There are a variety of ways that you can redeem your American Express Membership Rewards program points, but not all of the redemption options provide equal value, so it’s important to understand the best redemption values before proceeding.
Of course, different redemption options will have different values to each person, depending on your interests and the usefulness of each option for you, but it’s generally a good idea to understand the various point redemption rates, as you may be decreasing your spending value if you redeem your Membership Rewards points for less valuable rewards.
For instance, you may be earning 1 point per $1 spent on all of your everyday purchases, which would generally be equated with a 1% cash equivalent rebate, but since a $50 American Express Gift Card redemption requires 10,000 points (1/2 a penny per point), that would actually reduce your spending value to a 0.5% rebate on all of your everyday purchases.
On the other hand, a $50 Barnes & Noble Gift Card requires 5,000 points to redeem, so that would maintain a 1% rebate on your everyday spending and give you a better reward value for your Membership Rewards points.
Depending on whether you shop at Barnes & Noble on a regular basis, a B&N gift card may be a good option for you, but somebody who wants to be able to use their rewards toward more general purchases may find more value in the American Express Gift Card option, even though it’s actually a less valuable reward.
Membership Rewards Qualifying Cards
- Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express
- Platinum Card from American Express
- American Express Green Card
- Gold Card from American Express
- Blue from American Express
- Amex EveryDay Preferred Credit Card
- Amex EveryDay Credit Card
- Business Platinum Card
- The Business Gold Rewards Card
- Business Green Rewards Card
- Blue for Business Credit Card
Here are some of the more popular American Express Bonus Cards that offer the Membership Rewards program, and others may be available that are not listed above.
List of Ways to Redeem Membership Rewards Points
There are many ways to use Membership Rewards points including retail purchases, dining and entertainment events, travel, point transfers to frequent flyer and loyalty programs, gift cards, statement credits toward everyday card purchases, combined points/card purchases via ShopAmex, and purchases on Amazon.com.
Transfer Membership Rewards Points to Airline and Hotel Guest Loyalty Programs
One of the best options for frequent travelers is to transfer your points to airline rewards programs and hotel guest loyalty programs.
For most of the loyalty programs, 1,000 Membership Rewards points will equal 1,000 miles, points, or credits.
Your Membership Rewards points must be transferred in 1,000-point increments with the following exceptions:
JetBlue Airways: 250 points = 200 JetBlue TrueBlue points; must be transferred in 250-point increments.
El AL Israel Airlines: 1,000 points = 20 Matmid points.
Starwood Preferred Guest: 1,000 points = 333 Starpoints.
Hilton: 1,000 points = 1,500 HHonors points.
Virgin America: 200 points = 100 Elevate points; must be transferred in 200-point increments.
Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts: 2,300 points = 100 Sirius Points; must be transferred in 2,300-point increments.
One thing that makes transferring Membership Rewards points to loyalty programs so lucrative is that you can combine your Membership Rewards card points with bonus offers that you receive from a loyalty program’s rewards cards like the Hilton HHonors Bonus Card or the Delta SkyMiles Bonus Card, which makes for a great way to multiply your loyalty rewards quickly.
However, it is important to understand that every time you Transfer Membership Rewards Points into a U.S. Airline Frequent Flyer Program, your linked card account will be charged an excise tax offset fee of $0.0006 per point (with a maximum fee of $99), which American Express charges to offset the federal excise tax that they must pay when you transfer points, and they may offer you the option to use points to pay this fee.
On the other hand, it’s free to Transfer Membership Rewards Points into Hotel Loyalty Programs, plus you can get an excellent value for your points toward free hotel nights.
Use Points for Merchandise on MembershipRewards.com
You can use your Membership Rewards points to redeem for various products on MembershipRewards.com.
However, the redemption rates for merchandise are generally not great for the consumer, and you can usually find the products for a lower price than the equivalent points that are required.
For example, MembershipRewards.com offers the Kindle Fire HD 7″ tablet with 16 GB for 34,630 points (which is more than $340 worth of points at a 1 point per penny ratio), while you can actually purchase this same tablet at Amazon.com for only $199.
In a case like this, you are actually better off redeeming 20,000 Membership Rewards points for $200 worth of Staples Gift Cards, and then purchasing the Kindle Fire HD 7″ at Staples for only $199.
