American Express Membership Rewards is a credit card rewards program available to those with select American Express cards. The versatile rewards program allows you to earn points on every dollar you spend, which you can redeem for travel, gift cards and statement credits, or even transfer to more than 20 Amex hotel and airline partners.
Most people will get the best value by using Amex points to book travel through Membership Rewards or transferring points to airline and hotel partner programs.
American Express reward points are worth anywhere from 0.5 cents to 2 cents each, depending on how you redeem them.
Keep in mind that the value of points transferred to travel partners varies depending on the partner and the reward you choose, so it’s important to plan out your travel and calculate the redemption value before transferring points to a travel partner.
If you prefer an easy redemption method that still offers decent value, using your Amex points to buy flights, hotel rooms, rental cars and cruises through the Membership Rewards portal is a happy medium. Another straightforward redemption option with a reasonable value is gift cards that offer a one-cent-per-point value.
Below is a breakdown of how much American Express Membership Rewards points are worth based on available redemption options.
| Redemption Options | Value |
|---|---|
| Value transfer strategically to the right travel partner | 2 cents |
| Get a flight, hotel, car rental, vacation package or cruise through the Membership Rewards portal | 0.7 - 1 cent |
| Use Amex points on Amazon.com | 0.7 cents |
| Redeem points for gift cards | 0.5 - 1 cent |
| Redeem points for statement credits | 0.6 cents |
| Buy merchandise with points | 0.5 cents |
| Donate points to charity | 1 cent |
American Express Membership Rewards points do not expire as long as you have a Membership Rewards-earning card account that is open and in good standing. If you want to close your card, you’ll lose your points unless you spend them first. You can also redeem points for travel by transferring them to an Amex hotel or airline partner, so you can use those points after you close your card.
You may also consider downgrading to or opening a low or no-annual-fee Membership Rewards-earning card, like the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express, to maintain your points.
| Card | Welcome offer | Earning rate | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. | 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Terms apply. | $695 |
| American Express® Gold Card | Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants (on up to $50,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X), Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point on all other eligible purchases. Terms Apply | $325 |
| American Express® Green Card | Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® Points on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the US. Also earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on travel including airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, campgrounds, and vacation rentals. Additionally, earn 3X Membership Rewards® Points on transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways and 1X points on other Purchases. | $150 |
| Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express | Earn 15,000 bonus points after you use your new card to make $2,000 in purchases in your first 6 months of account opening | 3X points at U.S. supermarkets; 2X points at U.S. gas stations; 1X points on other purchases | $95 |
| Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express | 10,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new Card to make $2,000 in purchases in your first 6 months | 2x points at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1x), and 1x points on other purchases | $0 |
| The Business Platinum Card® from American Express | Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. | 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com, and 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases. Earn 1.5X points (that’s an extra half point per dollar) on each eligible purchase at US construction material, hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more, on up to $2 million per Card Account per calendar year. Purchases eligible for multiple additional point bonuses will only receive the highest eligible bonus. | $695 |
| American Express® Business Gold Card | Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.* | Get 4X Membership Rewards® points on the 2 eligible categories where your business spent the most each month on the first $150,000 in combined purchases each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com using your Business Gold Card. Earn up to $20 in statement credits monthly after you use the Business Gold Card for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and Office Supply Stores. This can be an annual savings of up to $240. Enrollment required. Terms apply. | $375 |
| 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 3 months of Card Membership. | Earn 2X points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter. Terms and limitations apply. | No annual fee |
| Business Green Rewards Card from American Express | Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership. | 2X points for each $1 you spend on eligible purchases at amextravel.com and 1 point for each $1 you spend on other purchases. | $95 |
These Amex cards come with large welcome offers that can help you earn a lot of Membership Rewards points fast, as long as you’re able to meet the minimum spending requirement. You’ll also want to pay attention to the earning rate, though — when a card’s bonus categories align with your spending habits, you’re able to continue collecting points for years to come.
In addition to the credit card rewards rate and welcome offers, these cards often have extra perks, like statement credits and complimentary airport lounge access, that can help you recoup the annual fee.
There are many other ways to earn American Express Membership Rewards points so that you can stockpile points for your next vacation. Luckily, they’re not hard to accumulate, especially if you use multiple earning strategies.
American Express regularly runs targeted credit card welcome offers that are more generous than its standard welcome offers. For example, both The Platinum Card® from American Express and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express sometimes make targeted welcome offers of more than 100,000 points if you meet the minimum spending requirement.
