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Have an American Express card that earns Membership Rewards points? You might be eligible for a big discount on your next Amazon purchase.
Just in time for Amazon Prime Day, targeted American Express card members can?save as much as 40% on their next Amazon purchase when using Amex points to pay for at least a portion of their purchase. However, your targeted offer may be higher or lower — or you might not be eligible — as each one is personalized.
The offer on our Amazon account, for example, requires that we redeem at least 1,428 Amex points to get a 40% discount, with a maximum discount of $40 off. This is in addition to the discount we would get for redeeming points toward our Amazon purchase.
This offer is set to expire on July 31, 2024, so you can wait until Prime Day to redeem it. That said, Amazon also states it will deactivate the offer after 16,667 customers have redeemed it.
How to save money at Amazon with your American Express card
Using this deal can be a little complicated, but don’t fret. Here’s how to check if you’re eligible for this discount and how to apply it to your next Amazon purchase.
To start, you must have an American Express card that earns Membership Rewards points. Amex cards that earn other types of rewards, such as cash back or airline miles, won’t work. But there are plenty of Amex cards that earn Membership Rewards points — a small sampling of them is at the end of this story.
Next, you’ll need to?link your Amazon and American Express accounts. Add your American Express card as a payment method in your Amazon account, if you haven’t already. Then look for the option to?enroll in “Shop with Points”?under the “Your Account” tab, and click the “Enroll” button for the Amex card you just added.
Once your accounts are connected, you can see your offer by?clicking on this link and viewing the enrollment page, which will indicate your particular discount. Remember, this is a targeted promotion, so not everyone will be eligible for it; you could be targeted for any one of the offers or none of them. When you click on the link, if you see a message that you’re not eligible, then you’re, unfortunately, not targeted for this particular promotion.
But even if you’re not targeted, don’t give up hope. If you just enrolled in “Shop with Points,” you may need to wait 24 hours for Amazon’s records to refresh before knowing if you’re targeted, so check back in a day or so.
If you’re eligible, activate the offer by?clicking on the “Activate now” button. You can then?shop at Amazon?as you normally would, though only products sold and shipped by Amazon are eligible for these discounts. Additionally, Amazon gift cards are excluded, though other?third-party retailer gift cards?sold by Amazon might be eligible.
But wait! There’s one more step. When you’re ready to check out, you’ll want to make sure to select your linked American Express card as your payment method. Then you’ll need to use at least 1 point to pay for your purchase for the discount to apply.
When paying with Amex Membership Rewards points at Amazon, 1 point equals 0.7 cents. That’s not the best value you can get for Amex points. Frequent-flyer website?The Points Guy?values Membership Rewards points as high as 2 cents each when redeemed for travel.
However, it’s important to note that you don’t have to pay for your entire?Amazon?purchase with points to get the discount. Just make sure to redeem at least the minimum number of points listed on your promotion and you can reap your targeted discount.
Once you’ve applied points to your payment, you’ll see the discount added to your order. The discount will apply on every order you place through July 31 until you hit the maximum savings listed on your targeted promotion.
Get a massive discount on some great Amazon products
Let’s take a look at some examples of how you can apply this discount to your upcoming?Amazon?purchases, even if you don’t need anything from Amazon right at the moment.
With airlines having regular delays and cancellations over the last year, placing an Apple AirTag on your luggage can be a great way to track the location of your belongings. A four-pack of Apple AirTags is currently priced at $74.98 before taxes and shipping, but if you’re targeted for the 40% off American Express offer, that’ll bring the price down to $44.99, or around $11.25 per AirTag before tax.
Or if you’re hoping to pick up a set of new Apple AirPods Pro 2, right now Amazon is selling them for $169. But you can knock that down to as low as $129 before taxes if you’re targeted for this offer.
What if you’re not targeted for these offers?
Even if you aren’t eligible for any of this particular Amex promotion, offers like this typically resurface many times throughout the year, so keep on checking back.
Amazon often runs similar promotions for other credit cards, so check out our guides to discounts for Chase and Discover card holders to see what’s available. You might also find that even if you aren’t eligible now for one of these offers, you could magically become targeted in a few weeks, so keep on checking the link to see if you’ve been granted access.
Amazon has been eagerly offers some lucrative promotions over the last few years, so?keep your credit card accounts linked to your Amazon account, and if you’re targeted for any of these offers, make sure you use them before they expire at the end of the year.
Also, make sure you read our guide to the?best credit cards for Amazon?to be sure you’re using the right card when you buy at Amazon.
Looking for a travel credit card? Find out which cards?CNN Underscored Money?chose as the?best travel credit cards?currently available.
