How to redeem American Express Membership Rewards points for maximum value
Loyalty programs can be complex, and uncovering the best ways to maximize your card rewards can be difficult. For example, American Express Membership Rewards offers numerous redemption options through Amex’s transfer partners. However, figuring out the most valuable ways to use these points can be challenging.
We’ll explore the strategies you should consider to maximize your hard-earned Amex Membership Rewards points.
How can I earn American Express Membership Rewards points?
Accumulating a substantial amount of Membership Rewards points is straightforward, thanks to the wide range of American Express cards available. These five popular options stand out among the various Amex cards offering bonus categories that earn the most points and significant additional perks.
The Platinum Card from American Express
The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.
Earning points:
- 5 points per dollar spent on airfare purchased directly with airlines or through Amex Travel (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
- 5 points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with Amex Travel
- 1 point per dollar spent on other purchases
Annual fee: $695 (see rates and fees)
American Express Gold Card
American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. However, some readers have been targeted for an even higher welcome offer using the CardMatch tool (offer subject to change at any time).
Earning points:
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- 4 points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
- 4 points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets (on the first $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
- 3 points per dollar spent on airfare purchased directly with airlines or through Amex Travel
- 2 points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on Amex Travel
- 1 point per dollar spent on other eligible purchases
Annual fee: $325 (see rates and fees)
The Business Platinum Card from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $20,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Platinum Card within the first three months of card membership.
Earning points:
- 5 points per dollar spent on flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel
- 1.5 points per dollar spent in select business categories and on 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)
- 1 point per dollar spent on other eligible purchases
Annual fee: $695 (see rates and fees)
American Express Business Gold Card
American Express® Business Gold Card: Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $15,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership.
Earning points:
- 4 points per dollar spent in the two categories your business spends the most each billing cycle from six eligible categories; you’ll earn 4 points per dollar spent on the first $150,000 in combined purchases each calendar year, then 1 point per dollar
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel
- 1 point per dollar spent on other eligible purchases
Annual fee: $375 (see rates and fees)
American Express Green Card
American Express® Green Card: Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.
Earning points:
- 3 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 3 points per spent dollar on travel and transit
- 1 point per dollar spent on other eligible purchases
Annual fee: $150
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 options for earning Amex points
With an Amex card, you can maximize your points through Racutena favorite TPG online shopping portal. You’ll earn bonus Amex points for each dollar spent by clicking through Rakuten to participating merchant websites.
Another way to earn extra Membership Rewards points is through targeted offers. Amex frequently allows cardholders to earn bonus points by adding authorized users and meeting specific spending requirements. Referring a friend or small business to apply for an Amex card can also earn you a bonus once they’re approved. Lastly, retention calls can be a good way to add points to your balance.
How can I redeem my Membership Rewards for maximum value?
If you want solid value from your Membership Rewards points, transferring them to partner hotel or airline loyalty programs is often your best bet.
When you convert points into a hotel or airline currency, you can redeem them for free hotel nights and award flights that might otherwise be quite costly. Moreover, you might stretch the value of your points even further by taking advantage of periodic transfer bonuses to specific partners.
Here are some of the best programs to transfer your points to and examples of redemptions.
Fly within North America for as little as 2,500 points
JetBlue recently introduced basic economy award redemptions. While this might not initially sound like a great way to travel, the prices can’t be argued with. We initially saw some flights as low as just 700 TrueBlue points each way, which is the cheapest flight redemption you will likely find anywhere.
Prices have risen slightly since then, but on select days, there are currently flights from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Cancun International Airport (CUN) for just 2,000 TrueBlue points.
As Membership Rewards points transfer to TrueBlue at a rate of 250:200, you would only need 2,500 Amex points to book this almost five-hour flight, a terrific way to redeem your points.
Fly round-trip to Spain on Iberia
One of the best ways to redeem Amex points is by booking Iberia business class on off-peak dates through Iberia Plus. This can be a terrific use of your points, especially when considering the low points price and minimal fuel surcharges.