They do offer point-reduction sales on select merchandise from time to time, but even then, the redemption rates are still generally more expensive than the outright purchase price of an item, so this is not one of the best ways to redeem your Membership Rewards points.
Redeem Membership Rewards Points for Gift Cards and Certificates
This is generally one of the better value options for redeeming your Membership Rewards points, excluding the actual American Express gift cards and certificates, as you can get a 1 point per penny ratio on most merchant gift cards, especially at the $100 gift card level.
They also offer sales on select gift cards from time to time, so you can get even better redemption rates if you wait for a sale to occur.
Plus, there are a variety of gift cards to choose from including Banana Republic, Bath & Body Works, Dell, Gap, Groupon, iTunes, Lands’ End, Nike, Old Navy, Staples, The Home Depot, and many others.
Gift cards are available in various denominations, but just make sure that you check the redemption requirements, as sometimes the lower denominations have worse redemption values than the higher denominations, so it may be worth saving your points until you can get a $100 gift card for 10,000 points.
On the other hand, the American Express Gift Cards require double the amount of points as other merchant gift cards, so these are not the best option in regards to value, although they can be used anywhere that accepts American Express.
Use Pay with Points
You can use Pay with Points to book travel on American Express Travel, for products on ShopAmex, TicketMaster, Telecharge, and elsewhere.
When you use Pay with Points, your linked card account will be charged for your purchase, American Express will deduct points from your program account, and then American Express will apply an accompanying credit to your card account.
The credit to your account may appear during a different billing cycle than the charge for your purchase, so you are still responsible for paying the amount due on your card statement by the due date.
If the points you use donโt fully cover the entire amount of the charge, the difference will remain charged to your card account, which means that you can use your card to pay for any amount of the price that your points don’t cover.
If you use a Pay Over Time feature (such as the Extended Payment Option) for a purchase using Pay with Points, the statement credit you get may not be applied to that feature, but instead might be applied to your Pay in Full balance, so just call the number on the back of your card if you think this has happened.
You must use a minimum amount of points for some Pay with Points rewards:
American Express Travel: 5,000 points.
Ticketmaster: 2,000 points.
Telecharge: 7,000 points.
The redemption value for air travel using Pay with Points is 1 point per penny or the equivalent of a 1% rebate on your points earned (i.e., a $400 flight will require 40,000 points).
So overall, this is not a bad value, although you may be able to find cheaper flights elsewhere, or you may get a better value by transferring your points to an airline’s loyalty program first.
You can also earn 1 extra Membership Rewards point on each dollar of eligible purchases made when you book using a Membership Rewards program-enrolled card on the American Express travel website.
On the other hand, hotel redemption values are not as optimal, so you’ll probably save money booking your hotel on another site.
In addition, the ShopAmex redemption values are generally 2 points per penny, so again, it’s not the best option to get the most value from your Membership Rewards points.
Shop with Membership Rewards Points on Amazon.com
You can use your points in the Amazon Shop with Points Program to directly pay for your purchases on Amazon.com with Membership Rewards points.
However, you only get $7 in spending for every 1,000 Membership Rewards points (1 point equals 7/10 of a penny), so you’re really not getting a full 1% rebate on your purchases if that is your goal.
However, this is an easy redemption option, and the prices on Amazon.com may be low enough to make this worth your while.
You can also use a combination of points and your American Express Card, in case you don’t have enough points for what you need.
Use Points for Everyday Charges on Your Card
You can use your Membership Rewards points to pay for everyday charges on your card.
You must use points towards specific, eligible charges on your online card statement, and not just for a general statement credit.
You can use as little as 1,000 points this way.
The charge must occur in the U.S. or in a U.S. territory and be for at least $5.
However, the redemption value is 6/10 of a penny per 1 point, so it’s also not the best rate for using your points.
For instance, American Express wants 50,000 points for a $300 charge on my card and 6,113 points for a $36.68 charge on my card.
Using Points for Statement Credits
You can redeem your Membership Rewards points directly for a statement credit on your card account.
You can use points in 20,000-point increments to get a $100 credit on your card account.
This, once again, is not the best ratio for your points, as 1 point is only worth 1/2 a penny in this scenario.
