It’s baaaaacccckkk!
If you’re new to the points and miles hobby, you’ll start to see opportunities to redeem points for pretty much anything. Some redemptions are phenomenal, some are good, some are terrible. I’ll never steer you wrong, so you don’t have to worry about that last group being posted on this page.
Anyway, the offer that I’m about to mention falls into that first group…PHENOMENAL!
Over the past year or so we’ve seen this opportunity a few times. Right now you can redeem a small amount of points towards an Amazon purchase and a score up to $40 off. This appears to be a targeted offer so not everyone is eligible. However, I took advantage of this offer in November and, surprisingly, I’m eligible again.
A NOT-SO-GOOD REDEMPTION
Amazon has a program that’s called “Shop With Points” and if you have Amex points you can redeem points for any purchase, anytime. The catch is, and I’m going to straight forward…IT’S A BAD DEAL!
However, the one time it can make sense to redeem points for Amazon purchases is when there’s a great promotion…like right now.
HOW DO YOU SAVE $40?
Amazon is offering either:
- $20 off $50+ purchases when you redeem 1 AMEX point.
- $40 off $100+ purchases when you redeem 1 AMEX point.
So here are the steps to check if you’re been targeted:
Step 1: Login to your Amazon account and click on the shopping cart.
There should be a banner at the top of the next page that says “Get 40% your eligible purchase of $100 or more when you use Membership Rewards points from American Express.”
STEP 2: Click on “Learn More.”
Important Note: If you do not see this banner, don’t fret. There’s still hope! You may not be seeing the banner because you have not linked your Amex account to Amazon. CLICK HERE to link your account, then start at Step 1 again.
Step 3: Click the “Activate Now” button. <– You have to do this prior to shopping to receive the discount.
After clicking “Activate Now,” you will receive a message that says “This promo code is now activated and your points will be applied at checkout. Please continue shopping.”
Step 4: Enjoy the savings!!
EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE
I activated the offer and returned to my homepage. A Starbucks Gift Card was a featured item so, I added a $100 gift card to my cart, and proceeded to the check-out page.
CAVEAT: The amount of points required to cover the entire purchase will be displayed in the ‘points applied’ box. Be sure you change it to .01 (aka 1 point). If you don’t, you’ll be exchanging a lot of points to cover the purchase and that’s a bad deal.
But as you can see below, the discount was applied properly.
Perhaps, you’re not interested in purchasing Starbucks but would like a pair of Apple AirPods (tax will be different depending on your location)…
Flying on Southwest anytime soon? Would you enjoy $40 off?
THE GREAT NEWS
It appears that the discount applies to just about anything that Amazon sells, including third party gift cards (as seen above). In other words, you could essentially be saving 40% on Airbnb, Starbucks, Uber, Best Buy, Chipotle, Southwest Airlines, Whole Foods…the list is endless. I know you spend some money at one of these companies, right?
Just make sure you see the discount before pressing “PURCHASE,’ and you’ll be saving up to $40.
FINAL STAMP
This is as easy as it gets. Up to $40 off an Amazon purchase is essentially free money given they sell…well, EVERYTHING!
Again, I took advantage of a similar opportunity just a two weeks ago, so I was surprised to be able to do it again. But I kindly accept the gift that keeps giving.
Was your account targeted? Do you plan to take advantage of this offer?
1TattedPassport 