Sure, we all love using points to fly at the pointy end. But the reality is, most passengers in Business Class are travelling on a paid ticket. For those spending their own coin, discounts on flights translate straight into savings at the hip pocket. One way to unlock savings on airfares is to use American Express’ International Airline Program (IAP).
It works like this. Because American Express Travel books lots of flights on behalf of customers, Amex sometimes has access to better airfares than the general public can usually book. (The same can be true of some travel agents). American Express makes these reduced fares available to Platinum and Centurion Card Members, under the banner of the International Airline Program.
Savings are primarily for travel in Business Class and First Class, but can also apply to Economy. Despite the name, you don’t necessarily need to be travelling internationally to save. For instance, some Virgin Australia domestic flights can be booked at a discount.
Depending on how often you travel, where you’d usually sit and the type of fare you’d typically book, the savings can add up. Those savings can also help to offset the sting of the annual fees on the Platinum Card or Platinum Business Card. Here’s a look at how the International Airline Program works.
International Airline Program savings on Virgin Australia domestic flights
Let’s start with a typical domestic hop between Sydney and Melbourne. We’re comparing prices between the Virgin Australia website and American Express Travel (with International Airline Program savings), for the same flights departing on the same dates.
On the flights we searched, Virgin Australia’s website offers the most competitive pricing for Economy Lite and Choice fares. But Flex and Business fares were more affordable through IAP.
On a one-way hop, Virgin was charging $209 direct for a Flex fare, and $359 for Business Class.
Meanwhile, American Express offered the Flex flight for $205.92 – and with no credit card surcharge to pay. In Business, the savings became more noticeable with Amex priced at $326.24. Compared to pricing on the Virgin Australia website, that’s a discount of $32.66 on the one-way Business flight.
For a single domestic flight booking, the discounts are modest. But fly return and you’ve saved twice as much ($65.32 in Business). Fly six times a year and you’ve saved significantly more ($391.92). Bring a partner along for the journey and those savings could double again ($783.84). Bring two children and the initial savings could quadruple ($1,567.68). You get the idea.
Save on Qatar Airways Qsuite flights with the International Airline Program
While you can save smaller amounts here and there on domestic travels, booking long-haul journeys can see the discounts significantly ramp up. Take Qatar Airways as an example – another carrier offering savings through the International Airline Program.
Using dates in August 2025, we searched for a return Business Class journey between Brisbane and London. The lowest price offered was on a Business Class Classic fare – the type where seat selection isn’t included unless you pay extra on top. Without seating, the base fare came out at $9,019 – and that’s directly through Qatar’s website, no Amex card required. But, booking the next fare up – Business Comfort – comes at a much better price through the International Airline program.
For this, American Express Travel had these at precisely $9,667.74, in that higher fare category. And for that, seat selection is included, Avios earning is increased, and there can be two complimentary changes to date or route after booking.
But the same flights and Comfort fare through the Qatar Airways website? A whopping $12,088.
That’s a saving of $2,420.26 – per passenger, per trip. For those inclined to pre-select seats anyway, choosing a higher fare type makes the journey more flexible and more rewarding, for a similar overall cost. Travellers who’d already seek and book Comfort flights, well… that annual fee can pay for itself.
Discounts on Singapore Airlines Business Class
Prefer to fly with Singapore Airlines through Singapore? The International Airline Program can unlock savings there as well. Out of curiosity, we repeated our Brisbane-London search for Business Class travel on the same dates as with Qatar Airways. We repeated these searches via American Express Travel, and again through the Singapore Airlines website.
When booking directly with Singapore Airlines, the most affordable Business Class tickets totalled $10,642.56, round trip.
Meanwhile, those same exact flights through American Express Travel clocked in at $9,779.66. For the same fare type, on the same date, on the same flight, in the same cabin. Essentially, for the exact same seat.
In this example, the saving through American Express was $862.34 per person. Travel with a partner and the savings already exceed the cost of the Platinum Card annual fee ($1,450). In fact, they’re almost equal to the ongoing Platinum Business Card annual fee ($1,750).
Fly with Emirates and save on Business Class
How about flying Emirates from Brisbane to London via Dubai? Book Business Class and the International Airline Program has savings in store as well.
Searching again for the same travel dates, Emirates’ best Business Class fare came in at $10,548.62 through the airline’s website. The website also remarks that “you’ve chosen the lowest price available.”
But those same flights, booked through American Express Travel, were priced at $10,273.22. It’s a more modest saving than available through the other airlines. But nonetheless, it still brings the total price payable into a comparable ballpark.
In any case, the savings we’ve highlighted are based on searches performed at the time of writing, for travel on specific dates. Airfares – and by extension, possible savings – may change throughout the year. But if you’re going to be booking a flight using dollars rather than points, it makes sense to shop around. Comparing prices between an airline’s website and the American Express International Airline Program could be a good place to start.
American Express Platinum Card
American Express® Platinum Business Card
Also read:
- These Australian credit cards offer elite hotel status
- Guide to the American Express Platinum Card
- How American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts can elevate your next trip
- Guide to the American Express Platinum Business Card
