On Monday, I reminded people to either (1) use the AmEx Platinum credit they received for losing American Airlines/US Airways lounge access, or (2) to call in to American Express and ask if they could get a credit on their Platinum card(s) if they didn’t already have one.
Regarding #2, I found out through blog comments and twitter mentions that many people were successful in calling American Express and receiving a credit. I heard everything from credits ranging from $100 to $200, to people receiving 25,000 to 30,000 Membership Rewards points, all for a 5-10 minute phone call.
These credits are in addition to the $200 airline fee credit that all Platinum cardholders receive. I purchased 2 x $100 American Airlines gift cards in early January and got my credit for that benefit already.
When American Express announced the loss of AA/US lounges, I received an offer for up to $200 of additional credits on American Airlines and US Airways. Over the weekend, the window for redeeming that credit went into effect, so I purchased a $100 AA gift card. Today, I saw this in my account:
Time to go buy a 2nd one!
I actually like my American Express Platinum card, even after losing American Airlines lounge access. With the airline credits, I’m basically paying only $50 for benefits like access to Fine Hotels & Resorts as well as Priority Pass. I’ve already gotten ample value out of those two this year (although I’ve flown 86,000 miles already this year on several trips, which is a lot even for me). I’m not missing out on American Airlines lounge access since I have a Citi Executive AAdvantage card (actually, I have two).
