How to maximize spending with Amex Offers

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Published on March 08, 2024 | 10 min read

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Key takeaways

One of the benefits of being an American Express card member is access to the Amex Offers program, which provides additional rewards and benefits for using your card.
Amex Offers can be found and activated through the American Express website or mobile app, and feature a variety of rewards such as bonus points, statement credits and extra cash back.
While Amex Offers can provide great value for card members, it's important to read the fine print and keep in mind any limitations or restrictions, such as enrollment limits and offer expirations.

Being a member of American Express sure has its benefits. American Express is well known for its selection of cash back and rewards cards, some of which let you earn points in the American Express Membership Rewards program. If you are considering a new credit card, Bankrate provides an updated list of the top American Express credit card offerings from the company. While all of its point-earning cards give you the potential to earn welcome bonuses as well as rewards for each dollar you spend, Amex provides another way you can boost your total rewards haul: Amex Offers.

Amex provides card members strong benefits and additional rewards, just for using their card and meeting offer requirements through the offers program. Card members who enrolled in these offers unlocked an average of $130 in statement credits from their qualifying purchases in 2022, according to American Express. The neat thing about Amex Offers is it is included as a benefit on all American Express credit cards and you barely have to do anything to get started.

If you want to maximize your rewards or access special deals just for being an American Express card member, read on for more information about the Amex Offers program and how it works.

What are Amex Offers?

The Amex Offers program by American Express is an activation-based incentive program, meaning you need to activate the offer first through the Offers portal in order to receive the incentive. It is also important to keep in mind that Amex offers are personalized per member and as such you may not see an offer in your portal that you read about online. To find your eligible offers, you can use the Amex mobile application for iOS and Android and head to the “Offers” tab. On desktops, you can visit americanexpress.com, log in and scroll down to the “Amex Offers & Benefits” section.

Some Amex Offers give you cash back if you meet a spending requirement with a specific retailer, yet others let you rack up American Express Membership Rewards points or points within an Amex partner program like Hilton Honors.

Examples of Amex Offers

Here are a few examples of recent Amex Offers:

Get 2% back on purchases, up to a total of $250 at Dyson
Spend $599 or more, get $120 back at Dell.com
Get +5 Membership Rewards points per eligible dollar spent, up to 5,000 points at SKIMS.com

With each Amex Offer you’re eligible for, you’ll have a spending requirement and an offer expiration date. You can “add” the offer to your card as soon as you see one you like, then you have until the expiration date to meet the spending requirement for the bonus points or cash back.

Also, be aware that you can use some Amex Offers more than once, although the promotion needs to explicitly say so for it to work.

How do Amex Offers work?

All the Amex Offers you’re eligible for will be listed on your online account management page. To access them, log in to your account at AmericanExpress.com and take a look. On iOS and Android mobile devices, open the American Express mobile app and go to the “Offers” tab to see all active offers available on your account.

Keep in mind: Amex Offers are incredibly valuable since these deals are given out on top of the cash back or rewards you already earn with your Amex rewards card. Also, there are no penalties for forgetting about an Amex Offer and letting it expire. If you add one to your card and realize you can’t use it, there’s no harm. If you find an offer you like, all you have to do is read the fine print and click the prompt that says “Add to Card.”

Amex Offers come in a few different formats. Here’s what you need to know about each of them:

Spend $X, get Y number of bonus points

These offers provide you an opportunity to get a fixed number of additional American Express Membership Rewards points when you meet a spending threshold. Once you pass the minimum threshold you will get the points offered.

An example of this can be seen below. If I want to send flowers to some friends, I can get a few bouquets and receive cash back on up to 10 orders placed through Teleflora.

Spend $X, get $Y back

These offers provide you a statement credit based on hitting a minimum spend requirement.

Here is an example of what this might look like:

Spend $12 or more, get $12 back, up to 2 times (total of $24) on Peloton App Membership.

If you’re still working on New Year’s resolutions, this would be a great offer that would provide you with two free months of service for the online fitness app subscription.

Get additional points for each dollar you spend at a select merchant

These offers provide you additional American Express Membership Rewards points for spending at a select merchant. Unlike the “Spend $X, get Y number of bonus points,” the amount of additional points you can receive is tied to your spend, meaning you can receive more points the more you spend.

Here’s an example of these offers:

Get +20 Membership Rewards points per eligible dollar spent, up to 20,000 points.

With an offer like this, you can receive extra Membership Rewards points that you can redeem for a wide range of rewards.

Get X% back by using the link provided

These offers allow you to get a statement credit based on how much you spend with an offer merchant up to a set amount described by the offer. A recent example I saw offered 16% back as statement credit on up to $250 spent at netflix.shop.

Keep in mind: If you were looking for a gift for a fan of one of the streaming giant’s shows, this offer would let you secure that gift and get some cash back.

Limitations of Amex Offers to keep in mind

While Amex Offers can offer immense value to cardholders, it is important to understand their terms and conditions to best leverage them.

1. Read the fine print

When adding an Amex Offer, you should review all terms of the offer. There can be specific requirements, such as purchasing via a specific website URL, that you want to verify before you complete your purchase.

