pay Over Time APR

Balance transfer fee

Foreign transaction fee, credit needed.

Excellent/Good

See rates and fees , terms apply.

Read our The Platinum Card® from American Express review .

Getting started with the American Express Travel portal

Start by logging in to your American Express account. If you're coming from your account's dashboard page, click "Menu" in the top left corner, then select "Travel" to access more options (pictured below) and select "Book a Trip" to head to the main travel portal.

The Amex Travel portal's front page resembles your average travel booking interface, with options to search for flights, hotels, vacation packages, rental cars and cruises.

Below the main search engine, you'll find current information about cancellation policies and other important pandemic travel details. There's also an interactive map showing Covid-19 testing and vaccination requirements around the world.

Hovering over the "Book" button at the top of the page opens a separate menu with shortcuts to various portal perks, like the International Airline Program (IAP), Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection.

Hovering over the "Explore" button in the main menu leads to many of the same shortcuts, plus options for finding a Travel Insider, Special Offers through Fine Hotels + Resorts and information about destinations and premium hotel packages.

Whether you're booking flights, hotels or other travel through the portal, you'll be given an option to "Use Only Points" or "Use Points + Card" so it's up to you if you want to redeem all your points or just some. Either way, your credit card will be charged the full amount and you'll see a credit for the value of the points used posted separately to your account within 48 hours. Be aware that you will have to use an Amex credit card that's enrolled in the Membership Rewards program and redeem at least 5,000 MR points in order to activate the Pay with Points feature. 

Should you need to cancel a booking made with MR points, call 1-800-297-3276 to get them returned. You'll receive a statement credit for any bookings made with your American Express Membership Rewards card through the portal.

How to book flights through the American Express Travel portal

While you're more likely to get the best redemption value by transferring MR points to one Amex's airline partners and taking advantage of airline alliances (Oneworld, SkyTeam, Star Alliance) to book flights, there are still some considerations to keep in mind when it comes to booking through the portal. 

Note that with most Amex Travel Portal bookings your MR points will only be worth 1 cent each towards flights. So if you were booking a $100 flight, you'd need to redeem 10,000 points to cover the cost.

For starters, you'll have more flexibility as far as travel dates and brands, which comes in handy when award availability is limited on certain dates through certain airlines. Flights booked with MR points through the portal are treated as paid bookings, so you won't miss out on earning elite miles or status credits. You'll also be able to see which type of seat you're booking right away, as it's listed on the right side of each search result. 

It's always a good idea to shop around before settling on a redemption method, so price out how many points each flight costs through the Amex Travel portal vs. on the airline's website. Taxes and fees may also be tacked on. Unless you have the Platinum Card or Business Platinum Card , be aware that airline ticket fees of $6.99 for domestic flights and $10.99 for international flights apply when you're booking through the Amex Travel portal.

Note that low-cost carriers like Allegiant Air, Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines aren't part of the Amex Travel portal, though you will be able to find flights with other major American carriers like Delta and United, among other international airline partners.

During the booking process, you'll have a chance to use MR points to upgrade from economy to nonrefundable or refundable seats in premium classes, though it may not provide the best redemption value. If, however, you do have plenty of MR points lying around and crave a fancier flight experience, this is a good option. Again, it all comes down to personal preference and comfort level.

Deals on international flights can also be found by booking through the International Airline Program (IAP), which offers discounts on non-economy tickets when you book flights through one of 26 participating airlines through the Amex Travel portal with a Platinum Card or Business Platinum Card . Flights must begin in the U.S. or select cities in Canada in order to qualify for this perk and you'll have to pay a $39 service fee per ticket.

Filter search results by the number of stops, departure and landing time, airline or flight number, or sort them according to lowest price, flight duration, departure time or Amex recommendation (which usually means Delta flights will appear first, even if they're not necessarily your cheapest option).

Consider the example below, a search for a round-trip nonstop flight from Washington, D.C. to Paris from November 5-12, 2021, booked with the Amex Platinum Card. The results included a Delta flight from $674 or 67,425 MR points.

Alternatively, if you wanted to transfer your Amex MR points directly to Delta (since it's one of American Express' travel partners and you can switch them over at a 1:1 ratio) and redeem them through Delta's website, a round-trip flight would set you back 58,000 Delta SkyMiles plus another $96 in taxes and fees.

In this case, for 9,425 miles less, you'd end up with a better redemption by transferring MR points to Delta instead of going through the Amex Travel portal. But that's not necessarily the case for every flight, so always test it out first to see if using the portal makes the most sense for your travel needs.

To finish booking your flight through the portal, chose your desired route(s), review the details, select your upgrade option and pick how many MR points you'd like to put toward your purchase.

How to book hotels through the American Express Travel portal

As with flights, it's important to make sure you're getting the best deal on your MR points redemption. Consider transferring them to one of Amex's three hotel partners — Hilton Honors at a 1:2 ratio, Marriott Bonvoy at a 1:1 ratio, or Choice Privileges (Choice Hotels) at a 1:1 ratio, though there's a special promotion now through October 31, 2021, that bumps up Hilton and Marriott transfers by 30 percent.

Note that with most Amex Travel Portal bookings your MR points will only be worth .7 cent each towards hotel stays. So if you were booking a $100 hotel you'd need to redeem about 14,300 points to cover the cost. However, if you book a stay through Amex's Fine Hotels & Resorts program your points will be worth a little more, at 1 cent apiece.

Unlike MR points redemptions for flights, hotels booked through the portal are viewed as third-party reservations, so you won't be able to earn hotel points or enjoy status-related perks you'd have by booking directly through the hotel.

Begin your search by plugging in your travel dates and destination. Then, filter results by hotel or brand, star rating, price per night, neighborhood, amenities or accessibility, and sort by name, price, star rating or Amex recommendation.

For the following example, we searched for a seven-night stay booked November 5–12, 2021, with the Amex Platinum Card . The Renaissance Paris Arc De Triomphe Hotel, a Marriott Bonvoy property, was one of the best options, with rates from $306 or 43,723 MR points per night.

When booking the same stay through the Marriott website, you'd need 340,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for seven nights (which breaks down to 48,571 points per night), with nightly cash rates starting at 367 euros or $433. In this case, it would make more sense to book it through the portal. You could also earn 5X points for the stay by paying with the Amex Platinum Card or Business Platinum Card.

Make it a habit to compare the number of points required by the portal with the number of points needed to redeem through each hotel's website, as pricing may be affected by location and time of year, among other factors. To complete your booking through the Amex Travel portal, choose your room type, review the details and select how many points you'd like to use.

Premium cardholders also have access to the Fine Hotels & Resorts program, which adds extra benefits per stay at more than 1,200 properties around the world, based on availability:

• 12 p.m. check-in and guaranteed 4 p.m. late check-out
• Complimentary room upgrades and Wi-Fi
• Daily breakfast for two
• A $100 credit to use toward on-property activities, dining or other perks like airport transfers, depending on your hotel

Additionally, those with the Amex Gold Card, Business Gold Card, Platinum Card, Business Platinum Card , and in some cases, the Centurion Card, can book trips through The Hotel Collection. Note that Amex Gold Card members earn 2X points, while Platinum Card members earn 5X points on such bookings, but all receive the following benefits per stay of two or more nights:

• A credit of up to $100 to use toward on-property dining, spa, or activities
• Room upgrades (based on availability)
• Discounted rates, depending on the hotel

The Amex Travel portal also lets you search for and book vacation packages, which, depending on what kinds of sales are happening at the time, can save you a bundle or end up costing about the same as it would be to book your flight and hotel separately. If you do book a package, note that the same airline ticket fees apply as when you book separately (not for Platinum and Business Platinum cardholders, who have them waived). Cards earning MR points will score 2X points on packages, while those with Amex Platinum and Business Platinum cards will earn 5X points.

How to book cruises and car rentals

While cashing in a ton of MR points for a cruise or car rental may not yield the best redemption (your points will be worth just .7 cents each), it may still be a good option depending on your travel needs.

Click on the "Cruises" tab of the Amex Travel portal homepage to search by cruise line, destination, travel dates and sailing duration. Below, for example, are some results for Mediterranean cruises in November 2021. 

The prices shown reflect the cost per person, based on double occupancy cabins. Depending on which card you're using and the cruise options available, you should be able to redeem Amex MR points for a portion of or all of your sailing. 

Those booking with Membership Rewards credit cards can earn 2X points per dollar spent on cruises booked through the portal, while folks with Platinum Cards or Business Platinum Cards can score stateroom credits of $100–$300 and other onboard perks through the Cruise Privileges program.

As far as car rentals, it's a pretty similar search process — just plug in your destination, whether you want to drop the car off in the same place or in a different location, your dates and the time you want to begin and end your rental.  

Once the results appear, you can filter by the type of car (standard, compact, premium, etc), the option to pay now or later, price per day, pick-up location, rental car company and features like unlimited mileage, automatic vs. manual transmission, Hybrid/Electric cars or 4WD. Sort results by distance or total price.

After choosing your car, you'll be asked if you want to pay now, which means you'll be able to use MR points to book part of or all of your prepaid rental, or pay later, which means you'll have to pay cash at rental car counter — doing so can earn you 2X points per dollar, so it's an easy way to rack up some more MR points.

Next, enter information about the driver, pick how you want to pay (how many points or with cash), and review the rental car policies. As always, it doesn't hurt to comparison shop, so run the numbers through the actual rental car companies before you book to make sure you're getting the biggest bang for your buck.

Bottom line

Booking through the Amex Travel portal is a simple way to redeem your MR points, however you'll usually get much more value from Amex points if you transfer them to an airline or hotel partner's loyalty program. If you do book through Amex's Travel Portal remember that your points are worth 1 cent per point towards flights and .7 cents apiece towards other travel (except when booking a Fine Hotels + Resort property).

