Jul 3, 2019, 8:56 am
Last edit by: rrgg
$50 statement credit for purchases made at Saks. Enrollment required prior to purchase.
Online orders do not charge until shipped. Many items are carried in-stock by Saks and eligible for ShopRunner shipping - data points suggest that these will charge and ship quickly.
However, many other items on Saks(dot)com drop ship from the manufacturer. For these, expected delivery dates may not be reliable, are not guaranteed, and orders cannot be cancelled easily.
If you place an online order close to the end of an Amex credit period, there is a risk that your item may not ship (and Amex will not be charged) until after the end of the credit period.
Note on shipping & billing times: If a product shows that ShopRunner shipping is available, it is shipped by Saks and is likely to ship and bill quickly. If there's no ShopRunner option, it is likely drop-shipped from the manufacturer meaning the shipping date and actual charge date will be further out.
Things known to count for the credit:
- This benefit is available twice a year, once from Jan-Jun and once again from Jul-Dec.
- Use it or lose it, does not rollover or accumulate. There is no "meter" to track how much you've spent. Check your statement for credits.
- Per AMEX CS chat the transaction date is what determines whether a purchase is reimbursed from the Jan-Jun benefit or the Jul-Dec benefit.
- Actual experience from 2019: first-half purchase submitted only 6/27, shipped 6/29, went from pending to posted on 7/1 (but dated as 6/29), credit posted on 7/1, was able to use second $50 credit a week or two later
- Purchases by Additional Card Members (both the $175 Plat-colored and free Gold-colored) will be reimbursed also, but only up to an aggregate $50 per Account.
Online orders do not charge until shipped. Many items are carried in-stock by Saks and eligible for ShopRunner shipping - data points suggest that these will charge and ship quickly.
However, many other items on Saks(dot)com drop ship from the manufacturer. For these, expected delivery dates may not be reliable, are not guaranteed, and orders cannot be cancelled easily.
If you place an online order close to the end of an Amex credit period, there is a risk that your item may not ship (and Amex will not be charged) until after the end of the credit period.
Note on shipping & billing times: If a product shows that ShopRunner shipping is available, it is shipped by Saks and is likely to ship and bill quickly. If there's no ShopRunner option, it is likely drop-shipped from the manufacturer meaning the shipping date and actual charge date will be further out.
Things known to count for the credit:
- Merchandise purchased in Saks stores or online
- Physical gift cards purchased in-store
- Physical gift cards purchased online (min $150)
- e-gift cards (these are fulfilled by a different vendor)
- anything bought at "Saks Off 5th" (however, you can use a Saks gift card at Off 5th...)
$50 credit at Saks 5th Ave every 6 months with Plat card (2018 - 2021)
Dec 17, 2018, 3:16 pm
#226
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: RDU
Programs: DL(PM), UA(Silver), AA(EXP) Marriott(Ti), HH(Gold), Hertz(PC)
Posts: 2,650
Bought a GC in-store on 12/9. Credit posted 12/12.
I really was trying to find an actual product to buy as a Christmas gift or something, but everything in there was absurd. Even the gift card was absurd - the cashier insisted on fitting it in a little box and putting it in a big bag even though I said they could literally just hand it to me as it was going to get put inside a greeting card.
I really was trying to find an actual product to buy as a Christmas gift or something, but everything in there was absurd. Even the gift card was absurd - the cashier insisted on fitting it in a little box and putting it in a big bag even though I said they could literally just hand it to me as it was going to get put inside a greeting card.
Dec 17, 2018, 4:31 pm
#227
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: RSW
Programs: Delta - Silver; UA - Silver; HHonors - Diamond; IHG - Spire Ambassador; Marriott Bonvoy - Titanium
Posts: 14,185
Dec 17, 2018, 4:46 pm
#228
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 11,377
I suspect the difference is that BUYATAB is the vendor for the electronic gift cards, while the physical gift cards go through the normal SAKS billing channel. Unfortunately, the minimum physical gift card amount online is $150.
Dec 18, 2018, 7:36 am
#229
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: RDU
Programs: DL(PM), UA(Silver), AA(EXP) Marriott(Ti), HH(Gold), Hertz(PC)
Posts: 2,650
Dec 19, 2018, 8:13 pm
#230
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Berkeley, CA USA
Programs: Piggly Wiggly "Shop the Pig!" Preferred Shopper
Posts: 57,041
On my card, I got a Tumi umbrella for $73-50=$23. On my wife's card, we got two small boxes of La Maison du Chocolat chocolates for $60-50=$10. That's $33 (including tax & shipping) for stuff that's worth way more than that to us. Yes, both the umbrella and the chocolates are overpriced, but still very high quality. Great deal, I say.
Dec 20, 2018, 8:22 am
#231
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Truth or Consequences, NM
Programs: HH Diamond, Marriott Titanium, Hertz President's Circle, UA Silver, Mobile Passport Unobtanium
Posts: 6,192
On my card, I got a Tumi umbrella for $73-50=$23. On my wife's card, we got two small boxes of La Maison du Chocolat chocolates for $60-50=$10. That's $33 (including tax & shipping) for stuff that's worth way more than that to us. Yes, both the umbrella and the chocolates are overpriced, but still very high quality. Great deal, I say.
The perspective of some posters (that if you have to spend even $1 "out of pocket" = some sort of atrocity) is baffling.
