8 credits · 8 cards · $1,600 a year at face value
Airline incidental fee credits: every card that has one.
An airline incidental fee is anything an airline charges beyond the ticket itself: checked bags, seat selection, change fees, lounge day passes, pet fees and in-flight food or Wi-Fi. Incidental credits reimburse those fees on one pre-selected airline, and never airfare. Frequent flyers with status have those fees waived, so the classic outcome is a credit the cardholder can never reach. Airline selection usually changes only in January.
Every card with one, sorted by face value.
| Card | Credit | Per year | Paid out as | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite$550 annual fee | $300 Airline Incidental Credit Automatic statement credits, up to $300 per calendar year, for airline INCIDENTAL fees only: seat upgrades, checked bags, airline lounge day passes/memberships, in-flight purchases. Airfare explicitly excluded, which makes $300 hard to exhaust organically: it requires ~$300/yr of pure fee spend at the airlines. |
$300 | $300 a year, resets on the calendar | — |
| Chase Ritz-Carlton Credit Card$450 annual fee | $300 Annual Travel Credit (airline incidentals) Qualifying airline purchases only: baggage fees, seat upgrades, lounge passes/memberships, in-flight internet and meals, never airfare. Requires calling Chase after each purchase. Calendar-year reset. |
$300 | $300 a year, resets on the calendar | — |
| American Express Platinum Card$895 annual fee | Airline Fee Credit Incidental fees only (bags, seat fees, change fees, lounge day passes, pet fees) on ONE pre-selected airline; airfare itself never qualifies. Airline selection normally changeable each January. A classic reachability trap: flyers who check no bags and hold status (waived fees) cannot reach it. |
$200 | $200 a year, resets on the calendar | — |
| American Express Business Platinum$895 annual fee | Airline Fee Credit Incidental fees on one pre-selected airline; airfare never qualifies. Same reachability trap as the consumer version for fee-waived flyers. |
$200 | $200 a year, resets on the calendar | — |
| American Express Platinum Card for Schwab$895 annual fee | Airline Fee Credit Schwab Platinum: the same term as the Platinum Card per Amex’s Schwab terms page. Incidental fees only (bags, seat fees, change fees, lounge day passes, pet fees) on ONE pre-selected airline; airfare itself never qualifies. Airline selection normally changeable each January. A classic reachability trap: flyers who check no bags and hold status (waived fees) cannot reach it. |
$200 | $200 a year, resets on the calendar | unverified |
| American Express Platinum Card for Morgan Stanley$895 annual fee | Airline Fee Credit Morgan Stanley Platinum: the same term as the Platinum Card per Amex’s Morgan Stanley terms page. Airline selection normally changeable each January. A classic reachability trap: flyers who check no bags and hold status (waived fees) cannot reach it. |
$200 | $200 a year, resets on the calendar | unverified |
| Citi / AAdvantage Executive$695 annual fee | Inflight & Admirals Club Purchase Credit Up to $100/calendar year on buy-on-board food/drink/Wi-Fi and eligible Admirals Club purchases. |
$100 | $100 a year, resets on the calendar | unverified |
| Bank of America Premium Rewards$95 annual fee | $100 Airline Incidental Credit Automatic statement credits, up to $100 per calendar year, for airline INCIDENTAL fees only: seat upgrades, checked bags, lounge fees, in-flight food/entertainment. Airfare, mileage purchases, and gift cards do NOT qualify. |
$100 | $100 a year, resets on the calendar | — |