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American Express travel portal guide

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Key takeaways

• The American Express travel portal (AmexTravel.com) lets individuals book airfare, hotel stays, cruises and more with cash or points.
• In order to book travel with rewards through this portal, you need an American Express credit card that earns Amex Membership Rewards points.
• While booking through the portal can make sense, there are scenarios where you can save points by transferring them to Amex airline and hotel partners instead.
• Make sure to familiarize yourself with Amex transfer partners so you can make an informed decision on the best ways to use your rewards.

Most popular travel credit cards let you redeem your points in more than one way, including the option to use points to book travel through a portal.

This is true of Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Chase Freedom Flex℠ *, both of which let you book travel directly through the Chase travel portal. But it’s also true for Citi credit cards like the Citi Prestige® Card *, which lets you book airfare, hotels and more through the Citi ThankYou travel portal.

American Express also makes it possible for cardholders to book travel through its own portal, found at AmexTravel.com. This portal works similarly to most of the other travel booking portals you can find online, with the exception that you can shop with American Express Membership Rewards points, cash or a combination of the two.

To book travel with points through AmexTravel.com, all you need is a credit card that earns points in the American Express Membership Rewards program. That said, anyone can book travel through this portal and pay with another form of payment, such as a credit card.

What are the benefits of booking through AmexTravel.com?

AmexTravel.com is a third-party booking site that works similarly to competitors like Expedia.com or Orbitz.com. You can use it to compare prices for airfare, hotels and more across the web, just like you would with another booking site.

But there are more benefits to using this portal if you’re an American Express cardholder. If you have The Business Platinum Card® from American Express , for example, you can get 35 percent of your points back (up to 1,000,000 points per calendar year) when you use rewards to book first or business class tickets or any flight with your selected airline.

Also, note that both the business version and The Platinum Card® from American Express for consumers let you earn 5X points when you purchase prepaid flights or prepaid hotels through American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 in airfare spending with the consumer card). Meanwhile, the popular American Express® Gold Card lets you earn 3X points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com.

Beyond specific cardholder benefits, AmexTravel.com makes it easy to compare flight and hotel options. You may also find offers that include additional benefits when you book a cruise through the portal, such as onboard credits or free specialty meals.

How to use the Amex travel portal to book flights and hotels

Using the Amex travel portal to book flights, hotels, cruises and other travel is a lot like using any other travel booking site. AmexTravel.com is set up to make it easy to search for travel and compare multiple flight and hotel options in one place.

Besides flights, hotels and cruises, you can also use AmexTravel.com to book rental cars and vacation packages. All you have to do is head to AmexTravel.com and enter some basic details on the travel you want to book. From there, you’ll be shown a selection you can choose from.

Cash vs. points

When using the Amex travel portal to pay for hotels, flights and other bookings, you have the option to pay with points, cash or a combination of the two.

To fully or partially pay with points, all you have to do is head to the American Express website and log in to your account. Once you find the travel you want and prepare to book, you can select the option to “Use only points” or to “Use points + card.” You can also pay for travel through AmexTravel.com with only your credit card as payment or use the Amex “Plan it” feature for your booking.

Once you book and choose how you want to pay, your credit card will be charged the full dollar amount of your booking. A credit for any points you used, however, will be applied to your account within 48 hours, per American Express.

Note that you’ll need at least 5,000 Membership Rewards points to pay with points. This rule makes it a little more difficult to use up any leftover points you might have from other bookings. However, it shouldn’t be too hard to reach the 5,000 point threshold for travel if you have an American Express card that earns Membership Rewards points.

When it comes to booking flights, there are a few interesting details to note. If you have an Amex card that offers access to Centurion Lounges or Delta Sky Clubs, for example, you’ll see a note showing qualification for lounge access on flights that apply. You can use Amex points to book a business or first class flight or to upgrade your flight.

You also have the option to transfer your American Express Membership Rewards points to Amex airline and hotel partners . Using the American Express travel portal may or may not be a better deal, but you do get the benefit of booking any travel you want without having to worry about award availability.

Booking flights through Amex

Before you book flights through AmexTravel.com with your points, find out if you could get a better deal by transferring your rewards to an Amex airline partner instead. Fortunately, you can easily find this out by comparing award flights with your favorite airline to what the cost would be for airfare through AmexTravel.com.

Here’s an example of how this could work. Let’s say you want to fly from Indianapolis, Indiana to Miami, Florida on Delta Air Lines on a specific travel date in February of 2024. In that case, you could easily see how many miles you would need on the Delta website by searching for the travel you want and clicking on the button that says “Shop with Miles.”

As you can see, the flight in question starts at 11,500 miles plus $6 in basic economy and 14,500 miles plus $6 in main cabin economy through the Delta website.

Interestingly, whether or not you have a Delta credit card can also come into play here. This is due to the fact that Delta credit cards offer a feature called “TakeOff 15” that automatically grants cardholders 15 percent off flights they book with miles. If you were a Delta credit card customer, this flight would cost you 9,700 miles in basic economy or 12,300 miles in main cabin economy instead.

When you compare this cost to what you would pay for the same flight through AmexTravel.com, it’s easy to see where transferring your Amex points to Delta makes more sense even if you don’t have a Delta credit card. For the same flight on the same travel date, AmexTravel.com wants 18,320 miles.

In the meantime, Amex lets you transfer points to Delta Air Lines at a ratio of 1,000:1,000 in increments of 1,000. This means you would transfer as little as 10,000 Amex points to your Delta SkyMiles account (as a Delta card customer) and make this booking.

This is just one example of how transferring your Amex points to a partner can make more sense than booking a flight through AmexTravel.com. That said, you’ll want to run the numbers with each booking you make before deciding, as there may be scenarios where booking through Amex is a considerably better deal — and you won’t know unless you do the research upfront.

It can also help to familiarize yourself with Amex transfer partners ahead of time so you know what your options are.

Booking hotels through Amex

Using AmexTravel.com to book a hotel or resort stay works similarly, requiring you to enter your travel information to identify properties in the destinations you plan to visit. Once again, you can pay for your booking with points, cash or a combination of the two. You’ll need to have at least 5,000 Membership Rewards points in your account in order to pay with points.

Again, you’ll want to compare your options when deciding whether to book hotels with hotel loyalty points or directly through Amex. That’s because, in addition to the many frequent flyer programs Amex partners with, the program lets you transfer Amex points to the Choice Privileges program, Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy.

Consider the following example: Let’s say you’re planning a trip to Paris, France, and that you want to splurge with Amex points for a stay at the Westin Paris – Vendôme in May of 2024. If you do a quick search on the Marriott Bonvoy website, you can see that free night awards start at 88,000 points per night over your travel dates, and that the cash rate works out to 527 euros per night (around $570 USD, as of this writing).

When you search for the same hotel through AmexTravel.com, however, you can see that a free night award will set you back 75,160 points.

Since Amex points transfer to Marriott Bonvoy at a ratio of 1,000:1,000, this is a scenario where you’re better off using your Amex points to book this hotel directly through the portal. In fact, doing so will save you more than 12,000 points per night.

Pay It Plan It

You can now pay for airline tickets with Pay It Plan It. Amex’s Pay It Plan It is a flexible payment option that allows cardholders to make payments on large purchases over time. With this option, cardholders can avoid interest charges and pay down balances with predictable, monthly payments.

The payment option is only for airline tickets booked through the American Express travel website. At checkout, cardholders are presented with up to three different plans to pay for any flight purchase of $100 or more. Note that the installment payment plan doesn’t have any interest associated with it, but there is a fixed monthly fee based on the card’s APR.

International Airline Program

The business and personal Platinum cards let you access a newer Amex program for frequent flyers known as the International Airline Program. This program was created to increase access to lower fares on 24 participating airlines, but it’s only good for international premium class tickets.

To search for fares that qualify, log in to your personal or business Platinum account. From there, use AmexTravel.com to search for First Class, Business Class or Premium Economy to an international destination. At that point, you may see some flight options that show an International Airline Program banner.

Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts program

Note that select premium American Express credit cards, like the Business Platinum Card from American Express and the Platinum Card from American Express, let you access an additional hotel program known as American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts .

This program lets cardholders book stays at over 1,300 luxury hotels in the world with added benefits worth up to $550 per stay. Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts perks can include:

• Daily breakfast for two people
• 4 p.m. late checkout
• Complimentary internet access
• Noon check-in, based on availability
• Room upgrades based on availability
• Unique resort amenity worth up to $100

The Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts program is available only for eligible premium cardholders. Using this program also typically means going without elite hotel benefits or points for paid stays.

Does American Express cover trip cancellations?

Individual airlines and hotels have their own policies that cover cancellations. AmexTravel.com, however, does offer the option to view all your booked travel and cancel or rebook a flight with ease using your My Trips page. You will still be subject to any change or cancellation fees imposed by the carrier if you’re not covered by a flexible policy or existing waiver.

Some American Express credit cards offer trip cancellation and interruption insurance, which could apply in some situations where you have to cancel or rebook your plans.

Popular cards that offer this benefit include the Business Platinum Card and the Platinum Card, as well as co-branded airline and hotel credit cards like the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card .

Is booking through AmexTravel.com worth it?

Only you can decide which travel booking option works best for your needs. Regardless of the value of rewards earned, some travelers like being able to book directly through a portal that offers multiple options.

AmexTravel.com also gives customers the benefit of booking any travel available on the portal without having to find award space on a flight or search for available award nights in high-demand hotels. American Express Membership Rewards points, however, are usually worth more if you transfer them to Amex transfer partners , particularly airlines.

Either way, it makes sense to compare all your options before you book travel through AmexTravel.com. See if a transfer partner might let you book the flights you want for fewer miles, but don’t be afraid to use AmexTravel.com if you don’t want to deal with award availability or you find a better deal.

Learn more : Check out Bankrate’s travel toolkit for tips and tricks on how to maximize travel with a credit card.

