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[Updated 2020.5] According to Dansdeal, you may be able to use products such as Gift Kindle Unlimited or Kindle eBooks to turn the streaming credit into an Amazon gift card. The specific steps are as follows:

First, you need two Amazon accounts, say A and B. If you do not have a friend or family member to do this with, you can simply register another Amazon account yourself; generally that is not a problem.

  • Enter the email address for account B
  • Select the AMEX card you want to use for the credit, and make sure you do not pick the wrong one
  • Order complete! The charge appears as Amazon digital downloads, which based on previous data points should trigger the credit. This amount is the price of the 6-month Kindle Unlimited membership plus tax. If you do not want to pay tax, you would need to change the billing address on this card to a tax-free state.
  • The email address for B will receive an email from Amazon
  • The owner of account B should click redeem. Or simply copy the redeem link and open it in the browser logged into account B. You will see a small line below that says you can redeem membership as a gift card, which means converting it into an Amazon gift card. Do not click the wrong button. If you click the big “Redeem your Kindle Unlimited gift” button above, you will not be able to get a refund!
  • After you click it, it will confirm success. You can then go to your gift card page to check that your balance has increased by the Membership+TAX amount.
  • Then wait 1-2 days for the charge to post, and you should see the AMEX streaming credit. The charge may not appear immediately; see the screenshot below for the order status:
  • Two days later, the credit posted right on time~

Similarly, if you use this method to gift an eBook to a friend, there is also an option to redeem it as a gift card, although the steps are a bit more complicated. The reason I recommend the Kindle Unlimited membership rather than an eBook is that this membership charge is actually on AMEX’s official list of eligible services. Therefore, even if you do not receive the AMEX credit, you can still contact customer service (I strongly suggest waiting a week before contacting customer service if the credit does not post, to avoid drawing AMEX’s attention because of system delays causing many people to contact them). In any case, if you gift it to someone else, how they choose to redeem it is their business. And in the worst case, if it does not get reimbursed, you have effectively just bought an Amazon gift card and loaded it to your account, and you can always use another method for the credit instead.

About the streaming credit

On May 1, AMEX announced a major update: the following credit cards would receive a streaming subscription credit benefit. From May 1 through December 31, there is a $20 monthly Streaming Service credit, for a total of $160. The cards eligible for this benefit are:

Some common questions:

  • The credit is separate for each card. If you have multiple cards listed above, each card can receive its own monthly credit.
  • Authorized user cards and the primary card share the same credit limit.
  • This benefit does not require enrollment; you can simply make the purchase directly.
  • This $20 is a total monthly cap; it does not have to come from a single service. For example, if you pay $6.99 for Hulu and $20 for Apple TV, you can still receive up to $20 in total credits.
  • AMEX FAQ and terms for this credit

Eligible purchases

Official list of eligible services

In AMEX’s explanation of this benefit, it states that streaming subscriptions are limited to designated providers. If you subscribe through a third party or buy a bundled package from a third party, it may not qualify for the credit.

From May 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020 you can earn up to $20 in statement credits each month when you use your American Express Platinum Card to pay for U.S. streaming subscriptions from select providers. The current list of select providers is available at americanexpress.com/rewardsinfo, and is subject to change at any time. If your subscription is bundled with another product or service or billed by a third party (such as a digital platform, a cable, , telecommunications, or internet provider, or a car manufacturer) , your purchase may not be eligible.

Using the link provided by AMEX, we can find the list of Select U.S. Streaming Subscriptions:

Note that you must subscribe directly through these providers' official websites, and the charge must post as a charge from that provider in order to receive the reimbursement. Third-party purchases do not work, and even purchases through affiliated/reskinned channels may not work. As for whether this list is complete, I don't think so. There are reports on Reddit of people getting reimbursed for Viki.com. So more merchants with opportunities may gradually show up. Non-listed merchants include (source: Reddit):

  • Viki.com
  • Amazon Movie Rental、TV Show Purchase
  • VRV
  • Adding funds to your Apple ID
  • Crunchyroll
  • Google Play in-app purchase

For tips on funding your Apple ID, see KUKU's 101 bulletin: A Few Tips for Using Apple ID Funds to Trigger the AMEX Streaming Credit

Of course, using borderline methods also carries some risk of an AMEX claw back...

