The American Express Travel® portal permits you to redeem Membership Rewards factors immediately for journey reservations and actions quite than transferring your rewards to airline or resort companions like Delta Air Lines and Marriott Bonvoy.
You may also e-book discounted premium tickets, reap the benefits of advantages like a 35% factors bonus on sure bookings and even e-book premium inns with extra perks by way of Amex Travel.
Let’s discover this booking portal to uncover all its advantages and potential disadvantages.
What is the American Express Travel portal?
Amex Travel is the booking portal for many American Express playing cards. You can e-book flights, inns, rental automobiles and cruises utilizing the positioning. Plus, you’ll be able to pay with factors, money or a mix of the 2.
How to e-book flights on the Amex Travel portal
To discover flights on American Express Travel, go to this webpage. The flight booking course of on the Amex Travel portal is analogous to different well-liked websites like Kayak and Orbitz. You’ll discover a search field the place you’ll be able to enter your departure and vacation spot cities.
If you are versatile with your departure airport, you’ll be able to select a whole metropolis with a number of airports, akin to New York City. Additionally, you’ll be able to customise your booking by choosing your most popular class and the variety of vacationers, and selecting between one-way and round-trip flights.
You’ll see the value listed in {dollars} and Amex Membership Rewards factors through the booking course of.
You may also use the choices on the left-hand aspect to filter flights by variety of stops, departure and arrival instances, flight length and airline.
Delta Air Lines is a featured airline within the Amex Travel portal. Sometimes, Delta flights seem on the prime of your outcomes, listed as “recommended,” however this doesn’t suggest these flights are all the time the most cost effective or the most effective.
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Additionally, when you’ve got The Platinum Card® from American Express or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express and are flying from an airport with a Centurion Lounge, you will see an indicator {that a} lounge is out there.
Since these playing cards each carry annual charges of $695, you will need to pay shut consideration to any likelihood you’ve gotten to reap the benefits of their advantages (see charges and charges for the Amex Platinum and see charges and charges for the Amex Business Platinum).
Points vs. money
When paying to your flights on American Express Travel®, a number of American Express playing cards provide elevated incomes charges:
| Card title | Points earned with Amex Travel | Points earned booking immediately with airways | Points earned booking on different journey portals |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Business Platinum Card from American Express | 5 factors per greenback | 1 level per greenback (1.5 factors per greenback if the cost is $5,000 or extra, on up to $2 million spent per calendar 12 months, then 1 level per greenback) | 1 level per greenback (1.5 factors per greenback if the cost is $5,000 or extra, on up to $2 million spent per calendar 12 months, then 1 level per greenback) |
| The Platinum Card from American Express | 5 factors per greenback (on up to $500,000 per calendar 12 months, then 1 level per greenback) | 5 factors per greenback (on up to $500,000 per calendar 12 months, then 1 level per greenback) | 1 level per greenback |
| American Express® Business Gold Card | 3 factors per greenback | 1 level per greenback | 1 level per greenback |
| American Express® Gold Card | 3 factors per greenback | 3 factors per greenback | 1 level per greenback |
You may also pay with Amex Membership Rewards factors to cowl the price of your flight.
You’ll see the variety of factors required subsequent to the money value of a flight. You can anticipate a price of 1 cent per level when utilizing Pay with Points. However, TPG’s May 2025 valuations deem Membership Rewards factors as value 2 cents apiece once you maximize Amex’s switch companions.
It’s vital to examine the variety of factors required for bookings on Amex Travel with the factors you’d want to switch to an airline program. If you’ll be able to’t e-book a flight by way of switch companions and like to use your factors, Amex Travel stays an choice.
If you are an Amex Business Platinum cardmember, you get to take pleasure in an additional profit when utilizing Amex Travel. You can get 35% of your factors again when paying with factors by way of the Amex Travel portal (up to 1 million factors again per calendar 12 months).
This applies to first- and business-class flights on any airline, plus tickets in any class in your most popular airline (the identical one used to your up to $200 airline incidental credit score that you just obtain every calendar 12 months; enrollment is required prematurely, and phrases apply).
This 35% factors bonus can present a price of 1.54 cents per level, which can affect your choice to pay with money or factors.
