American Express Platinum cards, both consumer and business Platinum, offer up to $200 in statement credits annually for airline incidental purchases. The way this benefit works is that the cardholder chooses a selected airline in January and then makes qualifying purchases with that airline through the end of the calendar year. In the past, it has always been possible to easily change your airline selection in January. Existing cardholders have traditionally kept their airline selection unless they proactively change in January. Oddly, that’s not the way it is working on Business Platinum cards this year. On Business Platinum cards, the airline selection has been dropped, and you’ll need to reselect an airline for the $200 credit.
This does not affect consumer Platinum cards
To be very clear, this does not affect consumer Platinum cards. The airline selection on all of our consumer Platinum cards carried over from last year into this year, with no change. The issue being reported here only affects Business Platinum cards.
Watch out: Even if it shows an airline for the 35% rebate, your airline might have been deselected for the $200 airline incidental fee rebate
The issue here is that the airline selection on Business Platinum cards has not carried over from 2025 into 2026 for those cardholders who had their Business Platinum card open last year. In years past, and on the consumer Platinum card this year, if you are a cardholder in the previous year, the system maintains your previous year’s airline selection, or you can manually choose a different airline.
The Business Platinum card has two different airline-related benefits: Up to $200 in statement credits for airline incidental fee charges and a 35% pay with points rebate that provides up to one million points back per year when using points to pay for airfare on your chosen airline. Crucially important is the fact that both the incidental fee credit and the 35% pay with points rebate apply to the same airline. In other words, if I choose Southwest for my airline incidental fee credit, then Southwest will also be my airline for the 35% pay with points rebate.
I was in my account just the other day checking which airlines I had selected from the previous year. I noticed that on one of our Business Platinum cards, at the top of the benefits section, it showed that the 35% pay with points rebate would apply to Jetblue.
I took that to mean that JetBlue was the airline selected for the $200 airline incidental fee credit (and I know that was the case last year, as we used it for the 25 for 25 promotion).
However, after Tim brought this issue to my attention today, I scrolled all the way down to the travel section of that business Platinum Card’s Benefits, and I saw that there was no airline selected for the $200 incidental fee credit.
Somehow, the system recognized Jetblue being the proper airline for the 35% rebate, but deselected Jetblue as the airline for the $200 airline incidental credit.
In my case, that wasn’t a big deal as I hadn’t yet used the card for incidentals. However, longtime Platinum cardholders probably expected the airline selection to carry over and might have made charges this month, expecting a reimbursement. However, unless you manually select the airline for your Business Platinum card, it seems that you may not be automatically credited for the qualifying purchases on a Business Platinum card. You’ll want to log into your account and make sure that you’ve selected an airline.
It is also worth mentioning that Amex has historically been good about allowing cardholders to change their airline selection at other times of year by calling or chatting. Officially, the selected airline can only be changed in January. But unofficially, agents are usually willing to help with that. Still, I wouldn’t have expected to need to manually select an airline again in the new year.
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DP: Purchased 2x $100 United travel bank on 1/1/26. Credits posted on 1/3/26. United selection continued from last year.
I purchased 2x $100 United travel bank on my Vanilla Plat on January 4 and those credited on January 7. I did the same with my Amex Biz Plat on January 4 and they are not credited.
Same issue with the airline fee credit “Airline Selected:” but my 35% rebate is United.
Another plat credit issue: purchased tickets through Alaska website for a Hawaiian flight. Switched to Alaska Airways for business and personal platinum airline credits on the 1st. Then paid to upgrade seats on Alaska website for the Hawaiian flight charging over $200 on each Platinum card, but credit is not posting a week later (usually posts within a couple days). Amex appears to be treating Alaska and Hawaiin as two distinct airlines still. Reps are barely helpful, one saying try again after Jan 21st, the other saying it might post but will take up to 6-8 weeks.
Another word to the wise for the clueless among us (like me). Amex cards reimburse for Travel Bank on the CALENDAR year. Autograph Journey is on the CARD MEMBER anniversary . Oopsie.
Good point! Most of the airline fee reimbursements are on a calendar year – AMEX Platinum cards, AMEX Hilton Aspire, Chase Ritz Carlton card. Wells Fargo Autograph Journey is a bit of an outlier set to card member year.
Here’s my experience.
on 1/1 made UA Travel Bank loads without first checking benefits section.
on 1/2 or 1/3, I checked my benefita section via the app and noticed the airline was blank.
started chatting other points friends
walked over to my computer and checkedAndx via the full browser. Airline election showed there.
Credit posted as normal in the 4th or 5th.
Data Point: My Biz currently shows no airline, but I’ve already been credited for 2 x $100 last week.
Is there a datapoint of it not paying out with the UX shown in this article? I also see the same UX where the incidental credit shows “Airline Selected:” with no airline selected (while the 35% off selection does list the airline). Customer support chat claims that it is selected and should pay off and there is no UX to select an airline once in this state. This is the case both for a new card (opened Dec 2025) and existing ones. The card opened Dec 2025 was in this state and *did* successfully credit for airline purchases made in December.
Could be a glitch. I made some charges on 1/9, credit has not posted yet, but tracker is showing that the amount was used up. Airline is deselected, not sure when that happened as I’m not in a habit of checking the selection on existing card. If they truly wanted us to reselect the airline annually, they would probably clear both this and 35% selection.
Mine is still as selected, though this card is not even a month old. Had to call for my Alaska rebates for December.
After I selected United again, it is still showing the same. Probably display glitch rather than deselection
I have three Plat Bz cards and noticed during the last week of December that my selected airline was not showing up on any of those three cards. However, I did make eligible purchased before 12/31 on all three cards and the credits were received before the end of 2025.
And again, during the first week of 2026 I noticed that my selected airline did not show up for any card. But I did make an eligible purchase a couple days ago and the credit has already posted.
Thus, I suggest that if the airline shows up for either the 35% rebate or the $200 credit, then the credit will process as expected.
That’s good to hear!
Both my personal and business cards were deselected,
Holy fk this is absolutely huge . Huge scoop by the frequent milers , just destroying Amex and its underhand tactics . Get on it Nikko this needs to be front page news
I have the CONSUMER card and was deselected as well! Wouldn’t be surprised if this was intentional and we’ll just have to remember to do this every year. Thank you for the heads up!
DP – I have 3 Biz Plats. I got the credit posted on all 3 with no problem without re-selecting United
Concur witj this DP. My Southwest credits posted without a problem without reselecting southwest. I did notice after I spent on Southwest that my 35% was selected as Southwest but there was no selection for the incidental. I just let it be and the credits posted.
Good DPs, thanks. The person who brought this to my attention received credits on their personal Platinum cards, but not Business yet. Sounds like maybe this is more of a display glitch if your DPs are any indication.
I’ve been reading about this issue for the last 10 days or so on different forums (reddit and FB groups), but I have yet to see an instance where the credit wasn’t posted for anyone. It does seem like a display glitch, unless you heard from anyone their credit didn’t post.
Same here, even though mine was deselected I still got my $200 credits reimbursed
Dats point. I was deselected for the personal card. Reselected United, waited a day, and Travel Bank has been crediting. Kind of surprised but noticed it and no issue after choosing United again. Maybe a glitch.
I heard you were targeted , boys were talking about it in the office
Great answer, and I can write back because AA FINALLY turned on its free WiFi.