Save at Amazon When Redeeming Amex Points [Targeted]

American Express and Amazon are offering targeted discounts to customers who link their personal Amex cards to Amazon. The discounts range in amount but could be very significant depending on your targeted offer.

While these discounts have been available on and off for quite a while, there’s a new detail this time — there’s a targeted minimum number of points you’ll need to use to get the discount.

Let’s take a look at everything you need to know.

Amazon Offer Details

The first thing you should do is visit this dedicated Amazon promotional page to see if you were targeted. If you’re eligible for this promotional offer, you must activate it in order to save money, so make sure to do so before making any purchases.

The amount of savings you can expect will vary based on the offer you’re targeted for. However, numerous consumers have reported saving anywhere from 10% to 50% — often with a maximum discount of $40 to $80. The current promotion lists an end date of December 31, 2024, or when “62,500 customers have redeemed the offer” — whichever happens first.

This promotion could result in significant savings, so check to see whether you’re eligible before making any Amazon purchases.

If you are targeted, ensure the products added to your cart are sold and shipped by Amazon (not all products on Amazon are), as third-party products won’t be eligible for the discounted savings.

The terms of the current offer say it’s available until December 31, 2024 — or until 16,667 redeem the offer.

Minimum Points Requirement Added

When it’s time to check out, you’ll be given the option to pay with Amex Membership Rewards points. For previous offers, you could use just 1 point to activate the discount. Unfortunately, it seems Amazon and American Express have caught on to this loophole — we are now seeing targeted point minimums to activate the discount.

To be clear, these Amazon discounts can still be a good deal. They just aren’t as incredible as they were when you could use just 1 point to activate them.

In the scenario above, a minimum of 1,428 Amex points is needed to trigger the 40% discount of up to $40. If you were to spend $100 or more, using 1,428 Amex points would save $40. That works out to 2.8 cents per point, which is higher than the 2.2 cents value we assign to Amex points.

No one should be mad about getting 2.8 cents in value for an Amex point. However, this new math isn’t as exciting as saving $40 using just 1 Amex point, which was previously possible. Check the terms of your specific offer to see if a points minimum is required.

Since the point minimums are targeted, you might see a bigger number, a smaller number, or perhaps no minimum at all.

It’s also worth noting that we don’t recommend redeeming Amex points on Amazon in general. If you’re targeted, using the bare minimum for this offer is an exception. Just don’t redeem more than the minimum number of points, as the value proposition goes down from there — and there are more valuable ways to use your points.

Final Thoughts

Many consumers shop on Amazon regularly, and this offer to pay with Amex Membership Rewards points to receive a discount can provide significant savings.

Be sure to link all of your Amex cards to see if you’ve been targeted, and then act quickly to take advantage of the discount.