Similarly, the Business Centurion® Card from American Express affords a 50% Pay with Points bonus on eligible flights (up to 3 million factors again per calendar 12 months). Terms apply. Note that Centurion playing cards can be found by invitation solely.
The info for the Business Centurion Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.
More particulars about flights by way of Amex Travel
During the fee course of, you should use factors, your bank card or a mix of each. Each level is valued at 1 cent.
You can improve your flights utilizing money or factors within the Amex Travel portal. This typically provides you a return of 1 cent every, and you’ll e-book utilizing your Amex card, factors or a mix of each.
During your flight search, you may come throughout “Insider Fares” that supply a reduced value. But to profit from the low cost, you need to redeem factors to cowl the total fare quantity.
Amex Platinum and Amex Business Platinum cardmembers even have the flexibility to buy discounted premium tickets by way of Amex Travel’s International Airline Program. This program affords reductions on first-class, business-class and premium economic system tickets from over 20 taking part airways.
To e-book a premium ticket utilizing the IAP, go to the Amex Travel portal and pay with money or factors. The Amex Business Platinum’s 35% factors rebate may be utilized right here (up to 1 million factors again per calendar 12 months).
Keep in thoughts that not all flights are eligible, and there are restrictions:
- The cardmember should journey on the itinerary.
- A most of eight tickets may be booked per itinerary; journey should start and finish within the U.S. or Canadian worldwide airports.
- Tickets are nonrefundable until said in any other case.
- Name adjustments for passengers usually are not allowed.
Finally, be aware that flights booked by way of Amex Travel are usually handled as regular paid tickets, which means you are eligible to earn factors or miles with taking part airline loyalty packages.
Related: Is the Amex Platinum value it for a factors and miles beginner? I booked a visit to discover out
How to e-book inns on the Amex Travel portal
You can e-book inns by way of American Express Travel with a private or enterprise Gold, Platinum or Centurion card. As with different journey portals, you’ll be able to enter your vacation spot, dates, variety of rooms and variety of company (with separate enter fields for adults and kids).
Amex Platinum and Amex Business Platinum cardmembers earn 5 factors per greenback on pay as you go resort reservations made with Amex Travel. Amex Business Gold cardmembers earn 3 factors per greenback on pay as you go resort reservations made with Amex Travel, and Amex Gold cardmembers earn 2 factors per greenback on pay as you go resort reservations made with Amex Travel.
After choosing your resort, you will select your most popular room and pay with factors or money. If you pay with factors, you will solely get a price of 0.7 cents per level (in contrast to 1 cent once you e-book flights).
Note that these are thought-about third-party bookings, so that you seemingly will not earn resort factors or elite credit to your keep. While there are stories of individuals receiving keep credit with Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors on rooms booked by way of Amex Travel, the resort isn’t assured to acknowledge your elite standing in these packages or present status-qualifying keep credit.
Related: What you want to know about direct versus third-party journey bookings
Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts
Platinum and Centurion cardmembers even have entry to the Fine Hotels + Resorts program by way of Amex Travel. This can add some nice advantages to your resort stays and should not price way more than booking immediately with the resort.
Here are the perks you will obtain with each FHR booking, whatever the size of your keep:
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
- Daily breakfast for 2 folks: The supplied breakfast should be, at a minimal, a continental breakfast.
- Guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout
- Noon check-in when accessible
- Room improve upon arrival (when accessible): Some room sorts could also be excluded, however you can obtain an improve to most popular rooms with higher views or a greater location within the resort.
- Unique property amenity: The amenity varies by resort however must be valued at $100 or extra; it normally consists of a property credit score, eating credit score, spa credit score, non-public airport switch or related amenity.
You’ll want to e-book these stays by way of Amex Travel, however be aware that FHR is taken into account a separate program from normal Amex Travel bookings.
In addition, when you’ve got the non-public Amex Platinum, you may as well rise up to $200 in assertion credit each calendar 12 months for pay as you go reservations by way of Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection, which we’ll focus on subsequent. Enrollment is required, and phrases apply. Minimum two-night keep for Hotel Collection bookings.