*The information about the Chase Freedom Flex℠ and Citi Prestige® Credit Card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer .

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American Express Travel: Your Guide to Booking Flights, Hotels, Car Rentals, & Cruises

Jarrod West

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Keri Stooksbury

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What Is AmexTravel.com?

Fees for using the portal, searching for flights, insider fares, the hotel collection, american express fine hotels and resorts, standard hotel booking, searching for packages, compare flights+hotel to booking separately, searching for cruises, special offers, cruise privileges program, amextravel.com insiders, final thoughts.

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

American Express is best known as a credit card issuer, but the company also offers other products and services, including travel booking and planning using AmexTravel.com.

While AmexTravel.com is available for anyone (not just cardmembers), holding an Amex card can definitely help you get extra value when using the program.

Here’s a look at what AmexTravel.com is, what services it provides, what the cost to use, the best ways to use it, and when it’s worth using!

At its most basic, AmexTravel.com is an online travel booking portal (or “online travel agency”) just like Expedia , Kayak , and Orbitz .

You can use it to book a whole trip or just a flight, hotel (or flight + hotel packages), rental cars, or even cruises. If you’d like extra assistance from a customer service agent, you can book by phone as well.

Flights booked through the portal can be subject to small fees. However, sometimes the benefits can make these fees worth it, and they’re waived for holders of the Platinum Card ® from American Express .

There are also a few “sub-categories” that fall under the AmexTravel.com umbrella, including the Hotel Collection and Fine Hotels and Resorts .

Why Should You Use AmexTravel.com?

The main reason to book with AmexTravel.com is the incredible customer service . If you run into any problems during your trip (like delays, cancellations, over-bookings, etc.), you can connect with a live travel agent by phone 24/7 who will work with you to find a solution.

Additionally, if you hold an Amex credit card that earns Membership Rewards points, you can often earn 2x points or more by using it to pay for travel services booked through AmexTravel.com.

Hot Tip:  If you use your Amex Platinum card , you can earn 5x Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or with AmexTravel.com. 

Anytime you book a flight through AmexTravel.com (either on its own or as part of a package), you’ll pay a fee of $6.99 for domestic flights and $10.99 for international flights .

These fees are waived if you have the Amex Platinum card and are logged into your account.

If you choose to book a flight by phone rather than online, there’s an added $39 phone service fee .

If you make changes to your flight, there’s a $39 reissue fee in addition to whatever fee the airline charges. This only applies to advance changes, not changes due to problems like canceled flights .

Below, we’ll take a look at how to use AmexTravel.com to book flights, hotels, vacation packages, rental cars, and cruises.

Booking Flights With AmexTravel.com

Searching for flights with AmexTravel.com is similar to other online travel agencies. You can search by city or by specific airport, select your departure and return dates, and click whether you want to search for lower fares within 3 days of your chosen dates.

On the results page, American Express lists the most relevant Delta result at the top highlighted as a “featured airline.” The featured airline is followed by the lowest available fares.

When you scroll down, you can use the controls on the left sidebar to filter the results by the number of stops, departure/arrival times, airline, or even specific flight number.

By default, flights are displayed in price order starting with the lowest, except for a featured Delta flight at the top (when available). At the top of the search window above the results, all available airlines are shown, as well as the lowest available price with each airline.

Depending on your search, you may see a blue tab labeled “Insider Fares Available” above some of the airlines listed at the top of the search window.

These are discounted fares, and they only apply if you pay for the entire flight with Membership Rewards rather than cash. Note that cash prices are rounded to the nearest dollar.

If you’re logged in and have enough Membership Rewards points to cover the entire flight, you will be able to see these discounted fares.

For example, in the below search, you’ll see an example of an Insider Fare available for purchase. The Insider Fare offered a slight discount rather than just matching the cash price in points with each point worth 1 cent (more on that below).

The difference can be fairly minimal. In the JFK-ATL example above, the discount was from 25,259 Membership Rewards points to 24,120 — changing the value from 1 cent per point to about 1.05 cents per point .

Amextravel.com charges a fee to book, but they bundle this into the displayed price. The fee is $6.99 per domestic ticket or $10.99 per international ticket. These fees are waived as a benefit of the Amex Platinum card , just make sure you’re logged into your Amex account when booking.

Hot Tip: AmexTravel.com now offers Trip Cancel Guard coverage that you can add when purchasing flights via AmexTravel.com whether paying with an American Express card, with Membership Rewards points using the Pay With Points option, or a combination of both. It provides for reimbursement of up to 75% of the cost of the non-refundable prepaid flight expense, penalty and change fees caused by the cancellation, or the amount of any expired vouchers/flight credits received for the canceled flight. Coverage is applicable when your flight is canceled for any reason and is valid until 2 full calendar days prior to your trip’s originally scheduled departure date.

When searching several different flights across different online travel agents, we found similar results to the below example each time.

To compare prices, we searched multiple online travel agents and portals using the same search parameters: departing John F. Kennedy-New York (JFK), arriving at London-Heathrow International (LHR), round-trip, 1 traveler, economy, and nonstop on specific dates.

We selected the lowest-priced nonstop flight available through AmexTravel.com: a Finnair flight operated by Oneworld partner , American Airlines.

When searching on AmexTravel.com, the flight was $595.86. This breaks down to $133 in base fare and $462.86 of government, airline, and American Express-imposed fees.

We received the same search results when we replicated this search on Finnair’s U.S. website, Kayak, and Orbitz.

In a second search, we looked for a domestic round-trip from Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) to Los Angeles International (LAX) on the same dates. This flight was priced at $199.40. Keep in mind, you would usually see this rate plus the $6.99 Amex booking fee, but again, this is waived for Amex Platinum cardholders.

When cross-referencing this itinerary on Delta’s website, we found the same price listed for a regular economy fare of $199.40. However, there was a basic economy option that was a bit cheaper, which was not available through AmexTravel.com.

Other online travel portals, including Orbitz and Kayak , listed the same price.

This means, if you’re already set on the specific itinerary you want to fly, booking through AmexTravel.com can often cost the same as booking directly with the airline, or through a third party . This assumes you receive waived booking fees for being an Amex Platinum cardholder.

However, what if you’re just looking for the cheapest flight on a particular day? If you do a general search for a route on set dates, will AmexTravel.com find the same rates as other portals? In our experience, the answer is no.

In our example search, here are the lowest available regular economy non-stop flights we could find between New York (any airport) and London (any airport) when searching the same set of dates on a few different websites (sorted by price ascending):

*Including a $10.99 AmexTravel.com booking fee.

The reason for these results is likely due to the fact that the Amex portal doesn’t include some low-cost carriers like Norwegian, so travel portals that do will often win on price.

Even excluding the low-cost carriers, though, other portals like Expedia and Orbitz were able to offer lower fares by about $15.

That said, AmexTravel.com was able to find about the same fares you would find when booking directly with an airline.

Hot Tip: If you hold The Business Platinum Card ® from American Express you can get a 35% rebate on select flights when you pay with points through AmexTravel.com.

AmexTravel.com Hotel Programs

There are actually 3 programs offered for booking hotels:

• Fine Hotels and Resorts
• AmexTravel.com booking (standard)

What Is The Hotel Collection?

The Hotel Collection is a program through AmexTravel.com only available to holders of certain cards:

• The American Express ® Gold Card and the American Express ® Business Gold Card

The Amex Platinum card and the Business Platinum Card ® from American Express

The Centurion card

Perks of The Hotel Collection

When you book a hotel through The Hotel Collection, you get certain perks including:

• Room upgrade at check-in (if available)
• Up to a $100 hotel credit for on-site amenities like the restaurant, bar, room service, or spa
• Ability to use Pay With Points on prepaid reservations
• 3x Membership Rewards points for Amex Gold cardholders on prepaid bookings
• 5x Membership Rewards points for Amex Platinum cardholders on prepaid reservations
• Up to $200 credit each year towards prepaid hotel reservations with either The Hotel Collection (2-night stay) or Fine Hotels and Resorts with select credit cards

Usually, American Express guarantees that any hotel booked through AmexTravel.com will have the lowest publicly-available rates (prepaid rates only), but this rule does not apply to bookings through The Hotel Collection per the terms & conditions . Be certain to check multiple booking options to ensure you’re getting the best deal.

Rooms have to be booked through AmexTravel.com. That means that if you book directly through the hotel or another service, you won’t get the perks, even if the hotel is a part of The Hotel Collection and you pay for the stay with your American Express card.

Further, you must stay a minimum of 2 nights , and you cannot book consecutive stays within 24 hours of each other.

The good news is that these benefits are available for up to 3 rooms per stay . So if you book 3 rooms for family members, you’ll get a total hotel service credit of up to $300.

Hotel Points and Elite Benefits

Typically, you won’t earn points through a hotel loyalty program if you book through a third party, and this includes the AmexTravel.com portal.

Further, you won’t get any elite benefits that you might otherwise be entitled to if you have status with that hotel chain.

Bottom Line:  The Hotel Collection is potentially useful if you’re planning to pay with your eligible Membership Rewards-earning card. This comes at the expense of hotel-specific elite benefits, including points and elite credits in any hotel loyalty program.

What Is the Fine Hotels and Resorts Program?

AmexTravel.com runs a second hotel program called Fine Hotels and Resorts (FHR). It can be a little bit confusing since it sounds like it would overlap with the Hotel Collection, but that’s not the case.

The Fine Hotels and Resorts program is exclusive to Amex Platinum cardholders (personal or business) , as well as those with the invitation-only Centurion Card .

FHR includes different hotels and resorts than The Hotel Collection, with minimal overlap. The FHR collection tends to be more geared toward leisure travelers who wish to book stays at higher-end properties.