For example, a recent offer with Alaska Airlines required the ticket be purchased via AmexTravel.com in order to earn $100 back on a minimum $500 purchase. That meant any purchases made via Alaska Airlines’s own website weren’t eligible for the offer. Always be sure to review the terms prior to a purchase.

2. Enrollment is limited

Amex caps the number of card members who can redeem select offers. If you see an offer you are interested in, be sure to add it right away otherwise you may not see it again later.

3. You must add an offer and then use the same card to redeem

Amex Offers are tied to a specific credit card. If I choose to add an offer on my Platinum Card® from American Express but purchase from the merchant using my Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, I will not receive any credit. Be sure to check which card you added an offer to before completing a purchase.

4. One offer per cardmember across all American Express offer channels

Amex offers can only be added to one card on your account. If you have multiple American Express credit cards, be sure to review which card would be the best one to add the offer to first as you cannot move offers between cards once added.

5. Amex Offers expire

Be sure to review when an offer will expire by viewing the terms and conditions when adding it to your account.

Keep in mind: Amex Offer rewards may not be immediately reflected in your account. And remember that the spending requirement to earn the offer is never negotiable and always firm. Other limitations can apply to different Amex Offers, so make sure to read all the fine print so you can follow the rules.

Which cards have Amex Offers?

All American Express credit cards have Amex Offers available. This includes cash back cards, Amex co-branded credit cards with Delta and Hilton, American Express Membership Rewards cards and more. And remember, rewards or cash back earned with Amex Offers are totally separate from the points and rewards you earn with your credit card.

While any Amex card can qualify, the following table shows some of the best American Express credit cards to consider:

Card name	Rewards	Welcome bonus	Annual fee
American Express® Gold Card	4X Membership Rewards points at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per year, then 1X points) 4X points on Uber Eats purchases 4X points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per year, then 1X points) 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or via Amex Travel 2X points on rental cars booked through Amex Travel 1X points on all other purchases	60,000 points after spending $6,000 in purchases within six months of card membership. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide within the first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $100 back. Limited time offer. Offer ends 11/6/24.	$325
The Platinum Card® from American Express	5X points on up to $500,000 spent on directly-booked airfare and flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel (per calendar year) 2X points on prepaid car rentals through Amex Travel 1X points on all other purchases	80,000 points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first six months	$695
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express	2X points on up to $50,000 in purchases per year (unlimited 2X points on prepaid rental cars booked through AmexTravel.com) 1X points after that	15,000 points after you spend $3,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months	$0
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express	6% cash back on U.S. supermarket purchases (up to $6,000 per year, then 1 percent) 6% back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions 3% back on transit 3% back on U.S. gas station purchases 1% back on all other purchases	$250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases within the first six months	$95 ($0 intro annual fee for the first year)
The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express*	2X points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year, then 1X) Earn 20% extra points each time you use your card for 20 or more purchases within a billing period 1X points on all other purchases	10,000 points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first six months	$0

Maximize spending with Amex Offers

Amex Offers can provide great value for card members in addition to your included card benefits. As you begin to use them, keep in mind some tips that can ensure you effectively maximize these offers. Some steps that can help you include:

1. Immediately add offers you like to your card

American Express does not cap the number of offers you can add per card, but their Offers section will only display 100 offers at a time. As such, it can be wise to add any Amex Offers to your rewards card whether you’re sure you’ll use them or not.

In addition, Amex has been known to limit the number of card members who can add an offer, so you should not assume an offer will be there later if you need it. In reality, there is nothing to stop you from adding every Amex Offer you’re eligible for to your card as new ones are added.

2. Keep up with new offers

Amex adds new offers regularly so be sure to return to the Offers section for each of your American Express credit cards to see whether any new offers are available. Also, keep in mind you’ll have different offers on different Amex cards you carry, and that one or more of your cards may offer a higher or lower amount of rewards or cash back.

3. Activate offers on cards with bonus categories

Double up on offers and rewards when you get the chance. For example, if you see an Amex Offer for Delta Air Lines and have a co-branded Delta Air Lines credit card (or a Hilton offer for your Hilton co-branded credit card), you may be able to score the Amex Offer and earn points on your spending with your co-branded card.

4. Stack rewards using shopping portals

Sometimes you’ll find that shopping portals offer another way to double up on rewards. For example, you may have an Amex Offer on your card with a store that is also offering bonus cash back through a portal such as Rakuten or Delta SkyMiles Shopping. In that case, you could take advantage of the shopping portal bonus and earn an Amex Offer in one fell swoop.

The bottom line

Amex Offers by American Express are easy to use and are an included benefit of being an American Express cardholder. The offers can provide you additional benefits including cash back or additional Membership Rewards points for your everyday purchases. With that said, other card issuers including Chase, that offers Chase Offers, have similar programs, so you should check those out as well.

At the end of the day, there are numerous ways to earn more rewards on your spending, and Amex Offers is just one strategy. Make sure you have the right credit card offer from American Express or any other issuer, and you’ll be on your way to earning more rewards in no time.

*Issuer-required disclosure statement

All information about The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express has been collected independently by Bankrate and has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.