With American Express Membership Rewards, it will feature some Membership Rewards credit cards and the travel partners that you’ll be able to transfer points to. This is perfect if you’re looking to optimize our points or if you’re thinking about getting a Membership Rewards card.
Read below for more information on the American Express rewards program and what they have to offer.
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American Express Membership Rewards Quick Facts
| Personal Credit Cards | The Platinum Card® from American Express American Express® Gold Card American Express® Green Card |
| Business Credit Cards | The Business Platinum Card® from American Express American Express® Business Gold Card |
| Redemption Options | Travel via Amex Travel or Expedia Statement credits Gift cards Merchandise Charitable donations Transfer to travel partners |
| Value Per Point | $0.005 – $0.01 Up to $0.02 |
Check out our best credit card bonuses here.
 The American Express® Gold Card offers 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months. Terms apply. You'll earn: • 4X Membership Rewards Points on Restaurants, including takeout and delivery • 4X Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required. This card has an annual fee of $250 with no foreign transaction fees (See Rates & Fees). Terms Apply. |
Earning Membership Rewards Points
Normally, in the rewards card world, Membership Rewards has their reputation for their hard-to-earn points. This is because of the Amex once in a lifetime welcome bonus policy. Additionally, if you had an Amex card before, you will not be qualified to sign up for this welcome bonus if you apply for the same card again.
Furthermore, you’ll be able to build up your points from different Membership Rewards cards with bonus options and taking advantage of their offers.
At the moment, American Express offers plenty of credit cards, but only some of them will allow you to earn Membership Rewards points. Here’s a list of the best credit cards that you’ll be able to earn Membership Rewards points from:
| Credit Card | Welcome Bonus | Ongoing Rewards |
| The Platinum Card from American Express ($550 annual fee) | 60,000 points – spend: $5,000 – time: 3 months |
5x on flights booked directly w/airlines or on Amex Travel* 5x on hotels booked on Amex Travel 1x on all other purchases |
| American Express Gold Card ($250 annual fee) | 60,000 points – spend: $4,000 – time: 6 months |
4x at restaurants 4x at supermarkets – (on up to $25,000 spent each year) 3x on flights – airline or Amex Travel 1x on all other purchases |
| American Express Green Card ($150 annual fee) | 30,000 points – spend: $2,000 – time: 3 months |
3x on travel 3x at restaurants 1x on all other purchases |
| Business Platinum Card from American Express ($595 annual fee) | Up to 75,000 points – spend: $15,000 – time: 3 months |
5x on Amex Travel flight & hotels 1.5x on purchases of over $5,000 – (up to 1,000,000 points each year) 1x on all other purchases |
| American Express Business Gold Card ($295 annual fee) | 35,000 points – spend: $5,000 – time: 3 months |
4x on two highest-spending categories – (on up to $150,000 spent each year) 1x on all other purchases |
Sign up for Amex offers to get additional, limited-time Membership Rewards points towards eligible retailers. Consider making an online account or the American Express mobile app.
Additionally, you’ll be able to look for more information on the Amex promos offers here.
Redeeming Membership Rewards Points
Like many other points-based programs, the value of your rewards will all depend on how you use them. Typically, the easiest way for you to redeem Membership Rewards points is to use them for a fixed value in the Membership Rewards program.
However, this will not give you the best value for your points. If you want to optimize your rewards, then think about transferring your points to a partner program.
American Express Membership Rewards is great in this category. Normally, it has more transfer partners compared to other credit card programs in the United States. There are plenty of airline and hotel partners that you can book award travelling with.
TIP: Link your loyalty account to your Membership Rewards account if you haven’t already. This will allow you to make fast transfers when you need to turn your points into miles.
Airline transfer partners include:
| Aer Lingus | AeroMexico | Air Canada |
| Air France/KLM | Alitalia | All Nippon Airways |
| Asia Miles | Avianca | British Airways |
| Cathay Pacific | Delta Air Lines | El Al Israel Airlines |
| Emirates | Etihad Airways | Hawaiian Airlines |
| Iberia | JetBlue Airways | Qantas |
| Singapore Airlines | Virgin Atlantic |
Membership Rewards Hotel Partners:
- Choice Privileges
- Hilton Honors
- Marriott Bonvoy
You’ll be able to use your Membership Rewards points to book travel with the American Express Travel website or on Expedia. Whichever one you use, your Membership Rewards points will be worth about $0.007 or $0.01 when you redeem it towards travel.
