Expired: 2016 AMEX Offer Recap (All Expired, For Reference Only)

A recap of the good AMEX Offers from 2016. If you see similar offers later, jump on them fast! I wonder how much everyone has made from AMEX Offers?

Best Buy spend $250 get $25 back

• Offer overview: At bestbuy.com and in Best Buy stores, spend a total of $250 in one or more transactions and get $25 back. Expires 12/31/2016.
• How to add: Log in to your AMEX account and add it; you can add multiple cards; the Twitter offer has already been maxed out.
• Commentary: Best Buy stores sell all kinds of gas gift cards, eBay, and some locations even have Amazon Kindle. Most stores also carry $200 Visa gift cards with about $6 in fees. The best play is to buy five $200 Visa gift cards and then split the payment across four AMEX cards, with each card checking out at $250. Also, don't forget to sign up for Best Buy Rewards; purchases earn 1%–2% back as Best Buy credit. All told, you give up about 3% in fees and get back 11%, which is pretty good. In addition, in-store purchases can be stacked with Shopkick rewards, which range from 0.8% to 2%; you can earn on Visa gift cards too, which basically offsets the fee. And if you want to buy something other than gift cards at Best Buy, you can add Ibotta's Best Buy $100 get $5 offer for an extra $5 cash back. If you're shopping online, you can get an extra 1% cash back through the cashback portal Splender.

Sears.com spend $50 get $10 (#AMEXSEARS)

• Offer overview: Spend a total of $50 at sears.com in one or more transactions and get $10 back (online only; in-store purchases do not qualify). Ends 12/31.
• How to add: Log in to your AMEX account and add it; you can add multiple cards; Twitter hashtag: #AMEXSEARS (it will be maxed out quickly, so hurry).
• Commentary: Based on my earlier experience, buying Sears eGCs and reload gift cards on the Sears website counts as Sears spend (buying physical gift cards does not work; the charge shows as Kmart!). And if you go through the cashback portal Splender, you can earn cashback on eGCs and reloads too (currently 4%). If you want to make some money by clicking around at home, AMEX Offer plus Splender gives you a total of 24% off, and Sears eGCs can be sold on CardCash for 84% of face value, so you can make roughly 10%. Some Sears locations also allow gift cards to be used to buy gift cards, so you may be able to upgrade Sears gift cards into Amazon or Visa gift cards; if that fails, you can always sell them directly. Note: third-party gift card purchase links on the Sears website all go through GCmall and will not trigger this offer!

Staples Spend $100 get $20 back

• Offer overview: Spend a total of $100 at staples.com in one or more transactions and get $20 back (online only; in-store purchases do not qualify). Ends 12/31.
• How to add: Log in to your AMEX account and add it; you can add multiple cards; Twitter hashtag: #AMEXStaples (it will be maxed out quickly, so hurry).
• Commentary: One of the most popular offers! That is because Staples sells gift cards for many merchants online, including Target, Whole Foods, and more. They even sell Visa gift cards. The important part is that these Visa gift cards have PINs, so they are easy to load onto Bluebird/Serve. Buy one for $100, subtract the $7 fee, and you net $13 per card. If you have multiple cards, even better. Note: the Staples eGift Card sold on Staples.com is a third-party item, so it will not trigger this offer. The physical gift cards and other eGift cards are billed by staples.com, and based on prior experience those do trigger the offer. This offer does not include Staples in-store purchases, so don't mix them up.
• Related links: Twitter AMEX Offer activation process; Staples $100 Visa Gift Card, Staples gift card list

Boxed Spend $50 get $15 back

• Offer overview: Spend $50 total at Boxed.com and get $15 back; this can stack with the 3x MR that some MR cards received. Expires 1/31/2017.
• How to add: Log in to your AMEX account and add it; you can add multiple cards; Twitter hashtag: #AmexBoxed, and there is also Facebook.
• Commentary: Boxed.com is an online wholesale store, mainly selling snacks, household goods, baby items, and toiletries. Prices are similar to Costco and Walmart. With this offer, $50 gets $15 back, so you are effectively buying at 70% of retail (35/50 = 0.7). Even better, new Boxed.com users can use a $15 off coupon (valid on orders of $60 or more). So in effect, you spend $35 and get $65 worth of goods. It doesn't stop there: Ibotta also offers 15% cash back, which gives you another $7.50 back. All told, buying essential household items at a bit over 30% of retail is pretty nice. If you don't have Ibotta, don't forget the cashback portals; TopCashback currently offers 8% cash back at this store, and it has been confirmed to track.
• Related links: Boxed.com signup link (sign up and get a $15 coupon + $2.5 Rewards); Recommended Boxed purchases; Boxed.com money-saving shopping guide; Ibotta cashback app (signup link for $10, guide); cashback portal TopCashback (register here, guide)

