I think credit cards are pretty awesome. Why? After paying off my cards in full each month, I take advantage of sign-up bonuses and credit card rewards. I even use my cards for their other lesser-known benefits, such as travel insurance and extended warranty coverage.
Even though it seems as if I have a good handle on how to get the most out of my credit cards, there is one particular benefit I was unaware of until a few years ago. For the longest time, I didn’t know I had access to Amex Offers. Since finding this rewards program, I’ve been able to save hundreds of dollars on purchases that I would have made anyway. Here’s how you can, too:
Why Amex Offers Are Awesome
Through Amex Offers, American Express and its advertising partners reward you for using your American Express card. The offers vary, but I’ve used them to save $60 on a $300 hotel stay; $150 on a $150 cell phone bill; and $10 on purchases of $25 or more on Small-Business Saturday, which happens every year.
What Credit Cards Qualify?
You must have a qualifying card to use Amex Offers. Fortunately, most American Express cards qualify for these deals. Regular consumer and small-business credit or charge cards do count, but some prepaid cards and American Express Corporate cards don’t qualify.
An easy way to see if your card qualifies is to log in to your online American Express account. Once in, you’ll be taken to the home page for your account. Select one of your credit cards, and then scroll to the bottom of the page. If you see a box labeled “Amex Offers & Benefits,” then you have a qualifying card. But before you start adding deals, read the rest of this article to make sure that you get the maximum benefits.
How to Get Amex Offers on Your Card(s)
Taking advantage of Amex Offers is easy, but if you want to get the most value from the program, it can take a bit of work. While you can simply click the “Add to Card” button on any deal, you may not want to. If you have several American Express credit cards, adding an offer to one card will remove the same offer from all of your other cards.
But there's a trick you can use to add the same offer to more than one American Express card and save even more money.
First, open multiple browser windows and log in to your American Express account on each. Next, select a different card on each window. Once you have one window per account, scroll down to Amex Offers and make sure the offer you want is visible. Then click the “Add to Card” button on each card as quickly as possible.
How to Use Amex Offers
Using Amex Offers is pretty simple. Just follow the instructions that accompany each offer.
For instance, I recently added an offer that gives me a $60 statement credit when I pay for $300 or more to stay as a preferred guest at a Starwood hotel or resort. All I have to do is use the American Express card that my Amex Offer is on, follow any rules in the fine print, and wait for the statement credit to appear in my account.
When Do I Get the Benefit From an Offer?
You’ll get the benefit according to the timeline stated in the terms of the offer. Usually, the statement credit will appear 90 days after the purchase is made, but many times the credit arrives well before that date.
How to Use Amex Offers Responsibly
Amex Offers are much like credit cards in that they’re great tools that can help you save money — if you use them the right way. I look through my Amex Offers only for deals that fit purchases I’ve already planned on making in the future. I don’t look through my offers and try to figure out what I can buy so that I can use every one.
Amex Offers are just another form of advertising from companies. If you purchase something you weren’t planning to buy in order to take advantage of an Amex Offer, the marketers have won.
The Bottom Line
Amex Offers have yielded hundreds of dollars in savings over the last couple of years. That’s not a bad deal when you consider that all I have to do is scroll down to the Amex Offers section when I’m paying my monthly statement balance.