Tuesday , 8 July 2025
0

No products in the cart.

Reliable News Platform Reliable News Platform
0

No products in the cart.

Home Travels & Tours The complete guide to American Express Membership Rewards: How to earn, redeem and transfer points

The complete guide to American Express Membership Rewards: How to earn, redeem and transfer points

11 Mins read

With an American Express card that earns lucrative Amex Membership Rewards points, cardholders can redeem points through American Express Travel for hotels (including vacation rentals), car rentals, cruises and flights or opt to use their points for statement credits, gift cards and more.

Whether you’re a points expert or not, you can also maximize your Amex Membership Rewards points by transferring them to Amex’s 21 airline and hotel partners. With many options to redeem and maximize your hard-earned points, your Amex rewards are extremely valuable.

Keep reading to learn more about how to redeem points, maximize Amex benefits and what the best Amex cards to earn Amex Membership Rewards points are.

What are Amex Membership Rewards points?

Membership Rewards points are the rewards currency of American Express. If you have an Amex card that earns Membership Rewards points, you will earn them for everyday spending, just as you would earn airline miles with an airline-branded card or hotel points with a hotel-branded card. Plus, depending on your Amex card, you can also earn bonus points in certain spending categories.

In the world of points and miles, American Express Membership Rewards points are considered some of the most valuable and useful points you can earn because of their flexibility. Per TPG’s June 2025 valuations, Amex points are worth 2 cents per point. Since Membership Rewards points are a form of transferable currency — Amex currently has 18 airline and three hotel partners — there are many ways to get the most value out of your points when you transfer them to partners.

Related: How (and why) you should earn transferable credit card points in 2025

How do I earn Amex Membership Rewards points?

The easiest way to earn many Membership Rewards points is by applying for a Membership Rewards points-earning American Express card. Amex offers several to choose from, ranging from premium cards with generous benefits (and high annual fees) to no-annual-fee cards that reward daily spending.

Earning Membership Rewards points from cards

Here’s a look at the welcome offer, bonus-category structure, annual fee and benefits for each of the six most valuable Membership Rewards cards to help you choose the best Amex card.

Card Welcome offer Earning rates Annual fee Notable Perks
[applyLink pid=”22504813″ overridetext=”The Platinum Card® from American Express”] Find out your offer and see if you are eligible to earn as high as 175,000 points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases within the first six months of account opening. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.
  • Earn 5 points per dollar spent 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.
  • Earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
 $695 (see [termsConditions pid=”22504813″ overridetext=”rates and fees”])
  • Receive up to $200 in statement credits each calendar year for incidental fees charged by one airline you select.
  • Receive up to a $200 hotel credit every calendar year, in the form of a statement credit, on prepaid Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings with Amex Travel when you pay with your Amex Platinum (Hotel Collection stays require a two-night minimum).
  • Receive up to $200 per calendar year in Uber Cash, valid on Uber rides and Uber Eats orders in the U.S. (split into monthly $15 credits, plus a $20 bonus in December; add your Amex Platinum to your Uber account and pay with any Amex card).
  • Get a $120 statement credit for Global Entry every four years or up to a $85 fee credit for TSA PreCheck every 4 1/2 years (depending on which application fee is charged to your card first).

Enrollment is required for select benefits; terms apply.
[applyLink pid=”7758″ overridetext=”The Business Platinum Card® from American Express”] Earn 150,000 points after spending $20,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership.
  • Earn 5 points per dollar spent on flights and prepaid hotels on Amex Travel
  • Earn 1.5 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases in select business categories and eligible purchases of $5,000 or more (on up to $2 million of these purchases per card account per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar).
  • Earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
 $695 (see [termsConditions pid=”7758″ overridetext=”rates and fees”])
  • Receive up to a $209 Clear Plus statement credit each calendar year (subject to auto-renewal).
  • Receive up to a $200 airline fee statement credit each calendar year on charges by the airline you select per calendar year.
  • Get up to $120 in statement credits every calendar year for purchases made directly from any U.S. wireless telephone provider (up to $10 per month).
  • Get a $120 statement credit for Global Entry every four years or up to a $85 fee credit for TSA PreCheck every 4 1/2 years (depending on which application fee is charged to your card first).

