- American Express Membership Rewards is the rewards program through American Express, where eligible cardholders can earn points on their purchases and redeem them in various ways.
- Not all American Express cards earn Membership Rewards.
- Some of the best credit cards that earn Membership Rewards points are the American Express® Gold Card, The Platinum Card® from American Express, and the American Express® Business Gold Card.
- There are multiple ways to earn and redeem these points, and some options are more valuable than others.
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American Express Membership Rewards: The Essential Guide
Reviewed By
Blake Esken - Los Angeles Times
What are American Express Membership Rewards?
American Express Membership Rewards is American Express’ rewards program that allows cardholders to earn points for their spending. These points can be redeemed for various rewards like travel, shopping, gift cards, and more. This provides tremendous flexibility and value for card members.
Not all American Express credit cards earn Membership Rewards points, but several of the best travel credit cards (and some non-travel cards) do. Other cards earn cash back instead, typically via a statement credit.
How much are Amex Rewards points worth?
Amex Membership Rewards points vary in value depending on how they’re redeemed. Some redemption options can value your points as low as half a cent apiece while others can make them worth more than 2 cents each.
Do Amex Rewards points expire?
American Express Membership Rewards points do not expire as long as your account is in good standing. However, you may lose your points if you close your account, miss a payment, or violate your card agreement.
How do you earn American Express Membership Rewards points?
There are various ways to earn Amex Membership Rewards points, the most notable being through rewards credit cards. Points can also be earned through shopping, Amex Offers, Refer-a-Friend, and more.
We’ll explain each of these options below.
Credit cards that earn Membership Rewards
Card name
Annual fee
Welcome bonus
Reward rate
Learn more
$250
60,000 points
1X-4X points
$695
80,000 points
1X-5X points
$375
70,000 points
1X-4X points
$0
15,000 points
1X-2X points
Other cards that earn Membership Rewards points include the Business Green Rewards Card from American Express, The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express, the American Express® Green Card, and the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card.
Note: The information for the Business Green Rewards Card from American Express, The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express, the American Express® Green Card, and the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card has been collected independently by LA Times Compare. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Other ways to earn Membership Rewards points
- Rakuten Shopping Portal. Earn Membership Rewards points by shopping through the Rakuten portal, which partners with American Express to offer points on purchases from various online retailers. You’ll need to switch your preferred payment method from cash-back to Membership Rewards through Rakuten.
- Amex Offers. Activate targeted Amex Offers on your card through your Amex account to earn additional points or receive discounts when you shop at participating merchants.
- Refer-a-Friend. You can refer friends to American Express and earn bonus points (typically 5,000 to 30,000) when they are approved for a new card.
Ways to redeem American Express Membership Rewards points
Book travel via the AmEx Travel portal
Value of this option: 0.7 to 1 cent
Use your Membership Rewards points to book flights, hotels, car rentals, and more through the American Express Travel portal. This is one of the easiest ways to redeem your points. Your points are worth between 0.7 cents and 1 cent when redeemed this way — usually 0.7 cents for prepaid hotels, rental cars, cruises or vacation packages and 1 cent when booking flights.
The exception to the rule for hotels comes with the two Platinum cards — The Platinum Card® from American Express and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express — which provide the option to redeem for Fine Hotels and Resorts bookings at a rate of 1 cent per point.
You don’t need to wait until you’ve accrued enough points to cover the entirety of your booking. You can pay for part with points and part with your own money — as long as you can fork over at least 5,000 points.
This seems well and good, but there are a few key points to make note of when booking through Amex Travel:
- No hotel elite status. Hotel reservations made through the AmEx travel portal don’t usually allow you to use any elite status benefits or earn loyalty points with the hotel chain. To use your elite benefits, book directly with the hotel.
- No airline frequent flyer miles. Airline reservations made through AmEx Travel are not eligible to earn frequent flyer miles through the airline loyalty program.
- Canceling your booking. Changes and cancellations to any booking must be made through American Express Travel rather than the hotel or airline. You could incur additional fees this way.
Transfer points to travel partners
Value of this option: Variable, but often the best option
Transfer your points to one of American Express’ 15+ airline or three hotel partners. Most of your points will transfer at a 1:1 ratio, but a few partners have different ratios.
Occasionally you can catch a deal where American Express offers transfer bonuses to increase the value of your Membership Rewards, these can range anywhere from 10% to 50%. It’s easy to transfer these points — just link your hotel or airline loyalty account, choose how many points you want to transfer, and then use those points within the loyalty program to book travel.
As a general rule, you need to transfer your points in 1,000-point increments. Transfers can take less than a day or up to a week to process. Research beforehand to see if you’re getting a good deal; some transfer partners provide less than 1 cent per point in value. Others can be worth over 2 cents per point. Often, airline partners will be more lucrative than hotel partners.
The standard transfer ratios for each of American Express’ transfer partners have been noted below. Most are a 1:1 ratio, meaning 1,000 Membership Rewards points transfer to 1,000 of the loyalty program’s points.
For the others, like Hilton Honors with a 1:2 ratio, 1,000 Membership Rewards Points would be equivalent to 2,000 Hilton Honors points. Hilton Honors points are typically valued at 0.5 cents apiece, making 2,000 points worth $10. However, the 1:2 transfer ratio makes your Membership Rewards points 1 cent apiece through this transfer partner.
