The American Express Platinum Edge is in many points-collector’s armoury for maximum points earn given the Membership Rewards bonuses on offer for supermarket and fuel (3 points per $).
The Edge provides a useful way to increase your points earn if you know which supermarkets will provide the extra points. And from there, you can then also purchase gift vouchers at those supermarkets for other merchants, to widen your additional point earn opportunities.
Here’s a summary of the three key retailers – the supermarkets that offer bonuses, a list of the gift cards they sell, and some hidden bonus point retailers which also trigger bonus points per $ on spend.
| Supermarkets qualifying for bonus points with American Express |
|---|
| Bi-Lo |
| Coles and Coles Online |
| IGA and Foodland |
| Flemings |
| Safeway |
| Woolworths and Woolworths online, Thomas Dux & BigW |
| Food For Less |
| Fishers |
| Fresh Provisions |
| Macro Wholefood |
| Superbarn |
| Franklins |
| Harris Farm Markets |
| Petrol stations qualifying for bonus points with American Express |
|---|
| Coles Express |
| Ampol |
| Shell |
| 7-Eleven |
| BP |
| Safeway Petrol |
| Woolworths Petrol |
| Peak, Gull |
| Caltex, Caltex Woolworths |
| Mobil, Quix |
Note that there are some fuel station gift card retailers in the list below, so you can up your fuel earn to 3 points per $ on the Platinum Edge by buying fuel station gift cards from the supermarket to use for payment at the pump.
Gift cards available at supermarkets that trigger bonus points
Here’s the latest list – if you have any more to add, let me know in the comments!
There’s no guarantee that all of these gift cards can be paid for using your credit card, but usually this is the case.
| Retailer | Coles (surcharge) | Woolworths (surcharge) |
|---|---|---|
| Accor Gift Card | Yes | |
| AMF Bowling Gift Card | Yes | |
| Airtasker | Yes | Yes |
| Animal Jam | Yes | |
| BCF (Boating, Camping, Fishing) | Yes | Yes |
| Best Restaurants of Australia | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds Kids | Yes | |
| Boost Mobile | Yes | |
| Bras N Things | Yes | |
| Bunnings Warehouse | Yes | |
| City Beach Australia | Yes | Yes |
| Coles Express | Yes | |
| Coles Gift Card | Yes | |
| Coles Group & Myer Gift Card | Yes | |
| Cotton On | Yes | Yes |
| Country Road | Yes | Yes |
| David Jones | Yes | |
| Dinner & Movie | Yes | Yes |
| dusk | Yes | |
| Dymocks | Yes | Yes |
| EB Games | Yes | Yes |
| Event Cinemas | Yes | Yes |
| Facebook (Games & Apps) | Yes | Yes |
| Flight Centre | Yes ($6.95 $200, $4.95 $100) | Yes |
| Forever New | Yes | Yes |
| Freedom | Yes | Yes |
| Good Food Gift Card | Yes | Yes |
| Google Play | Yes | Yes |
| Hoyts Movies | Yes | Yes |
| isubscribe | Yes | |
| iTunes | Yes | Yes |
| Jayjays | Yes | Yes |
| JB Hi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| Just Jeans | Yes | Yes |
| Kathmandu | Yes | |
| Lebara Mobile | Yes | |
| Mix Gift Card | Yes | |
| Myer | Yes | |
| Netflix | Yes | Yes |
| Optus Mobile | Yes | Yes |
| Peter Alexander | Yes | Yes |
| PlayStation Store | Yes | |
| Quickflix | Yes | Yes |
| Rebel | Yes | |
| Red Balloon | Yes | Yes |
| Sanity | Yes | |
| Skype | Yes | |
| Smiggle | Yes | Yes |
| SportsGirl | Yes | Yes |
| Spotify | Yes | |
| Steam Games | Yes | |
| Supercheap Auto | Yes | Yes |
| Telstra Prepaid Sim Starter Kit | Yes | |
| The Good Guys | Yes | |
| The Iconic | Yes | |
| Westfield | Yes | |
| Ticket Master | Yes | Yes |
| Toys R us | Yes | Yes |
| Typo | Yes | Yes |
| Vodafone Sim | Yes | |
| Wish Gift Card | Yes | |
| Woolworths | Yes | |
| Xbox Live | Yes | Yes |
If a fee is needed for a gift card and it’s not noted, or gift cards for a retailer have disappeared, please let us know in the comments.