Enrollment is required for select benefits; terms apply.
[applyLink pid=”6344″ overridetext=”American Express® Gold Card”] Find out your offer and see if you are eligible to earn as high as 100,000 points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases within the first six months of account opening. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.

 

 
  • Earn 4 points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide (up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar),
  • Earn 4 points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1 point per dollar)
  • Earn 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on American Express Travel
  • Earn 2 points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on amextravel.com.
  • Earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
 $325 (see [termsConditions pid=”6344″ overridetext=”rates and fees”])
  • Receive up to $120 in Uber Cash each calendar year, valid on Uber rides and Uber Eats orders in the U.S. (split into monthly $10 credits; add your Amex Gold to your Uber account and pay with any Amex card)
  • Receive up to a $120 annual dining statement credit each calendar year (up to $10 per month) to use at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys.
  • Receive up to a $100 annual Resy credit each calendar year at U.S. Resy restaurants (credit is broken down into up to $50 statement credits biannually).
  • Get up to $84 in annual Dunkin’ Donuts credit each calendar year at U.S. Dunkin’ Donuts locations (up to $7 in monthly statement credits).

Enrollment is required for select benefits; terms apply.
[applyLink pid=”7763″ overridetext=”American Express® Business Gold Card”] Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $15,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership.
  • Earn 4 points per dollar spent on the top two eligible categories (from six 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)
  • Earn 3 points per dollar spent on flights and prepaid hotels when booked on Amex Travel
  • Earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
 $375 (see [termsConditions pid=”7763″ overridetext=”rates and fees”])
  • Receive up to a $240 statement credit each calendar year (up to $20 each month) for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub and office supply stores.
  • Earn up to $155 in statement credit annually (up to $12.95 per month, plus applicable taxes on one membership fee) for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal; Plus Ups not eligible).

Enrollment is required for select benefits; terms apply.
American Express® Green Card Earn 40,000 points after spending $3,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months of card membership.
  • Earn 3 points per dollar spent on restaurants worldwide, travel and transit
  • Earn 1 point per dollar spent on other purchases.
 $150
  • Receive up to a $199 Clear Plus statement credit each calendar year (subject to auto-renewal).

Enrollment is required.
[applyLink pid=”7760″ overridetext=”The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express”] Earn 15,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in eligible purchases on the card within your first three months of card membership.

 
  • Earn 2 points per dollar spent (on up to $50,000 each calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
  • 1 point per dollar spent on other purchases.
 $0 (see [termsConditions pid=”7760″ overridetext=”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 information for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Other ways to earn Membership Rewards points

Once you have one (or more) of the above cards, there are additional options for earning Amex points. The first is leveraging Rakuten, one of TPG’s favorite online shopping portals. Through Rakuten, you can opt to earn cash back or Membership Rewards points.

If you don’t have an account, you can sign up and enjoy a one-time bonus of $30 when you spend at least $30 within 90 days of becoming a member.

You can also earn Amex Membership Rewards points through referral bonuses. You’ll receive a set amount of points when someone uses your referral link and is approved. Keep in mind that rewards earned through referral bonuses are taxable.

Who are the Amex Membership Rewards transfer partners?

By transferring Membership Rewards points to 18 airline and three hotel transfer partners, you can search for award travel across the globe, covering almost every major route and city.

Emirates first class
ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Thus, earning Membership Rewards is usually more valuable than only earning points in one of these airline or hotel loyalty programs. Remember, you are not locked into one transfer partner — you can send some points to one program and then some to another.

Below, we’ve listed all those partners, the transfer ratios and the transfer times discovered in our testing.