Last edited by Diplomatico; Dec 20, 2018 at 8:59 am
Dec 20, 2018, 9:25 am
#232
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: PHL, LHR
Posts: 219
I think the point is...only if you were going to buy those shoes anyways is it really a deal, right? Otherwise you're down $35 for shoes that you didn't really want or need, but decided to buy after browsing Saks.com and getting hooked in.
Dec 20, 2018, 9:51 am
#233
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Berkeley, CA USA
Programs: Piggly Wiggly "Shop the Pig!" Preferred Shopper
Posts: 57,041
I paid $60-50=$10 (including tax & delivery) for French chocolates that would cost that same price elsewhere (brand enforces its MSRP on retailers). Are you saying I'm "down" $10 because I hadn't intended to purchase those chocolates? I don't see it that way. I certainly wasn't going to pay full retail for those chocolates, but I was interested with an 83% discount.
Dec 20, 2018, 11:29 am
#234
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: PHL, LHR
Posts: 219
I paid $60-50=$10 (including tax & delivery) for French chocolates that would cost that same price elsewhere (brand enforces its MSRP on retailers). Are you saying I'm "down" $10 because I hadn't intended to purchase those chocolates? I don't see it that way. I certainly wasn't going to pay full retail for those chocolates, but I was interested with an 83% discount.
If the answer is No, then yes, you are down $10.
Dec 20, 2018, 11:40 am
#235
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Berkeley, CA USA
Programs: Piggly Wiggly "Shop the Pig!" Preferred Shopper
Posts: 57,041
Isolating whether you would have bought the particular item, absent the Saks credit, makes no sense. The question is what was your net cost, and what was it really worth to you.
Dec 20, 2018, 11:54 am
#236
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: PHL, LHR
Posts: 219
I'm down $10, but I'm up whatever the value of those chocolates is to me. That's way more than $10, even though I hadn't planned on buying them. We're going to gift these boxes to two people who do some service work for us. If I hadn't gotten these chocolates, I would have gotten items of comparable retail cost for the gifts. Roughly speaking, my cost of these gifts is $10 rather than $60 or so it would have been, absent the Saks credit.
Isolating whether you would have bought the particular item, absent the Saks credit, makes no sense. The question is what was your net cost, and what was it really worth to you.
Isolating whether you would have bought the particular item, absent the Saks credit, makes no sense. The question is what was your net cost, and what was it really worth to you.
I use my Saks credit for precisely the same thing - gifts for my mother-in-law. I know we have to get her something for mother's day or b-day, so we use the credit for a voluspa candle or some Kiehl's face cream, or whatever - and basically spend nothing out of pocket for a gift exchange where we normally would.
Edit to ADD: I should say that whatever you would normally spend for a gift for someone should be near, or above the $50. Like, if you normally buy these folks a massive $8 Toblerone bar and slap a bow on it but this year b/c of the credit you are getting them a $60 box of chocolates... then yeah, you're way down because you could optimize that gift towards someone who you normally spend near or above $50 on. My post above assumes you normally gift these folks something in this price value range.
Last edited by PHLondoner; Dec 20, 2018 at 12:00 pm
Dec 20, 2018, 12:16 pm
#237
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Berkeley, CA USA
Programs: Piggly Wiggly "Shop the Pig!" Preferred Shopper
Posts: 57,041
Like, if you normally buy these folks a massive $8 Toblerone bar and slap a bow on it but this year b/c of the credit you are getting them a $60 box of chocolates... then yeah, you're way down because you could optimize that gift towards someone who you normally spend near or above $50 on.
Dec 20, 2018, 12:18 pm
#238
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Truth or Consequences, NM
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Posts: 6,192
.....that some people really overthink this stuff.
"OMG! You used the Saks credit - did you calculate the opportunity cost of the points you didn't earn because you didn't spend that $50 on your Chase Freedom 4th quarter department store bonus category?"
"OMG! You used the Saks credit - did you calculate the opportunity cost of the points you didn't earn because you didn't spend that $50 on your Chase Freedom 4th quarter department store bonus category?"
Dec 20, 2018, 1:15 pm
#239
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 80
No luck with the online GC
the actual posted charge was:
Saks Fifth A 8559729WILLMINGTON DE
but in the charge metadata, it lists the address as Online e-gift buyatab with a Canadian address so it seems they are savvy enough to filter that out from triggering a credit.
oddly the category shows up as Business Services - Conferences & Training
the actual posted charge was:
Saks Fifth A 8559729WILLMINGTON DE
but in the charge metadata, it lists the address as Online e-gift buyatab with a Canadian address so it seems they are savvy enough to filter that out from triggering a credit.
oddly the category shows up as Business Services - Conferences & Training
Dec 20, 2018, 4:00 pm
#240
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Berkeley, CA USA
Programs: Piggly Wiggly "Shop the Pig!" Preferred Shopper
Posts: 57,041
Overthinking stuff is almost a requirement here on FlyerTalk. I’m cool with that.
Here, I think some are failing to appreciate how this $50x2 Saks credit is a very valuable Plat benefit. It might be worth much less than $100 to some. Still, it’s hard to see it being worth less than $30 to anyone unless they place a huge value on the time it takes for them to place an order for say, chocolates, online.
Here, I think some are failing to appreciate how this $50x2 Saks credit is a very valuable Plat benefit. It might be worth much less than $100 to some. Still, it’s hard to see it being worth less than $30 to anyone unless they place a huge value on the time it takes for them to place an order for say, chocolates, online.