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 Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.