Dunkin Donuts, Burger King, Panera Bread, Papa John's spend $10 get 500 MR back

• Offer overview: At Dunkin's Donuts, Burger King, Panera Bread, or Papa John's, in-store or online, spend at least $10 in a single transaction and get 500 MR. These are four separate offers, and each offer can be used three times per store. Expires 12/31/2016.
• How to add: Targeted offer, only available on cards that earn Membership Rewards.
• Commentary: Spending $10 at these fast-food chains is easy, and 500 MR is worth around $8, so it's like eating for about 20 cents on the dollar. Also, if you have all four offers, each card can earn 500 * 3 * 4 = 6,000 MR total; if you have multiple AMEX cards or authorized-user cards, the total can add up nicely. For Dunkin Donuts, reloading balance in the app also works. These fast-food chains may also sell gift cards in their physical stores, so stocking up for later is a good idea.

Newegg spend $200 get $25 back

• Offer description: After adding the offer, spend a total of $200 or more in one or multiple purchases at newegg.com to get $25 back. Expires 12/31/2016
• How to add: Log in to your AMEX account and add it; you can also add it by tweeting #AmexNewegg; add it on the Newegg page
• Commentary: Newegg sells all kinds of gift cards, such as eBay, AA airlines, Home Depot, Sears, mobile phone top-up cards, and more. It also sells Visa gift cards. Buying two cards would cost a total of ($100 + $6 fee) * 2 + $3 = $215, which is still a net gain when combined with this offer. Buying gift cards may also earn cashback (I got it last year). Right now, Splender offers 2% cashback at Newegg, so give it a try.

Amazon 2x Membership Rewards (newly added Target.com, bestbuy.com, gap.com, etc.)

【4.1 update】More stores have been added for 2x MR: Target.com, Best Buy.com, NeimanMarcus.com, Gap Family of Brands (Online), williams-sonoma.com, BergdorfGoodman.com, and more. The end date is 12/31, so you can use it through the end of the year. Remember to enroll before using it.

• Merchant: Amazon, plus a large batch of new merchants
• Offer: Pay with this card and earn 2 MR/$ (an extra 1 MR/$ on top of the original rate)
• Reward cap: No cap on the extra MR
• Availability: Cards that earn MR; YMMV
• How to add: Log in to your AMEX account and add it; multiple cards can be added; no Twitter or Facebook;
• Expiration: 07/31/2016, newly extended to 12/31/2016
• Commentary: If you want the one-year extended warranty benefit that comes with AMEX credit cards, then adding this offer and using it to make Amazon purchases to earn 2x MR is still pretty good. If you pay with the AMEX EDP credit card, you can earn a total of 1.5+1=2.5x MR. If you do not need the extra protection offered by the card, a better way to save is to buy discounted Amazon gift cards through “category swapping” or directly with the “MPX app”. See: Amazon shopping savings guide

Boxed.com spend $50 get $20 back

• Merchant: boxed.com
• Offer: Spend $50 and get $20 back, which can stack with the 3x MR that some MR-earning cards receive
• Related restriction: A total spend of $50 or more in one or multiple purchases is enough
• Availability: It has shown up on all kinds of cards
• How to add: Log in to your AMEX account and add it; multiple cards can be added; Twitter is #AmexBoxed; there is Facebook;
• Expiration: 10/15/2016
• Commentary: boxed.com is an online wholesale store that mainly sells snacks, household items, baby products, and toiletries. Prices are about the same as Costco and Walmart. This offer gives you $20 back on $50, so it is effectively 40% off (30/50 = 0.6). Even better, new boxed.com users can also use a $15 off coupon (valid on orders of $60 or more). That means you spend $30 and get $65 worth of goods. And that is not all: Ibotta also offers 15% cashback, so you can get another $7.5 back. All in all, buying essential household items at roughly 30% of the price is pretty good. If you do not have Ibotta, do not forget cashback portals. Right now TopCashback offers 8% cashback for this store, and it has been confirmed to track correctly.
• Related links: Boxed.com signup link (new signups get a $15 coupon + $2.5 Rewards); Boxed.com savings guide; Ibotta cashback app ($10 signup link, how-to guide); cashback portal TopCashback (sign up here, how-to guide)

