Your comprehensive guide to American Express Membership Rewards
By using an American Express card that offers valuable Membership Rewards points, cardholders can redeem points via Amex Travel for accommodations (including vacation rentals), car rentals, cruises, and flights, or they can choose to use points for statement credits, gift cards, and more.
Whether you're a seasoned points enthusiast or just starting out, you can enhance your Membership Rewards points by transferring them to Amex's 21 airline and hotel partners. With a wide array of redemption options, your Membership Rewards points hold significant value.
Continue reading to discover how to redeem points, optimize Amex benefits, and find the best Amex cards for earning Membership Rewards points.
What exactly are Amex Membership Rewards points?
Membership Rewards points are the currency of American Express. When you have an Amex card that earns these points, you accumulate them on everyday purchases, similar to how you earn airline miles with a co-branded airline card or hotel points with a co-branded hotel card. Additionally, depending on your specific Amex card, you might also earn bonus points in select spending categories.
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In the realm of points and miles, American Express Membership Rewards points are among the most valuable and versatile options available due to their flexibility. According to TPG's August 2024 valuations, Amex points are valued at 2 cents each. As Membership Rewards points can be transferred to a variety of partners—currently 18 airlines and three hotels—there are numerous ways to maximize their value when transferred.
What are the methods to earn Amex Membership Rewards points?
The simplest way to accumulate a significant amount of Membership Rewards points is by applying for an American Express card that earns these points. Amex offers a variety of options, from premium cards with extensive benefits (and higher annual fees) to no-annual-fee cards that reward your everyday spending.
How to earn Membership Rewards points through credit cards
Here’s a breakdown of the welcome bonuses, bonus-category structure, annual fees, and benefits of the six most valuable Membership Rewards cards, designed to help you decide which Amex card suits you best.
| Card | Welcome offer | Bonus categories | Annual fee | Perks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | Earn 80,000 points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases within the first six months of account opening. | 5 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar) and prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. | $695 (see rates and fees). |
Enrollment is required for select benefits. |
| The Business Platinum Card® from American Express | Earn 150,000 points after you spend $20,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership. | 5 points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com; 1.5 points per dollar on eligible purchases in select business categories and eligible purchases of $5,000 or more (on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar). | $695 (see rates and fees). |
Enrollment is required for select benefits. |
| American Express® Gold Card | Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases in your first six months of card membership. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide within the first six months of card membership, up to $100 back.
| 4 points per dollar on purchases at restaurants worldwide (up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar); 4 points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1 point per dollar); 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com; 2 points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on amextravel.com. | $325 (see rates and fees). |
Enrollment is required for select benefits; terms apply |
| American Express® Business Gold Card | Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $15,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership. | 4 points per dollar on two select categories where you spend the most each billing cycle, on up to $150,000 in combined purchases from these two categories each calendar year (then 1 point per dollar); 3 points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels when booked on amextravel.com; 1 point per dollar on other purchases. | $375 (see rates and fees). |
Enrollment is required for select benefits. |
| American Express® Green Card | Earn 40,000 points after you spend $3,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months of card membership. | 3 points per dollar on restaurants, travel and transit and 1 point per dollar on other purchases. | $150 |
Enrollment is required. |
| The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express | Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the card within your first three months of card membership. | 2 points per dollar on everyday business purchases up to $50,000 each calendar year with no category restrictions (then 1 point per dollar); 1 point per dollar on other purchases. | $0 (see rates and fees). |
*Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company. |
The details for the American Express Green Card have been independently gathered by Dinogo. The information provided on this page has not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.
Additional methods to earn Membership Rewards points
Once you possess one (or more) of the cards mentioned above, there are more ways to earn Amex points. One option is to utilize Rakuten, a favorite online shopping portal of TPG. Previously known as Ebates, this platform offered cash back for shopping through its links. Now, members can earn either cash back or Membership Rewards points.
If you don’t have an account yet, you can sign up here and receive a one-time bonus of $30 when you spend a minimum of $30 within 90 days of joining.
Do Amex points have an expiration date?
Membership Rewards points do not expire as long as you maintain at least one card that earns these points.
If you decide to cancel all your Membership Rewards Amex cards, make sure to redeem or transfer your points before closing your last card, or you will lose them.
Who are the partners for transferring Membership Rewards?
ERIC ROSEN/DinogoBy transferring Membership Rewards points to 18 airline and three hotel partners, you can explore award travel options worldwide, encompassing nearly every significant route and destination. Therefore, earning Membership Rewards often provides greater value than simply accumulating points within a single airline or hotel loyalty program. Keep in mind, you're not limited to one transfer partner—you can allocate some points to one program and others to a different one.
