We have seen card issuers being creative when it comes to adding benefits for a limited time, considering how consumer behavior has changed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
In mid-2020, we saw temporary benefits added to American Express cards, and that trend continues. In this post, I would like to maintain a consolidated list of benefits that are being added to American Express cards in 2021.
New benefits for Amex 2021 card members
It can be difficult to keep track of all the limited time benefits offered by Amex cards, as they come in different forms – some do not require registration, some are available through Amex offers, some are targeted and some are not. has not yet been published.
Here is a summary of what is currently being offered and what we can expect, broken down by card:
New benefits of Amex Personal Platinum Card
The Platinum Card® from American Express (evaluation) is offering a few different promotions.
You can get up to $ 180 in statement credits with PayPal:
- You can get a monthly credit of up to $ 30 between January 1 and June 30, 2021, for a total amount of up to $ 180
- This is valid for purchases from qualified merchants with PayPal
- No registration is required
In addition, there are some special offers from Amex offers for those with Amex Platinum (registration required), which are valid for those who had the card on November 1, 2020. Amex claims to offer up to $ 1,700 in extract credits, and includes the following:
- Avis Car Rental – Spend more than $ 250 on qualifying purchases, get $ 75 back, up to two times
- BestBuy.com – spend over $ 50 on eligible purchases, get $ 50 back, up to twice
- Goldbelly – spend over $ 100 on eligible purchases, get $ 50 back, up to three times
- Home Chef – spend over $ 50 on eligible purchases, get $ 50 back, up to three times
- HomeDepot.com – spend over $ 50 on eligible purchases, get $ 50 back, up to twice
- Instacart – Spend more than $ 250 on eligible purchases, get $ 50 back, up to twice
- Samsung – spend over $ 1,000 on eligible purchases and get $ 200 back once
- Scribd – Spend over $ 9.99 on eligible purchases, get $ 9.99 back up to five times
- The Container Store – Spend more than $ 150 on eligible purchases, get $ 50 back, up to twice
- Virtual Personal Training by Equinox – spend over $ 780 on qualifying purchases, get $ 130 back, up to five times
- Wine Insiders – spend over $ 30 on qualifying purchases, get $ 30 back, up to twice
Personally, I think the Best Buy and Home Depot offers are the most profitable.
New benefits of Amex Business Platinum Card
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (review) is announcing that it is offering up to 400,000 additional Membership Rewards points in all categories back to business.
Until June 30, 2021, those with Amex Business Platinum can earn 5x Membership Rewards points (plus 4x points) on purchases in the U.S. made in the following categories:
- Wireless
- Shipping
- publicity
- Gas
- Office supplies
Card members can earn up to 80,000 bonus points per category, and registration is required through Amex Offers. Of course, the vast majority of small businesses will not be able to fully maximize these categories, but those are still some solid bonuses.
Personally, I value Membership Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, so it’s a 8.5% return.
New benefits of the Amex Small Business Card
Amex small business cards are offering up to $ 250 back on eligible business purchases:
- Registration is required through Amex offers
- You can receive $ 25 back through statement credits on transactions over $ 500, up to 10x
- This is valid until June 30, 2021
You can’t beat having this card on American Express Blue Business Plus credit card (review), as it offers 2x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent.
New temporary benefits from Amex Travel
Don’t get too excited here, but Amex is promoting that Amex Travel has some new offers. For example, Fine Hotels & Resorts (available to those with Amex Platinum) are offering a complimentary night or property credit of $ 250 or more for stays at more than 200 properties. You can find all Fine Hotels & Resorts special offers here.
The problem is that there are usually free nights and credit offers. The list may be better than normal, but I don’t see anything spectacular. To clarify, we are not talking about a free night without going otherwise, but about anything from a third night free to a sixth night free.
Receive extra credit at some Fine Hotels & Resorts properties
New benefits Amex Delta, Hilton, Marriott coming soon
Although not yet published, Amex said that in the coming weeks we can expect to see new limited-time offers for personal and small business cards issued in conjunction with Delta SkyMiles, Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy.
However, we will have to be attentive to the details of these offers.
Result
Card issuers are adding a variety of temporary benefits in light of how consumer behavior has changed, and it’s great to see that this will continue in 2021. So far, we’ve seen most of the added benefits of Amex Platinum and small business cards .
I think Amex Platinum’s $ 30 monthly credit on PayPal is by far the most exciting, and that makes the card very easy.
We expect to see new offers on cards from associated brands as well.
What do you think of Amex’s limited time advantages for 2021?