AMEX Shipping Credit Guide: $20 per Month on the Business Platinum

About the Shipping Credit

On May 1, AMEX announced a major update: it is adding a Shipping service fee credit to the AMEX Business Platinum card. From May 1 through December 31, you can get up to $20 in shipping credits each month, for a total of $160.

Some common questions:

• This benefit is available as long as you have the card, whether you are an existing cardholder or just newly approved.
• The credit is tracked separately for each card. If you have multiple Business Platinum cards, each card can receive its own monthly credit.
• Employee cards and the primary card share the same credit limit.
• This benefit does not require enrollment; just use the card to make an eligible purchase.
• This $20 is a total monthly amount and does not need to come from a single transaction. For example, if you spend $10 at USPS and $15 at UPS, you can still receive $20 back.
• AMEX FAQ and terms for the credit

What Purchases Qualify

This benefit can reimburse purchases from merchants that provide shipping services, such as UPS, FedEx, USPS, and similar companies. This should include both online label purchases and shipping charges paid in-store. In addition, AMEX specifically says that purchases of travelers checks or prepaid cards are not eligible for reimbursement. However, it is unclear whether the final category of cash equivalents includes ordinary gift cards.

Valid only on purchases made in the U.S. for courier, postal, and freight shipping services. Eligible shipping service companies include UPS, FedEx, and USPS as well as other companies that are primarily in the business of courier, postal, and freight shipping services. This does not include shipping costs added to retail purchases, moving services, or trash removal. Eligible purchases are purchases for goods and services minus returns and other credits. Eligible purchases do NOT include fees or interest charges, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents.

Besides the official list above, based on current online reports, here are some data points on purchases that have triggered the credit so far (source: Reddit):

• USPS: Change Address service, USPS Gift Store (stamps, merchandise, packaging, boxes), and buying labels online
• UPS: UPS MyChoice $15 and shipping charges

One important note: although merchandise sold through the USPS Store may also trigger the benefit, just like stamp purchases, there is some risk of a clawback. That said, compared with airline incidental credits, this seems like relatively low risk.

How to Use the Credit

If you have purchases with the eligible merchants above, you only need to use your AMEX Business card as the payment method. Note that payments through Apple Pay and Samsung Pay generally should not affect eligibility based on existing data points, but PayPal and similar payment methods probably will not work.

USPS Stamps

If you cannot use up the credit in a given month, you can simply buy some USPS stamps and save them for later, since forever stamps do not expire. And stamps are not just for mailing letters. You can also put stamps directly on a bubble mailer to cover USPS First-Class or Priority Mail postage. Some websites also let you resell unused stamps, such as eBay.

Gift Cards

USPS and UPS retail locations often sell a large selection of third-party gift cards. These purchases definitely do not meet AMEX's shipping credit requirements, but I personally think they might still trigger the shipping credit since the charge is still processed by USPS or UPS. If you plan to go this route, first make sure the credit actually posts by testing with a small purchase, and keep in mind that you would be taking on the risk of a clawback.

Summary

This shipping credit is quite useful for people who ship items regularly. You can use it each month or stock up on USPS stamps. If you have any new data points or have seen anything interesting, feel free to share in the comments.

In my opinion, this is still a very good time to apply for the Business Platinum card. The welcome bonus is solid, and the various credits can help offset the annual fee quite a bit. If you only keep the card for one year, you can come out ahead.

• $400 Dell credit
• $200 airline incidental fee credit
• $160 shipping credit