How I Am Getting 100% Value For My Amex Business Platinum Dell Credits

Amex Business Platinum Dell Credit Redemptions

Last month I shared my first quarter results on my quest to earn $15,000 in 2022 by using my travel hacking skills. The year got off to a hot start and I was able to get almost all the way to my goal in just 3 months, earning just shy of $14,000.  One interesting debate, or question, that came from the article was about my American Express Business Platinum cards. I had signed up for one and got an upgrade offer on my Business Gold for the other to take advantage of some rewarding offers. I didn’t include the annual fees in my figures because I came out well ahead in the first year, profiting several hundred dollars. Because of that I figured it best to not add that to my totals and muddy the waters. People were wondering what I was doing for my Amex Business Platinum Dell credit redemptions and how I was valuing them at essentially 100% face value.

American Express Business Platinum Details

Before we get to the Dell credits I wanted to quickly go over the perks of the American Express Business Platinum card.

Amex Biz Platinum Earning Structure

• 5x points on hotels and airfare booked at AmexTravel.com
• 1.5x points in the following categories (capped at $2 million per calendar year across the categories):
  • Electronics goods, retailers, software, and cloud service providers
  • Construction materials and hardware supplies
  • Shipping providers
• Earn 1.5x points earned on large purchases over $5,000
• Earn 1x on everything else

Amex Biz Platinum Annual Credits

• Dell Technologies – Up to $400 annual statement credit on all Dell purchases, up to $200 semi-annually. This is a $200 increase from the existing Dell benefit for Business Platinum Card Members. Here are some ideas on how to use the credit.
• Wireless Credit – Up to $120 annual statement credits for purchases made directly from any US wireless telephone provider, up to $10 per month.
• Expedited Security Screening – An annual $179 statement credit for a CLEAR membership. Here’s how to sign up and enroll.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit – up to $200 back in statement credits each year on incidental fees at your preferred airline (must select in advance).
• 35% points back – pay with points to purchase all or part of an airline fare (up to 500,000 points back per calendar year) and get 35% of your points back. The purchase must be first class or business class (any airline) or with your preferred airline (any cabin).

For a for breakdown of the card’s perks and credits you can go here.

First Year Value Of The Amex Business Platinum Credits

In my article I said I was coming out ahead in the first year so I didn’t count the annual fee against my totals. I didn’t want to count it as “profit” for the year either so I just left the amount out.

Here is how much I value each perk on average though.

• Wireless credit – $115
  • $10 per month is $120 per year, but since you only earn 1X instead of up to 5X I discounted it some. We all have a cell phone bill so this is a great credit. I don’t pay my bill in full with the Platinum but instead just make a $10 payment every month and put the rest on my Chase Ink Cash.
• Dell Credit – $540
  • $200 twice a year, but I should be able to get it 3 times in the first year. I discounted the $600 by 10% because I earn at a lower rate on the spend and Dell’s prices can be higher.
• Airline Incidental Credit – $380
  • I am able to get this $200 credit twice in the first year since it is based on calendar year. I value it at 95% since I use it to book Delta flights. It is slightly discounted since you don’t earn the bonus for booking flights direct. They are flights I would have paid cash for anyway.

That puts me at a $1035 value for the first year for an annual fee of $695, a $340 “profit”. After the first year the numbers change some though. You would only get one airline incidental credit per year and two Dell credits. That would drop my values to $665 or a net cost of $30 for the other perks you get like lounge access and the 35% points back perk. Whether that is worth it, and the hoops you need to jump through, will depend on your personal situation.

My Dell Credit Redemption Choices, How I Am Getting 100% Value?

I am sure most people see the Dell credit and think, great, I don’t need a computer so how am I supposed to use this thing? The one thing people may not realize is Dell sells a lot of things that aren’t computers.  They sell things like:

• Nintendo Switch Games & Accessories
• Headphones
• Bose Speakers
• Microsoft Gift Cards
• Microsoft Office
• Computer Accessories

The first credit I had I decided to purchase Nintendo Switch games for my son for Christmas. It is worth noting that some of their games are over priced, since they are all around the $60 mark, but some are priced at that level pretty much everywhere. So the value you get here will depend on the title.

Another pointer I should make is you can split payment online with Dell. If you happen to have multiple Platinum cards that is a nice way to knock out a few Dell credits at once.

Xbox Gift Cards Are Better Than You Think

That isn’t what I am doing any more though. I have switched to buying Xbox gift cards. They often have these on sale for 10% off, you will want to wait until that is the case too. You can earn cash back, or Membership Rewards points, by going through Rakuten or another shopping portal for the purchase. These rates will go as high as 15% back. If that wasn’t good enough already, you will also earn Dell rewards for your purchases. After redeeming a few credits I had $20 in rewards which I used for another Xbox gift card. When you pair that all up you can get these gift cards for around 75% off, if your timing is right. Some people will turn around and sell the gift cards right there and get their money back. That does come with some pitfalls because these cards do have some fraud issues on the resale market.  That isn’t what I do though.

I instead load those gift cards into my Microsoft account. Each credit should net $225 in gift cards when buying them at 10% off. You will also earn portal cash back and Dell store credit for the purchase.

I have been stockpiling these in my Microsoft account and plan to use them on the following:

• Game Pass
  • I have my son’s $15 Xbox game pass pull from my gift card balance every month. This is something I was paying for anyway.
• Surface Pro Tablet
  • I have been wanted to get my son a tablet with a pen to do art and video editing and had my eye on a Surface Pro tablet. I’ll build up my credits and purchase it for his Christmas present.

You may be thinking, but I don’t want a Surface Pro and I don’t play Xbox. Fair enough. You can use the Microsoft gift card balance on computers on their site, games, and Xbox systems. You can use them for gifts or resell the Xbox game consoles for pretty much what you paid for them. Since you got them at a discount, with 10% off the gift cards plus an increased portal rate versus buying direct, you may even make a small profit.

The real value is that Microsoft gift cards open up a whole new options for items that aren’t on Dell’s site alone.

Amex Business Platinum Dell Credit Redemptions: Final Thoughts

Hopefully this gives you some ideas on how to maximize your Dell Amex Business Platinum credits that you didn’t think of before. It opens up some more gifting options and a few different avenues to resell some items to recoup your cost. In the first year you will likely come out well ahead on that large Amex Business Platinum annual fee. It is especially enticing if you can snag one of those 150,000 – 250,000 point offers right now.

What do you use your Biz Platinum Dell credits on? Share your favorites down below.

Disclosure: Miles to Memories has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Miles to Memories and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

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