American Express Membership Rewards program is a loyalty program. This is a program by American Express to reward its credit card customers for their purchases. The program provides cardholders with an opportunity to earn points. These points are called Membership Rewards Points. These points are awarded for spending every dollar on the American Express credit card. Members can redeem these membership reward points for a wide range of rewards, including travel, merchandise, and statement credits.
American Express is one of the largest financial companies and global payment networks. It began as a freight forwarding company in 1850. In the late 19th century, American Express introduced financial products and travel services to their customers. They were one of the first companies to offer charge cards in 1958.
Benefits of the American Express Membership Rewards
The American Express Membership Rewards program is one of the largest reward programs. Here are some of the benefits of the American Express Membership Rewards program:
Flexibility
Firstly, it is very easy for Cardmembers to earn Membership Rewards points. There are no specific categories to remember or changing categories every month or quarter. American Express usually rewards 1 Membership Reward point for every dollar spent. Business credit cards may offer 2 Membership Reward points for each dollar. This easy and simple structure of earning points makes it easy and attractive to use.
This program does not have specific bonus categories. They do offer occasional promotions and bonus point offers. As a cardmember, they need to keep an eye out for these offers. These offers can provide a great opportunity to earn extra Membership rewards points.
High-Value Rewards
Membership Reward programs offer some of the most valuable rewards in the credit card industry. Cardmembers can redeem their points for bigger rewards, such as premium flights or luxury hotels. They also have a dedicated Amextravel and concierge.
Unlike many other travel reward programs, American Express has no blackout dates. Cardmembers can book travel whenever they want, without having to worry about availability.
Exceptional and High-Quality Customer Service
American Express has a reputation for providing excellent customer service. So cardholders can feel confident that they’ll be taken care of if they have any issues. Centurion Credit card from American Express offers a personal concierge. Members can use this personal concierge for booking travels, dining reservations in select restaurants, order flowers or gifts for a loved one.
Finally, American Express also has a Platinum Travel desk, especially for Platinum Card customers.
Redeem Membership Rewards
Book Travels through Amex Travel
Members can visit amextravel.com or call the American Express travel team. They can book their next flight, vacation package, or cruise. Cardmembers can also use Pay with Points to book prepaid cars or book prepaid hotels. Alternatively, they can pay a part or the entire travel with their Membership Rewards points. Finally, they can also enjoy an average discount of 10% when they use points on an eligible Insider Fare from over 40 airlines.
When the cardmembers use points to book travel through the Membership Rewards point, the full dollar amount is charged to the credit card. In the next 48 hours, the points redeemed will appear as a credit in the card’s account automatically.
Members also have access to exclusive American Express Travel programs. These programs bring extra value to the trip. They can explore lower fares on International First, Business, and Premium Economy seats. American Express also has an International Airline Program. This Program offers better rates using Platinum Credit Cards. Finally, card Members can also get great deals on seat upgrades on participating airlines.
Cardmembers also get exclusive offers on their Centurion, Platinum, or Gold American Express Credit Card. They also get additional rewards if they book in the “Fine Hotels + Resorts” and “The Hotel Collection”. They earn rewards like complimentary breakfast, late 4 pm checkouts, or statement credits. In order to qualify, these travels need to be booked on an eligible American Express Card. These offers are eligible only for customers based in the USA.
International Airlines Program
Cardmembers will get more Membership Rewards points when they book through the international airline program. This program is available on International First, Business, and Premium Economy Class tickets booked through American Express Travel. More than 20 participating world-class international airlines. Non-refundable American Express service fee of $39 (per ticket) applies to each ticket.
They can earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on airfare when they pay with their Platinum Card. Alternatively, they get 35% Membership Rewards points back after they use points for all or part of an eligible flight booked with Amex Travel. These programs can be awarded up to 500,000 points back per calendar year.
Pay With Points At Checkout
Cardmembers can use Membership Rewards points to pay at the checkout when purchasing online. Pay with Points can help card members cover all or part of the purchase. Cardmembers can Log in to their account directly online or on the Amex Mobile app to select the charges they want to cover with points.
Gift Cards
Cardmembers can also convert their Membership Reward points to Gift Cards. They can choose from over 80 brands or an American Express Gift Card.
Transfer Membership Rewards to partner programs
American Express also has partnerships with several airlines and hotels. Members can transfer their Membership Rewards points directly to the airmiles or to the rewards program of a hotel of their choice. Cardholders can transfer their Membership Rewards points to these programs for even more options and greater value.
Again, for most of the partner loyalty programs,1,000 Membership rewards points will equal 1,000 miles, points, or credits. A few exceptions are Aeromexico (1000 MR = 1600 miles), Hilton Honors (1000 MR = 2000 HH points), and JetBlue (250 MR = 200 miles). Members have to pay a federal excise tax depending on the points redeemed.
Centurion Lounge
Centurion Lounges are American Express lounges at 40+ locations. These lounges are exclusive lounges for American Express members for Platinum and Centurion Credit Card customers. Eligible Card Members can escape into luxury before flying, enjoy food and drink from award-winning chefs and top mixologists in these Lounges.
Limitations of the American Express Membership Rewards Program
American Express is not widely accepted outside of the United States as other card networks, so international travel can be more challenging. In comparison, Visa and Mastercard are quite widely accepted. Card members may find it difficult to use their American Express credit cards.
American Express cards often have higher fees than other credit cards, including annual fees and foreign transaction fees. This can offset some of the benefits of the rewards program.
While American Express has partnerships with several airlines and hotels, transfer restrictions may apply, making it difficult to transfer rewards to these programs. Additionally, transfer ratios may not always be favorable, which can limit the value of the rewards. American Express does not allow the Frequent Flyer miles or hotel points to be transferred to Membership reward points.
Unlike some other reward programs that offer bonus points for purchases in specific categories, such as travel or dining, American Express Membership Rewards only offers points on all purchases, without any bonuses.