BedBathandBeyond spend $25 get $5 back

• Merchant: BedBath and Beyond
• Offer: Spend $25 and get $5 back
• Related restriction: A total spend of $25 or more in one or multiple purchases is enough
• Availability: It has shown up on all kinds of cards; prepaid cards can also be added via Twitter
• How to add: Log in to your AMEX account and add it; multiple cards can be added; Twitter is #AmexBBB; there is Facebook;
• Expiration: 9/5/2016
• Commentary: This store sells $200 Visa gift cards. If you happen to get a friendly cashier, splitting the payment across 8 cards is great. Of course, the store also has Amazon and other gift cards, which are nice to buy at 20% off. Gas cards and the like are fine too; 20% off is still pretty good. [New] Ebates now also offers in-store cashback for BBB, so when you use the AMEX offer, do not forget to link your credit card and earn an extra 2%!
• Related links: Ebates in-store cashback introduction, eBay gift card deal summary

Sam's Club Spend $45 get $45 back

• Merchant: Sam's Club in Store only
• Offer: Buy a new Sam's Club membership in a Sam's Club store, and spend $45 or more to get $45 back
• Availability: YMMV. If you have this offer, your older cards and related authorized user cards should also have it
• How to add: Log in to your AMEX account and add it; no Twitter
• Expiration: 09/30/2016

Best Buy Spend $250 get $50 back

• Merchant: bestbuy.com and Best Buy in store
• Offer: Spend $250 and get $25 back; can be stacked with the 2x MR on some MR cards
• Restrictions: One purchase or multiple purchases totaling $250 or more will qualify
• Targeting: Available on various cards
• How to add: Log in to your AMEX account and add it; multiple cards can be added; Twitter hashtag is #AmexBestBuy, and there is Facebook;
• Expiration: 9/5/2016
• Commentary: Best Buy stores sell various gas cards, eBay, and some stores carry Amazon Kindle. Most stores also have $200 Visa gift cards with about a $6 fee. The best approach is to buy five $200 Visa gift cards and then pay for each $250 transaction separately with four AMEX cards. Also, don't forget to sign up for Best Buy's Rewards program; you will get 2% Best Buy credit back on purchases. Overall, you lose about 3% in fees and get back 2%+10%, which is still pretty good. If you're shopping online, you can get an additional 2% cash back through the cashback portal Splender. And if you're buying non-gift-card items at Best Buy in-store, you can also use an Ibotta shopping rebate app to add Best Buy's $100 get $5 offer and get an extra $5 cash back.
• Related links: Best Buy my rewards membership sign-up; cashback portal Splender ($5 sign-up link, guide); Ibotta APP ($10 sign-up link, guide)

Google Express Spend $30 Get $15 back

• Merchant: Google Express
• Offer: Spend $30 or more in one or multiple transactions, get $15 back
• Targeting: Basically all cards with more than 3 months of history have it
• How to add: Log in to your AMEX account and add it; no Twitter
• Expiration: 07/31/2016
• Commentary: Google Express is essentially a search engine integrated with the shopping process. You can directly search for the item you want, and then see the prices from each partner merchant. After selecting everything you need and adding it to the cart, you can buy items from multiple merchants at once. Currently, its partners include Costco (membership required to shop), buybuybaby, Whole Foods, walgreen, and others. The prices shown by Google Express are exactly the same as the in-store prices of these partner merchants, and the goods all come directly from the merchants themselves, so quality is assured. In other words, if you were already planning to buy nuts, snacks, or household items at Costco, using Google Express together with the AMEX offer is basically like buying Costco items at half price. Also, if you are a new Google Express user, Groupon currently has a $15 for $40 Google Express Credit deal (usable only for new Google Express users). Combined with Ebates' 9% cash back, it's like paying $13.5 for $40; in other words, $70 worth of goods only costs $23.5. If you don't want to use the Groupon deal, you can now sign up for Google Express through a referral and get a $15 credit and three months of free membership; that means $45 worth of goods only costs $15. In short, just see if there's anything worth buying.
• Related links: Google Express (get $15 credit for sign-up), Goupon sign-up link, Google Express $40 for $15 deal (new users can use dad20 for 20% off), Ebates sign-up link.
• The image below shows Google Express partner merchants

