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Maximizing the AmEx $10 off $50 Wine.com Offer
Friday, January 20, 2017
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| $10 off $50 at Wine.com, expires 3/31/2017 |
While 20% ($10 off $50) is less appealing than 30% ($30 off $100) the fact that this is a true AmEx offer opens up some interesting stacking opportunities.
How Normal People Might Use The Offer
Normal sane people probably don't waste their time with AmEx Offers. But if they did they'd probably use this offer by buying somewhere just north of $50 worth of wine. Wine.com charges $13.65 to ship a single bottle of wine so this would amount to less than a free shipping offer. Womp womp.
A Better Way
The nice thing about this being an AmEx offer is that it allows stacking promo codes with the AmEx offer. For example, you could use promo codes like the ones below to get free shipping and get $10 off $50+:
New Customers – $10 off $75 at Wine.com with code NEW10!
$20 off $150+ with code SAVE20JAN at Wine.com! Valid through 1/31. ONE TIME USE PER CUSTOMER
Extreme Stacking
First, shop through a portal. This will give you 5+% back on your order.
Second, if you have multiple AmEx cards consider buying Wine.com gift cards to make efficient use of the $10 off $50. For example, if you have 2 AmEx cards you could buy yourself 2 $50 Wine.com gift cards. Then use those two gift cards to place an order of as close to $100 as possible in conjunction with a 1-Cent Shipping on $99+ promo code. That way you'll get 20% off and free shipping.
Third, if you've got a lot of AmEx cards you might consider signing up for their StewardShip program. For $49 you get complimentary shipping on all orders for a year. That way you can buy a bunch of gift cards now while the AmEx Offer is valid then spend down those gift cards over time as inventory and Wine.com codes come together to provide good value.
When I've had StewardShip in the past I've found it useful because you can send wine gifts with the subscription. And you can also send yourself wine to your hotel while on vacation.
Questions
Q: Can you use multiple gift cards on a single order?
A: Yes. With Wine.com gift cards are loaded onto an account and stored as a credit so you can use multiple gift cards to pay for a single order.
Q: Do shopping portals pay out on the purchase of Wine.com gift cards?
A: No, I haven't found one yet that pays out on gift card purchases. They do seem to pay out on orders which use gift cards however.
Q: Is there a resale market for Wine.com gift cards?
A: Surprisingly, none that I'm aware of. I bet a lot of points & miles types would love to sell them for anywhere 80+% of face value though (to break even on the purchase while earning credit card rewards) so you might be able to strike a deal if you're entrepreneurial.
Q: How long does it take for Wine.com gift cards to arrive?
A: Within a few minutes by email plus they mail a physical card out redundantly.
Q: Are Wine.com's prices good?
A: Not really. But sometimes they're not that bad. Compare their prices to what you see on Wine-searcher to get a feel.
Q: Can I trust the ratings they cite from professional critics?
A: I've never seen them post a false rating but they do cherry pick.
Q: What happened to the StewardShip free trials they used to run?
A: I don't know. They don't seem to offer them anymore. If you can find a way, let me know!
Q: Which wines are good to buy?
A: I'd start by doing an Advanced Search and sorting on Savings. That usually surfaces up some fairly good deals.
91 WS 2014 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cab for $10.99
92 WS 2014 Hahn SLH Pinot Noir for $23.99
92 WS 2014 MacMurray RRV Pinot Noir for $21.99
Q: I don't see those prices/wines in my state - what gives?
A: Wine.com inventory varies by state.
Bottom Line
If you have multiple AmEx cards this can be a pretty good deal. Wine margins are thin and if you can get 25%+ off with free shipping on wines you actually want this can be a pretty good deal.
Question of the Day: Any angles I missed?