However, this is the most flexible option for redeeming your Membership Rewards points, as you can redeem your points toward any purchase that you make anywhere with your card.
Pay for New York City Taxi Cabs
You can Redeem Membership Rewards Points for NYC Taxi Cabs in real-time at the end of your rides.
The ratio is 1 point per 1 penny to pay for New York City Taxi Cab fares, so it’s a decent way to redeem your Membership Rewards points.
You simply choose to pay with “Credit,” and when you swipe an eligible AMEX card on the Taxi TV screen, you will be given the option to use points for your ride fare, including tip and tolls.
Use American Express Mobile App to Pay for Charges
You can use the American Express Mobile App to pay for your charges on the go with Membership Rewards points.
Learn how to Use Membership Rewards Points via the AMEX Mobile App to redeem your points on the go for any purchases that you make with your American Express card.
As you can see, there are many ways to redeem your Membership Rewards points with different redemption values depending on what you choose to do with your points.
The Membership Rewards program for select American Express Credit Cards is an excellent rewards program, but you have to be careful how you choose to redeem your points to get the best value out of your card spending.
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barbara smith says
I* have lots of points and just want to use them in the simplist way posible as quickly as possible.
George Butcher says
I would like to use my reword dollars to pay down my account. Can you help me? 1/8/21
Denise Van Nispen says
Hello,
I would liked to use my Reward Dollars of $226.49 to credit on my account. Who do I call to get the authorization I need? Please let me know. Thanks
albert regen says
same problem
Alvin Brouman says
I have 113.07 as of 8/18/2022 that I would like to apply against my monthly statement balance. Please advise.
Thomas Gandolph says
I have $234.31 in reward dollars as of the end of May this year 2019 how do I go about getting that in cash ?
Patsy Campbell says
I have $101.91 in reward dollars as of 6/13/19 and am trying to redeem them with no luck. Help!
Helen Fogarty says
I HAVE 100,000 POINTS – HOW CAN I USE IT AT A HOME DEPOT PURCHASE
HOW DO I USE IT – WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO.
James F. Devine says
i wish to redeem my 200,000 points for their value on Home Depot gift cards.
I was told by an amex representative that i would receive a $100. gift card for every 10,000 points. please tell me how to accomplish this task.
Thank You
Barbara Meek says
How do I use my Rewards points to pay my annual membership fee?
Diane C. Gleason says
I want to redeem my blue cash rewaed of $294.18 in cash or money order…can you send it to me??
Patsy Campbell says
Can I receive a check, money order, or statement credit for the $101.91 reward dollars I have as of 6/13/19? I would appreciate an answer this time!
Mary Rezac says
Please send my Blue Cash Reward of $149.24 now.
What is the security charge of 14.99 for? There is nothing on my billing statement to explain it.
melvin panek says
your system to cash in rewards points is ridiculous and it sucks!!! what can I get for 13906 points????? let me know !!! Melvin panek 7737464248 please call me
SHARON KAJIWARA 909-260-7538 says
i would like to redeem my american express rewards on this account – account ending 0-65006. please apply the funds $269.44 towards existing balance. thank you.
i have a number of different american express cards and i would like to redeem and apply to existing balance 43,207 on cards # 1-17001
card # 1-01001 also has rewards balance of 43,207.
card # 0-11003 also has the rewards balance as 43,207
card # 7-41006 also has a rewards balance of 43,207.00
card # 5-61005 has a rewards balance of 47,734.
all of the above if it is possible please apply all towards outstanding balance.
V. Demontef says
how do I redeem my everyday credit card reward points for Walmart gift card
or other gift cards?
V. Demonte
Gynell Alexander says
I want to purchase something on eBay. Can I use my AX points to pay for it?
kenneth lynn says
I have 134.94 of cash rewards. How do I get that back or is it just nothing I can do. Your site has no where I can go to redeem this money. Now if you can send me the money that’s fine. But if not then take it off my statement. You don’t need to have this on my statement if I cant redeem my money.Thank you for your help.
Barbara Schoenfeld says
I AGREE
Synthia Shaughnessy says
I have 30,938 points would like to convert these into general gift cards. How do I do this?
