Shoppers can now use their American Express points to buy TVs, refrigerators, drones or pretty much anything they want from Best Buy's website.
The new capability that has been integrated into the checkout process on BestBuy.com went live Thursday.
American Express rewards members can check their points balance and choose to use the points to cover all or a part of their order at the Richfield-based electronics retailer's website. Customers can then choose to pick up their purchase in a Best Buy store or have it delivered. Any item on Best Buy's website is eligible except for electronic gift cards.
Danielle Schumann, a Best Buy spokeswoman, said this is the first third-party rewards program that has been integrated into the retailer's website. She added that Best Buy will assess the viability of doing the same with other rewards programs in an order to offer customers more payment options.
Best Buy also has its own loyalty program, which allows customers to rack up points from purchases and receive rewards certificates.
American Express runs similar programs that are directly integrated into their merchant partner's point-of-sale systems, in settings as varied as New York taxi cabs, Uber and McDonald's. In addition, it operates an online site where American Express rewards members can redeem their points for gift cards and products from other brands and retailers.
Kavita Kumar
