Get 7% to 39% off Premium Economy, Business and First Class, bookable online or by phone
You have to love an easy discount.
American Express Platinum and Centurion cardholders barely have to lift a finger to knock off a couple hundred dollars (or even thousands) on lots of premium fares on a bunch of airlines (25), thanks to Amex’s International Airline Program (IAP).
And it’s easy. You can book tickets online. We’ll give you the details below, but let’s check out some deals first.
Amen to Amex: 7% to 39% Off
The IAP program offers a fare discount of 7% to 39% on many published First Class, Business Class and Premium Economy fares to many destinations around the globe. First Class tickets can be booked with the IAP on such airlines as Air France, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad, Lufthansa, Qantas, Singapore and SWISS.
First Class Savings with Amex: Up to $6,557 (or 34%) Less
Cathay Pacific from New York to Hong Kong currently costs $19,668 round-trip in First Class booked with American and flying Cathay Pacific. Via Amex IAP it’s $13,111, a savings of $6,557 or 33%.
Yes, this might take an extra 10 minutes to find the lowest fare, but if you save $6,557, you’re making up to $655 for each minute that you do some research.
Japan Airlines from Los Angeles to Tokyo is currently $16,453 round-trip in First Class. Via Amex IAP it’s $10,866, a savings of $5,587 or 34%.
Emirates from New York to Dubai is currently $13,787 round-trip in First Class. Via Amex IAP it’s $10,935, a savings of $2,852 or 21%.
Singapore Airlines from Los Angeles to Tokyo is currently running $11,888 round-trip in First Class. Via Amex IAP it’s $9,529, a savings of $2,359 or 20%.
Upgrade to First Class for Only $475
First Class on British Airways from San Francisco to London is currently $4,061 round-trip for travel April 9 to 16, but via Amex IAP it drops to $3,561. United charges $2,661 for Business Class for the same dates, so essentially, booking on BA with the Amex IAP you get an upgrade to First Class for only ~$900 round-trip.
Pay with your American Express Platinum Card and you also earn 5X points for booking via American Express Travel, which is about 14,000 extra points on a $3,500 ticket. That easily has a value of $425, making the overall upgrade cost even less at $475. Note that this is even better than the British Airways 10% Visa discount in the long run as you earn valuable points back.
Business Class Savings with Amex IAP: Up to $4,117 (or 39%) Less
Plus Tactical and Flash Fare Sample Savings Up to $200 (or 14%) Less
Example Savings On Tactical Fares to Europe: Los Angeles to Paris is currently $2,239 round-trip on Air France in Business Class for travel in August. Via Amex IAP it’s $2,088 for a $151 or 7% savings.
Example Savings On Flash Fares to South America: When New York to Rio de Janeiro was running $1,394 round-trip on Delta, Amex IAP was pricing at just $1,194, a $200 or 14% savings.
Sample Savings With Everyday Fares:
Up to $1,237 (or 19%) Less
Asia
Los Angeles to Singapore is currently $3,378 round-trip on Singapore Airlines in Business Class. Via Amex IAP it’s $2,938. This may not be thousand-dollar savings, but it turns a good deal into a great one with a $440 or 13% savings.
New York to Tokyo is currently running $6,662 round-trip on Japan Airlines in Business Class. Via Amex IAP it’s $5,425 for a $1,237 or 19% savings.
San Francisco to Seoul is currently $4,371 round-trip on Asiana in Business Class. Via Amex IAP it’s $4,008, a $363 or 8% savings.
Africa
Atlanta to Johannesburg is currently $6,292 round-trip on Delta non-stop in Business Class. Via Amex IAP it’s $5,423 for an $869 or 14% savings.
Europe
Los Angeles to Paris is currently $3,369 round-trip on Air France and Delta in Business Class for travel in May. Via Amex IAP it’s $2,968 for a $401 or 12% savings.
