American Express Travel Review [2024]: Worth the hype?

Editor's Note: This is a review of American Express' Travel Platforms, not specifically the credit cards. This review is independently written and was not sponsored by American Express.

Are you an American Express cardholder planning to book a trip soon? You might want to take a look at the Amex Travel portal in preparation for your vacation. 

American Express cardholders and non-cardholders alike have access to this booking portal, but American Express cardholders can receive travel benefits like room upgrades, resort credit, and more by booking through Amex Travel.

Plus, cardholders can use Membership Rewards Points to cover all or part of their booking on Amex Travel! 

However, it's important to note that the Amex Travel portal might not be the best option for every traveler. Some drawbacks include the barrier to entry and the low points-to-dollar conversion for travel services booked on the site. 

Keep reading to learn more about the Amex Travel portal and whether we think it's worth using to book your next trip!

What is Amex Travel?

AMex Travel, also known as American Express Travel, is a travel booking portal that allows users to book travel, including flights, cruises, and hotel stays. It's an additional service portal that American Express Credit Card Holders get to use as part of their membership.

Cardholders can redeem American Express Membership Rewards Points directly to use on travel bookings. It is a convenient way to redeem points for travel directly in the portal rather than having to transfer points to a partner airline or hotel group. 

How does Amex Travel work?

First things first, only American Express cardholders can use the Amex Travel portal to redeem points to book travel. 

If you have an American Express branded credit card and Membership Rewards points ready to use, you're good to go. Otherwise, you'll still be able to use the site, but you won't be able to apply points to your booking or reap the benefits of certain cardholder-only programs.  

Amex Travel is simple and easy to use and has a clean interface that allows users to quickly find what they're looking for on the platform. Users can book travel directly in the Amex Travel portal by using American Express Membership Rewards Points, a credit card, or both. 

Travel services available on the Amex Travel portal include flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, and vacation packages.

How can I book a trip through Amex Travel?

The ease of use and simple user interface make booking travel on Amex Travel an enjoyable, stress-free experience.

All you need to do to book a trip through Amex Travel is:

1. Log into your American Express account. 
2. Search for the trip type you want to book, like flights, hotels, cruises, etc.
3. Apply points to your booking at check-out.
4. Book the trip!

American Express Credit Cards

Depending on which American Express card or cards you have, you get access to certain perks when booking travel through the Amex Travel portal.

These are the two most popular travel-related American Express Credit Cards, which besides the Centurion no-limit invite-only card, contains the best Amex point rewards and benefits system!

American Express Gold Cardholders

The American Express Gold Card is the affordable credit card options if you're looking for great reward points for a cheaper annual fee. The Amex Gold Card's annual fee comes to $250, which includes

• Up to $120 Uber Cash (U.S.)
• Up to $120 dining credits
• Access to the Hotels Collection
• Other Insurance & general perks!

With the 3x amount of points earned on travel and 4x amount of points earned on groceries, this card is a great place to start if you're looking to build up travel reward points for your next travel getaway!

American Express Platinum Cardholders

The American Express Platinum card, Amex's flagship credit card, receives tons of travel-related credits that can then be used when booking through the Amex Travel Portal. Coming in at a $695 annual fee, it's easily to be discouraged for signing up for such an expensive credit card.

However, the travel benefits that comes with the Amex Platinum card are incredible, which includes but are not limited to:

• Up to $200 annual airline credits
• Up to $200 Uber Cash (U.S.)
• Up to $200 hotel statement credits on Fine Hotel + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings
• Up to $189 Clear statement credits
• Global Lounge Collection
• Complimentary Hilton Honors + Marriott Bo
• Bonvoy Gold Elite
• and more non-travel credits!

If you travel frequently, we recommend you take advantage of the huge benefits that comes with the Amex Platinum credit card!

American Express Travel Benefit Programs

The Hotel Collection

The Hotel Collection is a select American Express membership perk that allows specific cardholders to book participating hotels through Amex Travel portal to receive exclusive benefits, using cash or points.

In order to gain access to The Hotel Collection, you'll need to have access to the following Amex credit cards:

• American Express Gold Card + Business Gold
• American Express Platinum + Business Platinum
• American Express Centurion Card

Here are all of the benefits Amex card holders can receive with access to the hotels Collection Program:

• Pay-With-Points
• Exclusive deals on lower rates for hotel bookings or reservations
• Room Upgrade upon check-in when staying 2 nights or longer
• up to $100 in hotel credits, which can be used to spend on dining, spa and other eligible activities when staying 2 nights or longer
• 5x Membership reward points for Platinum cardholders, 2x membership reward points for Gold cardholders on prepaid reservations or bookings.