Carol Plesha says
I have 22,000+ reward points and would like to redeem them for general gift cards. Is that possible and if so how do I go about that?
JOHN says
I HAVE APPROX. 20,000 PTS. WANT HOME DEPOT GIFT CARDS.HOW DO I GET/?
Gerald l Berlik says
need to receive a rewards redemtion catolog.
Gerald l Berlik says
I want to receive a gift catolog for ordering gifts using awards points
harold c bell says
can i use my points to buy broadway show tickets
George N. Boulukos says
well then how can I use points for a vacation trip?
George N. Boulukos says
no required fields to be marked
David Bell says
I have over 52,000 Gold cards points, can I use them on a monthly statement
George Boulukos says
I want to use my points for a vacation trip…how can do that?
John Lindner says
Man- I am even more confused by your “blue cash rewards” than these other folks. If I had Tina Fey’s phone number I would call her and give her a chance to explain to me how this isn’t the worst deal in the world. You can’t even get to a simple screen that tells you how to redeem your cash. The ridiculously long and confusing explanation basically tells you that it’s called ‘cash rewards’ but if you want cash or credit on your account, you get ripped off– only partial credit. My statement doesn’t say anything about ‘points’ like many of these other confused people– it just says I have $147.15 in ‘blue cash rewards’. WHAT CAN I DO WITH IT AND HOW DO I DO IT?
Barbara Schoenfeld says
I agree I just want a very easy explanation on how to use my points. I have $244.77 in blue cash rewards.B
Mary Rezac says
I would like to cash my Blue Cash Rewards. How do I do it?
Curtis W Webb,Jr says
How can I receive a gift catalog for ordering gifts and using my points?
Mike Roberts says
Can I use my points to buy a bookcase from California Closets?
mburts says
I have over 200,000 points. How do I redeem them for gift cards?
peggy says
I have over 260,000 membership reward points. Is there a formula which will tell me how much that will equate to in dollars? If it is used for air travel, will it’s value differ between different airlines?
Mary Rita randal says
I have redeemed points for gift cards past two years. How do I accomplish this task now? I
robert p. smith says
I was under the impression that my Blue Card Rewards points could be applied, dollar for dollar, against my account balance on my credit card.. For instance, my pints presently total 51.43, and I would like to apply $50 to my credit card account balance. Is that possible and, if so, how do I accomplish it. Thank you.
Carl Robertson says
I have a Lowe’s business rewards for 118110 points and a AS A Visa signature account for 9509/points …can they be combined? And how?.
JANE E MORGAN says
I HAVE 139,884 POINTD CAN YOU TELL ME HOW MUCH MONEY DOES THAT COME TO
Joyce Marhevka says
I would like to know how many reward points I have,and how much money that comes to, and how I redeem them? Thank you!
Joyce Marhevka says
I would like to know how many reward points I have, and how much money does that come to, thank you!
Susan E. Hawkes says
I have 9,934 reward points. How do I redeem them for gift cards?
david hungerford says
i have 7263 points. how much cash value do they have. can they be cashed in?
meril sotski says
How do i redeem my points for gift cards ? Jan 5/2015
harry w widick says
how do I redeem points for gift cards
connie powell says
I am trying to redeem our rewards for gift cards. The program makes it very difficult to do this. Maybe it is just me but could you help me as to where to go to redeem our points. Thank You
Ann Phillipich says
I’m having the same problem as above. I want to redeem points for gift cards. However, it’s impossible to find the gift cards that are available. How do I access the list and how do I go about redeeming points for them. You make this way too difficult.
gil says
HI
I HAVE 78542 REWARD POINTS..HOW MUCH
WOULD BE CREDITEF TO MY CC ACCT
Martha Calvert says
Please tell me the dollar amount for 12,895 points on my American Express card. Thank you.
jan cates says
tell me the dollar amount for 24,609 points on my american express card
Janet H Cornetta says
Can I cash in my Membership Rewards points?
WILLIAM PINKERTON says
how do i cash in my BLUE CASH REWARDS
Martha R. Calvert says
How can I use my bonus points earned from my American Express charges?? My present amount on my American Express card is $709.52. At present I have earned 12,895 points. What would the dollar amount be for 12,895 points to apply to my order???