AMEX Platinum Charge Benefits - Q&A

[Cynicor]

This is BS - nowhere in the T&Cs mentions the transfer requirement

Is it? I’m pretty sure it says booked using Amex miles. How else do you expect to verify this?

 

[sudoer]

Is it? I’m pretty sure it says booked using Amex miles. How else do you expect to verify this?

It doesn't.

 

[Cynicor]

It does. Page 7. I can’t cut and paste it on my phone, but page 7, eligibility criteria, part 4, ii.

“Corresponding Mr points or frequent flyer points…”

 

[sudoer]

page 7, eligibility criteria, part 4, ii.

Yes, I'm aware of the clause.

it says booked using Amex miles

It doesn't say this. The eligibility table states that bookings can be made using frequent flyer points but does not state any criteria around the source of said points.

To be eligible for the benefits under the cover section(s) of the Policy, the following eligibility criteria need to be met:

You are going on an International Return Trip and You pay the full amount of Your outbound ticket for a Scheduled Flight or Scheduled Cruise leaving Australia on Your:

1. American Express Card Account;
2. corresponding American Express Membership Rewards points or frequent flyer points (where applicable); and/or
3. Travel Benefit.

Another member's actual experience:

American Express Platinum cover when only paying taxes on award flight?

I can see in the terms and conditions that travel insurance is only activated when paying for a RETURN flight. We have used airmiles for 2x J flights to UK so have only paid for the taxes on the flight. Also, we booked the flights in two separate bookings as there wasn't the ability with SQ to...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[Cynicor]

sure, if that’s how you want to read it. I read it as being very clear that the points need to be Amex mr, or Amex ff miles. Simple.
But feel free to go to the AFCA if your insurance is denied.

 

[straitman]

It’s quite unclear IMHO and as such unless it’s a crystal clear I don’t rely on Amex for insurance.
Example: We have a trip booked that uses the Amex card and also Amex points transferred to Sq miles. That’s fine.
One leg however uses QF points so I do not believe the insurance will cover it and as such we won’t rely on the Amex insurance.
Happy to be proven wrong.

 

[Cynicor]

Yeah, similarly unless I book the whole thing on Amex I get alternative cover.
Luckily i don’t really factor the insurance in my value calculations.
That said, the car insurance is crystal clear and saved me some $ recently.

 

[BJReplay]

It’s quite unclear IMHO and as such unless it’s a crystal clear I don’t rely on Amex for insurance.
Example: We have a trip booked that uses the Amex card and also Amex points transferred to Sq miles. That’s fine.
One leg however uses QF points so I do not believe the insurance will cover it and as such we won’t rely on the Amex insurance.
Happy to be proven wrong.

I've been wary of relying on credit card insurance for exactly this reason in the past.

I've always taken out a good (but inexpensive) travel insurance policy. Often that has been an annual policy when that has made sense, especially when I've then been able to rely on credit card insurances to back that up.

I've been pleasantly surprised when that has played out well:

• Travel insurance provides minimal cover for delays.
• Credit card (CBA Ultimate) insurance fills the gap nicely.
• AMEX (paid for airfares on Amex) was useless in this case.

On another occasion work trip in US with a side family holiday, hire car on Amex:

• Declined expensive add on insurance on hire car.
• Car was damaged in hotel car park.
• Assumed incorrectly that work travel insurance would cover hire car excess (as I was covered on personal travel added on to work trips under work travel insurance - but didn't read the fine print: doh!)
• AMEX insurance picked up the hire car insurance excess.

 

[Daver6]

This is BS - nowhere in the T&Cs mentions the transfer requirement

And clearly a contradiction to what I'd previously been told on the phone.

 

[Berlin]

And clearly a contradiction to what I'd previously been told on the phone.

Yes, me too. I actually had quite chunky claim due to sickness in Europe last year and didn't even think for a moment there might be an issue with my flight being booked on QF FF miles (plus taxes and fees paid on my platinum charge card, of course) and there wasn't. When calling them from the road, advising that I was most likely due to go to hospital, they did a quick eligibility check even and it was never brought up.