Other retailers that Amex (possibly) add bonus Membership Rewards points on transactions
Take these with a pinch of salt, but according to the folks at AFF the Platinum Edge may also earn bonus Membership Rewards points at other retailers as follows:
- Dan Murphy’s Online – 3 points per $
- Supabarn – 3 points per $
- Kaligo – 10 points per $
Great article, however I’ve noticed it was published in 2015.
After reading some other articles from the US, it looks like Amex has started to crack down on earning points by purchasing gift cards.
Is this technique still valid for Aus in 2022?
19/11/2020 DAN MURPHY ONLINE 8305 BELLA VISTA $482.39 482 0 482
Thanks for a great article.
Just want to ask 1 question.
When you said, these cards trigger bonus points at woolies/ coles: does it mean we earn more than 3 ppd with platinum edge, if we buy these cards in-store, or its just the usual 3ppd ?
Thanks.
Hassan.
I am wanting to buy some woolies or coles gift cards for the points earn (about $1000 worth) but have just read on another site that if you buy these gift cards no points will be earned as it is treated as a ‘cash advance” and as such I will also pay interest as if it were a cash advance.. is this true? Or do you earn points on gift cards as if it were any other purchase?
reading your coments, just wondering if a $100 coles mastercard costs you $5 and you get 3pts per $
what is 300pts worth?
But you need to consider that buy buying the Prepaid card you can only use it for transactions up to $100, and you have to use the full $100 up otherwise it costs more than $5.
You also have to consider that the card is being used instead of another points-earning Visa/MasterCard, hopefully at 1 point per dollar. So you would have earned 100 points on that $100 spent without any of that prepaid card stuffing around. So really you’re only picking up 200 extra points, not 300.
Im new to American Express. I have a credit card with NAB and my aim is to collect as many qantas poins as i can.
What I want to know is what shops do not charge a surcharge. Im finding it hard to find out. I used my card in 7 Eleven today( my first purchase) but I dont know if they have a surcharge?
“Great news Peter, I’ve had approval for an upgrade to the AFD industry code, which is now categorised as a supermarket for card members, effective immediately”
So AMEX members get 3 point for every dollar spend!
Thanks you prompting me to research that!
You might want to add a fee for Westfield gift card from Woolworths as remembered you have to pay one. Have to check that out for you. Also think the Myer card is can be bought at Coles.
Cheers,
Rob
Can you buy Harvey Norman or Domayne gift cards at Woolies or Coles and if not do you recieve 3 points for Visa gift cards at the above supemarkets.
Aussie Farmers Direct ( http://aussiefarmers.com.au ) also accepts AMEX since a few weeks and is also marked as a supermarket for points earnings. Besides you support our Aussie farmers when shopping there 😉
Best, Peter
Also, are you saying that they are confirmed 3:1?
If so, I’m definitely getting rid of the PayPal link I have set up with them at the moment!
Also, note that Westfield gift cards attract at $5.95 surcharge (not noted above)
Seems like a good way to double dip with a discount and a large points earn.
If you can use wish gift cards to buy other gift cards at the supermarket it seems a good way to get 5% off most of the purchases you will make on most occasions.
I buy Coles mastercard $100 all the time in multiples. They do cost $5 each but you get 3 points for every dollar when you buy them on your Amex plat edge and then you can use that Mastercard at every place all over the world as you would a normal credit card just put your amex away and use your coles mastercard until you run out then go buy more
That means that you get 3 points for everthing purchased no matter where you shop on every purchase
Coles limit you to 10 Gift cards in a transaction, (computer limit) but they don’t limit you to the number of transactions in a visit to a store.
If you are buying gift cards above a few hundred dollars, you will be asked for photo ID.
Buying a large number of gift cards takes a while, as the computer has to authorise them all.
Most stores don’t carry a lot of stock of high value gift cards for some stores e.g. $100 gift cards, so you may need to visit a couple of stores.
We had an issue when redeeming the cards that one wasn’t authorised, (despite the Coles receipt showing it at authorised) but a phone call by the Good Guys fixed it.
can you use WISH gift cards to buy other gift cards at Woolies?