American Express Points Earning Strategies. You can redeem those points in many ways, including statement credits, gift cards, airfare, and by shopping online. Many American Express Cards let you earn and redeem Membership Rewards points in many different ways, allowing you to build, save, and spend points in whatever manner best matches your lifestyle.
Do note, however, that terms apply to all of the benefits listed below. The first thing to know is that the value of American Express Membership Rewards points actually varies depending on how and where you choose to redeem them. Points-earning bonuses can increase the number of points you get for the dollars you spend, effectively raising points values further because you had to spend less to get them.
From first class travel to gift cards and statement credits, the dollar-to-point value for American Express Membership Rewards points ultimately depends on how you choose to redeem them.
To give you an overview of how points value can change, here are some common redemption methods and their approximate points values:. Online checkout. Sixteen retailers let you link your American Express Membership Rewards account so you can use Pay with Points at their online checkout, typically redeemed at a value of 0. And because one of those partners is PayPal, you can use Pay with Points at millions of online stores around the world.
Gift cards. Points values tend to get closer to the 1 cent per point range when redeeming for many dining and retail gift cards, but there are also plenty of travel and entertainment brands to choose from, too.
Statement credit. Prefer to use points like cash back? All insurance products are governed by the terms in the applicable insurance policy, and all related decisions such as approval for coverage, premiums, commissions and fees and policy obligations are the sole responsibility of the underwriting insurer.
The information on this site does not modify any insurance policy terms in any way. When it comes to flexible rewards currencies, American Express Membership Rewards has long been considered one of the most valuable and robust rewards programs out there. Rewards earned within this loyalty program can be used in more than one way, but most notably for transfers to American Express airline and hotel programs.
Because of this flexibility, many consumers focus on earning as many American Express Membership Rewards points as possible through welcome bonuses and credit card spending. If you want to earn flexible rewards points you can use in several ways, keep reading to learn all about American Express Membership Rewards points and how you can use them for all kinds of purposes.
Points earned in the American Express Membership Rewards program are worth approximately 2 cents each, although how you redeem them will ultimately determine their value. With that in mind, some redemption options will help you reap considerably more value from your rewards than others. For example, you can typically get 2 cents per point in value when you transfer American Express points to airline and hotel partners. Since the American Express Membership Rewards program is a credit card loyalty program, you can only earn points when you use an American Express credit card.
However, you have to apply for an American Express credit card that specifically earns American Express Membership Rewards points, keeping in mind that American Express also offers general cash back credit cards, as well. Which American Express credit cards should you consider applying for? There are quite a few personal and business cards that let you earn American Express Membership Rewards points, but here are the top offers you should consider right now:.
The information about all mentioned Amex Everyday Credit Card cards has been collected independently by Bankrate. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer. American Express Membership Rewards points never expire, which is a major plus. However, there are some situations where you can forfeit your points , including making late payments on your card or canceling your card account without having another card that earns American Express Membership Rewards points.
Also, note that American Express transfer partners —including airline and hotel partners—do have their own unique expiration policies, so you will want to monitor your points after they leave your Amex account and land in a partner account.
This process starts with comparing airline partners and figuring out which ones can get you to your destination. From there, you can check for award space on the flights you want while also figuring out how many miles you need for the redemption you want. In the meantime and especially if you plan to fly economy , check flight prices in points on AmexTravel.
This typically takes place when a flight is on sale, and it may be more convenient to book through AmexTravel. It also includes a free stopover which Andrew used to add on a United domestic ticket later in the year. This means my Amex points gave me 3. In my mind, this is an excellent redemption value. Looking for a trip to Japan? Consider transferring your points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. You can use this program to book ANA first or business class from the U. The award chart below shows round-trip pricing for round-trip flights, with some of the standout redemptions being West Coast and East Coast to Tokyo for , and , points, respectively, round-trip.
This is the only way to fly true first-class domestically and gives you a super comfortable way to get from coast-to-coast. Still, I would generally recommend focusing your efforts on the following frequent flyer programs:. The answer, in a word, is flexibility. However, you can find above-average values with many partner airlines.
The same holds true for Aeroplan, British Airways and many of the other programs. The big difference? Having Membership Rewards points and the transfer flexibility they offer lets you cherry-pick the very best from each program.
Instead of being forced to use Delta miles, you can arbitrage award rates as I did with Virgin Atlantic. You can even look for alternate routings that get you where you need to go for fewer miles. All that said, there are two important reminders when it comes to transferring your Amex points to partners:. Related: 9 obscure airline award redemptions you should know about.
As I said earlier, one of the biggest benefits of Amex Membership Rewards is how flexible they are. Amex offers the most transfer partners of all major transferable points currencies and — in my opinion — the most powerful. Another pro is how easy Membership Rewards points are to earn.
Amex has a huge suite of cards that earn Membership Rewards points, and each has its own points-earning structure. For example, the Amex Gold earns 4x points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants and groceries at U. You can open multiple American Express cards and earn bonus points on most of your everyday spending. This will help you quickly earn points and get closer to your next big redemption. Sure, you can use Amex Travel, but it will give you a poor value for your miles. This is especially disappointing when you consider that you can redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points toward paid travel at 1.
The same goes for redeeming for non-travel. Chase cardmembers can use the Pay Yourself Back feature to redeem points at the same rate as they can through the Chase Travel Portal toward groceries, restaurants and other purchase categories.
Related: This Amex cardmember is sitting on 11 million points: Here are 6 fun ways to redeem them. It has fierce competition from other major banks, including programs like:. Also, you have to pay a 0. The Membership Rewards program really falls short on its cash back redemption option with a very low value of 0.
You have to wait until you have a sufficient number of points to redeem them — 1, points for a statement credit or transfer to a travel partner and 5, points for flights. See also : Best ways to spend American Express points. The editorial content on this page is based solely on the objective assessment of our writers and is not driven by advertising dollars. It has not been provided or commissioned by the credit card issuers.
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