Amex Digital Entertainment Credit
Last year, Amex announced a slew of new Platinum benefits, and, oh by the way, an annual fee increase. While many were underwhelmed with these new perks, I was a bit higher on them. One of the primary new ones unveiled was the $240 Amex digital entertainment credit. More specifically, cardholders are eligible for $20 monthly in statement credits for certain services. Many previously assumed the credit would be eligible for a wide variety of options, perhaps due to Amex’s earlier pandemic streaming credits. To their chagrin, the Amex digital entertainment credit is only eligible with the following services: Audible, Peacock, SiriusXM and The New York Times. While not as wide-spanning as previous versions, the Amex digital entertainment credit can provide solid value without Platinum cardholders going out of pocket. Here’s how I’m maximizing the Amex digital entertainment credit currently. You can, too!
Audible
Platinum cardholders can have their monthly Audible subscriptions ($14.95) covered by the credit. Along with a variety of included audiobook and podcast content, each member receives one monthly Audible credit good for any audiobook, regardless of price. These credits expire one year from the date of issuance. After a member uses a credit, the audiobook is available to enjoy into the future, even after cancelling an Audible subscription.
Peacock
NBC’s streaming service, Peacock, has a few membership versions. The three tiers are: Free (the limited version we won’t discuss here), Premium ($4.99 monthly), and Plus ($9.99 monthly). Plus adds downloadable content and ad-free streaming to the Premium offering. I currently hold the Plus version, which oddly bills separately twice within the month: $4.99 and $5. We enjoyed Peacock previously but only with limited time promo offers. The Amex digital entertainment credit has allowed us to “set and forget” our Plus membership.
SiriusXM
I’m a longtime SiriusXM subscriber, but several months ago I cancelled my annual membership to leverage the Amex digital entertainment credit for similar service on a monthly basis. The SiriusXM site advertises several different plans and rates, and offers seem to change often. I notice that the $99 annual rate I most recently received for the Platinum plan, billed monthly, is no longer available. The cheapest fixed monthly plan I see currently is $12.99, but check back often for changes. Heads up, though – the cost increases when one takes into account additional fees/tax. For instance, my $8.25 monthly rate comes out to $10.52 after service fees and state tax. Also consider calling SiriusXM directly to negotiate a better rate. Offers can change if you use shopping portals, as well.
The New York Times
As an existing subscriber to The Times, we were able to wipe out our subscription fees with the Amex credit. When our most recent promo rate was about to expire, we simply cancelled our subscription and started a new one at the currently available rate. And it’s still being offered – $1 weekly, billed on a monthly basis. We opted to “splurge” an extra $2 monthly for access to The New York Times Games and Cooking apps. That’s $6 total every four weeks. We’ll rinse and repeat this subscription process early next year.
Putting It All Together
One Platinum card households should decide which of these services take priority. But by leveraging introductory rates, the right plan selections, and maybe a bit of luck, one can feasibly obtain Peacock, SiriusXM, and The Times without going out of pocket. Audible lovers won’t have as many options for their credit beyond this membership. The $14.95 monthly rate has been fixed for a good while now, and I haven’t seen any promo rates.
A multiple Platinum card household has a bit more flexibility for using credits. It’s possible to have membership in all four services at minimal or zero out of pocket cost with just two Platinum cards. Here’s how we do it:
- Platinum Card 1:
- Audible: $14.95 monthly
- The New York Times, including NYT, Games, and Cooking apps: $6 every 4 weeks
- Monthly out of pocket costs for Platinum Card 1: $0.95
- Platinum Card 2:
- SiriusXM Platinum: $10.52 monthly
- Peacock Plus: $9.99 monthly
- Monthly out of pocket costs for Platinum Card 2: $0.51
- Grand Total Out of Pocket Costs: $1.46
Of course, I could wipe out that $1.46 by turning down certain options. But we’re perfectly happy with that expense for what we receive. Crunch the numbers for yourself and charge to the right Platinum cards to maximize your credits! But first, ensure to activate your Amex digital entertainment credit via the Amex site. You can do so within the Benefits tab of your Platinum card.
For Audible Lovers
If you enjoy Audible and hold multiple Platinum cards, you can virtually pile up many books! Use one primary card account for your $14.95 monthly membership. Then, buy books a la carte with your other Platinum card accounts to maximize their respective $20 monthly Amex digital entertainment credits. Save your Audible credits for the more expensive books well over $20. Remember, you get one Audible credit each month with your subscription, and you can accumulate them to use up to one year from the date of issuance. Also, Audible often holds audiobook sales, and they sometimes offer coupons when you redeem your Audible credits. Many audiobooks come in around $5, if you’d like to use up your credit from the same card you pay your membership with.
Conclusion
For many, the Amex digital entertainment credit is lacking, but others can obtain substantial benefits. I have used the credit to zero out costs on three of the services I previously used, anyway, and I bet many others have, also. I would like to see Amex improve the flexibility of these credits, but I’ll happily use what they offer now. Also remember to stack other options with these credits, such as rewards portals and Amex offers (when available). I’ve seen Rakuten bonuses and Amex Offers for SiriusXM and Peacock in the past, for instance. Do you use your Platinum’s digital entertainment credit? How?
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I’ve never used Audible but it looks pretty easy to gift a book to a friend. Is it as simple as it sounds to burn these credits? https://help.audible.com/s/article/how-do-i-purchase-an-audiobook-as-a-gift?language=en_US
Extra Audible books with credit is brilliant! I have the $14.95 membership one one Amex Plat but I have $40/month credits going unused. Time to go shopping – thanks Benjy!
Rich T,
Have fun!
Benjy, great article. A small correction: The Audible credits expire after one year if not used.
Here is a copy from their terms: “You can keep credits for up to a year before they expire. Please note: if you cancel your membership, you will lose your remaining credits at the end of your final billing period.”
Keep up the great work!
Nathan,
Updated. Thanks for reading!
Right now I see the Platinum Plan for Car and App for $22.99 plus tax per month. Is this negotiable and what is a fair price folks have been getting? Thank you!
Not a problem at all to use them. I have Sirius/XM in 3 cars and since there is no longer a material discount for buying 1,2 or 3 year subscriptions I went month to month. About $20 a car for the full spectrum of channels (plus on app and w Echo). This was found money for me as it basically covered a car and I got full value for the $240 a year since I would have otherwise paid it anyway.