American Express Fine Hotels And Resort Program

One of the lesser-known American Express benefits is access to, which offers room upgrades and hotel credits for dining, spa and resort activities. To use this benefit, you just need an eligible card and to book your room through American Express Travel Services. This program can save you money and improve your experience during your next hotel stay.In this post I’ll take a closer look at The Hotel Collection, and compare it to the better-known (FHR) program to help you understand what to expect and how to take full advantage of the benefits. How The Hotel Collection WorksThe Hotel Collection benefits are offered to holders of the following American Express cards:.Card holders with access to The Hotel Collection receive the following benefits:. A room upgrade at check-in if available.

Up to $100 hotel credit. You can use this credit to spend on eligible dining, spa and resort activities. Lower rates, depending on what Amex has negotiated with the property. 2x Membership Rewards points for Gold card holders on prepaid bookings. 5x Membership Rewards points for Platinum card holders on prepaid bookings. The ability to use Pay With Points on prepaid bookingsEnjoy perks at properties like The Strings by InterContinental Tokyo.

Image courtesy of the hotel.Rooms must be booked in an eligible hotel in the program either through American Express Travel Services online at or by phone at 800-297-2977. There’s a minimum stay requirement of two nights, and you cannot book consecutive stays within 24 hours if you want to qualify for this benefit again. The perk is available for up to three rooms booked at one time though, so if you’re traveling with your family or in a group, you can receive up to $225 in credits per stay. Finally, the $100 credit excludes charges for taxes, gratuities, fees and the cost of the room. Properties in The Hotel CollectionThe Amex Hotel Collection includes a range of both popular brands and smaller boutique properties. Here are some examples: This hotel costs over $100 a night more than originally quoted, due to taxes and fees. New YorkI picked a date this winter and performed a search for properties available in New York City, which turned up dozens of options ranging from the Soho Grand Hotel at $237 to the NoMad Hotel at $445.Beware that Amex displays only the base rate that excludes taxes and fees.

While airlines are prohibited by DOT regulations from displaying one price and charging another, this practice is common in the hotel industry. For example, the New York NoMad hotel quoted at $445 night, but actually costs at least $554 after all taxes and mandatory hotel fees are included. In fact, an Amex representative explained, and the website’s fine print confirmed, that the hotels could add government taxes and fees as well as hotel-imposed fees that could only be known in advance by calling the hotel.

For more information about this issue, read my post,.Often you won’t earn hotel points from your stay when you book through a third party such as American Express Travel Services. However, this can be a small price to pay in exchange for the $100 credit, since the hotel points you would earn for a two-night stay would typically be worth far less. Furthermore, many of the featured hotels don’t participate in a loyalty program, so there’s no trade-off to consider in that case. PhoenixOn the other end of the price spectrum is Phoenix in the summer, which stands out for having some of the lowest prices for hotels featured by these types of programs.When searching for a weekend in July, I found the Tempe Mission Palms initially quoted at $169 a night, which becomes at least $210 when all of the initially disclosed taxes and fees are added in. On the other end of the spectrum, the Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix Cityscape was $399, which jumped to at least $472 when all the taxes and hotel fees were added in.

TokyoI looked at a weekend in Tokyo this summer, and found both the Strings by InterContinental and the InterContinental ANA for $254 a night, rising to $430 with taxes and hotel-imposed fees. The Hotel Collection vs.

Fine Hotels & ResortsAmex Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR) offers more valuable benefits, but is only available to Amex Platinum and Centurion card holders. Benefits include the following:. Noon check-in when available. Room upgrades when available. Daily breakfast for two. Free in-room Wi-Fi. Guaranteed 4 pm late checkout.

American Express Fine Hotels And Resorts Programme

A special amenity that varies by property, often a $100 hotel credit. Special rates, sometimes including a fourth night freeWhile I expected to find significant overlap in the properties offered by The Hotel Collection and the Fine Hotels & Resorts program, I actually found none.

A comparison of the two programs reveals that each has its strengths and weaknesses.In general, Fine Hotels & Resorts has more properties, but they tend to be far more expensive. For example, I looked at a stay next spring in New York City, and most of the properties in the Fine Hotels & Resorts program were more than twice as expensive as those in the Hotel Collection.The FHR benefits are superior, especially the free breakfasts, early check-ins and late checkouts. But at the same time, you’re looking at a much more expensive class of hotels, which may be outside the budget of many travelers (or their company’s expense accounts).

Thus, the real benefit of The Hotel Collection appears to be access to high-end (rather than ultra-high-end) hotels. One other thing I noticed is that both The Hotel Collection and FHR properties often don’t show hotel prices and availability unless you call Amex Travel. I suppose at some of these price points, if you have to ask, then you probably can’t afford it! How to Best Utilize The Hotel Collection BenefitFood, beverage and other services at hotels can be very expensive, so the $100 credit can be very easy to use. I think the real sweet spot of this program is for business travelers who are already being reimbursed for their room and meals.

For these hotel guests, the $100 credit can be put toward drinks, pay-per-view movies and spa services that would not be allowed by most company expense policies. I can also see some leisure travelers utilizing this benefit, especially when they find great deals like summer stays at Arizona resorts.The benefits of the Fine Hotels & Resorts program — such as early check-in, late checkout and free breakfast — seem geared toward leisure travelers, albeit those who can afford the more expensive properties.What’s interesting is that both programs are offered to Platinum and Centurion card holders, which indicates that The Hotel Collection and Fine Hotels & Resorts programs each offer distinct benefits. In short, The Hotel Collection is a valuable perk of the. It’s not just a watered-down version of FHR.Featured image courtesy of the Soho Grand Hotel. Earn 35,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 3 months. Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points when you dine at restaurants worldwide.

Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. Supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X). Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com. Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Boxed, and participating Shake Shack locations. This can be an annual savings of up to $120.

Enrollment required. $100 Airline Fee Credit: up to $100 in statement credits per calendar year for incidental fees at one selected qualifying airline. Choose to carry a balance with interest on eligible charges of $100 or more. No Foreign Transaction Fees. Annual Fee is $250. Terms Apply. Terms and restrictions apply.Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser.

American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts (fhr) Program

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This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Please view our for more information.Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

American Express Fine Hotels And Resort Program Development

5X Membership Rewards Points: You will get one point for each dollar charged for an eligible purchase on your Platinum Card ® or Business Platinum Card ® from American Express. You will get 4 additional points (for a total of 5 points) for each dollar spent on eligible travel purchases made on. Eligible travel purchases include the following purchases made on: scheduled flights, prepaid hotel purchases (including hotels and flight+hotel packages), minus returns and other credits. Eligible travel purchases do NOT include non-prepaid hotel bookings, car rentals and cruise, hotel group reservations or events, ticketing service, cancellation or other fees, interest charges, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents. To be eligible for the 5x Membership Rewards ® points, you must both reserve and charge the travel purchase with the same eligible Platinum Card ® or Business Platinum Card ®. To modify a reservation you must cancel and rebook your reservation.

You can cancel and rebook your reservation on or by calling a representative of at 1-800-297-2977. Cancellations are subject to hotel cancellation penalty policies. If hotel reservations are made or modified directly with the hotel provider, the reservation will not be eligible for this 5X Membership Rewards ® point benefit.

For Business Platinum Card Members, extra points for air, prepaid hotel, and travel packages will be credited to the Membership Rewards account 10-12 weeks after final payment is made. Bonuses you may receive with your Card on other purchase categories or in connection with promotions or offers from American Express may not be combined with this benefit. Merchants are assigned codes based on what they primarily sell. A purchase will not qualify for additional points if the merchant's code is not eligible. The benefits associated with the Additional Card(s) you choose may be different than the benefits associated with your basic Card. See for the Membership Rewards program terms and conditions or to learn the benefits associated with the Additional Card(s) you choose, please call the number on the back of your Card.

American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc., when acting solely as a sales agent for travel suppliers, is not responsible for the actions or inactions or such suppliers.2. Pay with Points: To use Pay with Points, you must charge your eligible purchase through American Express Travel to a Membership Rewards ® program-enrolled American Express ® Card. Eligible purchases through American Express Travel exclude car reservations and non-prepaid hotels. Points will be debited from your Membership Rewards account, and credit for corresponding dollar amount will be issued to the American Express Card account used. If points redeemed do not cover entire amount, the balance of purchase price will remain on the American Express Card account. Minimum redemption 5,000 points.See for the Membership Rewards program terms and conditions.If a charge for a purchase is included in a Pay Over Time balance on your Linked Account the statement credit associated with that charge may not be applied to that Pay Over Time balance.

Instead the statement credit may be applied to your Pay in Full balance. If you believe this has occurred, please contact us by calling the number on the back of your Card. Valid only for new Fine Hotels & Resorts bookings made through Platinum Travel Service, Business Platinum Travel Service, Centurion Travel Service, americanexpress.com/fhr, any American Express Travel offices or the Agency Services Desk. Payment must be made in full with an American Express Card in the Platinum Card Member's or Centurion ® Member’s name. Available for Platinum Charge Card Members and Centurion ® Members only, and excludes Platinum Credit Card Members such as Platinum Delta SkyMiles ® Card Members who are not also Platinum Charge Card Members. Card Member must travel on itinerary booked to be eligible for benefits described. Noon check-in and room upgrade are based on availability and are provided at check-in.

Breakfast amenity varies by property, but will be, at a minimum, a continental breakfast. Complimentary In-Room Wi-Fi is provided, with the exception of explora Patagonia where In-Room Wi-Fi is not available.

In this instance, complimentary Wi-Fi will be provided in a common space on property. In the case where a Property includes cost of Wi-Fi in a mandatory resort fee, the Card Member will receive a daily credit from the Property in the standard amount that the Property charges for Wi-Fi.

The credit will be issued on the Card Members final statement upon check-out. Benefit restrictions vary by Fine Hotels & Resorts property and cannot be redeemed for cash, and may not be combined with other offers unless indicated. Advance reservations are recommended for services such as spa, dining or golf in order to take advantage of the Fine Hotels & Resorts special amenity during your stay.

Benefits are only applied at checkout and expire at checkout. Limit one benefit package per room, per stay. Three room limit per Card Member, per stay; back-to-back stays within a 24-hour period at the same property considered one stay.

Participating Fine Hotels & Resorts properties and benefits are subject to change.American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc., when acting solely as a sales agent for travel suppliers, is not responsible for the actions or inactions of such suppliers. We want you to be aware that certain suppliers pay us commissions and other incentives for reaching sales targets or other goals, and may also provide incentives to our travel counselors. For more information please visit www.americanexpress.com/travelterms California CST#1022318, Washington UBI#600-469-694, Iowa TA#669.© American Express.