We have seen how card issuers get creative when they add limited time benefits, given how consumer behavior has changed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Around mid-2020, we got temporary benefits from American Express cards, and the trend continues. In this post, I want to keep a consolidated list of the benefits that will be added to American Express cards in 2021.
Amex’s New 2021 Card Benefits
It can be difficult to keep track of all the limited benefits that Amex cards offer, as they come in different forms – some do not require registration, some are available via Amex offers, others are targeted and others have yet to be published .
Here is an overview of what is currently on offer and what we can expect, suspended by card:
New Amex Personal Platinum Card Benefits
The Platinum Card® from American Express (review) offers a few different promotions.
You can get up to $ 180 credit statements with PayPal:
- You can get a monthly credit of $ 30 between January 1 and June 30, 2021, for a total of up to $ 180 in value
- This is valid for purchases that are eligible for PayPal merchants
- No registration required
In addition, there are some special Amex offers for those with the Amex Platinum (registration required), which is valid for those who had the card from November 1, 2020. Amex claims to offer up to $ 1,700 in government credits. , and it includes the following:
- Avis Car Rental – spend $ 250+ on eligible purchases, get $ 75 back, up to twice
- BestBuy.com – Spend $ 50+ on Eligible Purchases, Get $ 50 Back, Up to Twice
- Goldbelly – spend $ 100+ on eligible purchases, get $ 50 back, up to three times
- Home Cook – Spend $ 50+ on Eligible Purchases, Get $ 50 Back Up to 50 Times
- HomeDepot.com – spend $ 50+ on qualified purchases, get $ 50 back, up to twice
- Instacart – spend $ 250+ on eligible purchases, get $ 50 back, up to twice
- Samsung – spend $ 1,000 + on eligible purchases, get $ 200 back once
- Scribd – spend $ 9.99 + on eligible purchases, get $ 9.99 back, up to five times
- The Container Store – spend $ 150+ on eligible purchases get $ 50 back up to 50 times
- Equinox Virtual Personal Training – Spend $ 780+ on Eligible Purchases, Get $ 130 Back, Up to Five Times
- Wine Insiders – spend $ 30+ on eligible purchases, get $ 30 back, up to twice
Personally, I think the best buy and home depot deals are the most lucrative.
New Amex Business Platinum Card Benefits
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (review) is advertising that it offers up to 400,000 additional membership rewards points in various categories.
Those with the Amex Business Platinum can earn 5x membership rewards points (an additional 4x points) on US purchases made in the following categories until June 30, 2021:
- Wireless
- Send
- Advertisements
- Gas
- Office Supplies
Card members can earn up to 80,000 bonus points per category, and registration is required by Amex Offers. Of course, the vast majority of small businesses will not be able to fully maximize the categories, but these are still some hefty bonuses.
Personally, I value Membership Rewards points with 1.7 cents each, so this is a return of 8.5%.
New benefits for Amex Small Business Card
Amex Small Business Tickets offer up to $ 250 back on eligible business purchases:
- Registration is required via Amex Offers
- You can get $ 25 back through government credits on transactions over $ 500, up to 10x
- It is valid until 30 June 2021
You can not beat this card on the Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express (revision), as it offers 2x membership reward points spent per dollar.
New temporary benefits for Amex Travel
Do not get too excited here at all, but Amex promotes that Amex Travel has some new offers. For example, Fine Hotels & Resorts (available to those with the Amex Platinum) offer a free night or property credit of $ 250 or more for stays at more than 200 properties. You can find all the special offers of Fine Hotels & Resorts here.
The catch is that there are usually free night and credit deals. The list may be better than usual, but I do not see anything spectacular. To illustrate, we are not talking about a free night without staying different, but rather about anything that ranges from a third night free to a sixth night free.
Receive extra credit at some Fine Hotels & Resorts properties
New Amex Delta, Hilton, Marriott benefits will be available soon
Although not yet published, Amex said that in the coming weeks we can expect to see new limited time offers for existing personal and small business tickets issued with Delta SkyMiles, Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy.
However, we will have to stay informed for the details of the offers.
Bottom line
Card issuers are adding a range of temporary benefits in light of the way consumer behavior has changed, and it’s great to see that this will continue in 2021. So far, Amex Platinum and small business cards have added the most benefits.
I think the Amex Platinum $ 30 monthly PayPal credit is by far the most exciting, and it makes keeping the card a no-brainer.
Here’s the hope that we’ll soon be seeing new deals on fellow brand cards as well.
What do you make of Amex’s limited benefits for 2021?