Perks of Fine Hotels and Resorts

Booking hotels through the Fine Hotels and Resorts collection entitles you to a handful of potentially valuable perks, including:

• Early noon check-in (when available)
• Room upgrade on arrival (when available)
• Daily breakfast for 2 people
• Guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout
• Complimentary Wi-Fi
• A unique amenity valued at $100 or more; examples include a property credit, dining credit, spa credit, or similar amenity

Unlike The Hotel Collection, rooms booked through Fine Hotels and Resorts are not all prepaid. In fact, most are standard rates that you’ll pay for at the end of your stay when you check out. In comparing several properties, including the Park Hyatt in Chicago, we found rates identical to the non-prepaid rates when booking directly through the hotel.

However, keep in mind that the hotel may directly offer prepaid and early-purchase options which may be much cheaper, though you won’t benefit from the Fine Hotels and Resorts perks.

There are fewer terms with Fine Hotels and Resorts than with The Hotel Collection. You must book through AmexTravel.com/FHR to receive the benefits .

As with The Hotel Collection, if you book directly with the hotel or through a different travel agency or portal, you won’t be able to claim FHR benefits even if it’s a participating hotel. Other terms vary by property.

Good news here! Unlike stays booked through The Hotel Collection, stays through American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts count as “qualifying rates” for hotel loyalty programs. That means if you’re staying at a hotel that’s part of a loyalty program, you’ll be able to earn points and receive the relevant benefits if you hold elite status.

Hot Tip: Want to know about the differences between these programs? Dig into our dedicated guide on the differences between the Hotel Collection and Fine Hotels & Resorts .

Searching Hotels

Searching for hotels at AmexTravel.com works more or less the same as with flights. You enter your city, dates, number of rooms, and guests. You can check a box to have properties from The Hotel Collection and Fine Hotels and Resorts displayed at the top.

Of course, if you’re interested in booking through either of those programs, you could also just book on their dedicated pages.

By default, search results are ranked by “recommended,” which seems to be decided by an algorithm factoring in price, location, and reviews.

Terms vary by the specific hotel and rate you book, so make sure to read the fine print.

The site can be a bit confusing when trying to compare prices since American Express doesn’t include all taxes and fees in the price displayed (while some hotel websites do).

For example, we searched for a 4-night stay at the Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill. American Express quoted an average of $337/night, which should make the total stay around $1,348. When you go to book, though, the total with fees is $1,625.

While it initially looks more expensive to book directly with Hyatt (where the cost is quoted at $404/night), that price includes all taxes and fees , so you’ll actually pay $1,611, or $14 less.

Our search for the Marriott Regent Park yielded similar results. It’s listed at $233/night in the search function, which implies the total to be $932.

In reality, once you click through, the total is $1,120. Booking directly with Marriott, rates are listed at $261/night, but that includes taxes and fees — for a total prepaid rate of $1,080.

For the 2 hotels in question, here’s how total prices compared through different portals (sorted by price ascending):

In both tickets, AmexTravel.com was within a few dollars of the other online travel agencies, which were all more expensive than booking directly through the hotel’s website.

Similar to The Hotel Collection, rates booked through AmexTravel.com aren’t eligible for elite benefits or hotel loyalty points.

Bottom Line:  Like most other online travel portals and agencies, prices can vary between AmexTravel.com and the hotel’s direct booking channel. You won’t get elite benefits or hotel points, so it might be worth booking directly if those are valuable to you. 

Flights+Hotel Packages

Like with many online travel portals and even airline websites, you can book packages that include flights and hotels through AmexTravel.com. Usually, the point of booking these packages is to get a discount, special perks, or promotions.

The search window for Flights+Hotels is simple: input airports (or cities), dates, number of travelers, and rooms. Results are listed in a recommended order by default just like when searching for a standard hotel.

Terms vary by the specific package you book, so make sure to read the fine print !

As with standalone flight reservations, AmexTravel.com charges a fee to book Flights+Hotel packages: $6.99 per domestic ticket or $10.99 per international ticket .

Again, these fees are waived for holders of the Amex Platinum card  or the Centurion card.

In the results field, a total starting price  per person is listed, including all taxes and fees with the cheapest flight option. American Express also lists how much you’re saving with the package, although this is missing for some hotels.

Once you select the hotel, you can customize your flight. The total price changes based on which flight you select.

In a sample search, we chose the Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill, and picked the cheapest nonstop flight: British Airways flight, which was Newark Liberty International (EWR) to LHR and London-Gatwick (LGW) to JFK. The package came to $1,446 per person, or $2,892 total.

Annoyingly, AmexTravel.com doesn’t show a breakdown of hotel and airfare costs and fees; instead, it just displays a total per person.

For comparison, you can search the flight and hotels separately. We tried searching for the flight first on the same day.

We found Finnair flights operated by American Airlines for $660 per person — an option that wasn’t offered as part of the package (although with the booking fee, the flights should have been $671). When we filtered the search to British Airways only, it showed a ton of options for $671.

Searching hotels next, we again chose the Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill’s lowest prepaid rate. It was listed as $337 per night for 1 room (plus taxes and fees), for a total of $2,031. For the 2 flights and the hotel, that comes to a total of $3,351, or $1,675.50 per person.

In this case, booking the trip as a package saves almost $460, even though the search results page didn’t highlight any savings specifically.

The main downside to booking a package is that you have less flexibility. Say you want to change hotels for part of the trip or maybe stay with a friend for the last few days. This isn’t an option because you must book a single hotel for the entire time between your flights. It can also make solutions harder to find if there are any problems — although the AmexTravel.com customer support should make up for that.

Bottom Line:  If you’re using AmexTravel.com and your plans allow for the lack of flexibility, you might be able to save a lot of money with a package. Just make sure to compare the listed price to booking everything separately. Note that you can’t book a package retroactively: you have to book the flights and hotel at the same time. 

Rental Cars

AmexTravel.com also offers a rental car booking service. You can make reservations from rental stations at airports and elsewhere.

To search for rental cars, simply enter an airport or city . You can also click a button to search near a specific address.

Results are shown in a handy grid format, with each column showing a different rental company, and each row displaying the pricing for a different category of car (economy, compact, midsize, and so on).

Bookings of up to 4 days are charged a daily rate, while bookings 5-7 days are charged on a weekly basis. There are specific rates for weekends and weekdays, as well as monthly options, with specific details varying by the rental agency.

In several sample searches, prices were generally consistent with other online travel agencies — though sometimes lower by $1-$2/day. Prices were identical to booking with the rental company directly.

Bottom Line:  Renting a car through AmexTravel.com doesn’t get you any benefits above what you’d receive for paying with your credit card, such as the collision damage waiver for paying with your Amex Platinum card. However, the convenient search page makes it a great option for comparing multiple prices at once. 

AmexTravel.com also offers tools to book cruises . In addition to letting you search for cruises all over the world, AmexTravel.com periodically highlights special offers on cruises, usually in the form of credits to use onboard.

To search for cruises, you need to enter the region you want to travel in, the cruise line(s) you want to travel with (or search all available lines), the month you’re planning the trip for, and the approximate length of the cruise you want.

Results are shown in order, from the lowest-priced option to the highest . Note that this is based on the lowest available rate; hovering over any result will show all available cabin types and the corresponding prices.

Under each result, the information shown includes the port of departure/return, date of departure, and ports visited.

Hot Tip:  Wondering what to pack for your time at sea? Check out our ultimate cruise-based packing list  — it’s printable and complete with tons of tips and advice!

Cruise rates booked through AmexTravel.com were within $1-2 of rates found on other online travel agents and websites . We found identical prices on the various cruise company websites — though each online travel portal and cruise line offers different promotions, so it might be worth comparing them.

For example, during a sample search for a weeklong Caribbean cruise in December, we found that Royal Caribbean was offering a $50 onboard credit if you booked directly.

On the search results page, you might notice a tab labeled “Special Offers.” Those offers are generally onboard credits, but can also include discounts or other special features. If you aren’t committed to a specific cruise line, these are often worth exploring.

Those with the Amex Platinum card have special access to the Cruise Privileges Program . Like the Fine Hotels and Resorts program, this is only available on specific cruises, although it’s more limited than FHR.

It includes onboard credit (often higher than otherwise offered) and a special onboard amenity, like complimentary dinner for 2 or a bottle of premium champagne.

Bottom Line: It can be worth booking a cruise through AmexTravel.com, especially if there are special offers. Make sure to compare different booking sites , though, as some may have better or exclusive promotions.

AmexTravel.com offers a feature called Travel Insiders. When you use the program, American Express connects you with a travel expert who can help you plan an itinerary based around your desired destination. Fees vary based on location, length of the trip, and details of the itinerary.

AmexTravel.com can be a very useful tool when booking flights, hotels, vacation packages, cruises, or rental cars. In many cases, it may not offer the best rate options , but it’s worth comparing to other booking sites and airlines or hotels directly.

If you have an American Express card that offers access to the Hotel Collection or Fine Hotels and Resorts, the perks can be very worthwhile.

Additionally, the extra Membership Rewards points you earn by booking through AmexTravel.com can be valuable, as long as the price is right.

Aside from the Hotel Collection and Fine Hotels and Resorts, the real value of AmexTravel.com is in the customer service provided. Booking a trip on your own is easy — dealing with problems when they arise can be less so!

If you book through AmexTravel.com, you’ll have easy access to someone who can help you get on a new flight, find a new hotel, or manage whatever other issues come up day or night. So if you’re looking to have that extra support, then AmexTravel.com might be a great choice for you!

The information regarding the Centurion ® Card from American Express was independently collected by Upgraded Points and was not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. 

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card ® from American Express, click here . For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card ® from American Express, click here . For rates and fees of the American Express ® Gold Card, click  here . For rates and fees of the American Express ® Business Gold Card, click here .

Frequently Asked Questions

What is american express travel.

AmexTravel.com is an O nline  T ravel  A gency (OTA), just like Orbitz , Kayak , or Expedia . You can book flights, hotels, rental cars, or cruises through AmexTravel.com.

