Important Information: Before You Book or Travel
We’re here to help with any travel related questions. Airlines, hotels and other travel partners are continually reviewing their policies as the situation continues.
We suggest holding off contacting us until nearer to your travel date. That way, when you do get in touch, we’ll have the very latest information and advice for you.
International travel
Australians are currently able to travel internationally. To find out more visit Smart Traveller.
Domestic travel
Before travelling we encourage you to check with your airline directly for the latest travel information. It is also recommended to read the latest information from the state tourism agencies below.
Before you book or travel, please also take into consideration the below advice:
- Find out if your flight is delayed or cancelled by checking the flight status on the airline’s website.
- Visit your airport’s website for the latest advice for travellers. On the day of your flight, build in extra time to get to the airport.
- Check your travel insurance policy to see if changes and cancellations due to ‘unforeseen events’ are included in your cover.
- If your airline has not issued a policy on change or cancellation fees due to COVID-19, you may have to pay penalty fees.
- To check whether your airline has issued a policy, select the airline from the menu below. If there is no policy yet, check again nearer to your date of travel.
- Please be aware that local government measures and guidelines put in place by individual travel services providers are leading to social distancing measures to protect travellers. Therefore it is likely that hotel guests may find that some facilities – for example the swimming pool, gym area, or buffet halls – will understandably not be available.
We recommend you regularly check the latest government advice
- Australian Government Smart Traveller website
- Word Health Organisation
- John Hopkins University's detailed map of the spread of the virus
When using these links, you are leaving American Express and entering Into a third party's website.
Modifications to Air Bookings
Find out if your airline has issued a policy on change and cancellation fees. You’ll find your airline in the menu below. If your airline is not listed, check the airline’s own website.
Changing or cancelling your flight
Taking care of you is our top priority as we navigate through these unprecedented times. We recognise the uncertainty when it comes to your current travel plans and want to let you know we’re here to help.
Hotel Reservations
Prior to finalising your travel arrangements, please contact your hotel directly to determine:
- Flexibility towards future changes in your travel plans. Below is a list of hotels providing additional information on booking policies for this period. To see if your hotel of choice is offering greater flexibility due to COVID-19, please select your hotel brand from the menu below. If your hotel is not listed below, please visit the hotel’s website.
- Updated health, safety and well-being policies. Hotels around the world have intensified their focus on guest safety, health and well-being and are happy to provide information on their increased efforts.
- Whether the property is closing during your planned stay or if any amenities have been impacted. Please check your hotel’s website to confirm.
- Intercontinental
- ITC
- Joie de Vivre
- JW Marriott
- Kimpton Hotels
- Langham Hotels
- Leading Hotels of the World
- Le Méridien Hotels
- Loews Hotels
- Luxury Collection
- LXR Hotels
- Mandarin Oriental
- Marriott
- Melia Hotels & Resorts
- MGallery
- MGM Resort
- Miraval
- Park Hyatt
- Peninsula
- Principal Hotels
- Raffles
- Regent Hotels & Resorts
- Renaissance Hotels
- Ritz-Carlton Luxury Hotels & Resorts
- Rosewood
- Roomers
- Shangri-La
- Six Senses Hotels
- Small Luxury Hotels of the World
- Soho Grand Hotel
- SO/
- Sofitel
- St. Regis Hotels & Resorts
- Swissôtel
- The Roxy
- Thompson
- Tribute Portfolio
- Trump Hotels
- Unbound Collection by Hyatt
- W Hotels
- Waldorf Astoria
- Westin Hotels & Resorts
- Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Resort
Changing or cancelling your hotel reservation due to COVID-19
In this time when travel plans have been impacted and may be changing, we’re here to help. The below steps provide guidance on how to change or cancel an existing hotel reservation. Please remember that you may still be charged for changes or cancellations to your reservation.
- To find out if charges apply, read through your hotel booking confirmation email. It should include the hotel’s change/cancellation policy.
- If your reservation is not covered by the hotel’s usual policy, you’ll need to find out if the hotel has a COVID-19 policy in place that will let you change or cancel without charge. Just select your hotel brand from the menu below to check if a policy has been issued. Please be aware that hotel waiver policies only apply to hotels booked via our Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR) or The Hotel Collection (THC) programs and do not apply for pre-paid hotels.
- Once you’ve found and selected your hotel brand, please double check you’re visiting the page of the specific brand/property you booked. This way you’ll get the most detailed and accurate information on waivers.
For assistance with cancellations on prepaid hotels please contact us via Travel Support.
Experiences & Car Hire bookings
We're here to help. We're monitoring our suppliers' policies as they change on a daily basis. If you need to change or cancel your booking:
- Contact us via Live Chat or Travel Support and our dedicated team will be on hand to help you.
Travel Resources
Travel Payment Options
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