Really. My failure was on 7/26. I did plan on testing it again, but currently I'm on the hook for airline tickets if they don't back out by 7/13 (they WILL back out, but they are on my short-cycle statement right now). And my $76 seat charge disappeared from online 2 days later rather than being credited.
I'll try it again. No harm in that.
Not sure if it matters but I did a nonrefundable rate and purchased the seat upgrades at the same time. I booked it and then 10 mins later, cancelled. The pending airline charge took a few days to fall off but eventually it did. Here's my timeline info:
Jul 31 AMEX Airline Fee Reimbursement -$119.00
Jul 31 AMEX Airline Fee Reimbursement -$81.00
Jul 30 DELTA AIR LINES ATLANTA -$119.00
Jul 30 DELTA AIR LINES ATLANTA -$119.00
Jul 30 DELTA AIR LINES ATLANTA $119.00
Jul 30 DELTA AIR LINES ATLANTA $119.00
I made the purchase on July 29th.