Do I need an American Express card to use Amex Travel services?

Whether or not you have an American Express card, you can book flights, hotels, rental cars, or cruises through AmexTravel.com. If you do have an Amex card, you might be eligible for certain perks or rewards.

Does American Express Travel cost anything?

If you book a flight through AmexTravel.com, there’s a small fee ($6.99 for domestic flights, $10.99 for international) that fee is waived for Amex Platinum, Amex Business Platinum, and Centurion cardmembers. Other services, like hotels and cruises, do not have fees.

Why should I book with American Express Travel?

AmexTravel.com has very helpful customer service resources. If you have any problems with your trip (like a canceled flight), you can call an agent who can help solve the issue.

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About Jarrod West

Boasting a portfolio of over 20 cards, Jarrod has been an expert in the points and miles space for over 6 years. He earns and redeems over 1 million points per year and his work has been featured in outlets like The New York Times.

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• Introduction to Amex Travel
• Amex Membership Rewards Overview
• Amex Travel Benefits
• Amex Travel Drawbacks
• Amex Credit Cards

Booking with American Express Travel

• Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts
• The Hotel Collection

Navigating American Express Travel: Benefits, Booking, and Tips in 2024

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The information for the following product(s) has been collected independently by Business Insider: American Express® Green Card, Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card, Amex EveryDay® Credit Card. The details for these products have not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.

• The American Express Travel Portal works much like an online travel agency for Amex cardholders.
• Use Membership Rewards points, cash, or combine both to book flights, hotels, cars, and more.
• Some cardholders get exclusive deals including luxury hotel benefits and premium flight discounts.
• Read Business Insider's guide to the best American Express cards .

This guide explains what you need to know about booking airfare, hotels, and more through the Amex Travel Portal — and how to make the most of your Amex points.

Introduction to American Express Travel

The American Express Travel Portal is a one-stop website for booking flights, hotel stays, rental cars, cruises, and vacation packages. This third-party travel booking platform is primarily designed for people who have an Amex card that earns Membership Rewards points , like The Platinum Card® from American Express, American Express® Gold Card, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, or American Express® Business Gold Card.

American Express Membership Rewards Overview

The American Express Membership Rewards program is one of the most popular and valuable credit card "currencies" because rewards can be used in a variety of ways . You can use Membership Rewards points to pay down your credit card balance.

You can also purchase gift cards, merchandise, food delivery, and more, in addition to booking travel through the Amex Travel Portal. You can also transfer Membership Rewards points over 20 Amex airline and hotel partners  including Delta , British Airways, and Hilton .

How Amex Travel benefits American Express cardholders

Amex Travel functions much the same way as online travel agencies (OTAs) such as Expedia or Booking.com, allowing you to search for and book flights, hotels, rental cars, vacation packages, and cruises.

Anyone can use Amex Travel, but the best deals and benefits are reserved for American Express cardholders. When you have a credit card that earns Amex Membership Rewards points, you'll have to option to pay for your booking with points (if it's prepaid), your Amex card, or a combination of both. Additionally, you'll earn bonus points when you pay for travel with a Membership Rewards credit card. 

The Amex Travel portal is also where Amex Platinum Card, Amex Business Platinum Card, Amex Gold Card, and Amex Business Gold Card members can access The Hotel Collection to receive room upgrades and an onsite credit to use at participating hotels.

And if you have a Amex Platinum Card or Amex Business Platinum Card, you'll have access to the International Airline Program , which offers lower fares for international premium-class travel on over 20 airlines, and the Fine Hotels & Resorts collection for hotel stays. 

Always compare the cash price of an airline ticket or hotel room before you transfer any type of flexible points to a travel partner. In some cases, you'll pay fewer points by redeeming points for a paid booking instead of an award flight or stay.

Benefits of American Express Travel

As with any OTA, there are pros and cons to using Amex Travel. Here are some of the main considerations for you to understand. 

Use your Amex points at any time

One of the biggest benefits is being able to redeem your points for travel without having to worry about award charts, blackout dates, or transfer partners. Amex Travel makes it simple to use your points, even with independent hotels and smaller airlines without a popular loyalty program.

You'll still earn airline miles and elite-qualifying miles

You won't earn points or elite night credits when you book a hotel with Amex Travel, but you can earn airline and work toward elite qualification on flights, as long as your frequent flyer number is on the reservation. 

Earn bonus points when paying with certain Amex cards

Some American Express cards earn bonus points for travel booked through the Amex travel portal. For example, Amex Platinum Card earns 5 points per dollar spent on airfare booked with Amex Travel or directly with airlines on up to $500,000 in spending per year, and the Amex Gold Card earns 3x points in the same categories with no limit.

Platinum cardholders get discounts on premium airfare

Amex Platinum Card and Amex Business Platinum Card members can access discounts on international premium-class flights through the International Airline Program, and sometimes save hundreds of dollars per ticket.

Get bonus perks at luxury hotels through Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts and The Hotel Collection

Platinum cardholders can book through the Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts program within the travel portal, which gets you upgrades, free breakfast, and elite-like benefits at participating properties. Gold and Platinum cardholders can also book through The Hotel Collection, another program also found within Amex Travel, to get extras including onsite credits and other perks.

Downsides of American Express Travel

Now that we've listed a number of Amex Travel benefits, there are some drawbacks that may significantly impact your booking strategy.

You won't earn hotel credit or elite status when booking through Amex Travel

Most hotels will not let you earn loyalty program points or elite credits on stays booked through Amex Travel, and you may not be able to use your hotel elite status benefits during your stay. This is because most properties consider the Amex travel portal to be a third-party booking site, and elite benefits usually apply only when you book directly with the hotel. 

This drawback won't matter as much at smaller chains or boutique hotels, but you'll need to weigh the benefits of booking through Amex if you're chasing elite status with a major chain such as Marriott or Hilton.

Trip changes, interruptions, and cancellations can be harder to change through Amex Travel 

Many airlines allow you to change your flights these days, especially if you booked a refundable fare or are willing to pay some additional fees. But when you book through a third-party website like Amex Travel, you may get mixed messages regarding which company you should contact if you need to change your travel plans.

During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, many travelers ping-ponged back and forth between customer service representatives at the airline that canceled their flight home, as well as those from the third-party OTA that sold them their ticket. 

American Express Membership Rewards cards

Limited time offer: Earn 10X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide for three months, on up to $25,000 in purchases when eligible card member refers a friend and the friend applies by May 22, 2024 and gets the card (terms apply). Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 per calendar year) and on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Earn 1X Points on other purchases.

See Pay Over Time APR

Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points

Good to Excellent

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Long list of travel benefits, including airport lounge access and complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott (enrollment required)
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Annual statement credits with Saks and Uber
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Bonus categories leave something to be desired
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. One of the highest annual fees among premium travel cards

If you want as many premium travel perks as possible, The Platinum Card® from American Express could be the right card for you. The annual fee is high, but you get a long list of benefits such as airport lounge access, travel statement credits, complimentary hotel elite status, and more.

• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card®. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Up Benefits are excluded.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card®.
• $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply.
• $300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $300 back in statement credits per calendar year on an Equinox membership, or an Equinox club membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you pay with your Platinum Card®. Enrollment required. Visit https://platinum.equinox.com/ to enroll.
• $189 CLEAR® Plus Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR Plus at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues nationwide and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card®. Learn more.
• $100 Global Entry Credit: Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card®. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• $300 SoulCycle At-Home Bike Credit: Get a $300 statement credit for the purchase of a SoulCycle at-home bike with your Platinum Card®. An Equinox+ subscription is required to purchase a SoulCycle at-home bike and access SoulCycle content. Must charge full price of bike in one transaction. Shipping available in the contiguous U.S. only. Enrollment Required.
• Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile.
• $695 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

To get the most from the Amex Travel Portal, you'll need a card that earns American Express Membership Rewards points . There are a number of options including premium cards, small business credit cards, and cards with a low or no annual fee.

Personal cards that earn Amex Membership Rewards points include:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express (read our Amex Platinum card review )
• American Express® Gold Card (read our Amex Gold card review )
• American Express® Green Card (read our Amex Green card review )
• Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card (read our Amex EveryDay Preferred card review )
• Amex EveryDay® Credit Card (read our Amex EveryDay card review )

Small business Amex Membership Rewards cards include:

• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (read our Amex Business Platinum card review )
• American Express® Business Gold Card (read our Amex Business Gold card review )
• The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (read our Amex Blue Business Plus card review )

Now let's take a look at each part of the Amex Travel portal. 

Book flights through Amex Travel 

To get started, navigate to American Express Travel and click the "Flights" tab on the homepage, then enter your departure airport, destination, travel dates, and the number of passengers. You'll also select whether you want a round-trip or one-way flight, class of service, and if you prefer non-stop flights.

On the next page, you'll see a list of flight options with a set of filters on the left side of the screen. You can filter based on the number of stops, departure and arrival time, airline, fare type, and any available benefits from your cards. 

American Express has a preferred relationship with Delta, so you'll see Delta flights listed first when they're available. Further down the list, flights are arranged by price, starting with the lowest. Next to each option, you'll see how many bonus points you'll earn and any other perks you'll receive.

For example, I have Amex Platinum Card and see a note that says I can enter the Delta Sky Club or Centurion Lounge when I fly out of LaGuardia in New York. The search results also remind me that Delta is a featured airline and I'll earn 5x points on my booking. 

The fares you'll see are often the same as what you'll find on other websites, including booking directly with the airline. Sometimes they're an extra few dollars so it's worth double-checking, but for the most part, they're similar. 

Note that Amex normally charges a fee of $6.99 per domestic ticket and $10.99 per international ticket you book through the website. This fee is waived if you have a Amex Platinum Card or Amex Business Platinum Card. You can purchase a maximum of nine tickets per transaction. 

