Secret Way to Save BIG on Certain American Airlines Flights!

Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full advertising policy: How we make money.

Update:   One or more card offers in this post are no longer available.  Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers. 

Before you book your next American Airlines flight, you’ll want to check if you can get a steep discount using your AMEX Platinum card.

Because via The Points Guy, American Express and American Airlines have a partnership that can save you money on certain paid flights.

AMEX and American Airlines have not published details of the partnership.  So I called AMEX Platinum Travel Services to learn more.

And for certain routes, I found airfare was cheaper, especially in Business Class, by booking over the phone with the AMEX representative.

I’ll share more details about the potential for savings on American Airlines flights.

AMEX Platinum American Airlines Savings

Link:   American Airlines 

It’s possible to find cheaper American Airlines airfare by calling AMEX Platinum Travel Services and booking a flight over the phone.

To be eligible for Platinum Travel Services, you need one of these cards:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Mercedes-Benz
• The Business Platinum® Card from American Express OPEN
• The Platinum Card® from American Express

To contact AMEX Platinum Travel Services, call 800-801-6564.

The AMEX Platinum Travel Services representative I spoke with told me you can NOT find the savings through the AMEX Travel website.

I also learned there are no designated routes that have the savings.  Apparently, AMEX Platinum Travel Services representatives now have access to a special American Airlines booking system, which shows the discounted fares when they’re available.  I was not able to find discounts on American Airlines partner flights like British Airways.

In general, I found the biggest savings on international Business Class flights.

Keep in mind you’ll pay a $39 service fee to book airfare over the phone.  But depending on the savings, it could definitely be worth paying this fee.

Here’s a look at the results from the 4 routes I asked about.

1.   One-Way Los Angeles to Tokyo

I searched one-way American Airlines flights from Los Angeles to Tokyo in January 2017.  

On the American Airlines website, the flight costs:

• ~$1,128 in coach
• ~$3,303 in Business Class

The AMEX Platinum Travel Services representative quoted me these prices:

• ~$1,049 in coach
• ~$2,150 in Business Class

By booking through AMEX Platinum Travel Services over the phone, you’d save ~$40 on the coach ticket and ~$1,114 for the Business Class ticket, which accounts for the $39 AMEX phone booking fee.

2.   Round-Trip Los Angeles to London

A round-trip flight from Los Angeles to London in January 2017 showed savings in Business Class, but not in coach.

On the American Airlines website, the flight costs:

• ~$556 in coach
• ~$7,432 in Business Class

For the same flight, the AMEX Platinum Travel Services representative quoted me these prices:

• ~$540 in coach
• ~$3,376 in Business Class

So you’d save ~55%, or more than $4,000, by booking the Business Class flight through AMEX Platinum Travel Services.

3.   One-Way New York (JFK) to London

One-way Business Class flights from New York to London in January 2017 showed the biggest savings.

On the American Airlines website, the flight costs:

• ~$1,499 in coach
• ~$7,952 in Business Class

The AMEX Platinum Travel Services representative quoted me these prices:

• ~$1,399 in coach
• ~$2,049 in Business Class

For ~$650 more, you could purchase a seat in Business Class instead of coach through AMEX Platinum Travel Services.  Some folks wouldn’t mind spending a little extra to get a more comfortable flying experience.

And it’s clearly a much better deal than booking the one-way Business Class flight through the American Airlines website because it costs almost $6,000 more!

4.   One-Way Los Angeles to Miami

On a domestic route from Los Angeles to Miami in February 2017, I couldn’t find much savings.

On the American Airlines website, the flight costs:

• ~$202 in coach
• ~$970 in Business Class

The AMEX Platinum Travel Services representative quoted me these prices:

• ~$197 in coach
• ~$919 in Business Class

With the $39 booking fee, the coach airfare would actually be more expensive through AMEX Platinum Travel Services.  And the Business Class flight would be just a few dollars cheaper.

50% Points Back With Business Platinum

Link:   Get 50% of Your Points Back With AMEX Business Platinum

Folks with the AMEX Business Platinum card can use Pay With Points to get a 50% points rebate when booking the discounted American Airlines Business Class tickets through Platinum Travel Services.

For example, a $1,000 Business Class fight costs 100,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points.  But when you redeem points linked to your Business Platinum card, you’ll get 50,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points back.

Remember you can combine AMEX Membership Rewards points from other AMEX cards to make the most of this perk as long as you have the Business Platinum card.

And if American Airlines is your selected airline, you can use the same perk for coach flights booked through Platinum Travel Services!

Bottom Line

Folks with AMEX Platinum cards (personal, Mercedes-Benz, and small business) can potentially save lots of money on certain American Airlines flights.

You’ll have to call AMEX Platinum Travel services at 800-801-6564 to see if you can book cheaper airfare over the phone compared to the American Airlines website.

I was able to find savings of close to $6,000 on certain one-way Business Class flights.  Keep in mind, there’s no guarantee you’ll find savings on every route.

If I hear more official details about the AMEX and American Airlines partnership, I’ll be sure to let you know!