(Amex Travel) -You may be curious about how using an American Express card internationally operates if you’re arranging a vacation. In particular, knowing the American Express travel policy and how to confirm that your card will still function while you’re abroad are helpful.
The variety of options to use Membership Rewards points is one of our best things about American Express. Start by reading our article on the greatest Membership Rewards options if you’re searching for the highest-value redemptions. Transfer partners enable travel for a fraction of the usual cost, albeit requiring extra work. But whether you want to cut costs on travel, lodging, rental cars, or cruises, the Amex Travel portal can provide great options that are easy to search and reserve.
Everything you need to know about Amex Travel is covered in this article:
Describe Amex Travel:
The Amex Travel gateway allows you to make reservations for hotels, rental cars, flights, and cruises with American Express. Reservations can be paid for with cash, Membership Rewards points, or a combination of both.
What Is the Value of Membership Rewards Applied to Amex Travel?
Membership Rewards have a set value when redeemed via Amex Travel. You will receive one cent each point for flights, but just 0.7 cents per point for hotel, car hire, and cruise reservations.
Comparatively speaking, AwardWallet members receive a higher value when they transfer Membership Rewards to any of the 21 transfer partners offered by American Express. Our readers usually spend their Amex points at 1.83¢ each when using transfer partners; this is more than twice the value when using the points for Amex Travel.
How to Use Amex Travel to Book Flights
Flying is incredibly easy with American Express thanks to the Amex Travel platform. Entering the information for the reservation you’re trying to make, whether it be for an airline, hotel, cruise, or rental vehicle, comes next after you have signed into the portal with your American Express login credentials.
Consider traveling by plane, say, from Boston (BOS) to London (LHR).
Following the search, you’ll probably get a number of results, both itineraries that are highlighted and those that are not. Any option you select will display both the price in cash and in Membership Rewards. To make a reservation, choose the flight you want to take and fill in your personal information.
You can choose a payment method when you get to the booking process’ payment screen. Whether you pay with cash or a combination of cash and points, you will receive the same value at 1 cent per point. Here, you can use as few as one point. Any fare difference may be incurred for ticket modifications. Before clicking the blue “Book Flight” button, be sure you are aware of the airline’s change and cancellation policies.
Standard airline regulations and restrictions apply. It’s possible that you’ll come across “Insider Fares” that provide a savings during your flight search. To receive the discount, you must redeem enough points to pay for the entire ticket. However, these can offer a sizable discount, so it might be worthwhile to use points in this instance.
Does American Express require notice of your travel plans?
The good news is that you can book your trip without informing American Express1. Although many credit card issuers and banks do want warning if you are traveling abroad, AmEx is certain that it can protect clients’ funds and identity without requiring any special notice.
This is made possible by the ability of American Express’s fraud prevention systems to recognize when a cardholder is traveling and identify questionable transactions without creating needless inconvenience by preventing a valid transaction from being made. Although there isn’t a specific AmEx trip notice rule, American Express does recommend some actions for cardholders to take prior to travel; we’ll discuss these in more detail when we examine the AmEx travel policy.
A travel notification: what is it?
Before leaving on a trip, you used to have to always tell your bank and credit card network. If you didn’t, your card usage might be restricted or blocked when foreign transactions began to appear.
Although this procedure was put in place to avoid fraud, it was also inconvenient, especially if you neglected to notify your bank in advance of your travel schedule.
To prevent stress while traveling, make sure you’ve double reviewed the travel policies of each card issuer if you’re not using American Express or if you intend to use numerous cards.
AmEx’s travel guidelines
AmEx doesn’t require you to notify them of your trip, but you should follow their travel policy’s recommendations and complete the following before you leave:
Access AmEx and make changes to your personal contact information.
Get the AmEx app so you can monitor your account while traveling.
It’s also crucial to keep in mind that, while making purchases in foreign currencies, you can be charged a foreign transaction fee, depending on the particular Amex card you own. Before you leave, review the terms and conditions of your account to make sure you understand any additional costs that may apply.
Program for International Airlines (IAP)
The American Express Platinum and Centurion cards are the only ways to receive the International Airline Program bonus. The perk provides savings on tickets to foreign locations when traveling in 23 airlines’ premium cabins. In your search results, a banner will emphasize certain qualifying flights. When you buy a flight with Amex Travel, you may usually treat it like any other purchased ticket, which means that you can use participating airline loyalty programs to accrue points or miles.
You can benefit from these benefits if you have one of the following: The Platinum Card® from American Express, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, or The Centurion® Card from American Express.
Cardholders who use the Amex Platinum* or Business Platinum Card to pay for their flights when booking through the International Airline Program receive five times the Membership Rewards. Additionally, you can receive 35% of redeemed points back with the Business Platinum Card on qualified tickets that you buy totally or partially using Membership Rewards points (up to 1 million points back yearly). Tickets purchased in first and business class on any airline, as well as any fare class on your pre-selected qualifying airline through Amex Travel (the same airline as your annual airline incidental credits), are eligible for this return. Certain Amex perks need enrollment.
When making a reservation through the IAP, keep in mind the following restrictions:
The cardholder needs to be on the road.
Cardholders are permitted to travel with up to seven companions or by themselves.
Travel must be an international flight that starts and ends at international airports in the United States or Canada. Except as specified, tickets are non-refundable.
There are no exchanges for tickets.
Changes to your name are not permitted.
You must reserve first class, business, or premium economy tickets; economy tickets are not included.Please take note that the first $500,000 of yearly travel expenses booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel will only qualify for the 5x earnings on the Amex Platinum card. Following this cap, you will receive 1x.
