The Ultimate Guide to Using Amex Offers — Save Money and Earn Bonus Points
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Here at Upgraded Points, we talk a lot about credit card introductory bonus offers as a way to earn lots of points very quickly. They can be great — but an often overlooked strategy is how to continue earning bonus points with the cards you already have.
Maximizing the value you get from your current credit cards is a valuable skill to have in your back pocket.
One of my very favorite ways to do this is with Amex Offers! Here, I’ll show you how to use their offers for maximum value to make the most out of your American Express credit cards.
Table of contents
Table of Contents
What Are Amex Offers?
Amex Offers are deals that are linked to your American Express cards, which can save you money or let you earn extra points on shopping, dining, and travel.
These offers are always available, and new offers are added often. But offers are only available for a limited time — you will notice that each one has an expiration date.
Most Amex Offers will either give you a statement credit or bonus American Express Membership Rewards points after you meet the qualifications.
Each offer has different terms and conditions, and it’s important to read them thoroughly so you don’t lose out on any offers for silly reasons.
This is something I learned the hard way: I bought something in a store, only to discover afterward that the Amex Offer only worked online (oops!).
A few offers will require you to use a promo code in addition to clicking through to the specific website.
What Cards Come With Amex Offers?
Most U.S.-issued American Express credit cards will come with Amex Offers. The exceptions are American Express corporate cards, gift cards, or prepaid cards.
All other personal and business cards from American Express (plus registered American Express Serve Cards and Bluebird Cards) are eligible for Amex Offers. This includes some of the best points-earning cards out there:
Recommended Amex Cards (Personal)
| The Platinum Card® from American Express - There's currently a new welcome bonus offer of 75,000 Membership Rewards Points after spending $5,000 on purchases in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Plus, earn 10x points in the first 6 months on eligible purchases at U.S. Gas Stations and U.S. Supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases). This is our #1 card for accessing 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide (including Priority Pass). We leverage ~$3,000+ in benefits and perks from the card every year. Terms Apply. For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click here. |
| American Express® Gold Card - We love using this card as it earns 4x points at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery, and 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per calendar year; then 1x. Terms Apply). There's no better card in our opinion if you eat out and/or shop at supermarkets regularly; and you'll have access to many benefits and perks. With a welcome bonus of 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 in your first 6 months, it's a strong choice. For rates and fees of the Amex Gold Card, click here. |
Recommended Amex Cards (Business)
| The Business Platinum Card® from American Express - Right now, there's a new welcome bonus of 85,000 points plus earn 5x points on eligible purchases in 5 select business categories, up to 80,000 bonus points per category, all within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Terms apply. See how we get ~$5,525+ in value per year by leveraging many of the benefits & perks, including access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide. For rates & fees of the Business Platinum, click here. |
| American Express® Business Gold Card - probably our favorite Amex business card because we earn 4x points across the top 2 select categories that we spend the most money in each month, such as Facebook or Google ads. The 4x points applies to the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these 2 categories each calendar year. After that, you earn 1x. Terms Apply. For rates & fees of the Business Gold Card, click here. |
| The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express - A super simple, no annual fee card that earns you 2x points on everyday business purchase, up to $50,000 annually. After that, then 1x. That makes for an easy 100,000 points per year. For rates and fees of the Blue Business Plus, click here. |
Bottom Line: Most U.S-issued American Express credit cards (both personal and business) come with Amex Offers.
How to Use Amex Offers
Getting started with Amex Offers is simple.
- First, log in to your American Express account. You should be on the home page for your credit card account. Then scroll to the middle of the page underneath your recent transactions to the Amex Offers & Benefits section.
Image courtesy of American Express. - This is where you will see all of the available offers for that particular credit card. Click on the small arrow to the left of each offer to see details and terms and conditions. Click Add to Card to apply this offer to your credit card. You must do this BEFORE you use the offer!
Image courtesy of American Express. - The list of offers defaults to only showing the first few. To see everything available, click on the View All button at the bottom of the list.
Image courtesy of American Express. - To see all of the offers that are already linked to your card, click on Added to Card in the top menu.
Image courtesy of American Express.
Hot Tip: You must add each Amex Offer to your credit card BEFORE you redeem it. You can not make a purchase and then add the offer to your card afterward in hopes of getting a statement credit or bonus points.
Using Amex Offers on Multiple Cards
Each Amex credit card will have different Amex Offers attached to it, and these can vary between customers too.
For example, you and your friend could both have The Platinum Card® from American Express, but each card could have different Amex Offers.