Sometimes, these offers are publicly available for a limited time, and sometimes, you have to receive the offer in order to qualify. The main ways to get a targeted offer are through the U.S. mail, through an email or by going to AmericanExpress.com to see if the targeted offer appears for you.
If you have an American Express card, you might be able to earn bonus points for referring a friend who’s approved for the same card. Currently, you can earn up to 100,000 Membership Rewards points from referrals per calendar year. The annual maximum referral points limit and individual referral amount vary depending on the card.
Make sure they apply for the card using your referral link, which you can get at the Amex Refer a Friend page. Using the referral link is the only way to qualify for the referral bonus.
Amex Offers gives you the chance to earn bonus points on spending with certain retailers. Log in to your American Express account, scroll down to “Amex Offers & Benefits,” and add any relevant offers to your card. Amex Offers are also accessible through the Amex mobile App.
Terms, conditions and limits may vary. Always read through the offer guidelines to determine what conditions you must meet to qualify for the bonus. Available offers may depend on your Amex card. If you have a card that earns Membership Rewards points, then your Amex Offers typically earn Membership Rewards points but may earn statement credits or other bonuses in some cases.
Amex Offer bonuses are automatically added to your account within 90 days of the end of the offer period.
Rakuten is a shopping portal that allows you to earn cash back, but you can also link your Membership Rewards account and have rewards converted to Membership Rewards points. You’ll get 1 Membership Rewards point for every 1% back you earn, and you’ll still earn points through your card, making this a great way to “double dip” with your regular shopping.
You can redeem your Membership Rewards points in multiple ways, from travel to statement credits and gift cards. However, not all redemptions offer the same value — it’s best to get at least 1 cent per point when using American Express Membership Rewards points. You’ll also want to check minimum reward redemption amounts before deciding how to use your points.
Amex Travel lets you redeem your points for flights, hotel stays, rental cars or cruises. You search the portal the same way you’d search other sites like Expedia or Kayak, and the offerings are similar. This is the easiest way to redeem Amex points, but it may not yield the highest value. However, you do get the flexibility of not being limited to one airline or hotel rewards program.
The value you get from these redemptions varies. Some hotels net just 0.7 cents per point, while some flights can get 1 cent per point or more, but typically these hover around 1 cent per point. Flights tend to offer more value than other travel options.
Below, you’ll find a list of all of Amex’s transfer partners and the transfer rate for each one. Pay attention to how long it takes to transfer American Express points to your partner of choice. Make sure you know how you’ll be using these points before making the transfer, as it can’t be reversed.
| Transfer partner | Airline alliance | Value of transfer into partner loyalty program |
|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | None | 1,000 MR points = 1,000 Avios |
| AeroMexico | SkyTeam | 1,000 MR points = 1,600 AeroMexico Rewards Points |
| Air Canada | Star Alliance | 1,000 MR points = 1,000 Aeroplan Points |
| Air France/KLM | Sky Team | 1,000 MR points = 1,000 Flying Blue Miles |
| ANA Mileage Club | Star Alliance | 1,000 MR points = 1,000 ANA Mileage Club Miles |
| Cathay Pacific | oneworld | 1,000 MR points = 1,000 Asia Miles |
| Avianca | Star Alliance | 1,000 MR points = 1,000 LifeMiles |
| British Airways | oneworld | 1,000 MR points = 1,000 Avios |
| Delta Air Lines | SkyTeam | 1,000 MR points = 1,000 SkyMiles |
| Emirates | None | 1,000 MR points = 1,000 Skywards Miles |
| Etihad | None | 1,000 MR points = 1,000 Etihad Guest Miles |
| Hawaiian Airlines | None | 1,000 MR points = 1,000 HawaiianMiles® |
| Iberia | oneworld | 1,000 MR points = 1,000 Avios |
| JetBlue | None | 250 MR points = 200 TrueBlue Points |
| Qantas | oneworld | 500 MR points = 500 Qantas Points |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | oneworld | 1,000 MR points = 1,000 Avios |
| Singapore Airlines | Star Alliance | 1,000 MR points = 1,000 KrisFlyer® Miles |
| Virgin Atlantic | SkyTeam | 1,000 MR points = 1,000 Virgin Points |
| Choice Privileges | N/A | 1,000 MR points = 1,000 Choice Privileges® |
| Hilton Honors | N/A | 1,000 MR points = 2,000 Hilton Honors Points |
| Marriott Bonvoy | NA | 1,000 MR points = 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points |
You can use your points to pay when you shop with a long list of popular online retailers. This is an easy and versatile way to use your points, but unfortunately, it has a low redemption value. You’ll get 0.7 to 1 cent per point using this method.
