Cancelling booking made with Platinum Charge $200 Travel Credit

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I made a booking for a hotel at Luzern in Switzerland in September using my Platinum Charge Card $200 Travel Credit. The cost of the hotel booking was $A370 so I paid $170 on my charge card. The booking is for next August and the hotel allows cancellation up until the day before the booked date.

We are planning to change our itinerary slightly and no longer stay in Luzern that night. I have just phoned Amex Travel to enquire about changing the booking to another hotel. I knew that Amex have a cancellation fee that they charge, and they told me that will be $55. (This is the reason I don't usually book hotels through Amex travel, I'd rather book direct through a hotel website or through companies like booking.com or Expedia that don't charge cancellation fees unless you make a non cancellable booking.)

I was told that I would lose the Platinum Travel Credit as they can't change the booking to another hotel. They will have to cancel and refund me the $170 I paid less the $55 fee so $115 would be refunded to my card but that could take 6 to 8 weeks.

I will call Amex Card Services later to ask if there is anything they can do (and I realise that the answer is probably not but doesn't hurt to ask anyhow) but wanted to ask here if anyone has ever cancelled or changed a booking made with their Platinum Charge $200 Travel Credit and been able to re-use the travel credit?
 
As a follow up to my earlier post, I've just called up the card services section of Amex and the lady I spoke to said they just give general advice about the Platinum Travel Credit and that I would need to speak to someone in the travel department. However she offered to call them for me to check if what I was told this morning was correct. After a few minutes she came back and said that this is correct, that you lose your travel credit if you want to change or cancel that booking and that you can't re-use it for another booking. She said that the person she spoke to checked with their Manager and that this is correct.

The booking was for August 12 and the confirmation showed that the Cancellation Fee if cancelled after 11 August would be $314.91 so I assumed that meant that I would receive a refund if cancelled before that.

When I called this morning I also asked if the $55 cancellation fee could come out of the $200 travel credit but was told no, it had to be deducted from the $170 additional amount that had been charged to the card so I would get $115 back.

When I booked it I didn't expect to be wanting to change it but sometimes plans change. It's not the end of the world losing the $200 as a percentage of the total cost of the holiday but I wanted to see if this was correct.
 
Seems dodgy. Ask where in the T+ Cs this is written. If you can't be shown, take it to small claims or FSO.
 
Sorry can't help you with one but recently received 2 x $30 hotel vouchers from Qantas after booking flights. These had to be individual bookings and if you change the booking you forfeit the hotel voucher. Not sure if there was a change/cancellation fee involved.

Booke a couple of cheap hotels in BKK that took care of 2 nights.
 
Thanks JohnK and Cynicor. I've just received a Welcome "Unlock all your card benefits" email for my Son's supplementary card as we ordered a replacement card last week and it has the T & Cs for the $200 travel credit.

"2. Card Members are eligible for one travel credit per year on fee renewal date from 1 October 2013. The $200 travel credit can be redeemed against any single eligible travel booking of $200 total value or more when booking through americanexpress.com.au/platinumtravel. The travel credit can be used for 365 days from date of issue and cannot be carried forward to any subsequent year. Supplementary Card Members are not eligible for this benefit. Refunds may be permitted based on supplier cancellation policy. The amount refunded will be the value of the booking, less supplier fees and the $200 contributed by American Express. There is no refund on the $200 credit. Once a booking has been cancelled the travel voucher for that year will be forfeited. Changes to bookings are permitted subject to supplier terms and conditions. Booking amendment fees may apply. Membership Rewards points will not be earned on the $200 Platinum Travel Credit. For online redemptions made through americanexpress.com.au/platinumtravel, the credit is applicable to eligible pre-paid Flight, Hotel and Car Hire bookings only. The credit may not be used towards Cruises or Experiences. The credit may not be used towards Hotel and Car Hire bookings that are reserved on the American Express Travel website where payment is made directly to the supplier (i.e. Fine Hotels & Resorts). For redemptions by phone, the transaction must be for pre-paid return international flights departing from Australia on eligible carriers only. Please contact your Platinum Travel Service for a full updated list of eligible airlines. Travel services provided American Express International, Inc. ABN 15 000 618 208."

I've bolded the relevant sentences and what I've been told is correct that "There is no refund on the $200 credit." However I wonder about the sentence "Changes to bookings are permitted subject to supplier terms and conditions. Booking amendment fees may apply." as I've asked if I can change the booking to another hotel and retain the $200 travel credit and I've been told no. I wasn't trying to be given the $200 - I just wanted to change the booking to another hotel and I would have assumed that if I found a hotel through the Amex Travel site where I made the original booking and used the $200 travel credit that I should have been able to do that, since my original hotel booking did allow refunds until the day before.

I wonder if "subject to supplier terms and conditions" means that the term "supplier" means I could only make a change to the booking at that hotel or if "supplier" means the company they used to book the hotel through? On my Hotel Voucher it says: "For Supplier Use Only. This is a prepaid reservation. Only additional services and incidentals to be charged to customer. Payable through HOTELBEDS PRODUCTS,S,L,U - B38877676 acting as agent for the service operating company, details of which can be provided upon request."

I've just looked up Hotelbeds S.L.U. and came up with this:
"HOTELBEDS, S.L.U. operates an online database of hotels that operate worldwide. It provides access to an accommodation portfolio of hotels ranging from leisure resorts to city breaks and from budget to 5-star luxury hotels; and ancillary products, such as transfer services, car hire, attraction tickets, and excursions. The company was founded in 2001 and is based in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. HOTELBEDS, S.L.U. operates as a subsidiary of TUI Travel PLC."

I've just looked at the email I received when I made the booking for this hotel and under "Terms and Conditions - Changes and Cancellations" it says:
"If you want to change or cancel the arrangements you have booked in any way, we will try to help you, although we cannot guarantee that we will always be able to do this as changes are subject to availability at the time and to the transport or accommodation providers' terms and conditions. For any changes that can be made, we will charge the price that applies on the day the change is made. Changes and cancellations are subject to charges, from us and from the supplier. Please read our terms and conditions, and the information on the voucher to find out more.

Please note, in the event of a booking amendment or cancellation, American Express reserve the right to apply the following service fees and conditions in addition to any charges assessed by the relevant airline and or supplier.
(a) Amendment Fee: $33.00 per person, per change
(b) Cancellation Fee: $55.00 per person
(c) Refunds: Any applicable refunds will be credited to your American Express Card. No Membership Rewards points will be refunded. No cash refunds will be given."


I would be interested if others think the T & Cs listed above read to mean that I should be able to change to another hotel booked through the company they used or if it would only be the hotel we're booked with now. If I could change the booking to another hotel it should be a $33.00 per person amendment fee, not the $55 Cancellation Fee I have been quoted.
 
Think they have you by the danglys unfortunately.

Can only try, but I don't like the odds of your success. Depending on your situation, I might suggest trying to deal with the hotel directly and rescheduling if possible or something similar.

Good luck!
 
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