Using miles to book tickets is a great way to save on travel, but it’s not the only trick up your sleeve! There is another gem you might not have considered: the 35% points rebate when redeeming through American Express (Amex) Membership Rewards (MR) points with Amex Business Platinum Card. This little-known perk could be the key to unlocking more available seats and elevating your travel experience.
Why Miles Are Great….But Not Always Enough
Let’s be real – using miles and points to book flights can feel like finding a golden ticket, especially when scoring those coveted business or first-class seats. The savings are real, and the luxury is undeniable. However, there’s a catch: the number of seats available for mileage redemption is often limited. They are not always there when you need them. Throw in some unexpected travel plans or a bigger group (looking at you, family vacations), and you might find yourself short on options. So, what’s the plan when miles aren’t cutting it?
Hidden Gem: 35% Airline Bonus (Points Rebate) With Amex Business Platinum
Enter the Amex Business Platinum Card – a powerhouse of perks that might just save the day. You’ve probably heard about the $400 Dell credit, $150 Adobe credit, $200 airline fee credit, and $120 wireless credit. These goodies are great and can help soften the blow of the card’s $695 annual fee. But there’s one benefit that doesn’t get as much spotlight: 35% airline bonus (points rebate).
How 35% Airline Bonus (Points Rebate) Works?
When you book a flight using the “Pay with Points” option through AmexTravel.com, you’ll get a 35% points rebate on business and first-class tickets, with no airline restrictions. Yes, you read that right – 35% back in points! If you’re flying economy, you can also snag that 35% rebate if you’re booking with one of your selected US airlines for the year (these are the same US airlines you choose for your incidental credits).
Now, I know what you’re thinking – using “Pay with Points” isn’t usually the best way to get the most value from your Amex MR points. And you’d be right, if you didn’t have the Business Platinum Card. But with that sweet 35% points rebate, it’s a whole different ball game. In fact, it might just be a more cost-effective way to book your next flight than redeeming miles. Let’s dive into an example.
First Class to Hawaii: Los Angeles – Honolulu
A round-trip first-class flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu on American Airlines is priced at $957 on AmexTravel.com. If you use the “Pay with Points” feature, it would normally cost you 95,640 Amex MR points, which is the standard 1 cent per point.
But here’s where things get interesting: if you’ve got the Amex Business Platinum Card, you get a sweet 35% rebate on those points. So instead of kissing all 95,640 points goodbye, you’d get 33,474 points back. That means the flight effectively costs you just 62,166 points. When you break it down, that’s only about 31,000 points one-way, which is a serious steal for first-class!
👉Further Reading about Hawaii: $8,000 to Zero: How To Save Big On Your Family Travel With Hawaiian Airlines
How To Get The Mileage Bonus
Unlike using miles to book, where you don’t earn any miles back. Booking through AmexTravel.com is like paying with cold hard cash. So, you earn miles on top of your already great deal. For this $957 ticket, classified as “I” booking code on American Airlines (AA), you’ll rack up about 5,000 AA miles (assuming you don’t have an AA elite status and earning at the base rate). However, if you’re crediting those miles to Alaska Airlines (AS), you’re in for an even sweeter bonus. AS gives you 150% of the actual flight distance, which is for Los Angeles to Honolulu round-trip ticket (about 5,111 miles each way), means you’ll earn over 7,600 miles. That’s enough for a one-way economy flight within North America!
3-Step Real Point Saver
Let’s do some quick math in 3 steps:
- Start with 95,640 Amex MR points
- Get 33,474 Amex MR points back from the 35% rebate
- Earn 7,600 AS miles from the flight
When you factor in the miles earned, you’re effectively using just 54,500 points for a round-trip first-class ticket! That’s a phenomenal deal – especially when you consider that booking the same flight with AA miles would set you back 110,000 miles, with no additional miles earned.
So, the next time you spot a “relatively affordable” business or first-class fare, don’t just reach for your miles. Consider using “Pay with Points” for AmexTravel.com along with the 35% rebate from your Business Platinum Card. It might just be the better play, leaving you with more points to splurge on your next big adventure.
How To Unlock The 35% Points Rebate
No hoops to jump through here – if you’ve got the Amex Business Platinum Card, you’re already set to enjoy the 35% rebate on points when booking business or first-class flights. But if you’re flying economy and want in on that sweet rebate action, there’s one little thing to keep in mind: you’ll need to choose your preferred US airlines in advance to qualify.
The Fine Print: Drawbacks Of The 35% Points Rebate
While the Amex Business Platinum Card’s 35% rebate is a fantastic perk, it does come with a few strings attached. Compared to Chase Sapphire Reserve Card (CSR), it lets you redeem points at 1.5 cents per point for any travel purchase through the Chase travel portal. The Amex Business Platinum Card gives you a slightly higher rebate rate of about 1.52 cents per point, however, it gets a bit tricky:
- Economy Class Restrictions: If you’re flying economy, you’ll only get the rebate if you’ve chosen a specific US airlines in advance. And it only applies to flights with that airlines for the entire year.
- Ticket Purchases Only: The 35% rebate is exclusive to ticket purchases. So, if you’re thinking of using your points for hotels, car rentals, or other travel expenses, you’re out of luck.
- Limited Availability: Not all airlines are available on AmexTravel.com, so you might have fewer options to choose from when booking your flight.
- Upfront Points Requirement: The rebate is applied as a credit after the purchase, which means you’ll need to have the full amount of points upfront to book your ticket.
In Summary: Award Redemption Isn’t The Only Option
While the Amex Business Platinum Card’s 35% points rebate does come with a few caveats, it’s still a game-changer for getting more bang for your buck – especially when business or first-class fares are on the lower side. In many cases, redeeming points this way can stretch your travel budget further than using miles alone. So, next time you’re eyeing a premium seat, remember: your points might just take you farther than you think!
