Amex Travel Portal Search

Search the American Express travel portal for flights and hotels via Patchright. Returns cash prices, MR points pricing, International Airline Program (IAP) discounts, and Fine Hotels & Resorts / The Hotel Collection benefits.

Requires Patchright (undetected Playwright fork). Amex blocks standard Playwright and agent-browser.

Must run headed (headless=False). Amex detects headless browsers. On macOS, a Chrome window briefly appears. For background operation, use Docker.

Prerequisites

pip install patchright && patchright install chromium

Or use Docker (no local install needed):

docker pull ghcr.io/borski/amex-travel:latest
# or build locally:
docker build -t amex-travel skills/amex-travel/

When to Use

• Compare Amex portal MR pricing against cash and award prices
• Find IAP (International Airline Program) discounted fares on Platinum
• Find FHR and THC hotels with benefits ($100 credit, breakfast, upgrade)
• Compare portal redemption value against transfer-to-airline value

When NOT to Use

• Completing purchases. Find flights and hotels only. Do not book.
• Non-Platinum cards. IAP fares and FHR benefits require the Platinum Card.

Usage

Flight Search

# Local (opens a Chrome window briefly)
python3 scripts/search_flights.py --origin SFO --dest CDG --depart 2026-08-11

# Round-trip business
python3 scripts/search_flights.py --origin SFO --dest CDG --depart 2026-08-11 --return 2026-09-02 --cabin business

# JSON output
python3 scripts/search_flights.py --origin SFO --dest CDG --depart 2026-08-11 --json

# Docker
docker run --rm \
    -v ~/.amex-travel-profiles:/profiles \
    -e AMEX_USERNAME -e AMEX_PASSWORD \
    amex-travel script /app/search_flights.py \
    --origin SFO --dest CDG --depart 2026-08-11 --cabin business --json

Hotel Search

# Local
python3 scripts/search_flights.py --hotel --dest "Oslo" --checkin 2026-08-13 --checkout 2026-08-15

# Docker
docker run --rm \
    -v ~/.amex-travel-profiles:/profiles \
    -e AMEX_USERNAME -e AMEX_PASSWORD \
    amex-travel script /app/search_flights.py \
    --hotel --dest "Oslo" --checkin 2026-08-13 --checkout 2026-08-15 --json

Record Mode (API Discovery)

Capture network traffic during a manual search:

python3 scripts/search_flights.py --record

Offline Debug (Hotels)

Save and re-parse hotel results without re-running the browser:

# Save page HTML after hotel search
python3 scripts/search_flights.py --hotel --dest "Paris" --checkin 2026-08-11 --checkout 2026-08-15 --save-html /tmp/amex-hotels.json

# Re-parse locally (instant, no browser)
python3 scripts/search_flights.py --parse-html /tmp/amex-hotels.json

2FA Flow

Amex uses email OTP for 2FA. After first login with "Add This Device", subsequent runs skip 2FA from the same profile.

How it works: When 2FA is triggered, the script prints 2FA_CODE_NEEDED to stdout and 2FA REQUIRED to stderr, then polls for the code. It will wait up to 2 minutes.

For agents: When you see 2FA_CODE_NEEDED in the script output, ask the user for the verification code Amex just emailed them. Once they provide it, write it to the code file:

echo "123456" > /tmp/amex-2fa-code.txt

The script picks up the file automatically and continues login.

Command hook (optional, for full automation): Set AMEX_2FA_COMMAND to a command that blocks until it has the code, then prints it to stdout. The script runs this instead of polling the file.

After first login with "Add This Device", 2FA is skipped on repeat runs from the same profile.

How It Works

Flight Search Architecture

1. Auth: Cookie injection from saved profile. Falls back to fresh login with email 2FA.
2. Form filling: DOM-based search form automation (airport autocomplete, calendar picker, cabin selector)
3. Login gate: After form submission, Amex redirects through a login interstitial. Script handles re-authentication automatically.
4. Data extraction: Flight results are server-side rendered into window.appData (a 627KB Redux store). Script parses this JSON blob for all flight data.
5. IAP detection: Platinum Card holders see PEP (IAP) fare types alongside PUB (public) fares. IAP fares are typically 10-15% cheaper for front-of-cabin international flights.

Hotel Search Architecture

1. Form filling: Same DOM-based approach as flights
2. Login gate: Handled automatically
3. Data extraction: Hotels render as a Next.js app with NO window.appData. Script parses the DOM using data-testid="hotel-offer-card" elements.
4. FHR/THC detection: Identified via data-testid="offer-banner" text ("Fine Hotels and Resorts" or "The Hotel Collection")
5. Benefits extraction: FHR/THC cards show benefits (breakfast, credit, upgrade) as data-testid="offer-amenities-item" elements

Data Structure

Flight results (from window.appData.flightSearch.itineraries[]):

• pricing_information[] with fare_type = PEP (IAP) or PUB (public)
• total_price.cents (cash), total_price_in_points (MR points = 1 cent per point)
• segment.legs[] with carrier, times, duration, cabin, equipment, amenities
• segment.seats_left, is_refundable, cancellation_policy

Hotel results (from DOM parsing):

• Hotel name, stars, city, distance
• TripAdvisor rating and review count
• Per-night price and total price
• MR points cost
• FHR/THC membership with specific benefits
• Standard amenities (wifi, breakfast, parking)

International Airline Program (IAP)

Platinum Card benefit. Lower fares on premium cabin seats for international flights on select airlines. Shows as a separate PEP fare type alongside PUB (public fare).

• Typically 10-15% savings on business/first class
• Not available on all routes or airlines
• Only visible when logged in with a Platinum Card

Output Format

Always use markdown tables.

Flights

Hotels

After Tables

• Flag IAP savings (show % discount)
• Note FHR/THC benefits and how they offset the rate
• Calculate effective CPP for MR redemptions (1 point = 1 cent at Amex portal)
• Compare against transfer-to-airline value
• Mention the $600/yr Platinum hotel credit ($300 per half-year, shared between FHR and THC)

Cabin Codes

Environment Variables

Troubleshooting

• Login gate after search: Normal. Amex always redirects through a login interstitial after form submission. The script handles this automatically.
• No appData found (flights): The page may not have fully loaded. Script waits for the Redux store to populate. Check if login succeeded.
• Empty hotel results: Hotels use DOM parsing, not appData. If the DOM structure changed, the data-testid selectors may need updating.
• Calendar picker fails: Amex uses div[role="button"] for calendar days (not <button>). The script uses class patterns automation-date-picker-month-{year}-{month} to find the right month container.
• 2FA code rejected: Amex codes expire quickly. Make sure the code is fresh (not an old one from a previous login).

Limitations

• Headed mode required. Amex detects headless. Docker+xvfb is the workaround.
• ~45 seconds per search. Login + form fill + login gate + results load.
• Hotel results via DOM only. No API interception available for hotels (Next.js app with empty __NEXT_DATA__). Parser depends on data-testid attributes.
• Device trust helps. After "Add This Device" on first login, 2FA is skipped for that profile. Keep profiles persistent via Docker volume mounts.