Program Ratio Transfer time
Aer Lingus AerClub 1:1 Instant
Aeromexico Rewards 1:1.6 Instant
Air Canada Aeroplan 1:1 Instant
Air France-KLM Flying Blue 1:1 Instant
ANA Mileage Club 1:1 Within 48 hours
Avianca LifeMiles 1:1 Instant
British Airways Club 1:1 Instant
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles 1:1 Instant
Delta SkyMiles 1:1 Instant
Emirates Skywards 1:1 Instant
Etihad Guest 1:1 Instant
Iberia Club 1:1 Instant
JetBlue TrueBlue 1.25:1 Instant
Qantas Frequent Flyer 1:1 Instant
Qatar Airways Privilege Club 1:1 Instant
Singapore 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

If you haven’t done so, link your transfer partner accounts to your Membership Rewards account. This will prevent delays in the future when you need to make a quick transfer.

If you’re wondering why HawaiianMiles isn’t included on this chart, transfers to that program ended on June 30.

The best ways to redeem Amex Membership Rewards points

To get maximum value for your points, you will want to transfer them to partners. There are endless ways to use these transfer partners to get maximum value for your Amex Membership Rewards points.

KLM business class
ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Here are just a few of our favorite redemptions:

  • Fly to Hawaii on points and miles: Transfer your points to Singapore KrisFlyer and you’ll pay just 13,500 KrisFlyer miles for a one-way flight from California, Oregon or Washington to any of the four Hawaiian Islands serviced by Alaska Airlines. Those based elsewhere in the country can book nonstop or connecting flights on United Airlines. You’ll pay 19,500 KrisFlyer miles for a one-way economy ticket or 39,000 miles for business class. This includes United’s long-haul nonstop flights from Newark, Chicago and Washington, D.C., to Honolulu.
  • Save on business-class award flights: Singapore Airlines also operates two of the world’s longest flights, one from Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and another from SIN to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). You won’t want to spend 18 hours in an uncomfortable seat, so use your Membership Rewards to fly business class. Both routes cost 111,500 KrisFlyer miles plus taxes and fees one-way, a small price for comfort on such a long flight.
  • Transfer your Amex points to Iberia Club: On off-peak dates, you can fly from JFK and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Spain’s Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) for just 16,000 Avios in economy, 29,500 Avios in premium economy and 40,500 Avios in business class each way. This is a steal despite recent devaluations— most airlines charge at least 60,000 points or miles for a one-way business-class flight to Europe.
  • Transfer your Amex points to Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue: Book business-class flights from North America to Europe starting from just 60,000 miles each way.
  • Book domestic JetBlue award flights: Transferring your Membership Rewards points to Etihad Guest can be a good option. JetBlue flights 500 miles or shorter within North America cost just 6,000 Etihad Guest miles.

Just remember that transfers are irreversible, so you should only transfer your Amex points once you’ve confirmed the award space for the flight or hotel you want.

For more information on maximizing your Amex points for travel, check out our guide on sweet spots and more with Membership Rewards points.

Additionally, you can also use your points to book virtually any travel through the Amex Travel platform. You usually receive a value of 1 cent per Amex point. This is an OK value, but not a spectacular way to redeem your points. It’s still better than the redemptions we’re about to get into, however.

Poor-value ways to redeem Membership Rewards points

Unfortunately, several options for redeeming your points represent less than stellar value and should typically be avoided if you want to maximize your hard-earned Amex Membership Rewards. 

Uber airport pick-up
ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

Some of these options include:

  • Using points for charges: This is like a cash-back option covering eligible charges on your billing statement. You can view the list of eligible charges on your current online statement. With this option, you’ll only receive 0.6 cents per point, so it’s not a great return.
  • Using Pay with Points at checkout: After linking your Membership Rewards account with online merchants like Amazon, Best Buy and Grubhub, you can pay for your purchases at a slightly better (but still poor) value of 0.7 cents per point. Although this option can sometimes be useful for promotions, you may want to turn this off to prevent accidental use of your points.
  • Redeeming for taxi rides in New York City: You can redeem points for certain New York City taxi fares at a value of 1 cent per point.
  • Redeeming for gift cards: One of the worst options is redeeming your points for gift cards. Depending on the merchant, these redemptions are worth anywhere from 0.5 cents to 1 cent apiece.