Remember that you'll still earn miles and have your airline elite status recognized when you fly as long as your frequent flyer number is attached to your reservation when you book through a third-party OTA. If you forget, you can always add it through the airline later on.

Note that you will not see budget airlines listed on AmexTravel.com. That includes popular options like Norwegian, Southwest, Spirit, Sun Country, and others. Because of this, there may be cheaper options available that aren't displayed, so it's worth double-checking directly if you have a low-cost airline you like to fly.

Book with cash, points, or a combination of both — or set up a Buy Now, Pay Later plan 

If you have a Membership Rewards-earning card, you can use your points to partially or completely pay for travel on the Amex Travel portal, including flights, hotels, cruises, and car rentals.

You can also choose to pay entirely with your Amex card, and there's a new payment option. Amex personal cardholders now have the choice, at checkout, to pay for their flight over time with Plan It — Amex's buy now, pay later feature.   

Plan It is an existing program, but the ability to set up a payment plan directly at checkout with Amex Travel is brand new. Cardholders can create up to three plans to pay for flight purchases of $100 or more in monthly installments with a fixed monthly fee and no interest.

You'll see each option on the final payment screen: select to use all points, all cash, a combination of both, or set up monthly installments with Plan It.

Note that when you use points and cash, you must redeem a minimum of 5,000 points. Each point is worth 1 cent toward airfare, so this comes to at least $50 toward your trip. 

No matter how you pay, you'll be able to earn miles and credit toward elite status when you fly because they're all treated as cash bookings by the airlines. 

If you have Amex Business Platinum Card and choose to use points to pay for your flights, you'll receive 35% of your points back as a rebate for economy fares on your selected airline , up to 500,000 points per calendar year. You'll get this same rebate on business or first-class flights on any airline as well. 

Insider Fares displayed on the Amex Travel Portal

Flights with Insider Fares are an exception to the rules above, which are directly discounted exclusively for Amex customers.

Your points are worth a little more than 1 cent each on Insider Fares, and the exact value varies based on the flight. These fares are only available with points bookings, and you must use your Membership Rewards points to cover the entire fare cost. As a result, you won't see these fares in the Amex Travel portal if you don't have enough points to cover the flight. 

Don't forget the International Airline Program if you have a Platinum Card

If you have Amex Platinum Card or Amex Business Platinum Card, you also have access to the International Airline Program , which offers lower fares on premium-class international travel. More than 25 airlines participate in the program, and savings can be substantial compared to published fares. 

You can buy discounted fares in premium economy, business, or first-class through this program. The exact savings you'll get varies based on the airline and route, but can often be several hundreds of dollars. That's a great deal if you're someone who books paid travel to fly internationally. 

Read more: You can transfer Amex points to 22 loyalty programs to book travel, from first class to Japan on ANA to hotel stays with Hilton

You can cover much of the card's annual fee with the savings from just one well-priced booking. There's also no limit to how much you can save, or how often you can take advantage of the lower fares offered here. 

Book hotels through Amex Travel

Booking a hotel stay functions much the same as the flight booking process. Make sure the "Hotels" tab is selected, then enter your trip details.

Again, you have the opportunity to use cash, points, or a combination of both to pay for your stay (the Plan It feature isn't available through Amex Travel for hotel bookings). Prices are usually similar to booking directly, but some of the big-chain hotels cost a few dollars more, presumably because Amex is adding their commission to the cost. 

An important reminder: There is one major caveat to booking hotels through American Express Travel, or any third-party booking site for that matter. You will not earn hotel points or elite status credit and likely will not have your elite status recognized when you book through the portal. If you care about earning points and elite status, you should avoid booking through third-party sites like this one.

However, if you're booking an independent or boutique hotel that isn't part of any rewards programs or like the simplicity of booking this way, this isn't an issue. And sometimes the hotel you choose is based on location or other personal preferences. 

Book with Fine Hotels & Resorts: Amex Travel's luxury hotel program

What is amex fine hotels & resorts.

The Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts (FHR) program offers select American Express card members exclusive benefits at over 1,300 hand-picked luxury properties. The list is vetted and periodically reviewed to ensure every hotel and resort meets Amex's exacting standards. American Express isn't the only credit card issuer to curate a luxury hotel booking program , but Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts sets the standard among them.

Properties are added to and (occasionally) removed from the Fine Hotels and Resorts program over time, so the list isn't static. You'll find far-flung tropical beach escapes, stately mountain ski lodges, lavish city digs, and tranquil countryside retreats in dozens of countries worldwide. These properties range from high-end to very high-end, with many charging thousands of dollars per night. In short, Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts isn't a good fit for traveling on a tight budget, but not all prices are stratospheric, and the program benefits can elevate any stay regardless of cost.

Who can book American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts stays?

To book an Amex FHR stay, you must have The Platinum Card® from American Express , The Business Platinum Card® from American Express , or  Centurion Card (also known as the Black Card). Different versions of the Platinum card are all eligible, including co-branded cards from Charles Schwab and Morgan Stanley. These are all premium cards that carry hefty annual fees in exchange for high-end benefits .

You must use your eligible card to book your stay, and payment must be made in the primary card member's name. That means you generally can't book Fine Hotels and Resorts stays for other people, though you can book additional rooms for your party.

You can book online through the landing page for Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts or by searching for hotels at American Express Travel and limiting the results to Fine Hotels and Resorts properties. You can also book over the phone by calling the number on the back of your card.

Note that Amex also curates a second list of properties called The Hotel Collection, which is available to those with the American Express® Gold Card and American Express® Business Gold Card , as well as to Platinum and Centurion cardholders. The Hotel Collection is a step down from the Fine Hotels and Resorts program, but still offers high quality and valuable benefits.

Maximizing Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts

There are multiple benefits of booking with American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts. People with Amex Platinum Card or Amex Business Platinum Card have access to the Fine Hotels & Resorts program , which is a collection of over 1,000 hotels worldwide that offer special perks when booking through Amex, including:  

• Noon check-in when available
• Guaranteed 4 p.m. checkout when available

Daily breakfast for two

• Room upgrade upon arrival when available

Complimentary Wi-Fi

• Experience credits, like property credits to use at a spa, dining credits, or another unique amenity (often worth $100 or more)

Exact benefits vary by property and can add serious value to your booking. 

Read more: Amex's Fine Hotels and Resorts program offers exclusive benefits to cardholders at luxury hotels around the world — here's how it works

I've used this benefit a couple of times and was pleased by how seriously the hotels considered their part in the program. Having late checkout at 4 p.m. can essentially add an extra day to your stay, and comes in handy when you have a late flight. And early check-in can help you get settled sooner if you have a morning arrival. 

Again, you likely won't earn points and elite status if the hotel has its own rewards program. Some people report earning hotel points despite booking through Amex, but it's not guaranteed and I wouldn't count on it. 

That said, the perks you get can be substantial, so it's worth considering on a case-by-case basis whether you want to earn hotel points or use Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts. You can use your benefits to book up to three rooms at a time, and you'll be able to use your perks on all of them. 

Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts Benefits

Cardholders who book through American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts get a set of explicit core benefits, some guaranteed and consistent across the whole portfolio, and others that depend on availability and vary from one property to the next. 

Room upgrade upon arrival

When you check in for a stay booked through Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts, you're eligible for an upgrade to a higher-category room or one with a better view in the same category. Upgrades depend on availability, so you're more likely to be offered one when demand is low — don't expect to get bumped from a standard room to the presidential suite when you show up at a busy resort on a holiday weekend.

Upgrades have the most upside of Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts benefits, but also the greatest variance. The distinctions between hotel room categories are often murky, so an "upgrade" sometimes means getting a room that was recently renovated (for better or worse) or one with an extra amenity you may not care about.

On the other hand, upgrades are not limited to a single category, so you very well could end up in that presidential suite with some good fortune and timing. If you're willing to risk it, you can try to game the upgrade benefit by identifying the room categories at your property and booking one category below the room you really want. Not all room categories are eligible for upgrades, so call ahead if you need clarification.

Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts describes this benefit as a complimentary breakfast for up to two people per room, which is generally accurate. However, the benefit terms clarify that the breakfast is valued at a minimum of $60 per room per day. You may be charged for purchases exceeding that amount, so breakfast isn't strictly "complimentary" depending on menu prices and how much you order.

The daily breakfast benefit is another that varies widely between properties. Some offer a specific complimentary option in one restaurant (like a breakfast buffet). Others offer a range of specific complimentary options in one or more venues, and some simply offer daily statement credits to offset qualifying on-property charges up to the preset amount, even covering multiple transactions.

If this makes the benefit sound unpredictable, don't worry. In my experience, daily breakfast benefit options have always been explained clearly at check-in for Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts stays.

Experience credit

When you book at an Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts property, you're guaranteed an experience credit of at least $100 toward eligible on-property charges. The amount and nature of the experience credit are clearly indicated for each property when you book. 

The benefit is most commonly provided as a statement credit to offset food and beverage charges, spa services, or any purchases billed to your room. However, in some cases, it comes in the form of a specific experience (like a complimentary meal or massage) rather than a credit. The baseline value is $100, but you'll often receive more. I've seen on-property credits offered up to $200, and some of the experiential options have sticker prices well beyond that amount.

You're eligible for the experience credit regardless of how long you stay — even a single night qualifies. That makes it an exceptional value for shorter stays.

Early check-in and late check-out

While the benefits above provide fairly well-defined value, these two are harder to quantify. Nonetheless, early check-in and late check-out are useful in the right conditions, like when you have a morning arrival or evening departure.

Early check-in at Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts starts at noon and is subject to availability; if your room is unavailable, then you'll have to wait until it's ready. Regardless of the official early check-in time, some hotels will accommodate you before noon if they can.

Unlike early check-in, the late 4 p.m. checkout is guaranteed. In my experience, Fine Hotels and Resorts properties are proactive about honoring this benefit, so you shouldn't have to worry about your key demagnetizing prematurely or hotel staff entering the room while you're still in it.

