Rapid Travel Chai

Amex Platinum consumer cards have a $50 semi-annual credit at Saks Fifth Avenue in-store and online.

A one-time registration is required in your Amex account benefits page, and then you are enrolled for as long as you have the card. Primary cardholders only; authorized users are not eligible. Off 5th purchases are excluded (and the workaround for that stopped working last month).

Saks Friends & Family Sale:

Friends & Family is a rare Saks sale that doesn’t require large purchases.

Now through Monday, October 4, 2021, there are a wide variety of discounts including 15% off beauty products category. The discount is automatic on the product page. No coupon code is needed.

How to Save on this Saks sale:

• Friends and Family sale on many products
• New email newsletter sign-ups get a 10% off coupon that stacks with the sale
• TopCashBack portal is running 10% cashback on Saks (this rate can expire without notice). If you don’t have a TopCashBack account, please consider using my refer-a-friend. Some other portals have elevated rates such as 6 airline miles/dollar, compare at CashBackMonitor.

Tips for Using the Saks Credit:

• The Amex credit is based on total purchase price including tax, so you can shop for products under $50 that add up to $50.
• You do not need to spend $50 to get the credit. The credit is any number of purchases totaling up to $50 in credit. If you spend $23, you’ll get a $23 credit. Later you can spend the rest of the credit or not.
• Avoid ‘Pre-Order’ items. Sales and coupons do not apply to pre-order. Moreover, my multiple experiences with pre-order is (1) the products rarely are in stock on the estimated date, (2) when the products do come in stock the pre-order usually never processes, and (3) it is long phone call to reach someone to cancel a zombie order.
• Shipping at Saks is now free and does not require coupon codes. For faster shipping, Saks partners with ShopRunner, noting eligible products (those that Saks ships, not vendor-shipped products).

What to Buy at Saks for $50:

I’ve heard all the jokes about the selection and prices at Saks. “$50 buys you one sock, but what about a pair?”

Hunt around these categories:

• Beauty
• Home (various subcategories such Gourmet Foods & Candy, Holiday, Kitchen & Dining)
• Sales – Under $50

Brands I use myself or have gifted:

• Palais des Thés (familiar from Air France lounges)
• Vahdam teas
• Proraso shaving
• Marvis toothpaste
• Mario Badescu skin care
• Erbario Toscano room fragrance