Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
American Express cards are well-known among credit card newbies and reward card aficionados alike for rewarding cardmembers with lucrative points, luxury perks and unique card designs such as the iconic rose gold American Express® Gold Card.
But perhaps the most appealing reason to love Amex cards is the versatile Membership Rewards® points cardmembers earn from everyday purchases like dining out, groceries and business expenses — then redeem for first-class flights, luxury hotels, cash back and more.
With some participating brokerage accounts, you can even use your Membership Rewards points to invest (more on that below), and transferring them to select airline partners can give you an even bigger bang for your buck.
Below, CNBC Select breaks down our favorite ways to redeem Membership Rewards points so you can maximize your Amex cards' value.
How to redeem your American Express points for maximum value
Best cards for earning Amex points
If you're ready to start earning top-notch rewards and VIP perks, check out a handful of our favorite Amex cards that earn Membership Rewards points (as opposed to Amex cash back cards):
- American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 Amex points after spending $8,000 within the first six months of card membership
- TheBlue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express: Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the card within your first 3 months of card membership.
The American Express Gold Card is great for earning valuable Membership Rewards® points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets.
- You can earn $400+ in dining and rideshare credits every year (Enrollment required for select benefits mentioned)
- Exceptionally rewarding for eligible restaurant and U.S. supermarket purchases
- No foreign transaction fees
- Larger annual fee
- Credits are more complicated, you earn them monthly or semi-annually
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That's up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made at restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Foreign transaction fee
None
The Platinum Card® from American Express is a premium card loaded with annual statement credits, entertainment benefits, extensive airport lounge access, elite status perks and more. (Enrollment required for select benefits mentioned)
- Access to 1,400+ airport lounges, including Priority Pass™ Select lounges (enrollment required) and Amex Centurion lounges
- Statement credit offers worth up to twice what the annual fee costs
- Elite status perks for hotels and rental cars (Enrollment required for select benefits mentioned)
- High annual fee
- Many statement credit offers are complicated and are earned in increments or limited to specific purchases
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
- $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
- With American Express Global Lounge Collection® you can enjoy access to over 1,400 airport lounges globally, including The Centurion® Lounge, Unlimited Delta Sky Club® Access when flying an eligible Delta flight, Escape Lounges, Lufthansa Lounges when flying Lufthansa Group, Plaza Premium, Priority Pass™ Select Lounges, & Additional Global Lounge Collection Partner Lounges subject to visit limitations. Lounges may have their own rules, like additional access rules and guest fees, and for Priority Pass Select, you need to enroll and there are unlimited airport lounge visits for Card Members. With Delta Sky Club Access, Card Members will receive 10 Visits to the Delta Sky Club to be used from February 1 until January 31 of the next calendar year and can unlock Unlimited Delta Sky Club Access by spending $75,000 in eligible purchases on their Card in a calendar year. To find a lounge, visit the membership section in the American Express® App or visit http://www.americanexpress.com/findalounge#/loungefinder.
- $155 Walmart+ Credit: Save on eligible delivery fees, shipping, and more with a Walmart+ membership. Use your Platinum Card® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership and get up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes back on one membership (excluding Plus Ups) each month.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card®.
- $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card® Members can ride or dine in style with $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December after adding their Card to their Uber account. Use your Uber Cash on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR® Plus helps to get you to your gate faster at 50+ airports nationwide and get up to $199 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Card. CLEARLanes are available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues.
- Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
- Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card®. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile.
- $695 annual fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
Balance transfer fee
N/A
Foreign transaction fee
None
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is a great option if you're starting a business because it's affordable, earns flexible travel rewards and offers an intro-APR on purchases for a year.
- Valuable intro-APR offer for purchases for 12 months
- Earns flexible rewards you can transfer to 20+ airline and hotel loyalty programs
- No annual fee
- Bonus rewards for purchases are capped
- Few useful travel insurance benefits
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership.
