This Was the Best Credit Card Promotion of the Year, According to TPG Readers
The TPG Awards covered a lot of ground, honoring the best in travel across categories such as Best Premium Credit Card, Best Hotel Loyalty Program and much more. One of the most interesting awards to be handed out was Best Credit Card Promotion.
TPG readers nominated their favorite card promos — many of which were transfer bonuses that paved the way toward extra-lucrative award redemptions — and we whittled it down to a list of the four most popular finalists. The one to take the trophy? Up to 20% off at Amazon when using at least 1 Amex point toward your purchase.
This targeted offer first surfaced ahead of Amazon Prime Day in July, and it allowed Amex card holders to save up to $100 on their purchase (20% on up to $500) when using Amex Membership Rewards points for the purchase. We never recommend using Amex points toward Amazon purchases since you'll get much more value by transferring your points to travel partners, but the beauty of this promo was that you could use even just 1 Amex point toward your purchase and still be eligible for the discount, as long as you put the purchase on an Amex card.
Parting with just 1 Amex point to get up to $100 off your Amex purchase was a no-brainer for many, and these other three finalists helped readers save big as well — specifically on flight redemptions made with Amex and Citi transfer partners. Here's how they stacked up, from most to fewest reader votes:
- $100 off Amazon purchases with 1 Amex point
- Amex 30% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic
- Amex 40% transfer bonus to Avios
- Citi 40% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic
The Amex and Citi transfer bonuses to Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club program opened up particularly good award possibilities with partners ANA and Delta, such as 70,000 miles for a round-trip business-class flight to Japan on ANA with the Amex promo.
Here's hoping that 2019 has even better promos in store!
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 2X miles | Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day |
Pros
- Stellar welcome offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, a $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year upon account opening.
- You'll earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, which means you won't have to worry about memorizing bonus categories
- Rewards are versatile and can be redeemed for a statement credit or transferred to Capital One’s transfer partners
Cons
- Highest bonus-earning categories only on travel booked via Capital One Travel
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app