[7/2 update] You can use this offer to buy a Costco new membership, which is equivalent to $15 off $55/$110. See the image below in Google Express

Jo-Ann Spend $50 get $10 back

• Merchant: Jo-Ann in Store OR Online
• Offer: Spend $50 or more in one or multiple transactions, get $10 back
• Targeting: Basically all cards have it, including various AMEX prepaid cards;
• How to add: Log in to your AMEX account and add it; you can also use #AmexJoAnnStores on Twitter to add it
• Expiration: 07/31/2016
• Commentary: Jo-Ann is a store that sells crafts and home goods, but the key is that they sell all kinds of gift cards in-store!! Including eBay, Amazon, and more. So, use an AMEX card that has this offer added to buy $50 worth of gift cards to meet the $10 back requirement. That works out to buying Amazon or eBay gift cards at 20% off. Don’t forget that authorized user cards have their own separate offers and can be added and used too. This offer can also be added via Twitter, so as long as you have a card that goes through the AMEX network (such as BBVA), you can add it via Twitter! If you want to take it even further, various prepaid cards also have this offer. If you really want to go hard, adding a few family accounts can also use the AMEX Offer independently.
• Related links: Steps to add AMEX Offer via Twitter, Store locator, photos of some in-store gift cards (see below)

Save on your cell phone bill online (10%)

• Merchant: Major US carriers (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, Verizon)
• Offer: Pay with this card and get 10% cash back; only valid for bill payments, not for shopping directly on the carrier’s website
• Reward cap: $30 (10% back on the first $300)
• Availability: YMMV
• How to add: Log in to your AMEX account and add it; multiple cards can be added; no Twitter or Facebook
• Expiration: 06/30/2016
• Commentary: A very useful offer. If you have multiple AMEX cards with this offer, be sure to add them all, either by using multiple browser windows or one card per account. That way, when one card reaches the cap, you can switch to another card, and getting $30 back on each card is great. Of course, if you still have cards left unused before the offer expires, you can use the prepay bill method to pay future bills in advance and fully capture the 10% back. If you recently applied for AMEX BCE or AMEX BCP (new cardmembers get a 10% cell phone bill credit, up to $200), and this offer is also on the card, I think the two 10% offers should stack, effectively making your cell phone bill 20% off. If you’re interested, check out the intro to the no-annual-fee AMEX BCE credit card and the annual-fee AMEX BCP credit card.

Coach.com Spend $250 get 5,000 MR

• Merchant: coach.com
• Offer: Spend $250 or more in one or multiple purchases and get 5,000 Membership Rewards
• Availability: Only appears on cards that earn MR
• How to add: Log in to your AMEX account and add it; multiple cards can be added; no Twitter or Facebook
• Expiration: 06/14/2016
• Commentary: Many of you are probably familiar with Coach, because whenever people go back to China, friends and relatives usually ask them to bring back a few Coach bags. Although we usually buy discounted Coach bags at Coach outlet stores and on Coach Outlet online, this offer can still be used. Since you can buy physical Coach gift cards on coach.com, and those gift cards can be used online and in-store at outlets, buying a $250 Coach gift card can earn you 5,000 MR (worth $80), which works out to 32% off. At the same time, don’t forget that buying gift cards through a cash-back portal (such as MrRebate) can also be a pleasant surprise. Although it’s not certain whether it will ultimately pay out, it’s worth trying, and you shouldn’t let about 8% cash back go to waste.
• Related links: MrRebate sign-up link (get $5 for signing up; offers 8% cash back at coach.com)

AmexTravel.com spend $500 get 10,000 MR/$80

• Merchant: amextravel.com
• Offer: Spend $500 on an MR-earning card and get 10,000 MR; spend $500 on a cash-back card and get $80 back
• Restrictions: It only triggers with a one-time $500 prepaid hotel booking. Each card can earn it once at most
• Availability: Appears on AMEX’s own cash-back cards and on MR-earning cards
• How to add: Log in to your AMEX account and add it; multiple cards can be added; no Twitter or Facebook
• Expiration: 06/16/2016
• Commentary: If you have a genuine need to stay at a hotel, pairing it with this offer is very nice. $500 back $80 is equivalent to 16% off, while $500 for 10,000 MR (worth $160) is effectively 32% off. Note that you must book the hotel on amextravel.com using a card with the offer added in order to trigger it. Also, booking through AMEX Travel itself earns an extra 1 MR/$ on top. If you use an AMEX EveryDay Preferred card to book $500, you can get 10,000 + 500 + 500*1.5 = 11,250 MR in total, which is pretty good.