You’ll find the cheapest flights from cities on the East Coast, but other cities have attractive pricing, too. Here’s a look at Iberia’s award chart:
| Origin | Blue class/economy (off-peak) | Blue class/economy (peak) | Premium economy (off-peak) | Premium economy (peak) | Business class (off-peak) | Business class (peak) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City | 17,000/22,000 | 20,000/28,000 | 25,000 | 35,000 | 34,000 | 50,000 |
| Chicago | 17,000/22,000 | 20,000/28,000 | 25,000 | 35,000 | 34,000 | 50,000 |
| Boston | 17,000/22,000 | 20,000/28,000 | 25,000 | 35,000 | 34,000 | 50,000 |
| Miami | 21,250/27,750 | 25,000/35,000 | 31,750 | 43,750 | 42,500 | 62,500 |
| Dallas | 21,250/27,750 | 25,000/35,000 | 31,750 | 43,750 | 42,500 | 62,500 |
| Los Angeles | 21,250/27,750 | 25,000/35,000 | 31,750 | 43,750 | 42,500 | 62,500 |
| San Francisco | 21,250/27,750 | 25,000/35,000 | 31,750 | 43,750 | 42,500 | 62,500 |
Snagging a round-trip economy award flight to Europe for just 34,000 Avios (or business class for 68,000 Avios) can be fantastic.
Also, availability isn’t too difficult to find when traveling on off-peak dates.
Related: Is Iberia premium economy worth it on the Airbus A330 from Madrid to Dallas?
Fly the world’s longest flights in comfort
Singapore Airlines operates two of the world’s longest flights: from Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
You can redeem your Membership Rewards by transferring them at a 1:1 rate to Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer program to fly the airline’s highly regarded business class on these ultralong marathons, which last almost 19 hours.
A saver award fare on this route will cost you 111,500 Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles plus taxes and fees one-way — a smart investment in comfort on such a long flight.
Related: World’s longest flight: A review of Singapore Airlines’ A350-900ULR in business class
Transfer to Flying Blue for flights to Europe
Flying Blue is Air France and KLM’s joint loyalty program. The program prices award tickets dynamically and often offers good deals on flights from North America to Europe. Economy flights start at 25,000 miles one-way, premium economy flights at 40,000 miles, and business-class flights at 60,000 miles one-way.
Remember that fuel surcharges on these awards can be a little hard to handle — close to $400 per person if you book round-trip business-class flights. However, if you can find saver rates, this is one of the cheapest business-class options in Europe, and both airlines have robust route networks. There are also occasional bonuses for transferring points from American Express to Flying Blue, so pricing on some routes becomes even more attractive.
Flying Blue’s monthly Promo Rewards are worth checking out, as they can offer up to 25% discounts on the prices above.
35% Pay with Points rebate for Business Platinum cardholders
The Amex Business Platinum Card has another great benefit: You can receive a 35% points rebate on flights booked through Amex Travel (up to 1 million points back per calendar year). However, you must select a qualifying airline, and once selected, you can only change your airline one time in January. (Enrollment is required for select benefits.)
For example, if you redeem 100,000 points for a $1,000 ticket through Amex Travel on your selected airline, you’ll receive a 35% points rebate. Therefore, you’ll technically only pay 65,000 Amex points for your $1,000 ticket.
If you want to skip the hassle of looking for award space and redeem points to book flight fares, the Business Platinum Card can be a valuable addition to your wallet.
Bottom line
Like other transferable points programsAmerican Express Membership Rewards offers great sweet spots to those who redeem their points through transfer partners. To help in your award availability search, we recommend using a platform like Seats.aero or other travel redemption apps.
With strong welcome bonuses and card benefits, Amex cards can help you book a dreamworthy vacation using Membership Rewards points.
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Gold Card, click here.
