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Over the last few weeks, American Express has released a number of limited-time airline, hotel and car rental credit card promotions, with some offers available broadly on most Amex cards and others tied exclusively to the issuer’s personal and business Platinum cards.
The list of promotions starts with a transfer bonus. All Amex cards that are part of the US-based Membership Rewards points program are eligible for a 40% bonus when transferring points to either the Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors hotel programs through October 31.
The standard transfer ratio to Marriott is 1-to-1, while Hilton points normally transfer at a ratio of 1-to-2. Now, with the 40% bonus, card members will get 1,400 Marriott points for every 1,000 transferred American Express points, and 2,800 Hilton points for each 1,000 points transferred.
A separate Marriott hotel promotion offers enrolled Amex cards a one-time $75 statement credit when spending $250 or more at participating Marriott properties from now through December 31. This promotion comes in the form of an Amex Offer that has already been appearing on card member accounts in recent days.
Reservations must be made directly with Marriott and not through a travel agency to be eligible for the credit. Card members must first enroll in the offer, and enrollment is limited.
Related: Amex Offers: The definitive guide to saving money with your American Express card.
Additional Amex Offers are also currently available for a variety of hotel chains, including statement credits at InterContinental Hotels, Best Western, Kimpton Hotels, MGM Resorts and a range of Hilton brands. Each offer has its own terms, and cards must be enrolled in each offer in advance to earn the credits for charges related to a stay.
A series of car rental promotions has also recently been rolled out, including Amex Offers for Avis, Enterprise, Turo and Silvercar by Audi. The terms of each offer varies, along with the spending requirements and the value of the statement credits. Enrollment in each of these offers is also limited.
To learn more about how to access Amex Offers and save money all year round as an American Express card member, read CNN Underscored’s guide to Amex Offers.
Discount airfares and hotel credits for Platinum card members
Now through December 31, people with either The Platinum Card® from American Express or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express can find significantly discounted airfares on select domestic flights at American Express Travel.
The lower prices, which are available for travel through March 31, 2021, can be accessed by logging into Amex Travel at this link with your Platinum card, searching for a domestic route and then filtering the results to show only “Recommended Flights.”
As an example, this round-trip nonstop set of flights from New York’s JFK airport to Los Angeles and back on American Airlines in mid-November is pricing at $327 on American’s website as of this writing, but it can be booked for a full $50 less by Platinum card members on Amex Travel, a 15% discount.
Bookings made via Amex Travel with a personal Amex Platinum card or the Business Platinum card always earn 5 points for every dollar spent, so this discount pairs nicely with a solid rewards return as well.
Also exclusively for personal Platinum cards, a new Amex Offer provides a one-time $150 statement credit when spending $800 or more on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts bookings at AmexTravel.com. The credit stacks on top of the regular Fine Hotels + Resorts benefits, which include elite-style perks such as complimentary breakfast for two people, guaranteed late checkout and a unique property amenity.
To receive the credit, Platinum card members must enroll their card in the offer before booking — a direct link to the offer can be found here. Offer enrollment is limited, and travel must be booked by December 7.
Platinum card members can also often receive a complimentary night or property credit when booking at certain Fine Hotels + Resorts properties through American Express Travel. The issuer notes that there is currently a selection of more than 200 participating properties offering these nights or credits through the program. Required booking dates and travel dates vary by property but can be seen in advance of booking at the American Express Travel website.
Analyzing the value of these Amex promotions
The airfare discounts are an easy win for Amex Platinum card members, assuming you can find one on a set of flights that fit your schedule (and the discount is so good, it’s almost worth going out of your way for it). All flights booked through Amex Travel should also earn airline elite miles and dollars just as if they were booked directly with the airline.
Related: Get 75,000 bonus points with the American Express Business Platinum card.
Even if you don’t have an Amex Platinum card, you can easily save money with any American Express card by enrolling in one or more of the hotel and car rental Amex Offers. In most cases, the spending thresholds for earning statement credits are reasonable, and some offers may even allow you to meet those thresholds over multiple visits. Just remember that enrollment is limited on most of these offers, so take a few minutes now to enroll in any offers that could be useful to you in the next few months.
The Fine Hotels + Resorts offers are a little more specialized. The program mostly encompasses luxury hotel properties, so if you’re looking for a cheap hotel on a work trip, it probably won’t meet your needs. Also, when booking through Fine Hotels + Resorts, having your hotel elite status honored can be hit or miss, so consider all your options before committing to a booking.
Still, the $150 statement credit represents a nearly 19% savings on an $800 booking, so if you do find a property at a price that works for you, you’ll be able to get it for significantly less.
Finally, while point transfer bonuses are always welcome, Marriott and Hilton aren’t the strongest loyalty programs available on the Membership Rewards transfer roster. CNN Underscored’s partner The Points Guy values Marriott points at only 0.8 cents apiece, and Hilton points at an even lower 0.6 cents each. On the other hand, Membership Rewards are worth 2 cents each, so even with a 40% transfer bonus, you won’t be getting as much value for your points as you could by transferring to other partners.
Overall, the only real downside of this package of American Express travel offers is that most people aren’t traveling at the moment due to the pandemic and won’t be able to use them. But if you do expect to find yourself on the road before the end of the year and you have an American Express card, make sure to take advantage of these promotions and save a lot of money on your trip.
Learn more about The Platinum Card from American Express.
Learn more about The Business Platinum Card from American Express.
Get all the latest personal finance deals, news and advice at CNN Underscored Money.
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