- 0.0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 17.49% - 27.49%, based on your creditworthiness and other factors at account opening. APR will not exceed 29.99%
- Earn 2X points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter. Terms and limitations apply.
- You've got the power to spend beyond your credit limit* with Expanded Buying Power. *The amount you can spend above your credit limit is flexible, so it adapts with your use of the Card, your payment history, credit record, financial resources known to us, and other factors. Just remember, the amount you can spend with Expanded Buying Power is not unlimited.
- No Annual Fee
- Terms Apply.
Balance transfer fee
N/A
Foreign transaction fee
2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars
Transfer your points to fly in business or first class
The best way to receive the most value for your American Express Membership Rewards points is to transfer them to an airline partner to book an international business- or first-class flight. By using this option, you can turn the welcome bonus from a single Amex card into a flight that normally costs thousands of dollars.
For example, you can transfer 68,000 Amex points to Iberia and book a round-trip off-peak business-class flight from New York or Boston to Spain. The cash price for the same flights generally starts at around $2,500.
To unlock even more premium-cabin award flight deals, you can take advantage of airline partnerships. Airline partnerships allow you to transfer points to one airline and book awards on a completely different airline.
By using this strategy, you can dramatically reduce the points you need because each airline has different award charts and prices. For example, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club only charges 50,000 miles plus taxes for a one-way Delta business-class nonstop flight from the U.S. to Europe (excluding the U.K., which has a different price). Meanwhile, Delta SkyMiles, also a transfer partner of Amex, operates a dynamic award chart and normally charges many times that amount for the same flight.
Other great business- and first-class awards you can book with Amex's transfer partners include:
- Transfer 88,000 points to ANA Mileage Club for a round-trip business-class award from the U.S. to Europe
- Transfer 60,000 to 70,000 points to Air Canada Aeroplan for a one-way business-class award from the U.S. to Europe
- Transfer 80,000 points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club for a one-way nonstop Delta business-class award from the Western U.S. to Asia
- Transfer 102,000 points to Emirates Skywards for a one-way first-class flight from New York to Milan
To help you gauge how long it'd take to earn enough miles, let's look at how many points a popular Amex card bonus earns.
The American Express® Gold Card earns qualifying new cardmembers 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. That's nearly enough for a round-trip business class ticket to Europe with Iberia. Plus, you'll earn points on purchases at the following rates:
- 4X Membership Rewards® points on restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- 4X Membership Rewards® points on US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com
- 1X points on all other purchases
Find the best credit card for you by reviewing offers in our credit card marketplace or get personalized offers via CardMatch™.
Book flights to Hawaii
Amex points are great for booking flights to Hawaii because you're not bottlenecked into only one or two options. You can find excellent deals with airline programs like Singapore KrisFlyer, British Airways Executive Club and Air France/KLM Flying Blue.
Transferring your Amex points to Singapore Airlines is a good option since you can book flights to Hawaii on United or Alaska Airlines. Singapore Airlines has different award charts for Star Alliance partners (like United) and non-alliance partners like Alaska Airlines. You'll need 12,500 miles (or less) for a nonstop one-way flight to/from the mainland and Hawaii on an Alaska Airlines flight or 17,500 miles for a one-way flight on United (including connections).
You can also transfer to British Airways to book American Airlines or Alaska Airlines flights to Hawaii from only 13,000 points one-way (if you're flying from the U.S. West Coast) or book one-way Delta flights to Hawaii by transferring 17,500 points to Flying Blue. And if you find a cheap flight to Hawaii, you may even be able to book with fewer points (as you'll see below) by using the Amex Travel site.
Pay for travel booked through Amex
One of the easiest ways to use Amex points is to book travel through the Amex Travel portal.
Booking through Amex Travel works the same as with other third-party travel sites, like Expedia or Kayak, except you can use Amex points to pay for the booking. The advantage to redeeming Amex points this way is you can book any available flight without having to worry about the airline restricting award seat availability. As a bonus, flights booked through Amex Travel typically earn miles as they normally would on a paid ticket.
