ShopRunner Membership Guide – Eligible Amex Cards, Benefits & More

If you frequently shop online, which is increasingly the trend, you probably want to make buying your online merchandise as easy as possible.

And if you can receive your items as quickly as possible, that’s an extra bonus, too. In fact, one of the biggest reasons to shop at Amazon is its signature lightning-fast shipping times.

But if the items you’re buying aren’t available on Amazon, you might have another way to unlock fast, free shipping: through ShopRunner.

American Express has a partnership with ShopRunner, a Chicago-based company owned by FedEx, to make that happen.

Let’s get into the ins and outs of ShopRunner!

What Is ShopRunner?

ShopRunner is a subscription that allows members to enjoy free 2-day shipping, free returns, and special offers when shopping at specific online merchants or retailers.

Normally, you’ll pay a membership fee of $79 per year, but there are many ways to get ShopRunner for free, whether it’s through existing credit cards or other platforms.

How Do I Get ShopRunner?

The easiest way to get ShopRunner is by enrolling with your eligible American Express card. Although it’s possible to get a free ShopRunner membership for a year from Mastercard or PayPal, none of those other options offer membership for as long as you remain an eligible cardmember, as Amex does.

And even though ShopRunner has been offered by American Express for many years, it’s still not a well-known perk.

Prepaid Amex cards (such as gift cards), American Express Corporate Cards, or other accounts issued by other companies aren’t eligible for the ShopRunner benefit.

Amex Cards That Offer Complimentary ShopRunner

As mentioned above, you can get a complimentary ShopRunner membership, upon enrollment, with any of these Amex cards:

Hot Tip: Amex Platinum cardholders are also eligible for a complimentary monthly Walmart+ credit that offers free 2-day shipping on items purchased through Walmart.com, free grocery delivery, discounts on prescriptions, and discounts on gas, plus early access to special promotions and events.

Merchants That Offer ShopRunner

ShopRunner keeps an organized catalog of merchants, retailers, and companies that are a part of the ShopRunner store network. Here are the current retailers that participate in ShopRunner:

As you can see, there are over 80+ stores that offer ShopRunner benefits, ranging from Peet’s to Coach and the NASCAR.com Superstore.

How To Enroll in and Use ShopRunner

Here are the steps you need to take to enroll in the ShopRunner benefit as an eligible Amex cardholder:

1. Click the link for the Amex ShopRunner page.
2. Enter your email address, complete the CAPTCHA, and click Continue.
3. You’ll be prompted to enter your Amex card details into the registration box. After that, click Enroll now.
   

There’s usually a minimum shopping cart size of $25 before taxes and fees to qualify — and some items don’t qualify for ShopRunner benefits.

Additionally, while ShopRunner offers free returns, the original merchant (e.g. Neiman Marcus or Bloomingdale’s) may have a restocking fee on returns, so just keep that in mind.

ShopRunner Offers

ShopRunner always has promotions or special offers going on, which can help you save a bundle of money, sometimes even up to 50%!

Maximizing Your Purchases From ShopRunner

ShopRunner applies mostly to shipping benefits, but if you’re making a big-ticket purchase at a participating merchant like Cole Haan, you’ll want to make sure you’re putting it on the right card.

One of Amex’s best shopping perks is Amex Offers, which can help you either get discounts or bonus Membership Rewards points on purchases.

For example, if you were looking to make a $200 purchase at Cole Haan, it’s worth checking your Amex online account for offers from Cole Haan, Rakuten (or another cash-back website), and ShopRunner so you can effectively triple-stack your benefits.

You might see a fantastic Amex Offer like this:

And you might also see a Rakuten cash-back offer like this:

By activating that Amex Offer (and paying for your purchase using that Amex card), clicking through Rakuten’s website to get to Cole Haan’s website, and then using your ShopRunner account to get shipping benefits, you can get a ton of savings!

That’s how you maximize ShopRunner and everything else available!

Final Thoughts

Overall, if you can get ShopRunner for free, it’s a no-brainer. Chances are that you currently have or could easily get a card with a complimentary ShopRunner membership.

Certain Amex cards have a ShopRunner membership that you can easily activate and enjoy for as long as you remain an eligible cardmember — other cards from Mastercard may have limited 1-year memberships.

Overall, if you find yourself frequently shopping at merchants including Bloomingdale’s, Bergdorf Goodman, or Tommy Hilfiger, you can leverage ShopRunner to get your items shipped to you more quickly!