When I say “tragedy,” I am absolutely being sarcastic. It appears–though it is too early to tell–that American Express has closed a well-known loophole allowing cardmembers to receive credit for the purchase of United Airlines “Travel Bank” credit. My response: you weren’t entitled to it in the first place, so too bad, so sad.
But I’ve read so much outrage this week about how American Express has, effective around February 6, 2026, eliminated the so-called Travel Bank “loophole” in which purchasing these pseudo gift cards from United Airlines no longer triggers up to $200 in reimbursement.
Anecdotal reports suggest that these purchases are now coded in the same way as ticket purchases, therefore are no longer valid for reimbursement as an incidental fee. Although AMEX warns credits may take 6-8 weeks to appear, typically it occurs in 4-6 days and for “Travel Bank” purchases made on or after February 6th, the credit is not appearing.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Live and Let's Fly.