The Fine Hotels & Resorts Program

The Fine Hotels & Resorts program, also known as "Amex FHR" or "FHR," has a suite of benefits such as daily breakfast for two, guaranteed 4pm check-out, complimentary WiFi, and room upgrades when available. 

The Fine hotel & Resorts program is only available for American Express Platinum cardholders and above.

When booking through the Fine Hotels & Resorts program, you'll also receive a $100 experience credit for services at the spa or food and beverages at the hotel–note that this benefit varies based on the property. 

The FHR program is entirely different from the Amex Travel Portal, so points and credits aren't guaranteed in this program. Be sure to check up on whether your points count towards the FHR program with Amex Travel's representative before booking!

Cruise Privileges Program

American Express Platinum cardholders also have access to the Cruise Privileges Program in the Amex Travel portal. 

Platinum Card and Centurion Card Members can receive amenities like $100-$300 in onboard credit, as well as 2x points per dollar spent per booking when using the Amex Travel portal. These benefits are available on sailings of five nights or more and may include additional perks specific to each cruise line. 

Platinum Destinations Vacations

Platinum Destinations Vacations is another perk of using the Amex Travel portal as an American Express Platinum cardholder. Cardholders can receive up to 2x points per dollar spent on a qualifying independent or escorted vacation package through Amex Travel. 

Additional Amex Travel Benefits

Another key benefit of booking travel through the Amex Travel portal is that users can receive additional points on bookings when using their American Express credit card. 

American Express Platinum cardholders can earn 5x points on flights and prepaid hotels, and American Express® Gold cardholders can earn 3x points on flights. American Express® Green cardholders can earn 3x points on all travel. If you're looking to rack up more American Express Member Rewards points, this is a quick way to do so.

For a comprehensive list of all available benefits associated with the Amex Travel portal, visit the Amex Travel website. 

Is Amex Travel worth it?

Amex Travel is an easy-to-use, convenient travel booking portal, but it might not be a good option for travelers looking to get the best value for their American Express Membership Rewards points. 

While always changing, the points-to-dollar conversion rate has historically yielded less value than transferring points to partner programs like Delta or Marriott. This is worth noting because better value often means you'll get more out of the points you accrue.  

Further, you aren't guaranteed to earn loyalty points with outside partners since Amex Travel is a third-party booking service. 

For travelers looking to enhance their loyalty status, booking directly with the hotel group might make more sense. For airline miles, you might still be able to earn loyalty points or miles with the airline when booking through Amex Travel. 

Be sure to check with the airline before booking if you aim to receive miles for your flight. Note that basic economy fares, whether found on Amex Travel or another website, are sometimes not eligible for earning miles or enhancing your loyalty status. 

Something important to note is that a fee is added using the service, which is built into the cost of a ticket. This fee is unavoidable and can be higher if you call to book as opposed to using the online booking platform. The fees are waived if you have the Platinum Card, Business Platinum Card, or the Centurion Card.

For travelers considering convenience as their main priority in the booking process, Amex Travel makes it easier than ever to book a trip. 

Overall, Amex Travel is worth checking during the booking process to compare prices and points conversions on flights or hotels you might be interested in. 

However, for the budget traveler or the points-and-miles traveler, Amex Travel might not be worth it to use while booking your next vacation because of the low redemption value of American Express Membership Rewards points in the portal. 

If you're an American Express cardholder and want to earn more Membership Rewards points when booking travel, Amex Travel is a great option. If you do not have any American Express credit cards, there is no real advantage to using Amex Travel compared to any other third-party booking service. 

Our Rating: 4.1/5

Pros:

• Easy to use
• Pay with Points
• Hotel benefits for Gold & Platinum Members
• Additional points per dollar spent on travel

Cons:

• A pricer option for higher-end hotels and resorts
• Must be a Amex cardholder member to access
• Not guaranteed to earn loyalty points with travel providers
• Additional Amex Travel fees

Book travel and plan with Pilot!

Now that you're considering redeeming some of those travel points or even alternative platforms for your travels, it's time to start planning your trip!

If you're looking to relax before your flights, we've previously reviewed Priority Pass and LoungeBuddy as potential options. Whatever you choose, be sure to use Pilot for all of your travel plans.