How to Turn Amazon Shopping Habits into Maximum Rewards
Anya Kartashova June 17, 2018
Amazon is one of those online stores that everyone visits. I don’t know anybody who doesn’t shop at Amazon, whether it’s every week or once per year. Unfortunately, the online giant doesn’t offer many cashback opportunities, and maximizing your purchase value doesn’t seem so easy. However, you can still employ certain tricks to either earn points or redeem them for maximum value. Let’s review some ways you can turn your Amazon shopping addiction into rewards and point-earning addiction into discounts.
Purchase Amazon Gift Cards from Grocery Stores with the Chase Freedom Card This Quarter
The no-fee Chase Freedom Credit Card offers 5 percent cash back on rotating categories every three months, and this quarter includes grocery stores as a bonus category. The 5 percent is limited to the first $1,500 per quarter, but if you don’t cook much, there’s still a way to earn rewards. Many grocery stores sell merchant gift cards, and you can max out the category by purchasing Amazon gift cards through June.
If you know you’ll liquidate the gift cards in the future, this is a great way to earn 5 percent cash back or 5X points back redeemable for travel if you hold a premium Chase card, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Chase Sapphire Reserve. If you value your Ultimate Rewards at around 2 cents each, using the Chase Freedom to buy Amazon gift cards is like earning 10 percent back.
Purchase Amazon Gift Cards from Office Supply Stores with the Chase Ink Cash Card All Year Long
The Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card earns 5 percent cash back at office supply stores, such as Office Max or Office Depot, capped at $25,000 per year. And, as is the case with the Chase Freedom Card, you’re not limited to earning bonus cash rewards during a certain time period. As a small-business owner, you can buy Amazon gift cards with the Chase Ink Card and earn 5 percent cash back on these purchases all year long. This is another great way to earn rewards on your Amazon purchases.
Shop on Amazon While Flying JetBlue
With the exception of eBates, Top Cashback, BeFrugal and a couple of others, Amazon doesn’t partner with many cashback shopping portals. Neither does the online store partner with shopping portals affiliated with airlines, such as the Delta Air Lines SkyMiles Shopping or the American Airlines AAdvantage eShopping Mall. Amazon does partner with JetBlue, although the relationship isn’t as good as it once was.
In the past, it was possible to earn triple miles on all Amazon purchases, but it’s not that simple anymore. TrueBlue members still can shop on Amazon via a unique link in their account and earn 3X miles per $1 spent. The catch is that you have to shop during the flight while logged into the onboard Fly-Fi. Purchases made on the ground no longer earn triple points.
Pay with a Co-Branded Amazon Credit Card
If travel rewards aren’t your thing and you’d rather earn cash back on all your purchases, then consider the Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card. With this credit card, you’ll earn 3 percent back on all Amazon and Whole Foods purchases, 2 percent back on dining, gas stations and drugstores, and 1 percent back on all other purchases. And if you have Amazon Prime membership, which offers unlimited two-day shipping, you can upgrade your card to the Amazon Prime Visa Signature Card and earn 5 percent back at Amazon and Whole Foods. You can redeem cash rewards toward Amazon purchases, so their versatility is a bit limited.
Redeem Membership Rewards Toward a Purchase (During Promos Only!)
American Express partners with Amazon, and if you hold a credit card that earns Membership Rewards points, you can link your accounts and use the points toward your purchase at a rate of 1 cent apiece. We all know that Membership Rewards points are worth a lot more than a penny when transferred to Amex travel partners, such as Delta Air Lines SkyMiles, Singapore KrisFlyer and Air France/KLM Flying Blue programs.
So why would anyone want to waste MR points by buying stuff from Amazon? Because Amazon runs promos for Amex cardholders who Shop with Points. In the past, I’ve received $30 to $40 off orders by using at least 1 point toward a purchase. Although 1 cent per point is not a great deal, $40 per point represents great value when you only redeem one!
In Conclusion
Just because earning rewards with Amazon doesn’t seem easy, it doesn’t mean that you can’ take advantage of some great point-earning and point-redeeming opportunities. Personally, I have benefitted greatly from using 1 MR point toward a huge discount, and earning 5X points is a fantastic return on spending you would already make.
How do you maximize your Amazon purchases?
HWGeeks, I think you're confusing Visa/MC/Amex gift cards with store gift cards. I've never either had a problem or heard of a problem with buying Amazon or other store gift cards with a credit card, just Visa/MC/Amex gift cards at supermarkets.
Most supermarkets I know of, don't allow you to buy a gift card with a credit card nowadays.
Since you can get a 5% discount on Amazon purchases just by using the Amazon card which has no fees associated with it, I'm not sure why anyone that buys from Amazon regularly would do anything else. Why go to the trouble of buying gift cards for no additional benefit--also you lose out on the credit card warranty benefits that you otherwise get by using gift cards.