How to redeem American Express Membership Rewards for maximum value

In this article, we review how to maximize your AMEX points redemptions.

Welcome to the world of maximizing your rewards! In this article, we'll guide you through the exciting realm of redeeming American Express Membership Rewards for maximum value.

Whether you're a seasoned points enthusiast or a newcomer to the world of credit card rewards, we've got you covered.

Discover the tips, tricks, and strategic approaches that will help you unlock the full potential of your Membership Rewards, turning them into unforgettable experiences, valuable purchases, and more.

Get ready to elevate your rewards game and make the most out of every point!

And here’s a sneak peak of the total points I accumulated in less than 2 years.. 2020-2022 before I started redeeming them for travel so you know im not capping 🧢

P.S total average value per MR points redeemed for my travels so far in 2023 is $0.08 which is the equivalent to a whopping $87,294.04 based on the MR points I have above. (Big travel hacker here, soon i’ll drop a step by step guide on the research and finding process behind picking the best flights out there with points)

When you think of American Express Membership Rewards points, you should think of them as cash. If you have an AMEX card that earns Membership Rewards points, you earn them on every single transaction. These points are some of the most useful and – dare we say – valuable points you can accrue with a rewards card due to their flexibility. While these points vary in how much they’re worth depending on how you choose to redeem them, you could potentially double their value by simply knowing where to start.

PSsss. Amex Business Gold, ad spend categories give you 4x MR points per $1 spent. Thats my hack 😉

The Platinum Card® and Gold Card® are the best American Express cards to have in order to maximize your reward options. Below you’ll find some of the best avenues to maximize the value of your AMEX Membership Rewards points when using these flagship offerings.

The Gold Card

Current Welcome Bonus: Earn 90,000 Membership Rewards Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months.

Point Categories:

• 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide

• 4X Membership Rewards® Points At U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year)

• 3X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com

• 1X Membership Rewards® Points on other purchases  

The Platinum Card

Current Welcome Bonus: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 within the first 6 months.

Point Categories:

• 5X Membership Rewards® Points (up to $500,000 per calendar year) on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel via amextravel.com or by calling 1-800-525-3355.

• 5X Membership Rewards® Points on eligible prepaid hotels booked at amextravel.com, including The Hotel Collection.

• 1X Membership Rewards® Points on other purchases

You can earn more points by enrolling in individual AMEX Offers. To do this, log in to your account with either the AMEX app or online, select Membership, and review available offers. You can earn extra Membership Rewards points when these offers are added during their specific time frame using the card at the featured merchant

The first recommendation to maximize the value of your rewards would be to Combine Points Across all your eligible American Express cards. If you have multiple American Express cards that earn Membership Rewards, you are encouraged to combine your points into a single account before redeeming. This allows for more flexibility and is sure to be of potentially more value when it is time to redeem them. This is because your points will be redeemed at the value as currently advertised for your highest category card.

Our next recommendation would be to maximize the value of your points by Transfering Points to AMEX’s Airline and Hotel Partners.

American Express partners with a number of airline and hotel chains. Among them are the popular Delta, Air Canada, Marriott, and Hilton. We recommend that you research transfer ratios and redemption options with each partner to find the best value for your specific goals as these ratios can change.

At times, American Express offers promotions which provide an opportunity to transfer certain amounts of points to airline partners and receive more than those sent (i.e., Transfer 10,000 points to Air Canada and receive 15,000 points). Sometimes, Hilton will let you double your transferred points which makes booking those vacations a steal.

The most popular of options is Redeeming Membership Rewards Points for Travel. As a cardholder, you have the option of using the American Express Travel website or American Express Travel Agents to book flights, hotels, and car rentals using Membership Rewards points. When using the website, you can often find promotions when electing to use points to pay for your travel. If you happen to have The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, you can earn a 35% point rebate when booking through either of these options with your preferred airline. Consider using points for premium cabin (business or first class) flights as these often provide higher value per point compared to economy class redemptions. 

Or you can also consider transferring or redeeming points to their dedicated travel partners. I recommend going this route to really take advantage and maximize value.

Amex Airline Transfer Partners

With the 17 Amex airline transfer partners, you have access to award flights with members of Oneworld, Star Alliance, and SkyTeam. You even have access to partners that operate outside the major airline alliances, such as Etihad Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

Amex Hotel Transfer Partners

Amex lets you transfer to 3 hotel loyalty programs: Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, and Radisson Rewards. That said, hotel points transfers are not the best way to use your points. You can get much more value by transferring to airline partners.

In conclusion, while Membership Rewards points can be redeemed for gift cards, statement credits, shopping (i.e., Amazon), and donations to charity, you’re likely to get the most out of these points when using them for travel booked through AMEX and transferring them to airline and hotel partners. The value of these points can vary based on personal choices for redemption so we implore you to assess the specific redemption options and values available then choose (or mix and match) the option that works best for you.