How Amazon.com can make your next flight cheaper
Amazon.com sells Southwest Airlines gift cards, which can be bought at a discount with Amazon’s cash back credit cards.
Image: Amazon.com
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It’s fast and easy – one click purchase and boom – your goods arrive at your doorstep within a couple of hours or a couple of days.
Amazon.com is obviously a popular place to shop. It’s also a place where you can save on airfare 24/7 without having to wait for the next airfare sale from your airline. Think about that for a second – you can get plane tickets for cheaper than face value any day of the week.
How so, you might ask? Here’s a quick how-to guide on saving on airfare by buying an airline gift card from Amazon.com.
Airline Gift Cards on Amazon.com
Southwest Airlines, which is popular with leisure travelers, vacationers, families, and business travelers alike, sells gift cards on Amazon. To provide options for different types of travelers, or gift-givers, the cards are sold in multiple denominations of $50, $100, $150, and $200.
The retail of price of these cards are face value, so to get the effective discount, there are extra steps that need to occur.
That’s where an Amazon.com-branded credit card comes into play. If you already have one of those, then you’re probably already aware of the cash-back you can earn on Amazon purchases; and yes, that includes gift cards. So the cash back you’d earn on an airline gift card essentially becomes a discount on airfare. For convenience, we’ve posted a link here to buy Southwest’s gift card on Amazon.
If you don’t currently have an Amazon credit card and are thinking about getting one, are traveling soon, and looking for a great way to save on airfare, keep reading on.
Save 3% with Amazon Rewards Visa Card
This is the simplest way to save on airfare. Amazon’s Rewards Visa Card offers 3% cash back on all Amazon.com purchases, which includes gift cards. The card has no annual fee, so if you qualify, it’s a no brainer to apply for the card and have on hand.
The only caveat is that 3% cash back you would get buy purchasing Southwest Airlines gift cards on Amazon with their Rewards Visa Card may come out to a wash. A lot of other credit cards, some of which you may have in your wallet, pay out 3% or more on travel categories, such as air fare.
Save 5% with Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card
That said, there is a way to save more at Amazon. The prerequisite is that you have to be an Amazon Prime member. Yes, it will cost $119 per year to be a member, so if you’re only joining to save on airfare it might not be the best deal for you. But if you’re like a lot of people and are passionate about online shopping, chances are you already have a Prime membership.
With a Prime membership, shoppers are eligible to apply for Amazon’s Prime Rewards Visa Card, which offers 5% cash back on all Amazon.com purchases. So if you’re a huge fan of Southwest Airlines, buying their gift cards on Amazon.com and using that to pay for your airfare could be a good deal for you.
Not many other credit cards come close to offering the equivalent of 5% cash back on travel and airfare.
Amazon.com has two cash back credit card options - one for non-Prime members, and another for Prime members.
Image: Amazon.com
Saving on Southwest Gift Cards
As mentioned above, if you are already an Amazon Rewards or Amazon Prime Rewards Visa card holder and want to grab a Southwest Airlines card, we’ve included a convenient link below for the Southwest Airlines Gift Card.
If you want to apply for one of their cards and make the purchase later, congratulations! Be sure to bookmark our page and come back later to refresh yourself on the steps.
Other discount options at Amazon
Amazon does have some other options for discounts:
The Amazon.com Prime Store Card also offers 5% cash back (with an eligible Prime membership), however, this card can only be used at Amazon, unlike the Prime Rewards Visa Card, which can be used anywhere.
The Amazon Secured Card offers 2% cash back (with an eligible Prime membership) and can be a great option for those looking to build credit or rebuild credit.
Find out about all of Amazon’s credit card options here.
Some other ways to save on airfare
Not into Amazon? There’s other ways to save on airfare by purchasing airline gift cards at other stores:
Buying an airline gift card at a grocery store using everyday methods can save you 6% to 12%.
Under certain conditions, buying at a grocery store could actually save you up to 20%. Read more about that strategy here.
Costco shoppers can save anywhere from 10% to 14% on airline airfare. Find out more here.
Sam’s Club also sells airline gift cards at a discount, though the deals are not as good. Read about that here.
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