6 credit card benefits that double as last-minute holiday gifts

Up to $50 in Saks credits with the Amex Platinum

If you have the Amex Platinum, you can get up to $100 in statement credits each year when you use your card to shop at Saks Fifth Avenue.

The benefit is divided into two statement credits of up to $50 — one for January to June, and another for July to December. So you can get up to $50 back when you use your Amex Platinum to buy a holiday gift for someone on your list. And may I suggest, Diptyque candles ($65) make a lovely gift.

Pay for someone's Global Entry or TSA application, and get reimbursed

If you're not set on your gift being a surprise, it's always a nice gesture to offer to cover the cost of applying for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry (which comes with a PreCheck membership). To gift this benefit, you'll probably need to coordinate — your loved one has to make an Trusted Traveler Program account and enter a credit card number for payment.

These are some of the many credit cards that offer a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck statement credit:

• Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card ($95 annual fee; waived the first year)
• Chase Sapphire Reserve ($450 annual fee)
• The Platinum Card from American Express ($550 annual fee)
• The Business Platinum Card from American Express ($595 annual fee)
• IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card ($89 annual fee)
• Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Visa® credit card ($95 annual fee)
• United Explorer Card ($95 annual fee; waived the first year)
• Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card ($199 annual fee)
• Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® ($450 annual fee)
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card ($450 annual fee)

Up to $100 toward Away luggage

The Amex Green card was recently updated, and it's currently offering a welcome bonus that includes a statement credit with Away luggage.

If you apply by January 15, 2020, you can get up to $100 back as a statement credit when you make an eligible purchase with Away in the first three months from your account-opening date.

Read more: The best carry-on luggage you can buy now

The Amex Green card also offers up to $100 per year in statement credits when you use the card to pay for CLEAR membership (which costs $179 per year), and up to $100 per year in statement credits for LoungeBuddy purchases. So you have a few different options for gifting benefits from this card.

Up to $100 toward a purchase with Dell

The Amex Business Platinum card offers up to $200 in statement credits for Dell purchases in the US each year, divided into two credits of up to $100 for each half of the year.

$100 might not make a huge dent in the price of a laptop, but consider using this statement credit to shop for accessories like a laptop case or a smart-home device like the Nest thermostat.

Pay for someone's checked bag

Several American Express cards offer annual airline fee credits, which reimburse you up to a specified dollar amount for expenses like checked bags and in-flight purchases with your designated airline (you'll specify this in your Amex account).

• The Platinum Card from American Express — Up to $200 each year
• The Business Platinum Card from American Express — Up to $200 each year
• American Express® Gold Card — Up to $100 each year

Because you're limited to one airline and the credit doesn't apply to actual airfare, it can be difficult to use it all up, especially with the generous $200 limit on the Amex Platinum and Business Platinum. But you can pay for someone else's checked bags, or buy your travel companion an in-flight beverage.

I used my annual airline fee credit from the Amex Platinum to cover checked baggage for both me and my aunt when we went skiing a few years ago — she appreciated the gesture, and I still got nowhere near the $200 limit that year!

Use your points and miles to gift award travel

If you're sitting on a stash of points or miles, don't forget that you can use those rewards to book someone a flight or hotel stay.

With cards like the Amex Platinum and the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, the points you can earn can be transferred to a number of travel partners, and you can even book travel directly with Amex or Chase, respectively.

You could also use airline miles from a card like the United Explorer or hotel points from a card like the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant to book travel for someone else.

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