Frequently asked questions

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions we’ve seen about Amex Membership Rewards.

How do I transfer Amex Membership Rewards to airlines?

To transfer Membership Rewards points, follow these steps:

  1. Log in to your Amex account.
  2. Go to the Rewards section.
  3. Go to the transfer section under rewards.
  4. Ensure the loyalty program you want to transfer your points to is linked.
  5. Select the partner you want to transfer to and initiate the transfer.

It’s important to note that once you make a transfer, you will not be able to reverse it.

How much are Amex Membership Rewards points worth?

According to TPG’s June 2025 valuations, Membership Rewards points are worth 2 cents each.

Are there fees/taxes when I use Amex Membership Rewards?

While there are no fees to use Amex Membership Rewards points, there is a tax called the excise tax offset fee, which costs $0.0006 per point with a maximum of $99. This fee only applies when transferring points to one of Amex’s U.S.-based airline partners like Delta SkyMiles and JetBlue TrueBlue.

Can you pool or share Amex points?

If you have multiple Membership Rewards points-earning cards, the points will all be pooled into one under your Amex account. However, Amex doesn’t allow you to transfer points between accounts, even if it’s between family members. Amex also doesn’t allow you to transfer your points to a partner program in someone else’s name, with the exception of a spouse who is an authorized user on your account.

Which Amex card gives the most Membership Rewards points?

This depends on the bonus category since every Amex card is created separately. For example, the Amex Gold will earn the most at worldwide restaurants and U.S. grocery stores (spending caps apply), whereas the Amex Platinum will earn the most on airline purchases (spending cap applies) and the Amex Green will earn the most on general travel purchases.

Do Membership Rewards points expire?

Membership Rewards points do not expire, provided you keep at least one card open that earns them. If you cancel all of your Amex Membership Rewards cards, you must redeem or transfer your points before closing the last card. Otherwise, you will forfeit the points.

Related: Family points pooling: How to transfer and maximize your rewards

Bottom line

Thanks to Amex’s generous card offers, Membership Rewards points are easy to earn and redeem. They’re also easy to use with a variety of transfer partners.

Whether you choose to splurge on a European getaway or use your points to visit family in another state, having Membership Rewards points at your disposal can help save you money.

For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click [termsConditions pid=”22504813″ overridetext=”here”].
For rates and fees of the Amex Gold Card, click [termsConditions pid=”6344″ overridetext=”here”].
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Gold Card, click [termsConditions pid=”7763″ overridetext=”here”].
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum Card, click [termsConditions pid=”7758″ overridetext=”here”].
For rates and fees of the Blue Business Plus Card, click [termsConditions pid=”7760″ overridetext=”here”].

Previous post How to Utilize AI in Your Business While Minimizing Environmental Harm

Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Articles

Cape Town: The culinary capital of South Africa

Cape Town is often referred to as the culinary capital of South...

Explore Egypt like you’ve never seen it before

For over 25 years, Amazing Global Travel has been introducing visitors to...

First look: This Greek island just got its first JW Marriott, complete with direct sea access and private infinity pools

[circuit type=review circuit_id=”20420194887″] Some 100 miles south of mainland Greece, there’s an...

EVA Air’s all-new premium economy cabin to make US debut in Dallas this fall

Taiwan-based airline EVA Air is set to bring its brand-new premium economy...

Abous us

Unmetered News is a Regitered Trademark owned by Uidigitals INC, We deliver Upto date news 24/7, subscribe to our News Letter to stay up to date with the Latest News.

Subscribe Now

    Subscribe to our mailing list to receives daily updates direct to your inbox!
    © Copyright 2023 Unmetered News Network. All rights reserved powered by Unmetered News