Earn $5 AMEX Statement Credit via TripAdvisor SYNC

Credit card companies, and particularly American Express, has been leading the pack with joining up with companies to offer incentives for connecting your credit card(s) to their systems. AMEX calls their service SYNC, and by using the service via Facebook and Twitter, you automatically receive statement credits just by using the card anyways.

For example, if you have your AMEX credit card(s) SYNCed with Twitter (i.e. American Express is able to coordinate with you by knowing which Twitter handled is associated with which credit card), and send a tweet with #AmexLowes, you will receive a $10 statement credit when spending $50 or more at Lowes. This is great not only for thinking about Christmas gifts, but also Lowes sells an abundance of gift cards to various retailers. So this is a great incentive to buy your gift $50 gift card for for a 20% savings. You can read more about this promotion within this FatWallet thread.

AMEX has also teamed up with one of my wife’s favorite travel sites, TripAdvisor. After SYNCing your AMEX via TripAdvisor, after you write an approved review before the end of the year, you will receive a $5 statement credit.

• Connect your Card
  Connect your eligible American Express Card with TripAdvisor.
• Write a Review
  Write a review on TripAdvisor. When your review is posted by TripAdvisor, American Express will send you an email confirming you’ve unlocked the offer. Offer valid through December 31, 2013.
• Get a $5 statement credit
  After receiving the email confirmation, you’ll receive a one-time $5 statement credit courtesy of American Express.
  Get a $5 statement credit when you connect your eligible American Express Card with TripAdvisor and leave one posted review (approved by TripAdvisor) before 23.59 (EST) on December 31, 2013. You must connect your American Express Card to TripAdvisor to be eligible to receive the $5 statement credit. Quantities are limited. Only one $5 statement credit per connected Card. Your Card must remain connected until the statement credit is applied. Statement credit may not be received if a review doesn’t meet TripAdvisor’s qualifications and is not posted by TripAdvisor. Corporate and prepaid Cards are not eligible. Your TripAdvisor Program Terms & Conditions apply to this connected Card offer – check them for full details about connected Card offers and statement credits. Statement credits will appear on your American Express billing statement within ninety days after the end of the applicable offer period, provided that we receive information about the Qualifying Transactions. Statement credit may be reversed if a Qualifying Transaction is returned/cancelled.

By SYNCing your card, you also get access to “exclusive” offers via TripAdvisor, which typically means if you book hotel stays via TripAdvisor, and AMEX likely then gets a cut of the commission, you earn some type of bonus.

For example, after SYNCing my card, I was offered a $50 statement credit after making a booking totaling $250 or more. Seems like a good return on investment, though I have never used TripAdvisor for the purposes of reserving rooms.

I quickly submitted a review for our trip this past summer to Pirateland, and once the review gets posted, I will receive my statement credit.

Is AMEX SYNC Secure?

I have personally been using the SYNC program for about a year, and have never had any type of security issues or problems with my credits being posted. Since the program is being run directly by American Express, I would assume your security is safeguarded and a top priority. For those willing to partake, but unwilling to have your cards continually SYNCed up, you can always visit https://sync.americanexpress.com/UnSync in the future to disconnect your cards with the program.

As a reminder, coming up over Black Friday weekend (November 30, 2013), AMEX will again offer Small Business Saturday, where you will earn a $10 statement credit ($25 in previous years) after spending money on your American Express card(s). Everyone willing to participate will need to register any eligible American Express Card online at www.shopsmall.com. Registration opens at 12:00 A.M. MST on 11/24/13 and continues until 11:59 P.M. MST on 11/30/13. You will need to be diligent about registering, because they often reach their limit early.

Save Money, Travel More!

Source: My Money Blog