Last chance to order gifts from Amazon -- How to not leave cash or points on the table

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.

Attention last-minute holiday shoppers: There's still time to order (some) holiday gifts from Amazon that will be delivered in time for Christmas Day on Dec. 25.

As reported in USA Today, Amazon Prime members have until Wednesday, Dec. 23 to order up to 10 million items eligible for one-day delivery and until Thursday, Dec. 24 to order millions more items that are eligible for same-day delivery, which is free for Prime members or those who place orders of at least $35 and reside in qualifying areas.

For more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.

And of course, if you like to leave things to the absolute last moment, you can still purchase digital gifts such as Amazon e-gift cards and Prime memberships for your loved ones from the comfort of your bed on Christmas morning.

But just because you're a last-minute shopper doesn't mean you have to leave cash -- or valuable credit card points -- on the table. This year, more than ever before, credit card companies are incentivizing you to use their card for your Amazon shopping by offering bonus points and even large cash discounts.

These bonus points and savings can add up quickly -- here's a look at how you can save on your Amazon purchases.

Save money on Amazon using as little as 1 point

Amazon allows you to use your Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards or Citi ThankYou points to pay for some or all of your next order of items shipped and sold by Amazon. Unfortunately, the redemption rate usually isn't at a value that we recommend since it comes in at under 1 cent per point.

But -- when there are offers encouraging you to get used to redeeming points at Amazon by offering a big discount for point redemptions, it can make sense. Often, these promos are targeted, so you may or may not be able to take advantage, but it's worth checking. You will likely need to connect your credit card points account to Amazon and pay with that method of payment in order to become eligible for these deals.

Here are three recent offers:

Chase Ultimate Rewards

• Save $10 on Amazon orders using as few as 1 Chase Ultimate Rewards point.
• Check here to see if you’re targeted for the offer.
• Load up your cart with $30 or more of eligible items sold by Amazon (Amazon gift cards excluded) and save $10 by redeeming as few as 1 Chase Ultimate Rewards point.
• The promotion runs through Jan. 31, 2021, or when 45,000 customers have redeemed the offer (whichever is earlier).

Citi ThankYou

• Save $20 off Amazon orders using as few as 1 Citi ThankYou point.
• Check here to see if you’re targeted for the offer.
• Load up your cart with eligible items sold by Amazon (Amazon gift cards excluded) totaling $50 or more.
• The promotion runs through Dec. 31, 2020, or when 10,000 customers have redeemed this offer, whichever is earlier.

Related: Best credit cards for Amazon purchases

Amex Membership Rewards

• Save $10 to $50 on Amazon by using just 1 Amex point.
• Check here to see if you have a targeted offer.
• Maximum discount and rules vary by promotion.
• The promotion runs until Dec. 31, 2020, or until 70,000 customers have redeemed the offer, whichever comes first.

Related: Guide to maximizing holiday shopping

Earn up to 8x points per $1 at Amazon

This holiday season, there is a very lucrative offer from Amex: Use your card at Amazon, Target and Walmart through Dec. 31, to earn 8x points on up to a total of $375 in eligible purchases. Log in to your American Express account and look for this promotion in the Amex Offers tab.

Note that with this offer, you’re capped at a total of 3,000 bonus points. This means you’ll only receive this bonus for $375 in spending. Note that you can only register one type of Amex card in your account for this deal, so choose wisely.

TPGers report that this offer has been spotted on cards that earn Membership Rewards, such as:

• American Express® Gold Card
• The Platinum Card® from American Express
• The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

In most cases, this will mean you're earning a total of 9 Amex Membership Rewards points per dollar spent, which according to TPG valuations, amounts to an 18% return in rewards for each dollar spent with Amazon.

There is also a similar Amex Offer that awards 6x points per $1 at Amazon, Target and Walmart promotion for Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card holders. This deal is valid for up to $3,500 in combined charges until Dec. 27, 2021.

Chase cards offer 5x Amazon bonus plus 3x or 5x on groceries

If you've got a Chase cobranded travel rewards card in your wallet, chances are you received an email about an excellent promo that offers 5x points per $1 on Amazon purchases and either 3x or 5x per $1 on grocery purchases.

You must register for this promotion by Dec. 31 and it's valid from Nov. 1–Dec. 31, 2020, for up to $1,500 in combined purchases per month.

Here are the cards that may be offering this lucrative Amazon and grocery bonus deal:

• Aer Lingus Visa Signature Card (5x Amazon, 5x groceries)
• British Airways Visa Signature Card (5x Amazon, 5x groceries)
• Iberia Visa Signature Card (5x Amazon, 5x groceries)
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card (5x Amazon, 5x groceries)
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card (5x Amazon, 5x groceries)
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (5x Amazon, 5x groceries)
• United Club Infinite Card (5x Amazon, 5x groceries)
• United Explorer Card (5x Amazon, 5x groceries)
• The World of Hyatt Credit Card (5x Amazon, 3x groceries)
• IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card (5x Amazon, 3x groceries)
• IHG® Rewards Club Traveler Credit Card (5x Amazon, 5x groceries)
• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card

If you have a "legacy" card, one that isn't open to new applicants, it may still qualify for this promotion. Examples of qualifying legacy cards include:

• United Club (5x Amazon, 5x groceries)
• United Mileage Plus (5x Amazon, 5x groceries)
• United Mileage Plus Awards (5x Amazon, 5x groceries)
• United MileagePlus Select (5x Amazon, 5x groceries)
• United Presidential Plus (5x Amazon, 5x groceries)
• Legacy Hyatt card (5x Amazon, 3x groceries)
• IHG Rewards Club Select (5x Amazon, 3x groceries)

Related: 8 ways to save money on your next Amazon order

Tips for whichever card you choose for your Amazon spend

First and foremost, stop what you're doing right now and register for the Amazon bonus that makes the most sense for you. You can't earn bonus points if you don't register and it's easy to forget.

Next, log in to your Amazon account and make the credit card you've chosen to maximize a bonus offer the default method of payment. This way, you won't accidentally pay using a card that's offering a lesser --- or no -- bonus.

If you're a big spender on Amazon, keep track of your total expenditures. If you cap out on the bonus on one card, change out the default payment method with a different card that's also offering bonus points per dollar spent.

Just be sure you've registered for that card's bonus as well.