Earning 4X AMEX Membership Rewards Points on Amazon

You can easily get 5% on all Amazon purchases by getting the Chase Prime Visa card. However, I always prefer travel reward points over cash back. Specifically, I would always choose American Express MR, Citi TY and Bilt points over cash back.

In this blog post, I will tell you how I earn 4X American Express Membership Rewards (MR) points on all my Amazon purchases. In a future post, I will also tell you how I earn 4X Bilt points when I have an overabundance of MR points balance, and a shrinking Bilt balance.

Let's get started.

American Express Gold Card - 4X on Amazon

The AMEX Gold card earns 4X on US Supermarkets or Groceries, up to $25,000 per calendar year.

That includes everything purchased from grocery stores, including gift cards.

I use that to my advantage to keep my Amazon Reload balance topped up to approximately $300. During every grocery trip, I quickly peek at my Amazon app to check balance, then grab a gift card next to the checkout counter.

Most grocery stores in my area carry Amazon gift cards, such as - Sprouts, Whole Foods and Kroger. Amazon also makes it extremely easy to load gift cards. It only takes a few taps!

The Math - 7,200 Points / Year

The strategy works for us because of our predictable Amazon spending.

Analyzing our expenses over the last few years, we found that we average approximately $300/month. That's $3,600/year.

Putting the spend on a 2X card gives 7,200 points. Instead, putting the spend on a 4X card gives 14,400 points, a difference of 7,200 points which is enough for a one-way flight to many US cities from Atlanta.

Some examples include:

Atlanta to Miami on American Airlines booked using Avios

Atlanta to Washington DC on American Airlines booked using Avios

Atlanta to Chicago on United Airlines booked using Avianca LifeMiles

Atlanta to Denver on United Airlines booked using Avianca LifeMiles

Atlanta to Boston on United Airlines booked using Aeroplan

Alternative Strategies

Depending on your favorite transfer points currency, you can employ similar strategies with Bilt, Citi or Capital One.

Using your highest grocery multiplier credit card, buy Amazon gift cards to reload your Amazon gift card balance.

A few examples:

For Capital One Miles - use the Savor card for 3X on Amazon

For Citi Thank You Points - use the Citi Premier card for 3X on Amazon

For Bilt Points - use the Bilt Palladium card for 4X on Amazon (Rent Day, more later)

That's all for today. I hope you found this valuable.