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 Amex cards 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 welcome bonus of 60,000 points after spending $5,000 in your first 3 months, worth at least $600. This is our favorite card for getting into 1,200+ airport lounges worldwide (including Priority Pass) and we get about $2,700+ in value from the card every year. The card can get you up to $200 in Uber credits annually ($15 per month and a $20 bonus in December) — and up to $200 in annual credit for airline incidental charges (e.g. baggage or seat selection fees). There's even a $100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit, annually. For rates and fees of the Platinum Card, click here. |
| American Express® Gold Card - We love using this card as it earns 4x points at restaurants worldwide and 4x points at US supermarkets (up to $25,000; then 1x). There's no better card in our opinion if you eat out and/or shop at supermarkets regularly. With a welcome bonus of 35,000 points after you spend $4,000 in your first 3 months and a $100 airfare credit per year, for many this is an easy addition to your wallet. For rates and fees of the Gold Card, click here. |
Recommended Amex Cards (Business)
| AMEX CARD | BENEFITS & INFO |
|---|---|
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express |
|
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express |
|
Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card |
|
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!
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock
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.