Got my 25,000ish back in the end, no problem.

Post automatically merged: Jun 22, 2023

It doesn't say this. The eligibility table states that bookings can be made using frequent flyer points but does not state any criteria around the source of said points.

You're correct. There's no word about this in the Ts and Cs.

 

[wsthong]

I paid my airfare for 2 with the Plat Charge for an upcoming trip.
Should I rely on the AMEX Travel Insurance or it would be better to purchase another cover separately.

 

[Berlin]

I paid my airfare for 2 with the Plat Charge for an upcoming trip.
Should I rely on the AMEX Travel Insurance or it would be better to purchase another cover separately.

I can't speak for others of course and am certainly not a "certified insurance broker" but from my experience, I would not know why anyone were to take out double insurance cover. All claims over the past few years have been approved, both the rather costly health-related claim and some minor "Delayed luggage" or "stuck due to onward flight cancelation" claims.

I'm actually quite happy with the Amex insurance so far- one of the main reasons I'd say it's well worth the quite steep annual fee. And having dealt with other insurance companies in the past- Chubb actually hasn't been the worst in terms of paperwork required and time the claims took to process. I think most insurance companies are quite awful tbh but it hasn't been the worst.

Just my 2 cents- I might have been lucky, who knows.

 

[sydunipete]

I paid my airfare for 2 with the Plat Charge for an upcoming trip.
Should I rely on the AMEX Travel Insurance or it would be better to purchase another cover separately.

Read the PDS carefully to ensure it meets your needs. But in general, there is nothing wrong with credit card "free" insurance - but like all things you need to ensure it is fit for your purpose and you meet the conditions of coverage.

 

[tinkybelle]

My plat charge states must pay for OUTBOUND air or cruise with card or points but you have to have a return ticket or cruise

 

[Berlin]

My plat charge states must pay for OUTBOUND air or cruise with card or points but you have to have a return ticket or cruise

Yep, it must be a return trip but the outbound and inbound can be booked separately (as long as you pay with the charge card or points plus fees and taxes on the card)- the entire trip only has to start and end in the country of residence, Australia, that's all. And the points can come from wherever, they don't need to be transferred from Amex, that's pretty clear from what I can tell.

 

[foggy]

I just did a $2.8k claim on a water damaged laptop while overseas with Chubb. I had a mix of Cathay Pacific redemption TO and SQ redemption RETURN at time of departure. I booked Qantas redemption RETURN whilst already overseas. Forwarded all 3 bookings to CHUBB and the claim was approved. They did not ask for any proof of miles being transferred from AmEx, just the taxes.

I also cover myself with Westpac travel insurance by booking $500 worth of accomodation to trigger the black card. Westpac/Allianz have been great too. Always good to have options, and I think Westpac's $500 requirement is so easy to meet.

 

[zan5hin]

I just got this card, approved pretty much instantly, not even a single payslip. Why can't every application be so easy? I'm still kicking myself that I missed out on the 325,000 offer earlier this year, but I was still in the 18 months sin bin.

 

[NoName]

What’s the minimum income they want for this card? Sounds like they don’t even verify it but wouldn’t want to lie all the same.

 

[sudoer]

What’s the minimum income they want for this card? Sounds like they don’t even verify it but wouldn’t want to lie all the same.

They used to list a minimum income of $100k but that seems to no longer exist on the website.

I think if you're a tad under $100k you're still in for a reasonable chance of approval, and they'd just adjust your spending limit to match.

 

[alexc]

They used to list a minimum income of $100k but that seems to no longer exist on the website.

I think if you're a tad under $100k you're still in for a reasonable chance of approval, and they'd just adjust your spending limit to match.

Just as a data point, my income is quite a bit below 100k and I got approved about 3 months ago.

I suspect they look at a variety of factors including your credit history with them. I’ve held the Explorer card for about a year and have always paid on time.

It might help that I have no loans outstanding as well.