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How do I get Travel Credit on my Amex card?

Alex Ritchie avatar
Alex Ritchie
- 3 min read
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While most American Express cards offer some kind of travel rewards, there are only a few cards that will give you Travel Credit. This credit could be used to book your flights, pay for a hotel stay, or even rent a car 

You may get travel credit on your American Express by choosing an Amex credit card option that offers this perk. At the time of writing, you can earn Travel Credits through these credit cards on the RateCity database:

Credit card

Travel Credit

Annual fee

American Express Explorer® Credit Card

$400 Travel Credit every year

$395

American Express Platinum Edge Credit Card

$200 Travel Credit every year

$0 for 12 months, then $195 thereafter

American Express Qantas Ultimate Card

$450 Qantas Travel Credit every year

$450

Source: RateCity.com.au. Data accurate as of 17/01/2023.

As you can see, the cost of the credit card annual fee is generally the equivalent of the Travel Credit offered by Amex.

You may want to crunch the numbers yourself to ensure that these higher-than-average fees are worth the benefit of Travel Credit, or if it better suits your budget to simply pay for the tickets, accommodation or other product or service out-of-pocket.

Keep in mind that you must redeem your Travel Credit within this same annual period, as it cannot be carried forward to any subsequent years. You will also need to ensure you’ve paid your annual fee and have made at least the minimum payment due on your most recent credit card statement to be eligible for Travel Credit.

Redeeming American Express Travel Credit

The benefit of earning Travel Credit annually is that you may put this towards travel bookings made with your American Express credit card. Understandably, Qantas Travel Credit will need to be redeemed with this airline.

Depending on your card, you may be able to redeem your Travel Credit to book all or some of the following:

The American Express website provides the latest information on the fees and benefits to help you compare your options and select a card that suits your pocket and travelling preferences.

How you can use American Express Travel Credit to make bookings

To redeem your Amex Travel Credit, log in to the American Express Travel Online website and select the card you’re going to use. You can view your unused Travel Credit on the top right side of the page.

Once you’re ready to book, click to checkout and redeem your Travel Credit by selecting the ‘Travel Credit’ radio button.

You don’t need to save this Travel Credit just for yourself. In fact, Amex Travel Credit doesn’t just have to be used by the primary card holder, but can be redeemed for anyone, such as your spouse, family member or a friend. 

You can only make one booking using your Travel Credit, as it is generally not possible to spread out your credit over multiple bookings. If you hold more than one Amex card, you cannot pool your Travel Credit from different cards to pay for a booking.

Compare credit cards

Product database updated 27 Dec, 2024

This article was reviewed by Personal Finance Editor Peter Terlato before it was published as part of RateCity's Fact Check process.