$450 AMEX and Citi Prestige Airline Fee Credits Posted

$450 in AMEX and Citi Prestige airline fee credits have posted to my accounts, helping justify these cards' hefty annual fees. As I wrote in AMEX Platinum vs. Citi Prestige: Which Travel Credit Card?, the nice thing about the Citi Prestige is that in the first year you actually make $50 off the card, even apart from the 50,000 signup bonus and other benefits, if you use both $250 airline fee reimbursements, since you have the $450 annual fee less the $500 airline fee reimbursements.

Here's my $250 airline credit from the Citi Prestige, which posted the very next day after making the purchase:

Similarly, with the AMEX Platinum, if you leverage both $200 airline incidental fee credits for a total of $400, that brings the effective annual fee the first year down to $50, apart from the signup bonus points and all other benefits. The issue with the AMEX credit is that it's officially only for airline incidentals, such as baggage fees, lounge fees, and the like, but *not* airline tickets or gift cards. Fortunately, so far, AAdvanage gift cards still seem to work, at least in smaller denominations. I'd recommend sticking to $100 or $50 denominations.

FAQ

How Long Does It Take the Citi Prestige Airline Fee Credit to Post?

Citi's terms state that it can take 1-2 billing cycles, but most report the credit posting within a few days, or at least by the end of the current billing cycle. In my case it was just 1 day.

Do You Have to Use the Citi Prestige Airline Fee Credit All in One Transaction?

No, it can be spread over multiple transactions, up to $250 in value.

Is the Citi Prestige Airline Fee Credit Based on the Calendar Year?

Not exactly; it runs from your December billing cycle to your next December billing cycle. So don't leave this benefit until the last minute in December, as you may miss out completely if your December billing cycle has already closed.

Can the Citi Prestige Airline Fee Credit Be Used for Any Airline, Including Low Cost Carriers?

Yes, as long as you buy the ticket directly with the airline (not Expedia, Orbitz, through a travel agent, etc.) and the charge is coded as an airline purchase. 

Will the Citi Prestige Airline Fee Credit Be Given for Airline Frequent Flyer Miles Purchases?

Only if the airline itself processes the miles purchase. This is the case for American AAdvantage miles, but many other airlines process their miles purchases through points.com, and in that case you wouldn't get the airline fee credit, just as you don't earn any airline or travel category bonuses for points.com purchases.

Do I Need to Do Anything Before Making Airline Purchases, to Qualify for the AMEX Platinum Airline Credit?

Yes, you must first select your airline. Go to this page to login to your account and select your airline.

How Can I Use the AMEX Platinum Airline Incidental Fee Credit for Airline Ticket Purchases?

You can't, directly anyway. What seems to still work, at the time of writing, is buying American Airlines gift cards, then using these for ticket purchases. Don't forget that you must first select American Airlines for your airline credit.

Have you received your 2016 airline fee credits?

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