Furthermore, you can compare the Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which are valued up to $0.015 when members book with the Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal.
Bid on seat upgrades towards different participating airlines with your Membership Rewards. This will earn you a minimum of $0.01 per point. However, as the bidding increases, your points may lose its value.
Eligible airlines are:
- Aerolineas Argentinas
- AeroMexico
- Air Canada
- Air China
- Avianca
- Air Mauritius
- Caribbean Airlines
- Ethiopian
- Etihad Airways
- Fiji Airways
- Gulf Air
- Icelandair
- Kenya Airways
- LATAM
- Malaysia Airlines
- Norwegian
- Qantas
- SAS
- Silk Air
- Singapore Airlines
- TAP Portugal
| Redemption | Value Per Point |
| Gift Cards | $0.007 - $0.01 |
| Shop with Points (Amazon, Walmart, etc.) | $0.007 |
| Charitable donations | $0.007 |
| Statement Credits | $0.006 |
| Amex Shopping Portal | $0.005 |
Membership Rewards Top Travel Partners
| Ticket | Class | From | To | Miles | Airline |
| Roundtrip | Economy | N. America | Japan | 40,000+ | ANA |
| Roundtrip | Business | N. America | Japan | 75,000+ | ANA |
| Ticket | Class | From | To | Miles | Airline |
| One-way | Economy | U.S. | U.S. | 7,500+ | American |
| One-way | Economy | West Coast | West Coast | 13,000+ | American |
| One-way | Business | Chicago | Chicago | 16,500+ | American |
| Roundtrip | Economy | Boston | Boston | 26,000+ | Aer Lingus |
Normally, Choice Hotels have different properties that are expensive in European cities. These hotels can range from 8,000 to 25,000 points. In other words, you'll have a good chance you'll be able to find some pretty good deals.
Additionally, you can use Choice points to book Preferred Hotel properties.
| Ticket | Class | From | To | Miles | Airline |
| One-way | Business | U.S. | U.S. | 25,000+ | American |
| One-way | Business | New York | Casablanca | 44,000+ | Royal Air Maroc |
| One-way | Business | U.S. | Europe | 50,000+ | American |
| One-way | Business | U.S. | Japan | 50,000+ | American |
| Roundtrip | Economy | N. America | Japan | 40,000+ | ANA |
| Roundtrip | Economy | N. America | Japan | 40,000+ | ANA |
| One-way | Business | U.S. | South Korea | 50,000+ | American |
Plus, if you're an elite member, you'll be able to receive one free night when you book four nights with your points.
| Ticket | Class | From | To | Miles | Airline |
| Roundtrip | Economy | U.S. | Hawaii | 35,000+ | United |
| Roundtrip | Business | U.S. | Hawaii | 60,000+ | United |
| One-way | First | Singapore | Sydney | 80,000+ | Singapore |
| One-way | First | New York | Frankfurt | 86,000+ | Singapore |
| One-way | First | Los Angeles | Tokyo | 107,000+ | Singapore |
| Ticket | Class | From | To | Miles | Airline |
| One-way | Economy | U.S. | U.S. | 12,500+ | Delta |
| One-way | Business | U.S. | Europe | 50,000+ | Delta |
| One-way | Business | Detroit | Tokyo | 60,000+ | Delta |
| One-way | Business | Auckland | U.S. | 62,500+ | Air New Zealand |
| Roundtrip | First | U.S. | Tokyo | 110,000+ | ANA |
Conclusion
When you use the American Express Membership Rewards, it has a super flexible points system that you'll be able to take advantage of. However, if you already have the premium Amex card like the Platinum Card, it will not be easy to earn points with this. You'll have to compare points with other programs.
To receive the best value for your card, transfer your Membership Rewards points towards a partner loyalty program. If not, then you can redeem them for rewards in the Membership Rewards program.