Many of us hold more than 1 American Express card — so can you use the same offer on multiple cards? This is a no: if you have the same offer available on multiple cards, it can only be added to 1 of them.
Once it’s added, the offer will disappear instantly from the other cards. After you add an offer to a card, it can’t be undone, so be sure to add it to the card you actually want it on!
Theoretically, if you had each of your Amex cards under a different account with a separate login for each one, then you would be able to add the same offer to multiple cards. But that would be a lot of work just to occasionally get to use an offer more than once.
Terms and Conditions of Amex Offers
Each Amex Offer will come with its own set of terms and conditions; be sure to read them over so you know if your purchase will qualify.
Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:
- Check to see if the offer is valid online vs. in-store. Many offers are only valid online or in-store, so don’t assume that it will work for both.
- Check to see if there is a minimum spend required. Often the minimum spend can be spread out over multiple visits, but sometimes there is a minimum per transaction.
- Check specific eligibility before purchasing. For example, if you are planning to buy gift cards, check to make sure they are eligible for the offer.
Bottom Line: Using Amex Offers is a simple way to earn bonus points or save money. From your online account, you can add an offer to a particular credit card, and then use that card to make the required purchase. You will receive a statement credit or bonus Membership Rewards points within 90 days.
After You Use an Amex Offer
If you qualify for an Amex Offer, you should receive an email as soon as you redeem the offer. Then you will see a statement credit or bonus American Express Membership Rewards points post to your account within 90 days. From my experience, the credit or bonus points usually show up much faster than that.
How to Check Your Statement for a Statement Credit
There are 2 ways you can double-check your statement to confirm that you received the credit from your Amex Offer.
- First, log in to AmericanExpress.com. If you have more than 1 Amex card, select the credit card you would like to view by clicking on the credit card icon in the top right.
Image courtesy of American Express. - Scroll to the middle of the page to the Recent Transactions section. Any statement credit from the current statement period will be visible here.
Image courtesy of American Express.
However, if the credit you are looking for is not on the current statement, you won’t be able to view it there.
- To view older statements, click on View All Recent Activity in the Recent Transactions section of your screen.
Image courtesy of American Express. - Select the statement you would like to view using the Recent Activity drop-down box.
Amex Offers – Recent Transactions. Image courtesy of American Express. - You will be able to see any statement credits you have received. Click on the little icon with a + sign to see more information about the credit.
Here you can see the 10% statement credit from a purchase at Lowe’s. Image courtesy of American Express.
How to Check Your Statement for Bonus Points
Some Amex Offers reward you with bonus Membership Rewards points instead of a statement credit. Here’s how to make sure you receive the points you expect.
- From the home page for your chosen credit card, select Statements & Activity in the main menu bar.
Image courtesy of American Express. - Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on View: Summary in the Membership Rewards box.
Image courtesy of American Express. - You will be able to see any bonus points (plus all other points earned from ALL your American Express cards) here. If you still don’t see what you are looking for, you can change the dates of what you’re viewing at the top of the results box next to Time Period.
Here you can see the bonus points earned from this 2x points at West Elm offer. Image courtesy of American Express.
Amex Offers on Mobile
You can also view and add Amex Offers to your credit card on your phone.
- Download the Amex Mobile app and log in using the same credentials you use on the American Express website. To quickly download the app, text MOBILEAPP to 86509.
- Click on Offers at the bottom of your screen
Image courtesy of the Amex Mobile app. - At the top of the screen you will see the offers that are already loaded onto your card. Underneath that you will find Nearby Offers. This shows you the offers that are available at merchants close to you.
Image courtesy of the Amex Mobile app. - The main section of the screen will list all of the available offers (these will be the same offers available through the website). Click on each one to see the details. Click the blue Add to Card button to link each offer to your credit card.
Image courtesy of the Amex Mobile app.
One of the coolest parts about Amex Offers on mobile is that you can see how much money you have saved over the lifetime of the card. After you log in and click Offers, you will see your total savings to date at the top of the screen.
To see each transaction that you’ve redeemed, click on Offers and then go to My Offers. This screen defaults to the offers that are currently added to your card.
If you click Redeemed, it will show you all of the Amex Offers you have redeemed and the total amount of money you have saved.
Amex Offers on Messenger
You can also access your Amex Offers through Messenger. Download the Messenger app on your phone, and then type “AmericanExpressUS” into the search bar to locate the Amex bot.
Select Get Started and log in to your American Express account. Once you are connected, just type “Amex Offers” in the Amex bot conversation box to view the latest offers available.
