You are required to purchase flights either directly from an airline or the Amex Travel Portal to earn 5X points with Amex Platinum and 3X points with Amex Gold cards.
I was recently told by a friend that his Expedia flight purchases with Amex Platinum earned him 5X points (see images below).
Why is Expedia Travel an exception to the rule?
The only possible explanation is that the U.S. Amex Travel Portal is powered by Expedia.
Can you also earn 5X points when you use Amex Platinum to pay for Expedia hotel bookings?
No. You can only earn 5X points only for flight bookings by using the Amex Platinum on Expedia. The other Expedia purchases in the images above are for hotels that did not earn the 5X points.
Why buy flights and hotels from Expedia travel?
I have never used Expedia travel for my hotel or flight bookings. I buy flights directly from the airline since it is easy to deal with them in case of changes or cancellations. I always use Booking.com for all my non-Hyatt stays due to their greater reach in remote destinations and I trust the verified reviews.
However, my friend is very loyal to Expedia and he has a Platinum membership, which comes with the following benefits:
Benefits of various tiers of Expedia membership
Summary
If you are loyal to Expedia and enjoy their premium membership status, it is worth knowing that Amex Platinum can be used to buy flights from there and earn 5X MR points.