Unofficial Reimbursements

In addition, purchases such as reloading Google Play to buy apps, Fund Apple ID, buying Apple apps, and subscribing to services can currently also trigger the streaming reimbursement. Note: if you use methods not officially specified by AMEX to get the reimbursement, there is a risk of claw back.

  • Google Play reloads and app purchases, subscriptions, etc.;
  • Apple's Fund Apple ID, as well as in-app purchases and subscriptions, have also triggered the reimbursement
  •  Wechat Out reloads. In the screenshot below, KUKU used Apple Pay with an AMEX Platinum card to reload Wechat Out, and it was reimbursed.

How to Get the Reimbursement

If you already have subscriptions with the merchants above, you only need to change the payment method to your AMEX card. If possible, it is best to prepay multiple months to use up that month's reimbursement. A single payment generally works fine too. The reimbursement posts quickly; usually within 2 days after the relevant charge posts.

Note that paying through Apple Pay (there are existing data points) or Samsung Pay generally does not affect the reimbursement, but PayPal and similar methods probably will not work.

Some Tips

If you don't already use these services and need to register a new account, check whether the service you want has any cashback available. Below are a few ways to get the reimbursement and even come out ahead. If you don't actually want to use the service and only want to trigger the reimbursement, it is best to cancel auto-renew after you are a little over one month in. If you cancel too early, your cashback may be voided; check the terms on each cashback site.

Also, don't keep cycling the same cashback site every month. It is better to rotate among several.

  • Special reminder: ESPN+/Disney+/Hulu Bundle is one product ($12.99), so be sure to register with different email addresses.

SiriusXM

Many cashback sites also offer cashback for it. For example, Rakuten offers $15 cashback (or 1500MR). One important thing to note is that you must be a new SiriusXM user to receive cashback through cashback sites.

ESPN+

Many cashback sites also offer cashback for it. For example, Rakuten offers $10 cashback (or 1000MR). One important thing to note is that you must be a new ESPN+ user to receive cashback through cashback sites. This espn+hulu+disney package is $12.99 per month, so getting back $10 is pretty good.

Tracking is very fast here (it tracked the day after the charge posted), and author KUKU has already done it successfully.

Disney+

Many cashback sites also offer cashback for it. For example, MrRebates offers $10 cashback. One important thing to note is that you must be a new Disney+ user to receive cashback through cashback sites. This espn+hulu+disney package is $12.99 per month, so getting back $10 is pretty good.

Using Drop

There are quite a few streaming subscription offers on Drop, and they can add up nicely. New accounts get these subscription offers, and existing users do as well.

  • Drop signup link (complete 1,000 points, get 5,000 bonus points, worth $5)
  • You can also download the app and, during signup, enter ae29t in the Add an invite code field (complete 1,000 points, get 5,000 bonus points, worth $5)

KUKU has done quite a few of these and has already received some of the rewards. These streaming subscriptions are perfect for helping you complete the signup bonus. Most of these offers require you to be a new user or first-time subscriber. If you have subscribed before, you can try switching browsers or using a different email address. After you subscribe and receive the points, remember to cancel right away. The terms for each Drop offer say rewards are issued after 30 or 45 days, so keep an eye on that.

In summary, the following meet the official requirements and also offer some upside:

  • Apple Music, 3-month free trial, reward of 3,000 points (worth $3)【This one does not require any spending, so you can grab it along the way】
  • Hulu, subscribe for 1 month ($6), reward of 6,000 points (worth $6)【Note: this is not the Hulu TV offer】
  • Disney Bundle, subscribe for 1 month ($12.99), reward of 10,000 points (worth $10)【Note: not the annual version】
  • Luminary, subscribe for 1 month ($4.99), reward of 10,000 points (worth $10)【This reward was increased; it is usually only a $5 reward】
  • SiriusXM, subscribe for two months ($8 x2), earn 12,000 points (worth $12, limited-time bonus) [No car is required to activate this offer. It appears on the Drop Boosted page; if you can’t find it, search for it directly in Drop.]

In addition, quite a few streaming subscription offers on Drop are not in the AMEX category list, so we’re not sure whether they can trigger the reimbursement. If you try it, feel free to report a DP. Hulu posts rewards the fastest, while the Disney+ Bundle requires pending. For tracking rewards on these subscriptions through Drop, you can refer to this 101 news post:

Drop is now very sensitive, and opening multiple accounts can easily get you shut down, so don’t push it too hard.