After the Amex 2020 Diwali promotion, American Express has launched another short-term targeted offer that grants additional Membership Rewards for regular spending. Unlike the Diwali promotion, this offer appears to have reached a wider set of cardholders. Below are the key details and practical notes to help you decide whether to participate.
Offer Details
- Offer: Earn additional Membership Rewards points when you meet a specified spend threshold during the promotional window.
- Eligible Spend Types: All spends are eligible unless specified otherwise by American Express on the offer page.
- Offer Valid For: Select American Express cardholders (targeted).
- Offer Period: 28 Nov 2020 to 30 Nov 2020.
- How to opt in: Auto-enrolled for eligible cards.
- Fulfilment: Points credited by 28 Feb 2021 (per issuer communication).
There are a few known variants of the promotion; the most common ones observed include:
- Spend Rs. 20,000 and get 4,000 Membership Rewards points.
- Spend Rs. 10,000 and get 2,000 Membership Rewards points.
- Spend Rs. 50,000 and get 20,000 Membership Rewards points.
Other variants may exist depending on the card and the targeted segment. The Rs. 50,000 for 20,000 points variant is the most lucrative among those reported, offering a strong return relative to typical earn rates.
Update: This offer was fulfilled on 22 Dec 2020.
Practical Considerations
While spend-linked promotions from Amex are welcome, this particular offer runs for only three days, which limits the time available to accumulate the required spend. That short window can be inconvenient if you were planning to distribute purchases over a longer period.
Another recent change affecting how some cardholders meet minimums is that Paytm started charging fees for wallet loads. If you typically rely on wallet top-ups to hit a spend target, the added cost may reduce the net benefit of the offer or make it impractical.
Personally, I received this offer on my platinum charge card, and the bonus points help offset not having received the earlier Diwali promotion.
Have you received a variant of this offer? Share your experience or the variant you got in the comments below.