After a few years’ hiatus, I upgraded to the American Express Platinum card after a push from a targeted offer. I knew from experience that for the move to make financial sense in the long run, I’d have to take advantage of as many of the statement credits that the Platinum Card offers.
It’s easy for me to use the travel credits and the media credit but I’m not as good about using the shopping credits (Note from Sharon: Guess who in the family hates to shop? Hint: it’s not me!). In particular, I’m lax at using the credit at Saks Fifth Avenue. In fact, I waited so long to buy something from Saks last June that I lost out on the $50 credit for the first half of 2022.
In the words of George W. Bush:
There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.
My first mistake last time was waiting until the last minute to buy something from Saks. But I knew this time not to purchase something that might not ship for a week or two.
My first choice was to get a new frying pan. Not exciting but we need a new one and why not save $50 on a good one?
I was ready to complete the order until I saw the message “Ships from vendor, shipping time may vary.”
I put the item on my wish list and searched for something that would ship directly from Saks. Since they’re a clothing store I found a Polo Ralph Lauren shirt I liked. I’m not sure of the size, which is why I don’t like ordering clothes online. However, I can return the item within 30 days if it doesn’t fit.
If the shirt fits, I’ll keep it and order my frying pan in July to get my $50 credit for the last half of 2023. I can use the credit to get my frying pan if I need to return it.
The most important thing is the purchase is already pending on my AMEX statement.
Final Thought
Lesson number one is not to wait until the last minute to redeem your statement credits. Lesson two is not to buy something that could take days to weeks to post to your account depending on the shipping date.
It took me until yesterday to learn that lesson.
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American Express Platinum: Picking up pennies . . . in front of a steamroller.