Below, we've compiled a list of all the partners, along with their transfer ratios and the transfer times we observed during our testing.
Instant transfers are always the best choice, and Amex excels in this area compared to other transferable points like Chase Ultimate Rewards and Citi ThankYou Rewards. If you haven't yet, make sure to link your transfer partner accounts to your Membership Rewards account to avoid delays when you need to transfer quickly in the future.
| Program | Ratio | Transfer time |
|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus AerClub | 1:1 | Instant |
| Aeromexico Club Premier | 1:1.6 | Instant |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 1:1 | Instant |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | 1:1 | Instant |
| All Nippon Airways Mileage Club | 1:1 | Within 48 hours |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 1:1 | Instant |
| British Airways Executive Club | 1:1 | Instant |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 1:1 | Instant |
| Delta Air Lines SkyMiles | 1:1 | Instant |
| Emirates Skywards | 1:1 | Instant |
| Etihad Airways Guest | 1:1 | Instant |
| Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles | 1:1 | Instant |
| Iberia Plus | 1:1 | Instant |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | 1.25:1 | Instant |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 1:1 | Instant |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 1:1 | Instant |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 1:1 | Instant |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 1:1 | Instant |
| Choice Privileges | 1:1 | Instant |
| Hilton Honors | 1:2 | Instant |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 1:1 | Instant |
The top strategies for redeeming Membership Rewards points
KATIE O'BRIEN/DinogoThere are countless ways to utilize these transfer partners to maximize the value of your Membership Rewards points. Here are a few of our top redemption options:
- Travel to Hawaii using points and miles: Transfer your points to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and you can book a one-way flight from California, Oregon, or Washington to any of the four Hawaiian islands served by Alaska Airlines for just 13,500 KrisFlyer miles. If you're located elsewhere in the U.S., you can find nonstop or connecting flights on United Airlines for 19,500 points in economy or 39,000 points in business class. This includes long-haul nonstop flights from Newark, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. to Honolulu.
- Save on business-class awards: Singapore Airlines operates two of the world's longest flights from Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). You’ll definitely want to fly business class on these long journeys, which cost 111,500 points plus taxes and fees one-way—a small price for comfort.
- Transfer your Amex points to Iberia Plus: During off-peak times, you can fly from JFK and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) for just 17,000 Avios in economy, 25,500 in premium economy, and 34,000 in business class each way. This is an incredible deal—most airlines require at least 60,000 miles for a one-way business-class ticket to Europe.
- Transfer your Amex points to Air France-KLM's Flying Blue: Secure business-class flights from North America to Europe starting at just 50,000 miles each way.
- Book domestic award flights with American and Alaska Airlines: Following recent devaluations from British Airways Executive Club, the Qatar Airways Privilege Club is now the best option for booking domestic flights on American and Alaska Airlines. Flights of 650 miles or shorter can be reserved for just 6,000 Qatar Airways Avios.
- Transfer your Membership Rewards points to Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club program: You can book round-trip business-class flights to Japan on ANA for only 105,000 Membership Rewards points from the West Coast and 120,000 points from the East Coast of the U.S.
Just keep in mind that transfers are permanent, so ensure you confirm award availability for your desired flight or hotel before transferring your points.
You can also redeem your points for virtually any travel booking through the Amex Travel booking platform, where you typically receive about 1 cent per Amex point. This is a decent option, though not the most rewarding way to use your points.
Low-value methods to redeem Membership Rewards points
ZACH GRIFF/DinogoRegrettably, there are several redemption options that offer poor value and should generally be avoided if you aim to make the most of your hard-earned rewards. These include:
Redeeming points for statement credits: This option functions like a cash-back feature for eligible charges on your statement. What qualifies as an eligible charge? You can check the list of eligible charges in your current online statement. With this method, you receive only 0.6 cents per point, which is not a favorable return.
Using Pay with Points at checkout: By linking your Membership Rewards account to online retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, and Grubhub, you can use your points for purchases at a slightly improved (but still inadequate) value of 0.7 cents per point. While this option can sometimes be handy for promotions, consider disabling it to avoid unintended and unauthorized point usage.
Use points for taxi rides in New York City: You can exchange points for your taxi fare in New York City at a rate of 1 cent per point.
Exchanging points for gift cards: One of the least favorable options is to redeem your points for gift cards. Depending on the retailer, these redemptions can be worth between 0.5 cents and 1 cent each.
Final thoughts
Membership Rewards points are easily earned through Amex's generous card offerings. With a variety of transfer partners available, they're also simple to redeem. Whether you opt for a luxurious vacation or use your points for family visits, having Membership Rewards points can significantly help reduce your expenses.
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