How to Use Amex Travel to Book Hotels:
It’s also easy to make hotel reservations with Amex Travel. You’ll enter the destination, the number of rooms, the number of travelers, and the check-in and checkout dates when you conduct a search. For every dollar spent on pre-paid hotel reservations, the Amex Platinum and Business Platinum Cards will earn five times the Membership Rewards points.
After picking a hotel, you’ll pick a room and proceed with the payment, which you can make with cash, points, or both. You will only receive 0.7 cents per point if you pay using points. Since hotel reservations booked with Amex Travel are third-party reservations, it is doubtful that you will be able to accrue points, receive stay credits, or have your hotel status acknowledged. If achieving hotel elite status is your goal, keep this in mind.
Does American Express track your travel habits automatically?
American Express employs sophisticated technologies and methods for account monitoring in order to monitor consumer accounts and stop fraud.
This eliminates the need for you to directly notify the security team of your travel plans ahead of time and enables them to identify when a cardholder is overseas.
How to let American Express know that you will be traveling:
It’s not necessary to notify AmEx in advance of your travel itinerary; nevertheless, you must ensure that all of your personal information is accurate so that the security team may contact you in the event of an issue with your account.
Making use of the American Express app or website
By accessing your account online or using the AmEx app, you can amend your contact information by following the instructions to verify and validate all of your personal information.
Making a customer service contact with American Express
You can phone or start a conversation with American Express customer support if you have any concerns or issues with your card while you’re abroad.
To discover the appropriate contact number for your particular inquiry, visit the AmEx contact page2. Different contact numbers are assigned to different card issues and account types.
How to Make Rental Car Reservations Using Amex Travel
Entering a pick-up location, a date, and times for pick-up and drop-off is how you make a reservation for a rental car on Amex Travel.
The procedure of booking a rental automobile also allows you to pay now or later. The option you select may affect the terms and costs. Before advancing with the booking procedure, carefully read them. You can forfeit the benefits of your rental vehicle elite status because they are third-party reservations. This implies that instead of heading straight to the lot, you will have to wait in line to pick up your vehicle and won’t receive benefits like free upgrades.
How to Use Amex Travel to Book Cruises
Entering the target destination, the cruise line, and the sailing date is necessary when booking a cruise with Amex Travel. Once you start your search, you can focus in on the precise itinerary and departing point. The manner of payment is the same as for all other travel methods. When checking out, you have the option of using cash, points, or a combination of the two. Redeeming Membership Rewards is available for 0.7 cents per point, should you desire to do so.
Program for Cruise Privileges
Members of the Amex Centurion Card, Amex Platinum Card, and Business Platinum Card can avail additional perks on reservations of five nights or more by enrolling in the Cruise Privileges Program. Among the perks are onboard credits ranging from $100 to $300 per cabin, which may be used for dining, spa services, and other things. Depending on which cruise line you choose, you might be able to add more special amenities like fine wines to your package. The cardholder needs to be sailing in order to be eligible for the rewards.
How Travel Can Be Purchased With Amex Points
You can use Membership Rewards to purchase travel on the final page of the booking process. This is valid for reservations for hotels, flights, rental vehicles, and cruises. You have the option to use all of your Membership Rewards or only a portion of them on your reservation.
When Booking with Amex Travel Makes Sense
If you make a reservation with Amex Travel, there are a few things to think about. Here are some things to consider:
Is the cost competitive?
It’s a good idea to do your research and compare prices before making a reservation with Amex Travel. Booking directly with a business, such an airline or hotel, through a different site, or even through Google Flights, may result in a better deal. Unless you’re looking to take advantage of a special offer, like the $200 in pre-paid hotel statement credits available with the Amex Platinum, make sure you compare pricing.
Will my itinerary for travel change?
You must get in touch with American Express’ helpline if your travel arrangements change or if you need to cancel a reservation you made through Amex Travel. You will be notified by a representative of any modifications or cancellation fees.
For the majority of reservations, Amex Travel typically offers a 24-hour cancellation window. Many airlines and hotel programs have eliminated change and cancellation costs during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, in order to take advantage of this flexibility, you must make your reservation directly with them.
What occurs if you take a trip without notifying American Express?
Based on our observations, it shouldn’t be an issue if you don’t inform AmEx of your vacation itinerary. It’s crucial to have your contact details current, though, so the AmEx security staff can get in touch with you in the event that your account is the victim of any suspected fraud.
Modern automatic and human fraud protection techniques are available from American Express, and they can identify transaction patterns and aid in the prevention of fraud. This could occasionally entail getting in touch with a client to confirm that a payment was made in a proper manner. You might still discover that your account is restricted or blocked until the team can get in contact with you if they attempt to contact you but are unable. Before you depart, make sure your contact details are correct just in case.
Traveling with American Express is simple, but before you go, make sure you know whether there are any additional fees when using your card abroad.
To determine which is best for your travel, compare your American Express with the inexpensive foreign debit card from Wise. With wise cards, you may make purchases in more than 150 countries and 40 currencies at midmarket rates, with costs as low as 0.43%.
In summary
Making travel arrangements is easy with the Amex Travel platform. The next time you arrange a journey, it’s worth considering because it provides a straightforward procedure and a means to use Membership Rewards. The International Airline Program, hotel experience credits, cruise advantages, and other incentives are available to American Express members when they use the gateway.
When travel expenses are still high, having the option to pay with points, cash, or a combination of both could be a useful money-saving strategy, even though the return on Membership Rewards may be lower than when using transfer partners.
