Can I use American Express Platinum to buy gift cards?

You can earn and redeem American Express Platinum card points by using this card for purchases. With your American Express Platinum card, you’ll earn 1 - 5 points per $1 spent on purchases. To qualify for this card’s 5 points / $1 rewards rate, flights must be booked directly through the airline’s website or through Amex Travel (up to $500,000 spent per year), and hotels must be booked through Amex.… read full answer

In addition, the American Express Platinum card also offers 80,000 points for spending $6,000 in the first 6 months. When you redeem American Express Platinum card points, they’re worth 0.7 cents to 1 cent each in most cases.

Here’s how to redeem American Express Platinum card points:

• Book travel through Amex. Log in to your American Express Platinum card account via the Amex travel portal. Then, search for the transportation and accommodations you want to book. There will be an option to pay with points at the check-out.
• Transfer points. You can actually move your points at a 1:1 ratio to 17 airline and 3 hotel loyalty programs. To do so, log in to your Amex account and choose the loyalty program you wish to transfer your points to. Keep in mind that you have to transfer in at least 1,000-point increments in most cases.
• Get gift cards. Log in to Amex’s gift card reward page to make your selection. There are dozens of options to choose from, including restaurants, movie theatres, and airlines.
• Donate. You can make a charitable donation with your rewards points online through Amex’s JustGiving page.
• Amazon Shop with Points. If you connect your Amex card to your Amazon account, you can use their Shop with Points system to spend points on merchandise. But you’ll only get 0.7 cents per point using this method.
• Statement credit. You can use your points to pay your credit card bill, at a rate of 0.6 cents per point. You can do so by logging in to your American Express Platinum card online account.
• Shopping. You can also spend your points towards Rite Aid purchases, Bestbuy.com, Staples.com and a few other sites (0.7 cents per point). Plus, you can use your points at a rate of 1 cent each toward NYC Taxi rides.

For more redemption options and current point values, check the Membership Rewards Points calculator.

In addition, American Express Platinum card points do not expire as long as your account is open and in good standing. Points are forfeited when closing an account, so make sure to redeem them before that.

To use the Amex Platinum airline credit, start by selecting the airline you want the credit to apply to. Then, use your card to make a purchase from your chosen airline, and Amex will automatically pay you back for up to $200 of the charge.

The American Express Platinum card airline credit applies to incidental fees charged for things like checked baggage, date changes, pet travel, in-flight purchases and more. It does not apply to the base fare or upgrades.… read full answer

You can choose your airline through your online account or by calling (800) 263-1616. Keep in mind that you can choose only one airline every year.

How to Use the American Express Platinum card Airline Credit

1. Choose your preferred airline. Log in to your account and click on the “Rewards & Benefits” tab. Then, click on “Benefits.” Scroll down until you see the “$200 Airline Fee Credit” option and click on the “Learn More” button. Select an airline from the dropdown menu at the center of your screen.
   
   Alternatively, you can call American Express Platinum card customer service at (800) 528-4800.
2. Charge fees from the airline to your card. Amex will automatically pay you back for up to $200 by applying a credit to your statement. Each account is eligible for up $200 in statement credits per calendar year.
3. Use it or lose it. Unused airline credits do not roll over from year to year. You get no more than $200 each year.
4. Change your choice once per year. You can only make a change from January 1 to January 31 each year. Otherwise, Amex will use the same airline you picked previously. The first year, you can make your initial selection at any time.

Airlines Eligible for the Amex Platinum Credit

• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• Delta Air Lines
• Frontier Airlines
• Hawaiian Airlines
• JetBlue Airways
• Spirit Airlines
• Southwest Airlines
• United Airlines

Expenses Covered by the Amex Platinum Airline Credit

• Baggage fees
• Date changes
• Pet flight fees
• Picking your seat ahead of time fee
• Reservations by phone fee
• In-flight purchases (food, drinks, entertainment)
• Extra guest passes for airport lounges

The American Express Platinum card’s airline credit does not apply to:

• Airfare
• Upgrades
• Gift cards
• Fees for transferring points
• Points purchased from airlines
• Duty-free purchases
• Award tickets

With this card’s airline credit, you don’t need to worry about $200 in fees that you’d normally have to pay out of pocket each year. Plus, aside from designating which airline you want the credit for, you don’t have to do anything to redeem it.

Your first $200 in eligible charges each year will automatically be taken care of. Your transaction history will show the name of the airline you chose, followed by “Fee Credit.” The dollar amount Amex subtracted from your balance will also be displayed.