Staples spend $100 get $25 back

[5/3 update] The eBay and Target e-gift cards I purchased have both already received the $25 credit. It usually posts within 2-3 business days after the transaction posts.

• Merchant: Staples.com (online only; in-store purchases do not qualify)
• Offer: Spend $100 or more in one or multiple transactions and get $25 back
• Restrictions: Each card can earn the $25 once at most; purchases do not include e-gift card transactions (based on past experience, only Staples’ own e-gift cards do not count)
• Availability: Usually appears on older cards that are more than 10 months old
• How to add: Log in to your AMEX account and add it; multiple cards can be added; no Twitter or Facebook
• Expiration: 06/19/2016
• Commentary: This is one of the most popular offers! Staples sells gift cards from many merchants online, including Target and eBay. There are even Visa gift cards. The important thing is that these Visa gift cards all have PINs, so they’re easy to use for manufactured spending. Buy a $100 card, subtract the $7 fee, and you net $18 per card. If you have multiple cards, you’re in business. Note that Staples’ own Staples e-gift cards bought online are sold by a third party, so they do not trigger this offer. Physical gift cards and other e-gift cards list staples.com as the payee, and based on prior experience they can trigger the offer. This offer does not include in-store Staples purchases, so don’t mix them up.
• Related links: Staples Visa gift card list, Staples all gift cards list

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Offer roundup

• Lowe's Spend $50 get $10: A targeted offer. Lowe's stores have several Gift Card Racks, with lots of third-party gift cards, including Amazon, various gas cards, and more. If you're interested in stocking up on discounted gift cards, head to the store and buy $50 cards. Expires 12/31.
• VerizonWireless.com Spend $100 get $25/2500MR: Spend over $100 in one transaction. Each card can be used twice with this offer. Cashback cards get $25 back once, and MR-earning cards get 2500 MR per use. Expires 2/21/2017. Good for buying all kinds of Apple accessories. Paying the phone bill should stack with the earlier 10% bill offer; just overpay.
• Amazon 3x MR：Requires registration before use, expires 12/31. Amazon also sells third-party gift cards, which should trigger as well. Stocking up on Amazon gift cards is fine too~ 3x MR is worth roughly 5%. Newly approved BCP and BCE cards also have AMAZON 10% cashback for six months; see: Blue Cash Preferred intro and Blue Cash Everyday intro.
• Petco $25-$5: #AmexPetco. Good for pet owners. You can buy a $25 gift card first, then check out together, or ask the cashier to split the transaction.
• JCpenny $50-$10: #AmexJCPenny. The store sells various gift cards, including the following: Kindle gift card = Amazon gift card

• Dell $300-$100: #amexdell. You can place online or phone orders and split payment across three credit cards, which is great for buying a computer. Ebates has 12% cashback（ebates intro，signup link）
• Exxon spend $30 get $5: This offer can be used twice. You can add it via Twitter #amexexxon. It only works on a single fuel purchase of $30 or more, and only at the pump. Expires 12/31/2016
• 【Targeted】Cell phone bill 10%cashback/1,000 MR：You can pay the bill into a negative balance during the promotion. Expires 1/31/2017
• 【Targeted】AT&T business wireless 3x $150 get $50: Paying the phone bill can also trigger it. Expires 12/01/2016.

• PuritansPride.com Spend $30 or more, get $10 back：One order or multiple orders totaling more than $30 qualify. Ends 5/20. Good for buying supplements as gifts.
• Supermarket spend $100, get 1,500 MR/$15: Spending $100 at supermarkets should be easy for most people. If not, you can buy Amazon, eBay, or gas cards instead.
• GNC Spend $75 or more, get $15 back: One order or multiple orders totaling more than $75 qualify. Ends 6/30. Good for buying supplements as gifts.
• DoubleTree by Hilton Spend $175 or more, get $35 back：Book directly on the official site for $175 or more, and payment must be made by 6/30/16.
• Jet.com Spend $50 or more, get $10 back：One order or multiple orders over $50. Ends 6/30.