Airlines:
- Aer Lingus AerClub (1:1)
- AeroMexico Club Premier (1:1.6)
- Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1)
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue (1:1)
- All Nippon Airways Mileage Club (1:1)
- Asia Miles (1:1)
- Avianca LifeMiles (1:1)
- British Airways Executive Club (1:1)
- Delta Air Lines SkyMiles (1:1)
- Emirates Skywards (1:1)
- Etihad Guest (1:1)
- Hawaii Airlines HawaiianMiles (1:1)
- Iberia Plus (1:1)
- JetBlue TrueBlue (250:200)
- Qantas Loyalty (1:1)
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1)
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1)
Hotels:
- Choice Privileges (1:1)
- Hilton Honors (1:2)
- Marriott Bonvoy (1:1)
Upgrade your airline seat
Value of this option: Variable
Through the Membership Rewards portal, you can redeem the points by bidding on airline seat upgrades. This could be worthwhile, but keep in mind that as your bid goes up, the value of your points goes down.
Cover your card charges
Value of this option: 0.6 cents
Redeem points to cover eligible charges on your American Express card statement, reducing your balance. This is the closest you can get to a cash-back option with Membership Rewards points, but due to the low redemption rate, it’s not the best use of your points.
Amex Go Shopping
Value of this option: 0.5 cents, but varies based on the merchant
You can use your points at various retailers through the American Express online shopping center, Go Shopping. While you can sometimes catch a good deal with this option, it’s not usually the best use of your points.
Pay with Points
Value of this option: 0.7 cents
You can also link your Membership Rewards account to Amazon or PayPal to pay for your purchases with points. Usually, this option is only worth about 0.7 cents per point. Sometimes American Express will send targeted offers through Amazon.com where paying with Membership Rewards points can give you a discount on your purchases.
Redeem for gift cards
Value of this option: Variable
Through the American Express site, you can redeem points for gift cards with various merchants, and the value of this option varies based on the retailer. Some may only make your points worth 0.5 cents apiece. Others may be worth 1 cent apiece. If you want to redeem in this way, check to see the value of your points for the specific gift card.
What is the best way to use American Express Membership Rewards points?
The best way to use American Express Membership Rewards points depends on your preferences and goals.
However, to get the most value out of your points, your best options are transferring to one of American Express’ transfer partners, booking travel through the American Express Travel portal, or occasionally buying gift cards if you find a good deal.
If you’re more interested in covering your card charges, you’re probably better off with a card that offers cash back instead of Membership Rewards points.
Are Amex Membership Rewards worth it?
If you’re a frequent traveler who doesn’t mind redeeming points for travel through a portal or transferring points to travel partners, then yes, American Express Membership Rewards are worth it.
If you’re looking for a card with good options for cash back, a Membership-Reward-earning card isn’t ideal. Luckily for you, however, there are plenty of great cash-back credit cards out there.
Best Amex Membership Rewards cards
Advertiser DisclosureAmerican Express® Gold Card
LEARN MORE
Rates & Fees / Terms Apply
on Bankrate's secure site
Key Information
Earn 4X points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X) and restaurants (plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.), 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com, and 1X points on other eligible purchases. $250 annual fee.
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The Platinum Card® from American Express
LEARN MORE
Rates & Fees / Terms Apply
on Bankrate's secure site
Key Information
Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 per calendar year), 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel, and 1X points on other eligible purchases. $695 annual fee.
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Show Less
American Express® Business Gold Card
LEARN MORE
Rates & Fees / Terms Apply
on Bankrate's secure site
Key Information
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points (on up to $150,000 per year, then 1X) on 2 categories where your business spends the most each billing cycle and 1X points on other eligible purchases. $375 annual fee.
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Amex Membership Rewards: FAQ
Which is the easiest American Express card to get?
American Express credit cards aren’t easy to get, as they all require good to excellent credit scores to qualify for. Typically, no-annual-fee cards like the Blue Cash Everyday® Card (see rates and fees) are slightly easier to qualify for than premium cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express.
How do I redeem American Express Membership Rewards points?
You can redeem Membership Rewards points by logging into your American Express account online or through the mobile app. From there, you can explore various redemption options, including travel bookings, statement credits, gift cards, and more
How do I transfer Amex points to Delta?
To transfer Amex points to Delta, log into your Membership Rewards account, select “Transfer Points,” and choose Delta SkyMiles as the transfer partner. Follow the prompts to complete the transfer. You’ll need to have your Delta SkyMiles number and account information handy.
How many Amex points are needed for a flight?
The number of Amex points needed for a flight varies based on how you book and the cost of the flight. If you’re booking through the Amex travel portal, a $120 flight would cost you 12,000 points.
How much are 50,000 Amex points worth?
The value of 50,000 Membership Rewards points varies based on how you redeem them. 50,000 points can be worth between $350 to $500 when redeemed for travel through the Amex Travel portal or transferred to travel partners. The value is often lower when used for statement credits or shopping.
How do I cancel my Amex Membership Rewards account?
To cancel your Membership Rewards account, contact American Express customer service through the number on the back of your card. Keep in mind that canceling your account may result in forfeiting any unused points, so consider redeeming them before canceling.
About the Author
Jaiden Hart serves as a credit card writer and content manager at LA Times Compare. Beginning her career as an intern on the Compare team, she has since amassed considerable expertise and passion in the credit card industry.
Jaiden’s primary objective is to simplify the process of choosing and managing a credit card through engaging and honest content so individuals can more effectively maximize their benefits and meet their financial goals.
About the Reviewer
Blake Esken has over 15 years of experience in product management and has been a member of the Los Angeles Times staff for over five years.
As part of his role at the Los Angeles Times Commerce Team, Blake acts as the in-house reviewer and fact checker for LA Times Compare. He supervises all content for compliance and accuracy and puts to use skills he has honed through years of experience managing high-stakes projects for a range of industry-leading companies.
He has a strong background in data analysis, compliance, and communication, which allows him to support LA Times Compare through fact-checking in an effort to provide up-to-date and factual information across our content.
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