The downside is you may not get as much value for your points. When you pay with your points through Amex Travel, they are worth one cent each for airfare and 0.7 cents each for hotels, rental cars and cruises.
When cash prices are low, you may be able to use fewer points by booking through the Amex Travel portal. For example, if there's a fare sale to Hawaii and you can book a round-trip flight for under $350, that would cost fewer points than the 35,000 points you would need to transfer to book the same award flight with certain airline programs.
Card members with certain Amex small business cards are eligible for an even better deal when booking flights with points. When you book business or first-class flights through Amex Travel or any flight with your selected airline you receive a 35% points rebate with The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (up to 1,000,000 points back per calendar year).
The Business Platinum Card from American Express is a premium business card loaded with statement credit offers for business services and travel that help justify its steep annual fee.
- Access to 1,400+ airport lounges, including Priority Pass (Enrollment required) and Amex Centurion lounges
- Statement credit offers worth over $1,400 every year
- Hotel and rental car elite status perks
- Earns flexible rewards you can transfer to 20+ airline and hotel loyalty programs (Enrollment required for select benefits mentioned; Benefits may be subject to auto-renewal)
- High annual fee
- Limited bonus spending categories
- Some statement credit offers are earned in small increments or only apply to purchases from a single brand
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Limited Time Travel Offer: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on your Business Platinum Card® within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Plus, earn a $500 statement credit after you spend $2,500 on qualifying flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel with your Business Platinum Card® within the first 3 months of Card Membership. You can earn one or both of these offers. Offer ends 6/30/25.
- The American Express Global Lounge Collection® can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market as of 10/2024.
- Unlock over $1,000 in statement credits on select purchases, including tech, recruiting and wireless in the first year of membership with the Business Platinum Card®. Enrollment required.
- Fly like a pro with a $200 Airline Fee Credit. Select one qualifying airline to receive up to $200 back per year on baggage fees and other incidentals.
- NEW! Make the Business Platinum Card® work even harder for you. Hilton For Business members get up to $200 back per calendar year when you make an eligible purchase at Hilton properties across the globe. Benefit enrollment required.
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points for flights, prepaid hotels, and short-term rentals and prepaid flight + hotel packages booked at AmexTravel.com. 1X points on other eligible purchases.
- Earn 1.5X points (that's an extra half point per dollar) on each eligible purchase at US construction material, hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more, on up to $2 million per Card Account per calendar year. Purchases eligible for multiple additional point bonuses will only receive the highest eligible bonus.
- $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: Use your card and get up to $199 in statement credits per calendar year on your CLEAR® Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use the Business Platinum Card®.
- $695 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Book rooms with hotel partners
Just as airline partner transfers result in amazing deals, so do transfers with Amex hotel partners.
You can transfer Amex points to three hotel chains: Hilton, Marriott and Choice Hotels. Hilton offers the best transfer ratio value, at two Hilton points per one Membership Rewards point. Marriott and Choice Hotels offer a 1:1 ratio. Amex occasionally runs hotel transfer bonus promotions for 20% to 50% which increases the value of your points.
Here's how many hotel points you could get by transferring 80,000 Membership Rewards® points (equal to the welcome bonus you can get with The Platinum Card® from American Express after spending $8,000 within six months of account opening):
- Hilton: 160,000
- Marriott: 80,000
- Choice: 80,000
You'll typically yield more value by transferring your points to airline partners and booking flights, but using points for hotel stays can be smart too. You'll do well when redeeming points for luxury hotels or when demand for hotels is high which translates into high cash prices.
You can book an overwater villa at the Conrad Maldives for 120,000 Hilton points a night, meaning the Amex Platinum welcome bonus would get you two-thirds of the way to an award night. Rooms at the Conrad Maldives can go for more than $1,000 a night.
Invest with Charles Schwab
If you have an American Express Platinum Card® for Schwab, you can transfer your points to a qualifying brokerage account at a rate of 1.1 cents per point. This is an incredible deal, considering the normal cash-out rate to turn Membership Rewards points into a statement credit is 0.6 cents per point.
