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Most American Express card members often see their Amex points as an opportunity for great travel opportunities. While that’s true, there’s another, lesser-known use for them – redeeming them for purchases at Amazon. And Amazon back to it again with a great promotion where you can really save money using your Amex points this way.
Right now, targeted American Express card members can save up to 40% on their next Amazon purchaseto save up to $50 when you use Amex points to pay for at least part of your purchase at checkout through May 1, 2022. Other card members get 20% off the purchase. Save up to $40 or $10 off a $100 purchase.
While this is a targeted offer, it appears to be fairly widely available to eligible American Express card members, although transaction scoring can be a bit complicated. But we’ll guide you step-by-step to make sure you’re getting as much discount as possible when you shop at Amazon.
To get started, you must have American Express card to accumulate points Membership Rewards. Amex cards that earn other types of rewards, such as cash back or airline miles, will not work. But there are plenty of Amex cards that earn Membership Rewards points – a small sample of which is at the end of this story.
Next, you will need link your Amazon and American Express accounts. Add your American Express card as a payment method in your Amazon account, if you haven’t already. Then look for the option to register “Shopping with Points” in the “Your Account” tab and click the “Sign Up” button for the Amex card you just added.
Once your accounts are connected, you will need to activate the offer by click this link. Remember, this is a targeted promotion, so not everyone is eligible for it – you may or may not be targeted for any of them. When you click the link, if you see a message that you are not eligible, you are unfortunately not targeted for this particular promotion.
But even if you’re not targeted, don’t give up hope. If you have just signed up to “Shopping with points“You may need to wait 24 hours for Amazon records to refresh before knowing if you’ve been targeted, so check back in a day or so.
If you are eligible, activate the offer by Click the “Activate Now” button – the registration page will show your specific discount. Then you can Shop at Amazon as you normally would, though only products sold and shipped by Amazon are eligible for the discount. Also, Amazon gift cards are excluded, though different third-party retailer gift cards sold by eligible Amazon.
But wait! There’s one more step. Once you’re ready to pay, you’ll want to make sure to select the associated American Express card as your payment method. You will then need to use at least 1 point to pay for your purchase to apply the discount.
When paying with Amex Membership Rewards Points at Amazon, 1 point is equal to 0.7 cents. It’s not the best value you can get for Amex points. Frequent customer site The Points Guy Membership Rewards points value as high as 2 cents per point when redeemed for travel.
However, it’s important to note that you don’t have to pay the full amount Amazon Buy with points to get these discounts. In fact, you can only use 1 point and pay the rest with your Amex cardand you will still see the discount applied to your order.
To pay with the minimum required points enter $0.01 in the points section at checkout, this will only apply 1 point to your payout, You can use any number of points whatever you want, but if you don’t make this change, Amazon Points maximum may be automatically applied to cover the entire purchase, so you’ll want to make sure to update the amount before placing an order.
Once you’ve applied at least 1 point to your payment, you’ll see the discount added to your order. Give 20% or 40% off, the discount will apply to every order you place through May 1st until you reach a total savings of up to $40 for 20% off or up to $50 for 40% discount. Give $10 off Offer $100You’ll need to spend a minimum of $100 in a transaction between now and May 1 to see the savings.
Let’s look at some examples of how you can apply this discount to Amazon purchase, even if you don’t need anything from Amazon right now.
If you are looking for new travel accessories, Rockland Double Handle Roller Backpack is one of our picks for 22 of our favorite travel backpacks to consider before your next trip. This wheeled backpack is currently $80 before taxes and shipping, but if you apply Amex’s 40% discount, that price drops to a much cheaper $48.
Or, if you’re hoping to pick up a pair Apple AirPods, right now Amazon has them for a relatively standard price of $179.99. But if you’re targeted for 40% off Amex’s, you can take the full $50 off and get them for just $129.99 before taxes and shipping.
And while these discounts don’t apply to Amazon gift cards, they do apply to many retailer gift card that Amazon sells. Amazon really has hundreds of options, including retailers that might be useful right now, such as Netflix, DoorDash, Whole Foods, etc. So even if you have nothing to gain, Amazon before May 1st, you can always buy a gift card for yourself Use the discount and save the bank for later.
In addition, you can pair these promotions with many Amazon Daily Deals or any of its other money-saving offers, like save $20 when you spend $60 on some beauty products.
Even if you don’t qualify for any particular Amex promotion, deals like these often re-appear several times a year, so keep checking back. Amazon currently running a similar promotion for Discover cardholders – check it out CNN Underscore’s guide to that promotion for all details.
You may also find that even if you’re not eligible for one of these offers right now, you could magically become a target in a few weeks, so keep checking the link. to see if you have been granted access.
Amazon has been eager to roll out some lucrative deals over the past few years, so keep your credit card account linked to your Amazon accountand if you are targeted for any of these offers make sure you use them before they expire on May 1st.
If you don’t currently have an eligible Amex card, here are some options you can consider:
Amex Personal Card:
American Express® Gold Card
Platinum Card® from American Express
Amex business card:
American Express Blue Business® Plus Credit Card
American Express® Commercial Gold Card
American Express Business Platinum® Card
Also, make sure you read our guide to Best credit cards for Amazon to make sure you’re using the correct card when you shop at Amazon.
Check out CNN Underscored’s list of 46 little things you can buy on Amazon that make a big difference.
Find all the latest personal finance deals, news and advice at CNN Suberscored Money.