Making the Most of Amex Offers
Sometimes you get lucky and a great Amex Offer pops up just when you need it. Sometimes you need to get a little creative to squeeze out all of the value.
Discounted Gift Cards
Keep an eye out for offers at stores that sell gift cards! This is one of the best ways to get lots of value out of Amex Offers.
For example, you might see an offer for a store like Staples, where you can use the offer to purchase gift cards to other stores.
In the past we’ve seen a $20 statement credit with a $100 Staples purchase. That offer included gift cards, so you could get $100 worth of gift cards for $80.
Right now one of my cards is offering 10% back (up to $100) at Staples and Lowe’s. Physical gift cards qualify for these offers as well, so you could purchase up to $1,000 in gift cards at either of these stores and receive 10% off.
Double Up on Points for Non-Bonus Category Spending
One common offer is 2x points at certain stores. These tend to be stores that aren’t in typical bonus categories, so it’s a great time to get bonus points on these types of purchases.
Combine With Other Rewards
Any Amex Offer you use on a purchase doesn’t affect any of the other rewards or coupons you can use. That means you can double up an Amex Offer with a store coupon, credit card bonus points, or cash-back you might earn from a shopping portal.
Final Thoughts
Amex Offers are one of my favorite perks on American Express cards. They are available on almost all Amex cards, and can be used for statement credits or bonus American Express Membership Rewards points.
The offers change often and are usually only available for a limited time, so be sure to check back frequently so you don’t miss anything!
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, click here
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card, click here.
I have the American Express Gold Card and I am interested in getting point offers instead of cash-back offers. For example, my friend gets an offer for a store… “Spend $100 and get 1000 points”. I only get offers like, “Spend $100 and get $20 back”. Do you know of a way to get more point offers?
Hi Michelle,
Unfortunately there is no way to control which offers you get. It is fairly common to see slightly different offers on different cards (cash back vs bonus points) but there is no way to indicate which types you prefer.
I tried logging in yesterday to American Express to get the Shinola benefits before I went shopping. I received an error message twice. I was unable to get the benefits. I just tried to get the rewards and benefits page again today and still, I receive an error message. I purchased $375 worth of Shinola merchandise using my Amex card. How do I receive the $100 credit?
Hi Kimberly,
I would advise that you speak with the American Express customer service to see if they can retroactively add the credit for you.
Is the minimum spend before or after tax? I have a spend $75 and get $15 back, but I only have $70 of items I want to buy before tax. However after tax it pushes it over $75, if it shows up over $75 on the statement I assume it qualifies?
Hi Clarence,
That is correct. If the charge that shows up on your Amex account is greater than $75 then the Amex offer should be applied.
Do the offers I add to my card have an influence on the type of offers I receive? I seem to mostly get offers for things I would never buy, like kid’s clothing, or for places in cities I have no interest in visiting, like Miami. I want to add some offers to my card, not to use them, but to clear space in the list of 100 available offers, to make room for an offer I might possibly actually use. But I don’t want to add offers if they are going to say, “Hey, looks like this guy likes offers for kid’s clothing in Miami!” and just replace them with more of the same.
Hi Uce,
As far as I know, the offers that you are shown don’t necessarily have anything to do with offers you’ve added in the past.
I just received Amex Green and noticed there was the same offer that I have already added on Amex Hilton Aspire. I already redeemed the offer and it was disappeared on the Aspire card but the same offer still appears as the added offer on Amex Green. So will I be able to redeem that off on Amex Green as well? In fact, I ordered the clothes online and they didn’t fit so I exchanged the items in-store (still met the offer requirement) but the rebate was clawed back after returned items we’re credited back, and new charges made for exchanged items. I chatted CS and she told me it was supposed to be one time offer so I wouldn’t receive the rebate. I am thinking about returning everything back and charge on Amex Green if that’s going to work.
I forgot to mention there is a limit of one statement credit per card member on full offer terms.
What about offers that allow usage twice? Can you get both uses out of it from ONE transaction? Like, get $5 statement credit for $50 spend, usable twice. Can I do one $100 transaction and get $10?
Hi Phil,
Unfortunately not, if the offer is useable multiple times then it requires multiple transactions.
Does an offer disappear from the “Added to Card” tab once you’ve used it? I show a credit for an offer I redeemed (Staples 10% back) but there is still one in my tab. I’m wondering if its a newer offer than the one that i show I redeemed the last day of August. Thoughts?
Hi Randy,
It is possible that you may have received a new Staples offer, or the Staples offer you received before might be able to be redeemed multiple times.