American Express Platinum Saks Fifth Avenue Points Guide

Of all the premium travel cards on the market, American Express Platinum Card® Offering the most travel and lifestyle benefits. It’s also one of the most expensive cards out there, with an annual fee of $895 (see rates and fees).

However, you can get more bang for your buck with the card’s airport lounge access, hotel bill points, airline fee bill points, and up to $100 in statement points per calendar year (up to $50 per year) at Saks Fifth Avenue. Certain benefits require registration.

If you spend more than $100 a year at Saks Fifth Avenue like I do, this is like an annual fee rebate. Even those who don’t normally shop at Saks can find value in this point, which resets every six months.

If you associate Saks Fifth Avenue with a $4,000 Prada dress, you’re not wrong. However, you might be surprised to learn that it also offers many other more reasonable and affordable items.

Let’s take a closer look at what this letter of credit has to offer.

How the Saks Fifth Avenue Amex Credit Line Works

Saks Fifth Avenue points provide credit on two bills, up to a maximum of $50 per calendar year. Your first statement credit of up to $50 is available from January 1 to June 30, and your second statement credit of up to $50 is available from July 1 to December 31.

You need to register for this benefit to take effect, which you can do through your online Amex account.

There’s no minimum purchase required to trigger these statement points, which means you can make a purchase of $50 (or less) once every six months, and once the points are credited to your account, you won’t have to pay out of pocket. American Express Platinum Card account.

To the surprise of many, Saks offers items priced under $50. Although frequent promotions by merchants have reduced the prices of various items to acceptable levels, some items are always priced below that price point.

However, there are some limitations to this statement credit.

First, you must register to use it. You can do this from your card’s benefits page.

Second, the terms state that this Amex Platinum bill credit is valid at Saks Fifth Avenue online stores or locations within the United States and U.S. territories. It does not apply to Saks Fifth Avenue gift cards. It excludes in-store restaurant purchases and online bill payments from a Saks credit account.

Third, shipping is free with a minimum purchase of $300 (before tax). You can choose to meet this minimum requirement to avoid the $9.95 shipping fee. Here’s what some readers who have successfully applied for a goodwill credit from American Express through the store’s online chat feature have said:

“Saks Fifth Avenue no longer participates in ShopRunner, a program that used to offer free two-day shipping. Now, I have to pay $9.95 for shipping on orders under $300, which reduces the value of the up to $50 statement credit my Amex Platinum provides every six months. Can I apply for a $9.95 goodwill credit to offset this cost?”

Finally, you may have to wait up to four weeks after your card is charged for a qualifying purchase for your statement to post. That’s because Saks typically doesn’t charge your card after your item ships. This means waiting until the last minute to take advantage of this offer could result in missing out on a statement credit due to potential shipping delays.

However, if you make a qualifying purchase in enough time before the June 30 or December 31 deadlines, it will only take an average of four days to receive your statement credit.

Related: How to Get the Most Benefits with the American Express Platinum Card

Maximize your Saks Fifth Avenue Amex points

If you’re not an avid Saks Fifth Avenue shopper, you might be wondering how to best take advantage of this deal every year — especially since many of the items Saks sells fall into the “ridiculously expensive” category. Here’s how to find the sweet spot and make the most of it American Express Platinum Card benefit.

know what to buy

Yes, Saks sells $1,695 Gianvito Rossi knee-high boots and $3,850 Givenchy bomber jackets (both of which are out of most people’s reach). However, you can also find many great items for under $50.

One of my favorite sunscreen primers is Supergoop’s Unseen Sunscreen (it’s a great travel primer if you’re going to be out in the sun), which is about $40 for a 3.4 fl oz bottle at Saks. You can also find products from popular makeup brands like Mac and Benefit for under $50.

If you have kids, you can use your Saks points to buy lots of cute kid stuff, like dresses, raincoats, and shoes.

Take full advantage of sales

If you keep an eye on sales, you can score great deals on Saks merchandise, which often cost more than the semi-annual statement credit of up to $50. The Saks website has an entire section dedicated to selling merchandise.

As with any department store, sale items can come and go, but if you’re patient, you can still find a good deal. Even if you’re eyeing an item on sale that costs more than $50, think of your Saks points as a $50 coupon.

You can find everything currently on sale for $50 or less at this link .

Always use the shopping portal

In addition to up to $50 in Saks bill credit whenever you shop online, you can start earning bonus points, miles or cash back on purchases through the shopping portal. There are various shopping portal aggregators that can compare rewards earning rates to help you decide which portal makes the most sense.

Rakuten offers 1% to 15% cash back (or 1 to 15 American Express Membership Rewards points or Bilt Rewards points per $1 spent) on Saks Fifth Avenue purchases, depending on current promotions.

bottom line

Whether you’re obsessed with Saks Fifth Avenue or rarely shop there, you should take advantage of up to $100 in Saks points per year with the Amex Platinum card.

If you’re new to the brand, it can be overwhelming to know how to maximize your points (especially since it’s divided into two points of up to $50 each year). However, these tips can help you find the best options for using your available bill points.

To learn more, read our full review of the American Express Platinum Card.

Apply here: American Express Platinum Card

For American Express Platinum Card rates and fees, click here.