The final core benefit of the Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts program is free Wi-Fi, which is guaranteed even if the property normally charges for it. At properties where Wi-Fi charges are folded into another mandatory fee (like a resort fee), a daily credit will be applied to your bill at checkout to offset the cost.

Other benefits of booking with American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts

Aside from the core benefits listed above, there are other perks of booking with the Fine Hotels and Resorts program, some more tangible than others.

First, Amex maintains a list of special offers available at select properties. These include complimentary nights (like a free fourth night), discounts on nightly room rates, on-property credits, and more, all provided in addition to the core benefits. Special offers show up in standard Fine Hotels and Resorts searches, so you don't have to browse the linked page to find them.

Next, Fine Hotels and Resorts bookings are eligible for the Amex Amex Platinum Card's up to $200 annual hotel credit (minimum two-night stay), so you can stack that discount on top of the other benefits you receive. You'll also earn 5 points per dollar for booking Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts stays with your Amex Platinum Card.

Finally, you may receive an elevated level of service when you check in as a Fine Hotels and Resorts guest. That has consistently been my experience, especially comparing stays at a single property booked through Amex versus other channels. The differences in service are subtle and hard to define, but palpable.

Important considerations for booking with American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts

The terms and conditions of the Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts program are mostly benign to cardholders, but there are a few potential pitfalls and other details to keep in mind.

Reservations are mostly prepaid

When you book through Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts, you typically pay for room charges and taxes up front, while additional charges (like resort fees and incidentals) are paid at the property. You can sometimes opt to put down a deposit rather than prepay the entire reservation. Either way, bookings are mostly cancelable, but Amex does not impose a universal cancellation policy, so keep yourself out of trouble by reading the hotel's cancellation policy in the listing before you book.

Benefits are non-transferable

 All perks and credits must be used during your stay (i.e., prior to checkout). You can't save or bank them for later, so use them or lose them.

Back-to-back stays count as one

If you or your party book separate stays at the same property within a 24-hour period, it will be considered a single stay and only eligible for one set of Fine Hotels and Resorts benefits. In other words, you can't rack up multiple experience credits by making separate reservations on consecutive nights at the same property.

Benefits apply to multiple rooms

 You can book up to three rooms for an Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts stay, and all three are eligible for the full slate of benefits. That adds a lot of value to the program for those traveling in a group.

You must present a valid Amex card in your name at check-in

In addition to booking Fine Hotels and Resorts stays with an eligible American Express card, you must present a valid Amex card at check-in to cover incidentals. However, the card you check in with doesn't have to be the one you used to make your reservation. If you canceled your Amex Platinum Card or simply forgot to bring it, for example, you could provide another Amex card. The terms say the card you present must be in the name of the primary guest, but my wife and I had no trouble presenting my Amex card at check-in for a reservation in her name.

Hotel rewards and elite benefits are not guaranteed

Many hotels offer rewards and elite benefits only when you book directly. As a result, booking through a third party like Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts may cause you to miss out on those perks. From my own experience and anecdotal evidence, reward outcomes are unpredictable. I've sometimes earned rewards automatically, sometimes earned them upon request, and sometimes been denied. Case in point: The Bellagio Las Vegas honored my MGM status and waived resort fees for one Fine Hotels and Resorts stay, but flatly refused to do so for another.

You can pay with points, but you shouldn't

Amex lets you redeem Membership Rewards points  for Fine Hotels and Resorts stays, but the redemption rate is only 1 cent per point. That's far below our average valuation of 1.8 cents for Amex points , so save your points for transfers to airline and hotel partners (or other award redemptions that provide a better return).

Leveraging The Hotel Collection for additional value

If you have Amex Platinum Card, Amex Business Platinum Card, Amex Gold Card, or Amex Business Gold Card, you can also access the Hotel Collection, which also offers room upgrades and a $100 onsite credit for dining, spa, or resort activities at 600+ hotels.

The Hotel Collection is entirely separate from Fine Hotels and Resorts, and has different hotels that participate with minimal overlap. When you book through Amex, Platinum cardmembers will earn 5x points per dollar on prepaid bookings, and Gold cardmembers will earn 2x points. 

You can pay with cash at the time of booking or at hotel checkout after your stay. Or you can pay with points, or a combination of points and cash on prepaid bookings only. And there's the same guidance about earning hotel points here, too. You might decide you'd rather have the $100 hotel credit rather than points, depending on the hotel. 

To use this benefit, you must book a minimum stay of two nights, and can't book consecutive stays within 24 hours of each other. This benefit is available for up to three rooms per stay. So if you book three rooms at the same time, you can get a total onsite credit of $300 between three rooms maximum. 

Book Flight + Hotel packages through American Express Travel

The point of booking a vacation package is usually to save money, take advantage of a promotion, simplify the booking process, or all of these. You can search for a flight and hotel, then pay one price for everything. 

Amex doesn't give you a breakdown of how much the flights and rooms cost, and only shows savings on selected hotels. However, when you search for flights and hotels individually and compare the prices, you'll find the savings are often hundreds of dollars, especially on longer trips. 

To book, select the "Flight + Hotel" tab and enter where you want to go, along with the number of travelers and how many rooms you want to reserve. 

You'll see a list of hotels, along with the price per person, total price, and cost if you want to pay for the trip with your Membership Rewards points. Select the hotel you want to stay at, then you'll see a list of flight options. The cheapest flights are already included in the price, but you can select alternate flights for an upcharge. 

Likewise, the cheapest room options are displayed in the base price, but you can pay more for a different room, like a mountain or beach view, a double or king room, or a suite, depending on what's available at the hotel you select. 

I priced out a couple of packages. For the first, I didn't find any notable differences. Booking flights and hotel separately cost nearly the same. But for another, the savings were substantial even though they weren't explicitly stated on the Amex Travel portal. It's worthwhile to compare, especially if you're interested in earning points if the hotel participates in a loyalty program. Otherwise, prices are comparable or better in most cases. 

Similar to booking airfare separately, for each airline ticket you purchase as part of a package, you'll pay $6.99 per domestic ticket and $10.99 per international ticket. This fee is waived if you have a Amex Platinum Card or Amex Business Platinum Card. You can purchase a maximum of nine tickets per transaction.

Personal and business Platinum cardholders will earn 5x points on their package, and other Membership Rewards cards earn 2x points. 

Book car rentals through the Amex Travel Portal

You can also rent cars through American Express Travel. Just type in the city or airport where you want to pick up a car and the dates and times you'll need it under the "Cars" tab. 

You'll see a list of your options starting with the lowest price. At a glance, you can see the price per day, total price, and what's included with the car. On the left side, you can add filters for the car type, price, rental car company, and any special features you're looking for (like an automatic transmission and four-wheel drive). 

Prices are usually the same or comparable to other booking sites or booking directly. However, I always check a couple of different places to make sure I'm getting the best deal. It's worth comparing, especially if you're looking to add a second driver to the reservation, or need to drop the car off later in the day. I've found different sites can vary a lot in pricing, so recommend shopping around. 

You can use cash, points, or a combination to pay for prepaid rentals, or use cash to pay at the counter. 

When you use your Membership Rewards card to pay for your rental, you'll earn 2x points.

Book cruises with American Express Travel

You're able to book a cruise on most of the popular cruise lines around the world through American Express Travel under the "Cruises" tab on the homepage. I found the prices were similar to other booking sites with the main difference being the specific promotions, like onboard credits or prepaid gratuities. Certain websites also run sales, so it's worth shopping around if you're not committed to a particular route or ship. 

After you enter where you want to go and how many nights you'd like to spend on the water, you're taken to a list of results, along with a prominent section for special offers, which are mostly onboard credits. This is worth exploring to get some ideas if you're open. 

And if you have Amex Platinum Card or Amex Business Platinum Card, you can also take advantage of the Cruise Privileges program, which partners with several big-name cruise lines. When you book through Amex Travel, you'll receive an onboard stateroom credit worth up to $100 to $300, and another exclusive amenity that varies by cruise line like premium wine or extra food options. 

If you have the Amex Green Card, you'll earn 3x points per dollar spent booking your cruise through Amex Travel. All other Membership Rewards-earning cards earn 2x points. 

American Express Travel Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, people who don't have Amex credit cards can still book travel through the American Express portal. 

After you log into your Amex Travel account, you can find all of your travel reservations by clicking on the "My Trips" tab toward the top right of the page. 

If you need to change or cancel a reservation, you can do so online through your AmexTravel.com account, or by calling 1-800-297-2977.

How can I use my Membership Rewards points to book travel?

Amex cardholders can use Membership Rewards points to book flights, hotels, and more directly through the American Express Travel website or app, often with the option to pay with points, by card, or a combination of both.

Yes, booking through American Express Travel can grant you access to exclusive benefits like room upgrades, early check-in/late check-out, and complimentary breakfast at participating Fine Hotels & Resorts and The Hotel Collection properties.

Many American Express cards offer complimentary travel insurance benefits, including travel accident insurance, baggage insurance, and car rental loss and damage insurance. Coverage details and eligibility may vary by card.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.

For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, please click here.

For rates and fees of The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, please click here.

For rates and fees of the American Express® Business Gold Card, please click here.

For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.

Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards .

Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.

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Should you book flights on a travel portal? Comparing fares through Amex, Capital One, Chase and Citi

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here .

While booking a flight directly with an airline is often your best move, it's not always your best move. With many travel credit card programs, you have the ability to use points for flights or earn bonus points when booking through their respective sites.

Depending on the card you carry, issuers can offer up to 5 — or even up to 10 — bonus points per dollar to book flights through their respective travel portals rather than directly through the airline.

That's a great return that's hard to pass up.

Another common debate for cardholders is choosing between a travel credit and an airline credit card . For example, let's say you have both the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card in your wallet. The Sapphire Reserve offers 5 points per dollar on all flights booked through the Ultimate Rewards portal , while the Delta Reserve offers 3 SkyMiles per dollar on Delta flights booked directly through the carrier.