You can use points to buy gift cards with dozens of major retailers, restaurants, technology companies and more. Starbucks, Nordstrom, Uber, Walmart and Best Buy are all on the list, as are American Express gift cards, which function similarly to cash. You could get 0.5 to 1 cent per point from this redemption option, depending on the retailer. Typically, this isn’t the best use of your Membership Rewards points.
If your card bill is larger than you’d prefer, you can redeem your points for statement credits, essentially erasing any eligible purchases. This option is super handy, at only 0.6 cents per point, it’s one of the lowest value redemptions.
You can use your points to donate to Save the Children. Since you can redeem points at a value of 1 cent per point, it may be a good option if you can’t redeem your points for travel.
Booking flights using Amex points is a straightforward process. You can redeem points through a partner airline or through Amex directly.
The most valuable way to use Amex points for flights is to transfer your points to an Amex Membership Rewards transfer partner. Once you’ve transferred your points into the partner program, you will then follow that partner’s procedure for booking a flight with points. This procedure differs by partner, so it’s smart to get familiar with airline rewards programs you plan to use regularly.
You also have the option to redeem Amex points for travel through the American Express Travel portal. Here, you can book a flight, hotel, car rental, cruise or package. You’ll get less value per Amex point, but you may find the procedure more straightforward.
To use your points this way, log in to your American Express Travel account and select the item you want to buy. Then proceed to checkout and select “Use all or some Membership Rewards points,” choose the amount you would like to use and select “Apply.” At the time of purchase, the full amount will be charged to your Amex card, but it will be credited back to your account within 48 hours.
The American Express Membership Rewards program is one of the most lucrative travel rewards programs. If you normally prefer cash back versus points or miles, this may not be right for you. However, if you’ve got the travel bug, Amex’s long list of transfer partners makes these points particularly valuable, and there are many excellent Membership Rewards-earning cards to help you rack up points.
The American Express Membership Rewards program is a traveler favorite, and for good reason. That being said, the program has some weaknesses, so be sure to weigh the pros and cons.
You must have an eligible American Express card to enroll in the Amex Membership Rewards program. For most cards, enrollment is automatic once you activate an eligible new card. Just keep in mind, some cards may charge an annual enrollment fee, although most don’t. Once you receive your card, follow these steps to sign up for the program:
Amex Membership Rewards is a credit card loyalty program that stands out for its valuable transferable rewards. It’s particularly popular among travelers because of its flexibility. Chase Ultimate Rewards® is a similar credit card loyalty program. Both allow you to redeem points for travel, gift cards, shopping and transfers to travel partners.
Despite their similarities, point values and transfer partners vary between the programs. Because of these differences, it’s a good idea to determine whether an American Express or Chase credit card will get you the most bang for your buck. Then, you can take a look at redemption options from Chase Ultimate Rewards and Amex Membership Rewards and see which will give you high-value rewards that you can actually use.
American Express Membership Rewards points typically post to your account within 24 to 72 hours after receipt of at least your minimum payment by the payment due date.
American Express Membership Rewards are redeemable for travel, statement credits, gift cards and merchandise. Also, you can transfer Amex points to partner airline and hotel programs or pay with points at checkout with select retailers and merchants.
You can earn Membership Rewards points through spending on eligible Amex credit cards. Points never expire as long as your account is open and in good standing. You can use the points in a number of ways, including: Redeeming points for travel through the Amex Travel portal, buying gift cards, online shopping, buying statement credits and transferring them to partner airlines and hotels.
Amex Membership Rewards points are not transferable to other people or other Membership Rewards accounts.
Nearly a dozen Amex cards earn Membership Rewards points. Personal cards that earn Amex points include The Platinum Card® from American Express, American Express® Gold Card, American Express® Green Card, Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express, Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express and Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express. Business cards that earn Membership Rewards include The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, American Express® Business Gold Card, The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express and Business Green Rewards Card from American Express.
The information related to the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express, The Platinum Card® from American Express, American Express® Gold Card, American Express® Green Card, Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, American Express® Business Gold Card, The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express and Business Green Rewards Card from American Express has been collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply.
The content above is not provided by any issuer. Any opinions expressed are those of LendingTree alone and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any issuer. The offers and/or promotions mentioned above may have changed, expired, or are no longer available. Check the issuer's website for more details.
