I got 20% off my Amazon order by using just 1 Amex point. Here's how you could, too.

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I got 20% off my Amazon order by using just 1 Amex point. Here's how you could, too.

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  • Amex often runs a targeted promotion for 20% off an Amazon purchase when cardholders use at least one Amex Membership Rewards point toward their order.
  • You need to link an Amex account with Amazon and see if you're targeted. If so, activate the deal and select Amex points as your payment method at checkout.
  • We wouldn't recommend using Amex points to cover your entire purchase, since you'll get much more value from them by transferring them to airline and hotel programs. Instead, just use one point to get 20% off.
  • I used one Amex point from the Platinum Card® from American Express to get 20%, and even "stacked" this offer with Prime Day deals to get a bigger discount.

I currently have a stash of about 200,000 Amex points, and while I'm saving them for a first-class flight to Asia, I was more than happy to part with one point to save 20% off my Amazon purchase. Even better, I was able to "stack" this deal with discounted Amazon Prime Day prices and another promotion to get almost $60 off my $167 order.

This promotion isn't always available. It's currently running through July 16 at 11:59 p.m. PT, but this isn't the first time we've seen it, and it will almost certainly come back again in the future. The offer terms specify that you'll get a maximum discount of $50, so you can get 20% off on up to a $250 purchase.

How it works

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You need an Amex Membership Rewards credit card like the Platinum Card from American Express or the American Express® Gold Card to qualify for this promotion, but not everyone with one of these cards is eligible. That's because this offer is targeted; check to see if you're targeted here by hitting "Click to activate." First, though, you'll need to link your Amex card with your Amazon account here.

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Once you've activated the promotion and you're ready to check out on Amazon, you need to select the Amex credit card that you've linked with your Amazon account under "Choose a payment method." Then, under "Rewards points," select "American Express Membership Rewards points." But don't click on to complete the purchase just yet.

Don't pay for your entire order with points

While you could pay for your entire Amazon order with Amex points, your points are only worth 0.7 cents apiece when redeemed through Amazon. That might not mean much on its own, but travel website The Points Guy lists Amex Membership Rewards points at a value of 2 cents each. That valuation is thanks to the fact that you can transfer Amex points to airline and hotel partners and book first-class flights and hotel award stays that could cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars out of pocket.

That's all to say that you should only pay the minimum of one point required to get the 20% discount. Make sure you changed the number of points applied to your order to "0.01" (which equates to 1 point).

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I was lucky enough to be targeted for this discount during Prime Day, so in addition to getting 20% off by using one Amex point, I got about $22 savings from Prime deals, and also had a $10 credit from making a Whole Foods purchase right before Prime Day. This all added up to $56.71 off my order.

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Learn more about the Platinum Card from American Express from Business Insider's partner, The Points Guy »

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