The Triple Dip.....

Every now and again in the points world we are rewarded with a triple dip.

I love triple dips.  I especially love them when they put money in my pocket.  American Express recently sent me a targeted credit card promotion to sign up for their Premier Rewards Gold Card.  This card typically comes with $195 annual fee, but the fee is waived for the first year.  I was also targeted to receive 50,000 membership rewards points after only a $2,000 spend in three months.  That's a relatively easy spend threshold for me to meet, but I really wasn't in the mood for a new credit card.  However, as I reviewed the promotion material more closely,  I noticed that the card offered a $100 Airline Fee Credit that was renewable on a calendar year basis... that's when the light bulb went off.

Due to the timing of the card's promotion I was able to sign up, be approved and have the card arrive in less than a week.  I was approved on the 15th and the card arrived on the 18th of December.  You are required to designate an airline from a list provided by American Express.  I easily chose Southwest.  American Express fine print clearly states that the purchase of gift cards are excluded from the $100 reimbursement credit, however and this is a huge however, there are blogs that detail how airlines code their charges and that my friends is where the magic happens- in the coding.

Southwest and American Airlines code their gift cards like other miscellenous travel expenses such as upgrades and baggage charges therefore, it is easily seen by Amex as a reimbursable expense.  This does not work for all airlines on the list.  I have upcoming plans to visit Nashville and with Southwest servicing that area the choice of airline was a no brainer for me.  The day the new card arrived I immediately linked it to my existing online Amex account and selected Southwest as my airline of choice.  The next day I ordered two Southwest e-gift cards; one for $68 and one for $32 therefore, utilizing all of my $100 airline credit for 2017.  Today, Amex credited my account for $68 and $32 respectively.  As soon as the calendar changes to January 1, 2018, I will essentially do the same thing with different numbers totaling $100.  Then on January 1, 2019 I will do this for a third and final time and if all goes as planned I will have amassed $300 in Southwest gift cards before the $195 Amex fee comes due.

When I am billed for the annual fee I will promptly cancel the card and walk away with a substantial Southwest credit plus 50,000 membership rewards that I'll eventually turn into something fabulous to write about here.   This is why triple dips are so cool.