The American Express Membership Rewards program lets you earn anywhere from 1 to 5 points for every dollar you spend on your credit card. You can generally redeem those points for up to 1 cent per point, though transfer partners offer opportunities to earn higher rewards.
This rewards program is only available to those with select American Express cards. Once you’re in, you can redeem your points 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 partner programs.
American Express reward points are worth anywhere from 0.6 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. Both of these options offer up to a 1-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 | Up to 1 cent |
| Use Amex points on Amazon.com | 0.7 cents |
| Redeem points for gift cards | Up to 1 cent |
| Redeem points for statement credits | 0.6 cents |
| Donate points to charity | 1 cent |
In general, Amex points are worth the most when you transfer them to a travel partner. That’s because points transfer at a one-to-one ratio, though the value of those points can vary depending on the travel partner. Booking travel through American Express and redeeming points for gift cards is also a good option if you’re looking to maximize the value of your points.
You can earn Amex points via the issuer’s rewards cards, targeted offers, referral bonuses and using Amex offers. Amex also partners with Rakuten to provide point-earning opportunities.
Amex rewards cards offer points for purchases, with some categories earning more points-per-dollar than others. You can generally earn 1 to 5 points per dollar with Amex rewards cards. Most Amex rewards cards allow you to add authorized users to your account and earn points on those purchases as well as your own, although some cards charge a fee for each additional authorized user.
Some of the higher points earning categories may have spending caps, however, so keep that in mind when you’re figuring out how valuable the card could be.
You can see a full breakdown of the bonus categories offered by each Amex rewards card below.
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, regardless of the card they get. 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, navigate to the “Offers” section and add any relevant offers to your card. Amex Offers are also accessible through the Amex 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. Amex Offers may come as Membership Rewards points, statement credits or other bonuses.
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 100 Membership Rewards points for every $1 in cash back you earn, and you’ll still earn points through your card, making this a great way to “double dip” with your regular shopping.
| Credit Cards | Our Ratings | Annual Fee | Rewards Rate | Welcome Offer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Platinum Card® from American Express
Learn More
Rates & Fees
|Terms Apply |
$695 | 5X points
| 80,000 points
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.
|
Learn More
Rates & Fees
|Terms Apply |
|
American Express® Gold Card
Learn More
Rates & Fees
|Terms Apply |
$325 | 1X - 4X points
| 60,000 points
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.
|
Learn More
Rates & Fees
|Terms Apply |
|
American Express® Green Card*
|
$150 | 1X - 3X points
| 40,000 points
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.
| ||
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Learn More
Rates & Fees
|Terms Apply |
$695 | 1X - 5X points
| 150,000 points
Limited Time Travel Offer: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on your Business Platinum Card® within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Plus, earn a $500 statement credit after you spend $2,500 on qualifying flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel with your Business Platinum Card® within the first 3 months of Card Membership. You can earn one or both of these offers. Offer ends 6/30/25.
|
Learn More
Rates & Fees
|Terms Apply |
|
American Express® Business Gold Card
Learn More
Rates & Fees
|Terms Apply |
$375 | 1X - 4X points
| 100,000 points
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.*
|
Learn More
Rates & Fees
|Terms Apply |
|
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
Learn More
Rates & Fees
|Terms Apply |
No annual fee | 1X - 2X points
| 15,000 points
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.
|
Learn More
Rates & Fees
|Terms Apply |
|
Business Green Rewards Card from American Express
|
N/A | $95 | 1X points
Earn one Membership Rewards® point for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases
| 15,000 points
Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the Business Green Rewards Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership
|
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 one of the easiest ways 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 Membership Rewards 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 |
| avianca | Star Alliance | 1,000 MR points = 1,000 LifeMiles |
| British Airways | oneworld | 1,000 MR points = 1,000 Avios |
| Cathay Pacific | oneworld | 1,000 MR points = 1,000 Asia Miles |
| 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 |
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, although most retailers yield 0.7 cents per point.
You can use points to buy gift cards with dozens of major retailers, restaurants, entertainment 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.
You can use your Amex points to lower or cover existing charges on your card by redeeming your points for statement credits. While handy, this redemption option will only net you 0.6 cents per point. That makes it one of the lowest-value redemption options available.
You can use your points to donate to Save the Children. Here, you can redeem 1,000 to 10,000 points, at a value of 1 cent per point. If you can’t redeem your points for travel, and you want to give back, this is one option you may want to explore. Those donations may be used to cover necessities like clean water, school books and health care.
Booking flights using Amex points is a straightforward process. You can redeem points through a partner airline or directly through Amex.
The most valuable way to use Amex points for flights is to transfer your points to an Amex Membership Rewards transfer partner. Each partner has its own minimum and maximum points transfer limits. 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 can differ 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 likely get less value per Amex point than transferring points to travel partners, 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 trip or item you want to buy. Then proceed to checkout and select “Use Only Points” or “Use Points + Card” and if needed, 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. However, the amount you specified 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. Plus, there are many excellent Membership Rewards-earning cards to help you rack up points.
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 that some cards may charge an annual enrollment fee, though most don’t. Once you receive your card, follow these steps to sign up for the program:
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.
That said, you should note that if you close your card, you’ll generally lose any accumulated points — unless you have another linked Amex account, such as a credit card or checking account. So it’s best to spend those first if you only have one Amex account. For example, you can redeem points for travel by transferring them to an Amex hotel or airline partner. That way, you can still get value from those points after you close your card.
You may also consider downgrading to or opening a Membership Rewards-earning card with a lower annual fee, if possible.
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 based on your spending habits. 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.
Most Amex travel partners allow you to transfer points at a 1:1 value, but some offer a higher rate of exchange. For example, Aeromexico would give you 1,600 AeroMexico Rewards Points for 1,000 Amex points*. And transferring to the Hilton Honors program would double your Amex rewards points.
American Express Membership Rewards points typically post to your account within 24 to 72 hours after receipt of at least your minimum payment. This assumes that you satisfy that payment by the payment due date. Until then, earned points would appear in your Amex account as “pending.”
American Express Membership Rewards can be redeemed for trips through their travel portal or as statement credits or gift cards. You can also shop select retailers and merchants and check out with Amex points or transfer your points to their partner airline and hotel programs.
If you close an Amex card with unused points, you’ll typically lose those points. There are a few exceptions, though. If you have another American Express credit card or checking account, you may be able to keep those points. In addition, New York cardmembers may have access to those points for up to 90 days after closing the account.
To see rates & fees for American Express cards mentioned on this page, visit the links provided below:
The information related to the American Express® Green Card has been independently 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.
