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American Express Platinum Card offers annual Amex $200 Hotel Statement Credits on prepaid Fine Hotels & Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings made through the Amex Travel website. It is one of the card’s benefits that is worth using to really lower your fees on the Platinum Card’s high annual fee.
One of the most frequently asked questions is whether or not Amex FHR bookings are eligible to earn you elite points, elite night credits, and have your elite status recognized by the hotel to receive extra elite perks.
![[Confirmed] Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts (FHR) Booking Earns Elite Points and Elite Nights [2021]](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I5DmDCJil1U/YSFOwzsU8kI/AAAAAAAA75A/_xSnntl-Tbs5_2O6wcboPzf2EsKI6E0XACPcBGAYYCw/s4032/IMG_4152.JPG "[Confirmed] Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts (FHR) Booking Earns Elite Points and Elite Nights [2021]") |
| Photo: Palace Hotel San Francisco |
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Does Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts booking earn the hotel’s elite points and elite nights?
I never booked hotel and resort stays with Amex Travel before. When American Express announced the annual $200 hotel statement credit on the American Express Platinum Card, I decided to give it a try. More importantly, I also wanted to complete the stay and provide data points on whether or not Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR) bookings are eligible to earn loyalty points and elite night credits.
I had a wonderful stay at the Palace Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel in San Francisco that is on the Amex FHR list. The Palace Hotel San Francisco is part of the Marriott Bonvoy chain, so it was a good example to test out whether I would be getting Marriott’s elite points and elite nights from Amex FHR booking or not.
The result is YES – the stay at the Palace Hotel San Francisco did earn Marriott elite night credits and points. Moreover, I also earned Marriott’s bonus points promotion that I registered for before the stay:
- Right after I booked the Palace Hotel San Francisco with Amex Travel, the reservation showed up in my Marriott account with the American Express FHR rate.
- At the check-in desk, the receptionist recognized and welcomed me as the Marriott Platinum Elite member.
- Amex FHR offers a complimentary daily breakfast benefit that overlaps with the welcome amenity benefit of my Marriott Platinum Elite status. The receptionist suggested that I took the bonus points as a welcome amenity instead in which I did.
- After the stay, I received an official email from Marriott asking me for feedback. It took a couple days before my elite night credit from that stay was posted to my Marriott account along with all the Marriott Bonvoy points that I earned from that stay.
- In addition, I also earned bonus Marriott points from my targeted Marriott Bonvoy’s Q3 promotion.
How to make sure you earn the hotel’s elite points and elite nights with American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts prepaid booking?
Generally speaking, an Amex FHR booking is considered a third-party booking. That type of booking typically is not eligible to earn any hotel’s elite points and benefits. However, as I mentioned above, from my stay at the Palace Hotel San Francisco, I can confirm that Amex FHR bookings are in fact eligible to earn elite points.
There’s one important thing that you should not skip when making an Amex FHR booking to earn the hotel’s elite points and elite night credits.
When you make an FHR booking through the Amex Travel website, before you finalize your booking, you need to provide your loyalty number in an entry field under the Loyalty Number section. See the screenshot below. This will ensure that your hotel’s loyalty number is added to the reservation and in return, you will receive all the elite points and benefits with the status that you have with a particular hotel’s rewards program.
![[Confirmed] Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts (FHR) Booking Earns Elite Points and Elite Nights [2021]](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m-aNxEt7gas/YPIKKVkljDI/AAAAAAAA5aU/oK0H0BAs8qoX1CPJcchp61whD6-03hNMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s639/amex_fine_hotels_loyalty_cancellation.jpg "[Confirmed] Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts (FHR) Booking Earns Elite Points and Elite Nights [2021]")
Do Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts bookings qualify for hotel promotions and offers?
Yes. As mentioned previously, Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts bookings are eligible to earn the hotel’s elite points and elite night credits. This also includes any opportunities to earn any bonus points or free nights through a specific hotel’s available promotions and offers.
After I finished my stay at the Palace Hotel San Francisco, I earned bonus Marriott points from my targeted Marriott Bonvoy’s Q3 promotion. This is an addition to all the perks that I received from booking through Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts and from my Marriott Platinum Elite status.
Recommended Posts:
- Marriott Promotions and Offers
- Hilton Promotions and Offers
- IHG Rewards Club Promotions and Offers
- Hyatt Promotions and Offers
- American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts Promotions and Special Offers
Should you book with Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts or directly with the hotel chain?
Booking with Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts provides benefits that are almost the same as the hotel’s benefits that are only available for hotel reward members that have elite status. But Amex FHR booking also gives you an extra perk that is unique to each FHR property such as the $100 special amenity credit that you can use towards spa or food and beverage.
To recap, here are the benefits that you receive when you book a stay with Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts:
- Noon check-in, when available
- Room upgrade upon arrival, when available
- Daily breakfast for two people
- Guaranteed 4pm late check-out
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
- Special amenities unique to each property such as on-property credits that are valued at least $100 to use towards spa or food and beverage.
All these FHR benefits can definitely drive up the rate per night. So it’s always suggested that you compare the rate before making a decision to book with FHR. Otherwise, I personally feel that booking with Amex FHR presents more savings in terms of the benefits that you’ll receive, especially when this type of booking does also qualify you to earn elite points and elite night credits as well.
- Booking with Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts is ideal for those that do not have elite status with the Marriott Bonvoy program or other hotel reward programs because Amex FHR offers benefits that are typically available only to hotel guests that have elite status with the hotel rewards program.
- If you have elite status with the hotel, booking with Amex FHR gives you additional perks such as the on-property $100 credit to use during your stay. However, you may want to make sure to compare the nightly rate between the two booking channels.
- Lastly, booking with Amex FHR allows you to use your Amex $200 Hotel Statement Credits on your Platinum Card.
Thank you for testing this out. Glad it works. I'll have to try this out too with the Canadian version of the card.
Thanks for the information. Can anyone clarify as to whether we are supposed to get Marriott points and Elite benefits if we book through Amex Travel (non FHR) in Canada ?