If you're purchasing a Delta flight that costs hundreds (or thousands) of dollars, the difference between earning 5 points per dollar vs. 3 miles per dollar can be significant.

But, here lies the question: Is it worth booking travel through these portals? Are you finding the lowest fare possible -- or are prices similar to booking directly?

We decided to put 20 routes to the test to see which of the four travel portals — American Express, Capital One, Chase and Citi — consistently gave us the lowest prices. Here's what we found.

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Crafting the test

We searched 20 round-trip routes of varying fare classes across the same trip dates. Here's what we found:

All four credit card travel booking portals were generally consistent in showing fares that were on par with booking directly, give or take a few dollars in most of cases.

Price differences became much more drastic when searching for international business- or first-class flights, so while it's always a good idea to price compare, it's pretty essential to compare prices for booking directly or via the portal if you're searching for any of these higher-cost fares. Additionally, sometimes, the Capital One portal didn't find any available international premium routes, as noted several times in the table above.

Each portal also has its quirks. For example, the Capital One portal does not show any JetBlue fares, while the Amex portal does not show any Frontier fares.

All things considered, these four portals were surprisingly consistent in pricing more often than not. But a quick cross-comparison can help you confirm that you are indeed getting the best price possible.

Should you book flights through a travel portal?

Booking through an issuer's travel portal is like booking through an online travel agency such as Expedia or Priceline. The biggest advantage of booking through these issuer portals is that you're likely to earn a great number of bonus points depending card you carry in your wallet, helping you achieve your next award trip much faster.

However, you'll want to weigh the opportunity to earn more rewards against the possibility of something going wrong with your trip, whether it's weather or pandemic-related issues .

Many TPG staffers and readers have found it much more difficult to change a flight or get a refund when booking via a third-party site, including one of these portals. When you don't book your flight directly with an airline , you'll have to reach out to the portal or agency you booked with for assistance, which can be a headache.

These travel portals do have other consumer-friendly features that may positively influence your choice. For instance, Capital One offers an automatic price protection benefit that can give you a refund if the price of your airfare drops after you book your ticket through its portal.

To sum it up, there are pros and cons to consider when booking your flights through a travel portal rather than through the airline itself. For some travelers, it's not worth the extra points or miles if something goes wrong with their trip, while others may be confident that their credit card issuer will help them in times of need — or are OK with dealing with extra hurdles if their plans change.

Best credit cards for booking flights

If you're looking to maximize your flight purchases , here are the best rewards credit cards that will get you at least a 5% return according to TPG's latest monthly valuations :

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply

Bottom line.

Issuers have been stepping up their game to improve their travel portals, and this test proved that most fares remained comparable to booking directly. There are times when the prices aren't identical, so it is a good idea to double-check prices directly with the airline or via Google Flights before booking. You'll also want to consider your game plan if you need to change or cancel a trip booked through a travel portal.

For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum, click here. For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum, click here. For rates and fees of the Amex Gold, click here.

American Express travel portal guide

M ost popular travel credit cards let you redeem your points in more than one way, including the option to use points to book travel through a portal.

This is true of Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Chase Freedom Flex℠ *, both of which let you book travel directly through the Chase travel portal. But it’s also true for Citi credit cards like the Citi Prestige® Card *, which lets you book airfare, hotels and more through the Citi ThankYou travel portal.

American Express is yet another program that makes it possible for cardholders to book travel through its own portal, known as AmexTravel.com. To book travel with points through AmexTravel.com, you just need a credit card that earns points in the American Express Membership Rewards program. Anyone can book travel through this portal, however, and pay with another form of payment, such as a credit card.

What are the benefits of booking through AmexTravel.com?

AmexTravel.com is a third-party booking site that works similarly to competitors like Expedia.com or Orbitz.com. You can use it to compare prices for airfare, hotels and more across the web, just like you would with another booking site.

But there are more benefits to using this portal if you’re an American Express cardholder. If you have The Business Platinum Card® from American Express , for example, you can get 35 percent of your points back (up to 500,000 points per calendar year) when you use rewards to book first or business class tickets or any flight with your selected airline.

Also, note that both the business version and The Platinum Card® from American Express for consumers let you earn 5X points when you purchase prepaid flights or prepaid hotels through American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 spent per calendar year). Meanwhile, the popular American Express® Gold Card lets you earn 3X points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com.

Beyond specific cardholder benefits, AmexTravel.com makes it easy to compare flight and hotel options. You may also find offers that include additional benefits when you book a cruise through the portal, such as onboard credits or free specialty meals.

How to use the Amex travel portal to book flights and hotels

Using the Amex travel portal to book flights, hotels, cruises and other travel is a lot like using any other travel booking site. AmexTravel.com is set up to make searching for travel easy, as well as comparing multiple flight and hotel options in one place.

Besides flights, hotels and cruises, you can also use AmexTravel.com to book rental cars and vacation packages. All you have to do is head to AmexTravel.com and enter some basic details on the travel you want to book. From there, you’ll be shown a selection you can choose from.

Cash vs. points

When using the Amex travel portal to pay for hotels, flights and other bookings, you have the option to pay with points, cash or a combination of the two.

To fully or partially pay with points, all you have to do is head to the American Express website and log in to your account. Once you find the travel you want and prepare to book, you can select the option to “use only points” or to “use points + card.” Once you book and choose how you want to pay, your credit card will be charged the full dollar amount of your booking. A credit for any points you used, however, will be applied to your account within 48 hours, per American Express.

Note that you’ll need at least 5,000 Membership Rewards points to pay with points. This rule makes it a little more difficult to use up any leftover points you might have from other bookings. However, it shouldn’t be too hard to reach the 5,000 point threshold for travel if you have an American Express card that earns Membership Rewards points.

When it comes to booking flights, there are a few interesting details to note. If you have an Amex card that offers access to Centurion Lounges or Delta Sky Clubs, for example, you’ll see a note showing qualification for lounge access on flights that apply. You can use Amex points to book a business or first class flight or to upgrade your flight.

You also have the option to transfer your American Express Membership Rewards points to Amex airline and hotel partners. Using the American Express travel portal may or may not be a better deal, but you do get the benefit of booking any travel you want without having to worry about award availability.

Pay It Plan It

You can now pay for airline tickets with Pay It Plan It. Amex’s Pay It Plan It is a flexible payment option that allows cardholders to make payments on large purchases over time. With this option, cardholders can avoid interest charges and pay down balances with predictable, monthly payments.

The payment option is only for airline tickets booked through the American Express travel website. At checkout, cardholders are presented with up to three different plans to pay for any flight purchase of $100 or more. Note that the installment payment plan doesn’t have any interest associated with it, but there is a fixed monthly fee based on the card’s APR.

International Airline Program

The business and personal Platinum cards let you access a newer Amex program for frequent flyers known as the International Airline Program. This program was created to increase access to lower fares on 14 participating airlines, but it’s only good for international premium class tickets.

To search for fares that qualify, log in to your personal or business Platinum account. From there, use AmexTravel.com to search for premium economy, business class or first class flights to any international destination.

Use the booking tool to search for First Class, Business Class or Premium Economy to an international destination. At that point, you may see some flight options that show an International Airline Program banner.

Booking hotels and resorts

Using AmexTravel.com to book a hotel or resort stay works similarly, requiring you to enter some information to find properties in destinations you want to visit. Once again, you can pay for your booking with points, cash or a combination of the two. You’ll need to have at least 5,000 Membership Rewards points in your account in order to pay with points.

While you get 1 cent per point in value when you use American Express Membership Rewards points to book flights, you only get around .07 cents per point when you book hotels through the portal. Also be aware that, just like with any other travel booking site, booking a hotel through AmexTravel.com usually means forgoing hotel loyalty points or elite night credits.

Note that select premium American Express credit cards, like the Business Platinum Card from American Express and the Platinum Card from American Express, let you access an additional hotel program known as American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts.

This program lets cardholders book stays at over 1,000 luxury hotels in the world with added benefits worth up to $550 per stay. Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts perks can include:

• Daily breakfast for two people
• 4 p.m. late checkout
• Complimentary internet access
• Noon check-in, based on availability
• Room upgrades based on availability
• Unique resort amenity worth up to $100

The Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts program is available only for eligible premium cardholders. Using this program also typically means going without elite hotel benefits or points for paid stays.

Does American Express cover trip cancellations?

Individual airlines and hotels have their own policies that cover cancellations. AmexTravel.com, however, does offer the option to view all your booked travel and cancel or rebook a flight with ease using your My Trips page. You will still be subject to any change or cancellation fees imposed by the carrier if you’re not covered by a flexible policy or existing waiver.

Some American Express credit cards offer trip cancellation and interruption insurance, which could apply in some situations where you have to cancel or rebook your plans.

Cards that offer this benefit include the Business Platinum Card and the Platinum Card, as well as co-branded airline and hotel credit cards like the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card and the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card .

Is booking through AmexTravel.com worth it?

Only you can decide which travel booking option works best for your needs. Regardless of the value of rewards earned, some travelers like being able to book directly through a portal that offers multiple options.

AmexTravel.com gives customers the benefit of booking any travel available on the portal without having to find award space on a flight or having to search for available award nights in high-demand hotels. American Express Membership Rewards points, however, are usually worth more if you transfer them to Amex transfer partners , and particularly airlines.

Either way, it makes sense to compare all your options before you book travel through AmexTravel.com. See if a transfer partner might let you book the flights you want for fewer miles, but don’t be afraid to use AmexTravel.com if you don’t want to deal with award availability or you find a better deal.

Learn more : Check out Bankrate’s travel toolkit for tips and tricks on how to maximize travel with a credit card.

*The information about the Chase Freedom Flex℠ and Citi Prestige® Credit Card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.

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