Jeff Bogle finds that with Amex Membership Rewards®, he can just keep on giving.
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This post is sponsored by American Express Membership Rewards.
I’ve got an impressive rap sheet for excessive gift giving. Guilty as charged, officer.
I can’t help myself; I’m my father’s son.
As a young boy, waaaaay back in the 80’s, I watched my dad derive copious amounts of joy from giving Christmas gifts to my mom, my two older brothers, and myself. I saw, with impressionable eyes, that there’s genuine magic in playing the role of provider, of giver, of Santa Claus. Flash forward to adulthood, and — Ho Ho Ho! — I’ve been doing my best to emulate my dad’s brand of Christmas morning excitement. Nothing quite matches the joy I experience in watching others open the presents I’ve thought so long and hard about purchasing for them.
I’m not the same independent 20-something kid struggling to run a small record label from his apartment, and I no longer have to guess where dinner is coming from, but some things never change! I still haven’t stopped giving greatly to my family, and more recently, to young people in need through local Sponsor-A-Child programs. Only now I don’t have to go into debt to make any of this holiday magic happen! In some cases, I don’t have to spend any money at all, thanks to the Membership Rewards® points that I earn on my Amex card. Check out all the great gift ideas they have here!
This Christmas, coming on the heels of back-to-back vacation getaways I planned and gave to my parents (San Francisco in 2012 and Niagara-on-the-Lake in 2013), I need to tone my giving down a wee bit. Instead of another grand adventure to a new locale, I’m using the Membership Rewards points I earn to send my mom and dad to Broadway for an evening of glitz and glamour. And I’m doing so without breaking the bank!
My parents are traditionally difficult to buy for, so I tend to opt for experiences instead of items. They enjoy dining out and the theater, so this year, with the help of Membership Rewards points I’ve earned, I’m sending them up the Jersey Turnpike to the heart of midtown Manhattan, for a fine meal and a stellar show. I haven’t decided on which Broadway production to send them to yet, but no — The Audience with Helen Mirren sounds terrific, as does It’s Only A Play starring pretty much EVERYONE. No matter which show I eventually pick, when I’m ready to buy their tickets on Telecharge.com, I’ll simply use my American Express and allow Membership Rewards to do the rest.
I can already picture the surprised, happy looks on my parents’ faces when they open up the jokingly oversized box, ruffle through a humorously excessive amount of shredded paper, and find a plain white envelope containing the paper evidence of another wonderful holiday season.
Whether it’s your dad or your better half, everyone has that one person for whom buying holiday gifts is an impossible task. Imagine your surprise when you find the exact perfect thing for that special someone using earned Membership Rewards points. You can gift Las Vegas hotel gift cards, a FitBit band, or maybe a gorgeous piece of TUMI carry-on luggage for their next memory-making adventure.
Still in the accumulation stage of things? You’re in luck because right now, eligible Card Members can enroll their card to get 2x Membership Rewards points at select online retailers, including Pottery Barn, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Athleta, Williams- Sonoma, West Elm and many more.
Who is the person that’s hardest to shop for in your family, and what will you buy for them this year using Membership Rewards?
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I was selected by American Express to help educate consumers about how to use Membership Rewards points. As such I was paid for my services, but all items selected and opinions about the Membership Rewards are my own.
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photo courtesy of author
Time to check my eligibility, then.