Houston to Frankfurt is $3,529 round-trip on Lufthansa in Business Class for travel in June. Via Amex IAP it’s $3,331 for a savings of $198 or 6%.
South Pacific
Los Angeles to Sydney is currently $6,599 round-trip on American, Delta, and Virgin Australia in Business Class. Via Amex IAP it’s $5,632 on Delta for a $967 or 15% savings.
The Middle East
New York to Dubai is currently running $5,000 round-trip on Emirates non-stop in Business Class. Via Amex IAP it’s $4,835 for a $165 or 3% savings.
And finally, Dallas to Doha is currently running $4,875 round-trip on Qatar non-stop in Business Class. Via Amex IAP Travel it’s $4,506 for a savings of $369 or 8%.
Business Travelers Save Big
Sample Fare Savings Up to $4,117 (or 39%) Less
There are lots of reasons people fly Business Class, but the business traveler has specific needs: often flying last minute, and/or without a Saturday-night stay. Here’s what we found for sample savings with the Amex International Airline Program using these types of parameters.
Last-minute savings on a high-demand route: Traveling a week from your departure date? And have no weekend stay (out on Monday and returning on Friday, for example)? New York to London is very expensive for the business traveler, with fares starting at around $8,251 round-trip on Delta and Virgin Atlantic. Via Amex IAP it’s $6,219 for the same flights for a $2,032 or 25% savings with both airlines.
Seven-day advance on the New York-to-Frankfurt route is currently $2,970 round-trip on Delta non-stop in Business Class. Via Amex IAP it’s $2,667 for a savings of $303 or 10%.
Seven-day advance on the Washington, DC,-to-Paris route is currently $9,503 round-trip on Air France non-stop in Business Class. Via Amex IAP it’s $7,913 for a savings of $1,590 or 17%.
Seven-day advance on the Chicago-to-Tokyo route is currently $12,563 round-trip on Japan Airlines non-stop in Business Class. Via Amex IAP it’s $8,446 for a $4,117 or 33% savings.
Seven-day advance on the New York-to-Hong Kong route is currently $8,112 round-trip on Japan Airlines non-stop in Business Class. Via Amex IAP it’s $4,938 for a $3,174 or 39% savings.
Premium Economy Savings with Amex IAP:
Up to $830 (or 37%) Less
Asia
New York to Tokyo is currently $2,250 round-trip on American/Japan Airlines in Premium Economy. Via Amex IAP it’s $1,420 for a $830 or 37% savings.
South Pacific
Los Angeles to Sydney is currently $2,170 round-trip on Virgin Australia in Premium Economy. Via Amex IAP it’s $1,548 for a $622 or 29% savings.
How to Book
Step 1: Find low-fare premium deals using FCF fare alerts.
Step 2: Click on the “Get Deal” button to take you to google.com/flights and search the dates the deal works for you.
Step 3: Research fare on Google Flights (and confirm the fare through a Google booking partner to make sure it’s real) or on your favorite Online Travel Agency.
Step 4: Go online to Amex travel and log in to your American Express Platinum or Centurion Card account, or if you prefer to call: 1-800-525-3355 for Platinum Travel Service or 1-800-553-9497 for Business Platinum Travel Service. (FYI: There’s a $39 booking fee per ticket if you call and no fees when you book online.) Then enter the same dates and route you found on Google Flights.
So, the next time you’re browsing through FCF’s special fare alerts and spot a nice low $1,800 Business Class long-haul fare—or even a flash deal for $1,400, book it online with Amex to save even more.
When Amex IAP Did Not Work for FCF
Based on FCF’s research, we found that not every route or airline offered an IAP discount, even if the airline itself had service, so sometimes getting the IAP fare can be a bit hit-and-miss.
For example, Qatar and Lufthansa to Africa, Etihad to Abu Dhabi and Qantas in First Class to Sydney offered no discount. The Caribbean routes we checked also offered no savings. Nor did Central America. That said, keep in mind FCF’s research was limited; checking every airline, class, and route is impossible so results will vary.