[Update 2] Rakuten is now at 15x MR. It’s almost year-end, so if you’ve been procrastinating, don’t wait too long or you may miss your Saks reimbursement.

Saks also has an AMEX Offer: $50 back on $250. For a larger purchase, that effectively becomes $100 off $250+ with at least 15% off on top.

[Update] Rakuten did in fact hit a record high again. For the second Black Friday in a row, it reached 16x MR, so don’t hesitate.

Many readers have probably recently applied for the record-high 100/125,000-point AMEX Platinum credit card offer, or still have unused Saks reimbursement from an existing Platinum card. Now is a good time to use it, though you can keep watching since it’s shopping season and the rate could still go higher. YMMV.

Saks reimbursement

For details on the Saks reimbursement, see:

Friendly reminder: before using it, remember to enroll in this benefit in your AMEX online account first!

Cashback portal rates

Shopping season promos are starting to show up. You can refer to Cashbackmonitor data:

Rakuten 15%

Rakuten is currently at 10% 15%. Since you can also earn MR points, and the rate is near a record high, this is our top recommendation.

RebatesMe 4%

Many people started using the Chinese-language cashback site RebatesMe because of the low-cost iPhone deal through Visible, and overall it’s been pretty solid.

RebatesMe’s promo runs through December 3, and there may also be double-rate promos at the beginning or end of the month. You can wait and see; if Saks gets a double promo then, we’ll post it right away. The current referral bonus is a relatively high $30, so you can sign up and refer friends and family:

TopCashback 13%

TCB remains reliable. The only downside is that the signup bonus often doesn’t post.