If you have an American Express Platinum or Business Platinum, you’re sitting on a pile of free money that most people forget to use – and it expires December 31.

But here’s the twist…

You can stack your Amex credits with Rakuten to earn thousands of free Membership Rewards points on top of your reimbursements.

This guide breaks down two extremely underrated hacks:

✔️ The Amex Business Platinum Dell Credit + Rakuten → 1,500+ free points

✔️ The Amex Platinum Lululemon & Saks Credits + Rakuten → 1,250+ free points

Let’s go step-by-step so you can replicate this in minutes.

Step-By-Step: How to Turn Your Amex Credits Into Free Points

These steps apply to ALL of the following:

Amex Business Platinum — $150 Dell Credit
Amex Platinum — $75 Lululemon Credit
Amex Platinum — $50 Saks Credit

Only the store changes.
Everything else is identical.

STEP 1 — Sign Up for Rakuten (5,000 Bonus Points)

If you’re not already using Rakuten, sign up and download the app.

Rakuten gives you 5,000 Amex points after your first $50 purchase through the platform (but you won’t actually need to spend $50 because Amex will reimburse you!)

STEP 2 — Activate Your Amex Credit in the Amex App

Before you purchase anything, open the Amex app and enroll in the appropriate credit:

If you have the Amex Business Platinum:

✔️ Activate the $150 Dell Credit (once per calendar year)

If you have the Amex Platinum (personal):

✔️ Activate your $75 Lululemon Credit (Quarterly)
✔️ Activate your $50 Saks Fifth Avenue Credit (Twice a year)

All of these credits expire December 31.
If you don’t use them, the money is gone forever.

To activate, go to the “Rewards and Benefits” tab in your Amex account, scroll down to “Shopping” and click “Enroll” next to each one. You only need to do this once.

STEP 3 — Shop Through Rakuten to Earn 10× (or more) Points

Open the Rakuten app or website and search for the store that matches your credit:

Business Platinum → Dell
Platinum → Lululemon
Platinum → Saks

Right now, all three stores are offering 12× points per dollar, but this changes daily. I always recommend using this hack when you see 10x+ for the best return.

This means:

You’ll earn points on Rakuten
You still get reimbursed by Amex afterward
Your Rakuten points can then be transferred to Amex or Bilt
- Amex points transfer tutorial
- Bilt points transfer tutorial

Example redemptions:

Dell (Biz Plat)

Perfect for: Switch games, smart home accessories, headphones, monitors, chargers.

Lululemon (Plat)

Perfect for: Leggings, jackets, accessories, men’s tops, stocking stuffers.

Saks (Plat)

Perfect for: Beauty, candles, perfume, small accessories, home goods.

Choose items that match (or come close to) your credit amount.

STEP 4 — Checkout With Your Amex Card

This is where the hack hits.

When you check out with the appropriate card:

Amex refunds the entire purchase amount
Rakuten still pays you:
- 5,000 bonus points (if you’re new)
- 12x points per dollar on your purchase (actual amount will vary depending on what day you do this, but you can always see the live deal before purchasing!)

Your total out-of-pocket cost = $0
Your total points haul = thousands of free points

How Many Points Do You Actually Earn?

New to Rakuten?

5,000 point signup bonus
Plus the amounts below, based on today’s multiplier of 12x.

Points earned per card:

Business Platinum Dell Credit

$150 × 12 = 1,800 points

Platinum Lululemon Credit

$75 × 12 = 900 points

Platinum Saks Credit

$50 × 12 = 600 points

If you already have Rakuten, you’ll still get the 12× earnings, but will not be eligible for the sign up bonus.

Summary

No matter which Amex card you have, the strategy is the same:

Sign up for Rakuten
Activate your credit
Shop through Rakuten at your credit’s store
Pay with your Amex card
Get reimbursed by Amex
Keep all the points Rakuten pays out

This is the easiest way to turn mandatory-for-expiration credits into thousands of free points. If you want to understand more about how Rakuten actually works, read this post.

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