How to stack Saks Fifth Avenue deals before Dec. 31

Good news: It’s still not too late to take advantage of great deals and credits as we get into the heart of the holiday shopping season.

Many retailers have kept the deals and discounts running — and one, in particular, stands out for shoppers who love to stack rewards, promotions and credit card perks

Right now, you can earn a gift card of up to $700 on your Saks Fifth Avenue order. Even better? It stacks with multiple other offers.

If you have The Platinum Card® from American Express and haven’t yet used your second Saks Fifth Avenue credit of the year (cardholders get two up to $50 statement credits, one for the first half of the year and another for the second, enrollment required), now’s a great time to make sure it doesn’t expire on you.

In addition, many online shopping portals are offering elevated cash back or points bonuses, according to aggregator CashBackMonitor.com.

Rakuten, one of our favorite online shopping portals here at TPG, currently has a terrific bonus for new members — and a chance for existing members to take home some cash or American Express Membership Rewards points as well. If you join Rakuten (formerly Ebates) by March 31, 2022 — and spend at least $30 within 90 days — you’ll take home a one-time bonus of $30.

Related: How to use Rakuten to earn bonus cash back or Amex points

And right now, Saks Fifth Avenue is offering 10% back (or 10 Membership Rewards points per dollar) for eligible purchases made through Rakuten. The normal earning rate is just 2% — so this is a chance to easily boost your rewards.

Don’t forget to sign in to your Shoprunner account for free two-day shipping — another cool American Express cardholder perk when you enroll — and search for other sales and promotions that might apply. (Enrollment required)

Additionally, through today (Wednesday, Dec. 8), Saks is offering a promotional gift card by using the code DEC21SF at checkout. You'll need to spend at least $250 to trigger this offer, but if you're shopping for the holidays, this could be a nice way to earn a bonus on items you already planned to purchase.

Note that the retailer is also offering free shipping and free returns on all orders placed by 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Dec. 15 — and will even upgrade your order to expedited shipping (as needed) to ensure it arrives in time for Christmas. Or if you prefer to pick up your goodies in person, you can also for a $25 gift card toward a future purchase if you order online and pick up in-store in locations including Houston, New York, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Troy, Atlanta and Boston.

Finally, you could also enter your email address to receive a welcome offer (usually 10% off your first online purchase) — though note that this code could take up to 24 hours to arrive, so you'd potentially miss out on the offer expiring today.

Last year, I decided to take advantage of all these stackable deals and promotions to replace my carry-on suitcase which met an untimely end during a very embarrassing fall from a very great height on a recent trip.

Related: Keep calm and carry on: Our 13 favorite travel carry-ons

I’ve been eyeing a Bric’s suitcase for a while, and even though it’s one of the designers excluded from most sales, the Platinum statement credit, bonus Membership Rewards points and cash back still made the suitcase much more affordable right now.

With this splurge, I got almost $65 in cash back from Rakuten. Factor in the $50 Platinum statement credit and the nearly 1,200 Membership Rewards points I earned from the Amex Offer (worth about $24), and I got approximately $140 in value on a bag I’ve wanted for a while. Sure, the upfront cost of the carry-on was still, well, a lot — but with the savings, credits and points, that luxury suitcase quickly became more attainable.

And, because you can get free shipping on all orders (or complimentary two-day shipping with your ShopRunner benefit), you don’t have to worry about any other pesky fees.

I was in the market for a new suitcase with some very specific features, but shoppers who aren’t beholden to specific brands or products can easily get an even better deal.

Perhaps you want a new bag for your 2022 travels, like this classic zip backpack by Tory Burch for $298.

Here's how your earnings would work out as a new Rakuten member using your Amex Platinum for this item:

• $30 bonus cash-back for joining Rakuten through this link and fulfilling the terms of the new-member bonus.
• $29.80 cash back (or 2,980 Membership Rewards points) by shopping through Rakuten.
• A $50 statement credit from your Platinum Card's Saks benefit.
• A $25 promotional gift card by using code DEC21SF.

That drops the effective price of the bag down to $163.20 (excluding applicable taxes) — a savings of over 45%.

And if you aren't looking to spend much of your own cash at Saks, but just want to make use of the Platinum Card offer, here are some ideas that ring in around $50 or less.

Alternatively, consider checking out Saks' holiday gift page for lower-priced items that could make great stocking stuffers. And since the Saks Fifth Avenue credit will post to your Amex account after the purchase, it should still trigger any bonus rewards through Rakuten — or any other online shopping portal.

With the year winding down and the deadline for holiday shipping approaching, today may be the perfect time to stock up on any travel items you may need in the future — or candles, home decor, shoes or beauty products. We won’t judge.

Just remember that the $50 Saks statement credit won’t roll over to 2022, so make sure to use it before it expires at the end of December.