You can earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points—down from the previous offer of 125,000—after spending $8,000 in purchases on your Platinum Card® from American Express Exclusively for Charles Schwab in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms apply.
In addition to the Amex welcome bonus, Charles Schwab account holders can receive additional cash boosts when their holdings reach certain thresholds at the time of account approval (and annually thereafter):
- $100 card statement credit if your qualifying Schwab holdings are equal to or greater than $250,000
- $200 card statement credit if your qualifying Schwab holdings are equal to or greater than $1,000,000
The Platinum card also comes with perks like airport lounge access, hotel elite status (enrollment required), up to $200 in Uber cash credit (enrollment required), up to $199 in Clear® Plus credit (Excluding any applicable taxes and fees. Subject to auto-renewal) and $200 in airline incidental credits (enrollment required).
To qualify for the Amex Platinum Schwab card, you'll need to have an eligible account open with Charles Schwab.
Charles Schwab
Minimum deposit and balance
Minimum deposit and balance requirements may vary depending on the investment vehicle selected. No account minimum for active investing through Schwab One® Brokerage Account. Automated investing through Schwab Intelligent Portfolios® requires a $5,000 minimum deposit
Fees
Fees may vary depending on the investment vehicle selected. Schwab One® Brokerage Account has no account fees, $0 commission fees for stock and ETF trades, $0 transaction fees for over 4,000 mutual funds and a $0.65 fee per options contract
Bonus
None
Investment vehicles
Robo-advisor: Schwab Intelligent Portfolios® and Schwab Intelligent Portfolios Premium™ IRA: Charles Schwab Traditional, Roth, Rollover, Inherited and Custodial IRAs; plus, a Personal Choice Retirement Account® (PCRA) Brokerage and trading: Schwab One® Brokerage Account, Brokerage Account + Specialized Platforms and Support for Trading, Schwab Global Account™, Schwab Organization Account and Schwab Trading Powered by Ameritrade™
Investment options
Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, CDs and ETFs
Educational resources
Extensive retirement planning tools
Terms apply.
What are Amex points worth?
The value you receive for your Amex points depends on how you redeem them. Generally, more straightforward redemption options have a smaller dollar value. So redeeming Amex points for cash back or gift cards is typically worth between 0.5 and one cent per point. That doesn't mean you should avoid these options because the flexibility and time you save can make them worth it.
However, to maximize the dollar value of redemptions, you'll want to transfer Amex points to airline or hotel partners. You could book a round-trip business-class flight to Europe for 100,000 points (or less), while the cash price could easily top $4,000. So it wouldn't be hard to receive a value of four cents per point with these types of award bookings.
Here's a full list of Amex's 21 airline and hotel transfer partners:
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Aeromexico Premier
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue
- ANA Mileage Club
- Avianca LifeMiles
- British Airways Executive Club
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Delta SkyMiles
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest
- Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
- Iberia Plus
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Singapore KrisFlyer
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- Choice Privileges
- Hilton Honors
- Marriott Bonvoy
Compare the best Amex cards
| Category | Best cash-back card | Best no annual fee card | Best travel card | Best luxury card | Best small business card |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit card | Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express | Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express | American Express® Gold Card | The Platinum Card® from American Express | The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express |
| See below for our methodology | Learn MoreOn the American Express site | Learn MoreOn the American Express site | Learn MoreOn the American Express site | Learn MoreOn the American Express site | Learn MoreOn the American Express site |
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Bottom line
American Express Membership Rewards points are some of the most valuable travel rewards you can earn. You can use them to directly pay for flights, rental cars and cruises through Amex Travel. You can also transfer Amex points to partner loyalty programs, which can greatly increase their value. And you can also use Amex points for simple redemptions, like cash back or gift cards.
The best part is Amex points are easy to earn. Many of the best Amex personal and small business cards earn Amex points. These cards offer lucrative welcome bonuses and generous bonus points in select spending categories, such as groceries, dining and travel.
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Read more
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
