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.
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.
Amex Offers are automatically available on most U.S.-issued American Express cards, including both personal and small business cards. Image Credit: American Express.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)
| Credit Card | Key Benefits & Info |
|---|
New 100k Welcome Offer
The Platinum Card® from American Express
Learn More (at Amex's secure site) | - Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
- $200 Hotel Credit: Get $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings, which requires a minimum two-night stay, through American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card®.
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Audible, Disney+, The Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, SiriusXM, and The New York Times. Enrollment required.
- $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax.
- American Express has expanded The Centurion® Network to include 40+ Centurion Lounge and Studio locations worldwide. There are even more places your Platinum Card® can get you complimentary entry and exclusive perks.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year in baggage fees and more at one select qualifying airline.
- $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only.
- $300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $25 back each month on the Equinox+ digital fitness app, or eligible Equinox club memberships when you pay with your Platinum Card®. Enrollment required.
- $179 CLEAR® Credit: Use your Card and get up to $179 back per year on your CLEAR® membership.
- Good to Excellent (670-850)
- Annual Fee: $695
- Terms Apply. For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum card, click here.
$2,200
Must Reads: For more info on the Amex Platinum, see our thoughts on the cards incredible benefits and perks, which includes travel insurance coverage, and so much more. Check out our full review to see why it’s one of the best travel credit cards. |
American Express® Gold Card
Learn More (at Amex's secure site) | - Rose Gold is here to stay. Card Members can choose between a Gold or Rose Gold Card.
- Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® Points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
- $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Boxed, and participating Shake Shack locations. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Good to Excellent (670-850)
- Annual Fee: $250
- Terms Apply. For rates and fees of the Amex Gold Card, click here.
$1,320
Must Reads: For more info on the Amex Gold Card, see our guides on its benefits and perks, as well as our full review. |
Business owner? See our list of the best Amex business credit cards.
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 Credit: 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 Credit: 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 Credit: 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 Credit: 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.
You should receive an email from Amex as soon as you make a qualifying purchase. Image Credit: American Express.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 Credit: 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 Credit: 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 Credit: American Express.
- Select the statement you would like to view using the Recent Activity drop-down box.
Amex Offers – Recent Transactions. Image Credit: 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 Credit: 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 Credit: American Express.
- Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on View: Summary in the Membership Rewards box.
Image Credit: 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 Credit: 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 Credit: 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 Credit: 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 Credit: 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.
Image Credit: the Amex Mobile app.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.
It’s great to earn bonus points on purchases that would otherwise only earn 1 point per dollar! Image Credit: American Express.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.
