Amex airline fee credit not posting? Here's why

How it works

You pick one airline in your Amex account: Alaska, American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest or United.

Incidental fees that airline charges to your card, such as checked bags, seat selection and in-flight food, are paid back as statement credits, up to $200 per account each calendar year.

Fees charged before you pick the airline don't count. You can change your airline once a year, in January.

The $200 resets on January 1 and doesn't roll over.

What it looks like when it works

The airline's charge stays on your statement, and a separate statement credit from Amex offsets it, until the year's $200 is used.
Each qualifying fee gets its own credit.
The airline you picked is shown in the Benefits section of your Amex account.

How long it takes

Usually within a few days of the fee. Amex allows up to 8 weeks.

Why it didn’t post

1. You hadn't picked your airline yet

Fees charged before you choose your airline never qualify. Pick it in the Benefits section of your Amex account before you pay the next fee.

2. The fee came from a different airline or company

Only fees charged by the airline you picked count. Fees from a partner airline on the same trip don't count, and neither does in-flight Wi-Fi sold by another company.

3. It isn't an incidental fee

Tickets, upgrades (including paid seat upgrades), miles, gift cards, duty-free and award tickets aren't covered, even when your airline charges them.

4. The fee was charged together with the ticket

Fees must be separate charges from the ticket. Pay bag and seat fees as their own charge, for example after you've booked.

5. The airline didn't code it as a fee

Amex relies on the airline's data. If the airline doesn't send the charge as an incidental fee, no credit posts on its own. Ask Amex after 8 weeks.

6. You paid through a wallet, a booking site or a handheld reader

Fees paid with a digital wallet, through a third party, or on an airline's mobile card reader may not be credited. Pay the airline directly with the card itself.

7. Your $200 for the year is used up

The $200 is per account each calendar year, and fees on additional cards count toward it.

8. It counted toward a different year

Amex uses the date the airline submits. A fee paid on December 31 but processed on January 1 counts toward the new year.

What doesn’t count

Airline tickets and fares
Upgrades, including paid seat upgrades
Buying miles or paying to transfer miles
Airline gift cards
Duty-free purchases
Award tickets
Fees charged by a partner airline or another company, such as in-flight Wi-Fi
Fees charged before you picked your airline

Still missing? Do this

In the Benefits section of your Amex account, check which airline you picked and that you picked it before the fee.
Check that the charge is from that airline, separate from the ticket, and not a fare, upgrade or gift card.
Wait. Credits usually post within a few days, but Amex allows up to 8 weeks.
After 8 weeks, call the number on the back of your card or chat with Amex. Name the Airline Fee Credit and give the charge date and amount.
If you got a replacement card, confirm in the Benefits section that your card is still enrolled.

Cards with this credit

Amex Platinum American Express
Platinum for Charles Schwab Charles Schwab · American Express
Same $200 and rules as the Platinum.
Platinum for Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley · American Express
Same $200 and rules as the Platinum.
Amex Business Platinum American Express
Same $200 and rules. The airline you pick must be the same one you use for the card's 35% Airline Bonus. Fees on employee cards count toward the account's $200.

Questions people ask

Which fees count?

Amex lists checked and overweight bags, change fees, seat selection (not upgrades), in-flight food, drinks and entertainment (not Wi-Fi), phone booking fees, lounge day passes and annual airline club memberships.

Can I change my airline?

Once a year, in January. If you don't change it, your current airline stays.

Do fees on my authorized users' cards count?

Yes. Fees charged on additional cards count, but the account still gets $200 a year in total.

Does it cover a cheap plane ticket?

No. Tickets, award tickets and upgrades are excluded.

Check a whole statement at once. Premium Finance, our free app, reads the statement PDF or CSV you download from your bank (on your phone, nothing is uploaded) and shows which credits posted, then reminds you before the rest run out. Open the app or try it with a sample wallet.

From the bank’s and partner’s own terms and help pages, checked Oct 25, 2026. Benefits change; the bank’s current terms decide. Spot something out of date? Tell us.

Editorial note: Our opinions alone, not reviewed or approved by any bank, card issuer, airline or hotel. Accurate as of the date shown; offers change, so check the issuer’s site before you apply.