What to Buy with That Pesky Amex Business Platinum Dell Credit

Practical Options for Using Your Amex Business Platinum Dell Credit

I recently laid out several feasible, no-fuss choices for using the Amex Platinum Saks credit.  Another equally important credit to focus on is the Amex Business Platinum Dell credit.  An annual $200 credit doled out in $100 increments in each half of the year, any cardholders can easily forget to use this credit.  On top of that, many cardholders aren’t Dell shoppers normally.  And $100 at a time doesn’t fully subsidize much from Dell.  Plenty of viable options do exist for the Amex Business Platinum Dell credit, though, and I’ll cover several today.  Unfortunately, I don’t have a solution for dealing with Dell’s clunky, 1990’s-feeling website.

Do This Before Your Dell Shopping Trip

Take a bit of time to prepare for your Dell shopping trip.  Multiple plays exist which can increase your flexibility and savings with Dell.  Let’s go through a few:

1.  Check for and Load Dell Amex Offers:  Routinely, Dell has one or more Amex offers available.  Past offers have provided 10% off (or more) on Dell purchases and extra Membership Rewards points.  Load them to your Business Platinum card prior to shopping at Dell.
2. Understand Dell Payment Options:  You can use up to three payment methods in one Dell transaction, including three different cards for payment.  If you hold two or three different Business Platinum card accounts, you can increase your purchase capacity to $200 or $300 without going out of pocket!  While I try to not go over the credit threshold to end up using my own money, anyone can use a second Amex (or other high-earning) card for any purchase amount over the credit.  For instance, if one hypothetically had a $225.17 purchase, the individual could use credits from two Business Platinum card accounts ($100 each), then put the remaining $25.17 on an Amex Blue Business Plus due to its superior 2x earning rate.
3. Check for Dell Coupons:  During your research, check the Dell site for coupon codes applicable to the products which interest you.  I’ve been pleasantly surprised about the broad range of coupons available in the past.
4. Go Through A Shopping Portal:  Finally, after squaring away the above three items, navigate to the Dell site through your favorite shopping portal (Rakuten’s Membership Rewards version is my favorite).  Ensure your Dell shopping cart is empty before clicking through the portal!

Now, let’s dive into some great options for using your Amex Business Platinum Dell credit.

Headphones and Earbuds

Dell offers a wide variety of audio brands, including Sennheiser, Bose, and JBL.  Thanks to the Dell credit, I’ve picked up wireless Bose earbuds for jogging and headphones primarily for travel.  Many options are well over the normal $100 credit allotment, but I’ve used the above strategies to avoid any out of pocket spending.  Discounts have been healthy in this category in the past, often in the $50-$100 savings range.

Home Audio

Sound bars, home theater systems, wireless speakers – Dell has a surprising inventory of home audio equipment.  We’ve acquired durable wireless speakers on several occasions, mostly during sales.  The higher quality brands tend to go over the $100 credit allotment, but again, you can easily mitigate the out of pocket spend.

Peripherals – How I Most Recently Used My Amex Business Platinum Dell Credit

I’ve gotten computer peripherals for my home and travel setups just recently.  Dell carries plenty of Logitech stuff, one of my favorite brands.  I’d been long overdue for a new keyboard for my home PC, and I’ve loved streamlining with peripherals from Dell.  Prices are reasonable enough where you can obtain multiple items within the $100 credit, which I just did for a new, more travel-friendly mouse.  Bigger items, like monitors, printers, and scanners are also available.  You can even finish off the last few bucks of credit with a cheap memory card.

Computer parts such as video cards, memory, and power cables are available for those who love to tinker with computers.

Laptops

I find it comical how cheap laptops have become, including how many features one can obtain at such a cheap rate.  Dell has plenty of options, many configurable, that start at only a few hundred bucks.  Those looking to exude prestige (technological or otherwise) will be disappointed here, of course.  But a cheap Dell laptop works fine for me and many others.  And if or when it dies, I’ll go get a newer one with better specs at a cheaper price with a future credit!  Many may laugh at such a proposal, but one can easily obtain half a dozen Dell machines for the price of that laptop with the flashy commercial.

Gaming Stuff

Gamers can pick up Xbox Live membership credit, game digital codes, downloadable content, and a variety of gaming accessories.  There’s plenty to fill up on here if gaming is your bag.

Software

Consumers have loads of computer software to pick from on the Dell site, such as:

• Microsoft Office
• Antivirus Software (McAfee, etc)
• Intuit QuickBooks
• Adobe
• Rosetta Stone

Amex Business Platinum Dell Credit – Conclusion

I’ve primarily focused on products for a cardholder’s own use.  Those who resell have more than likely already determined what Dell items work for their situations.  Regardless, ensure to order well in advance of the 30 June and 31 December deadlines for each $100 credit.  Dell has been infamously slow in charging cardholders’ accounts.  Unfortunately, there’s no hard and fast rule here on an exact order-by date.  My personal rule of thumb is to use my credit when portal rates spike, Amex offers are available, and/or a Dell sale is happening.  Optimally, more than one of those occur simultaneously.  Worst case, I’ll use the credit by the end of May or November to mitigate any delays in Dell charging for the order.

Finally, be ready to follow up with portals if they do not proactively apply rewards.  With Rakuten, I’ve had to repeatedly reach out to them to manually add rewards, but they’ve done it quickly on each occasion.  What are your favorite items to pick up with your Amex Business Platinum Dell credit?

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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