Related: A comparability of luxurious resort packages from bank card issuers: Amex, Capital One, Chase and Citi
The Hotel Collection
A lesser-known American Express profit is The Hotel Collection, which permits you to e-book in money or with factors. Those with Amex Gold, Platinum and Centurion playing cards have entry to this program, which affords the next advantages:
- A room improve at check-in when accessible
- Noon check-in when accessible
- Late checkout when accessible
- $100 on-property credit score towards eligible expenses, various by property
Note that The Hotel Collection bookings require a minimal keep of two nights, however shopper Amex Platinum cardmembers can burn up to $200 in Hotel Collection assertion credit every calendar 12 months to assist offset the price of that requirement. Enrollment is required; phrases apply.
How to e-book rental automobiles and cruises by way of the Amex Travel portal
Reserving a automobile by way of the Amex Travel portal is comparatively easy. You’ll begin by inputting your pickup and drop-off instances and site.
You’ll see rental automobile costs listed in money and factors when you choose to type your outcomes by “Lowest Points.” When utilizing Pay with Points, your factors are value 0.7 cents, which is simply over a 3rd of TPG’s May 2025 valuation of Amex Membership Rewards factors at 2 cents per level.
Although the format differs, you may as well seek for cruises on Amex Travel.
Rather than typing particular dates and numbers of passengers, you will see 4 drop-down menus. These enable you to select a vacation spot (by area), filter by cruise strains and select a month for journey (although not particular dates) on this primary web page. You may also choose your required cruise length.
From right here, you’ll be able to filter by cruise length, departure port and ship. You can type your outcomes by crusing date, worth or value.
On the ultimate fee web page, you should use your card or redeem factors, starting from 1 level to sufficient to cowl all the price. Using factors for a cruise will lead to a low valuation of 0.7 cents per level, however it may be a money-saving choice when you choose not to spend money.
If you are a Platinum or Centurion cardmember (together with each the non-public and enterprise variations of those playing cards), the Cruise Privileges Program is one other profit accessible to you.
This is out there on cruises of 5 nights or extra with choose cruise strains, and it affords the next perks:
- $100-$300 onboard ship credit score per cabin
- Additional onboard facilities differ by line, akin to spa vouchers, a bottle of Champagne, shore tour credit or a non-public ship tour
- One additional Membership Rewards level per greenback spent on a cruise booked by way of Amex Travel
Note that the Platinum cardmember should be one of many vacationers on the cruise to take pleasure in these advantages.
Related: How to e-book a cruise utilizing factors and miles
Further issues to take into account about Amex Travel
When booking by way of Amex Travel, there are just a few components to take into account.
First, utilizing Amex Membership Rewards factors on Amex Travel could not present the most effective worth in contrast to transferring factors to airline or resort loyalty packages. The Pay with Points characteristic usually values factors at 0.7 to 1 cent per level, which is way decrease than TPG’s May 2025 valuation at 2 cents per level.
Additionally, the costs on Amex Travel could not all the time be essentially the most aggressive, so we advocate checking different platforms like Google Flights earlier than booking your journey. Also, booking immediately with inns is greatest for these wanting to use elite standing advantages.
When you want to change your upcoming journeys booked by way of Amex Travel, it may well get difficult. You could encounter change and cancellation charges, and making a change requires a telephone name. Flight credit score vouchers from cancellations can solely be used for rebooking by way of Amex Travel by way of telephone.
On the optimistic aspect, Amex Travel permits a 24-hour cancellation window for many reservations.
Related: Redeeming American Express Membership Rewards for optimum worth
Bottom line
American Express Travel affords an array of booking choices, together with the flexibility to earn bonus Membership Rewards factors on choose purchases. Although you should use your factors to e-book inns, flights, rental automobiles and cruises by way of Amex Travel, you will get extra out of your factors once you switch them to Amex’s airline and resort companions.
However, there are exceptions, akin to when there isn’t a award availability for last-minute journey. In addition, Amex Travel affords perks like discounted premium flights, added advantages with Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts and a user-friendly interface.
And with a easy redemption scheme that does not contain difficult loyalty packages and switch companions, many Amex cardmembers choose it when planning their journeys.
Related: Incognito mode and third-party apps: Do journey booking hacks truly work?
For charges and charges of the Amex Platinum, click on right here.
For charges and charges of the Amex Business Platinum, click on right here.
