Yes, you can buy gift cards with an credit card, either directly through the Amex Gift Card site or at various retail locations . While the transaction itself is legal and allowed, Amex has specific rules regarding how these purchases interact with reward points and Sign-Up Bonuses (SUB) . The Story of "The Bonus Hunter's Blunder"
: Because the store provided "Level 3" transaction data (which lists exactly what was bought), Amex saw the gift cards and denied the 4x reward points. can you buy gift cards with american express
Alex had just received a shiny new and was determined to hit the $4,000 minimum spend requirement to unlock a massive 60,000-point sign-up bonus. With only two weeks left and $1,000 still to go, Alex decided on a "shortcut": he went to a local grocery store and bought $1,000 worth of Visa gift cards. Yes, you can buy gift cards with an
However, a few weeks later, the "RAT" (Amex’s ) stepped in: Alex had just received a shiny new and
: Amex terms explicitly state that "purchases of gift cards" do not count toward the minimum spend for a SUB.