Amex is running a great new promotion called the Gift Chain, where all you need to do is register your card and then shop online at select retailers and you'll receive special gifts for purchases $25+ between now and December 21, 2011 (or until supplies last). I have two Amex charge cards (Premier Rewards Gold and Platinum) and I was able to register both to different email addresses and get 10 gifts for the Premier Rewards and 10 gifts for the second card, though the rules seem to state that it's a 10 gift max per card member- that does not seem to be the case (at least not for me). This promo is only eligible for legal residents of the 50 US states + DC.
Participating retailers include: American Eagle Outfitters, Bed Bath & Beyond, Blue Nile, Dell, GameStop, J.Crew, Lenovo, Neiman Marcus, Nike, Pottery Barn, REI, Rue La La, Toys"R"Us, vente-privee, Walmart, YoYo.com, Zappos
They don't tell you what the gifts will be, so I sent Danielle out to do some detective work and shop at 10 retailers to get Christmas gifts for my niece, nephew and other family members (I'm not such a tough boss, right?!) and these were her gift results. FYI you may not get the same exact gift and almost all purchases were $40 and under (thanks for not breaking the bank too much, Danielle!). To test out the limits of the promo, I also registered my Platinum card and did some shopping and I received gifts for those purchases as well:
Pottery Barn: Four $5 Starbucks giftcards
Neiman Marcus ($150 purchase): $20 American Express giftcard
American Eagle: one year ShopRunner membership
Toys R Us: $20 American Express giftcard
Bed, Bath, and Beyond: $10 American Express giftcard, $5 statement credit (issued by January 8, 2012)
Ruelala: $20 statement credit (issued by January 8, 2012), 500 Membership Rewards Points
Nike: $5 Amex statement credit after return purchase (minimum purchase of $5 before February 29, 2012)
JCrew: $15 statement credit after return purchase (minimum purchase of $15 before February 29, 2012)
Vente-Privee: For some reason she got double gifts for the RueLaLa and Bed Bath and Beyond purchases so she never got a gift for the last two shopping experiences. I then registered another Amex card with a different email address to see if they'd give me gifts as well and I did indeed receive a $25 Kiehl's
eGift Card for making a $47 (incl shipping) purchase. This is great, because I also received a $25 statement credit for another Amex/Vente-Privee promotion, so I came out ahead on this one since I will use the Kiehls gift card for another family member's gift!
Zappos: 500 American Express Membership Rewards points.
She received email confirmation and explanation of each surprise gift within an hour of most purchases. Danielle also had success double-dipping by linking to the vendor's website via AAdvantage eShopping Mall (you can use any of the eligible shopping portals, but you must use your registered Amex card)-'tis the season for racking up tons of points! Supplies are limited and there is a 10 gift limit (per Amex credit card registered) so act fast to cash in.
Please report what gifts you receive so we can build up a comprehensive list of potential gifts. I'd love to see some TPG readers get some of the $500 gifts, though I bet those would only be given out for huge purchases, but you never know!
Official T&C:
*NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR RECEIVE A GIFT. Promotion registration starts: 11/27/11. Eligible transaction start date: 11/28/11. Promotion ends 12/21/11, OR WHILE SUPPLIES OF GIFTS LAST, WHICHEVER IS SOONER. Open to legal residents of the 50 US & DC, 18 and older, who were eligible American Express Consumer or Business Cardmembers prior to 11/27/11. Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Corporate and Prepaid Cards including American Express Gift Cards and SERVE Cards are not eligible. Open to the first 250,000 registrations received. Registration is required, regardless of method of entry. Void where prohibited. Gift values range from $2.00 - $500 and vary depending on retailer selected (whether entering via purchase or non-purchase method). 1-yr ShopRunner membership is good for free 2-day shipping on purchases made at participating online retailers (terms apply). Individuals entering via non-purchase method will be required to select a participating retailer. Limit 10 gifts per person/registered Card for the entire Promotion. For instructions on how to enter without purchase, gift details for each participating retailer and odds of receiving specific gifts, see the Official Rules at giftchain.amexnetwork.com. Sponsor: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
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