The American Express Membership Rewards program is one of the most popular credit card loyalty programs, and for good reason. With plenty of ways to make the most of your everyday spending, it’s a fun and flexible way to earn points and score free flights!

If you have an American Express credit card or want to learn how to really maximize this program, keep on reading. We’ll dive into the top tips and strategies and tell you the best ways to earn and redeem points.

American Express Membership Rewards Program – An Overview 

The American Express Membership Rewards program is one of the best credit card rewards programs that allows you to earn points on everyday purchases and redeem them for several flexible rewards, including flights, hotels, and statement credits. 

Points can be transferred to partner airline programs for better use and flexibility. You can transfer Membership Rewards points to Aeroplan and British Airways Avios 1:1. Take a look at the transferability of points to other rewards programs here. 

Now, the best way to earn MR points is by using an American Express credit card, like the Amex Cobalt and the American Express Platinum cards, which we'll get into more below.

How to Earn American Express Membership Rewards Points 

There are three main ways to earn Membership Rewards with American Express: 

American Express Credit Cards

The following credit cards earn you points on everyday purchases. Most of these cards offer a generous welcome bonus and other travel-related perks, such as access to airport lounges and annual travel credits. 

The Platinum Card from American Express

Best for: travel

Annual fee: $799

The Platinum Card is a top-tier American Express credit card with no pre-set spending limit. It is a great travel credit card with perks including $200 annual travel and dining credits, unlimited access to airport lounges all over the world, and travel insurance coverage. 

You can earn:

• 2x points on dining, food delivery, and travel purchases 

• 1x points on everything else 

• 1 additional point on Amex Travel Online 

See how you can make the most of the Amex Platinum card with Chexy. 

American Express Gold Rewards Card

Best for: spending on food and travel

Annual fee: $250

The American Express Gold Rewards card is another great travel rewards credit card. You get access to a $100 annual travel credit, 4 complimentary visits per year to Plaza Premium Lounges across Canada, and a host of travel insurance benefits. 

You earn:

• 2x points on dining, food delivery, and travel purchases 

• 1x points on everything else 

• 1 additional point on Amex Travel Online 

American Express Cobalt Card

Best for: everyday spending and overall best card in Canada 

Annual fee: $155.88 or $12.99 monthly 

The Amex Cobalt card is best for those who don’t travel often and want a credit card to earn points on everyday purchases. It offers travel insurance coverage and American Express cardholder benefits like Front Of The Line access and bonus rewards. 

You can earn:

• 5x points on dining and food delivery

• 3x points on streaming subscriptions 

• 2x points on transit and rideshare

• 1x points on everything else 

• 1 additional point on Amex Travel Online 

American Express Green Card

Best for: beginners and those who don’t want to pay an annual fee

The American Express Green Card is a basic, no-annual-fee credit card that earns you 1 point per dollar spent on everyday purchases, plus one additional point on Amex Travel Online. 

It doesn’t offer any travel insurance or many other benefits, but you still get access to the Membership Rewards program, shopping coverage, and American Express Experiences. If you want to avoid the fee but still get in on the action of earning points, this could be a great option. 

Business Platinum Card from American Express

Best for: business travellers

Annual fee: $799 

The Business Platinum card earns you 1.25x points per dollar spent on everything. There is no pre-set spending limit, and it offers full payment flexibility with up to 55 interest-free days. 

Other benefits include:

• Unlimited airport lounge access

• Up to $820 in annual statement credits 

• Business coverage

• Expense management reports and business servicing 

• Travel and shopping coverage 

American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card

Best for: Air Canada travellers

Annual fee: $599

The American Express Aeroplan Reserve card is one of the top travel credit cards if you often fly with Air Canada. This card earns you Aeroplan points on each purchase instead of MR points, plus some neat Air Canada perks.

You’ll earn:

• 3x Aeroplan points on Air Canada purchases

• 2x Aeroplan points on dining and food delivery 

• 1.25x Aeroplan points on everything else 

It comes with a host of travel benefits, including unlimited Maple Leaf lounge access, priority boarding, 1st checked bag free, shopping and travel coverage, and more. 

Amex Offers 

Another reason why we love American Express is the offers available to eligible cardholders. Amex Offers allows you to get cash back or bonus Membership Rewards points for specific purchases. 

Amex Offers reward you at the places you like to shop, dine, and travel. We’re always working on new offers, so check in regularly with the Amex App or your Online Account to find the Offers available to you. 

Refer-A-Friend Program 

Sharing is caring, and with American Express, that's no different. Amex has a great referral program–depending on your card, you can earn bonus Membership Rewards points, cash back, or a statement credit when friends and family use your referral link. 

You’ll need to log in here to see what you could earn for each approved referral. 

How to Redeem American Express Membership Rewards Points

Now, let's get into the good stuff and what you are here for. Below are all the ways you can redeem Membership Rewards points, including the best ways to redeem points so you get the most value out of the program. Use this Amex points value calculator to see all your redemption options. 

American Express Fixed Points Travel Program 

To redeem Amex Membership Rewards points for travel with the Fixed Points Travel program, you’ll need to book directly with Amex Travel. This is a straightforward way to redeem your points on flights, hotels, bundles, and car rentals. 

However, there are much better ways to redeem your points, including transferring them to other loyalty programs like Aeroplan and Marriott Bonvoy–more on this below. 

Membership Rewards points are worth 1.5 to 2 cents each when booking flights. For all other redemptions, they are worth about 0.7 cents each. 

To get the best value, try redeeming your points on flights, where you can earn up to 2 cents per point.

Photo by Alev Takil on Unsplash

Transfer to Partner Programs 

Transferring Amex Membership Rewards points to partner airlines gets you the best bang for your buck and is our recommendation for what you should spend your points on. 

These two partner airlines get you a 1:1 transfer ratio:

• Air Canada Aeroplan

• British Airways Executive Club

These four partner airlines get you a 1:0.75 transfer ratio:

• Air France KLM Flying Blue

• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

• Delta SkyMiles

• Ethiad Guest  

You can also transfer your Membership Rewards points for a 1:2 ratio at Hilton Honors and a 2:3 ratio at Marriott Bonvoy. 

Transferring points to Aeroplan, British Airways, and Air France KLM Flying Blue will give you the best value. 

Keep in mind that you can only transfer points to airline and hotel programs one way, and they cannot be transferred back. 

Statement Credit 

The fastest, easiest, and possibly the worst way (in our opinion) to redeem Membership Rewards points is for a statement credit. You’ll need to redeem a minimum of 1,000 points at a value of 1 cent per point. 

Though a simple redemption option, this is not the best way to maximize your points–you’re better off transferring them to a partner airline loyalty program. Just because an option looks easy and “makes sense” does not mean you should choose it. 

Other Ways to Redeem Points 

Other ways to redeem Amex Membership Rewards points include redeeming for merchandise and purchasing gift cards. However, the redemption options are often not great, and you won’t get the most value out of your points, do not choose this option. 

How to Maximize the Amex Membership Rewards Program 

Here are a few ways to get the best value out of this versatile rewards program. 

Use Multiple American Express Credit Cards 

For the most earning potential, look for American Express credit cards that offer an elevated number of points in categories you spend the most in. For example, if you spend a lot on dining out and food delivery, use the American Express Cobalt card to earn 5x the points on every dollar. 

If you travel often, use the Platinum Card to earn 2x the points on travel purchases. If you spend in both categories, why not apply for both credit cards? You don’t have to stick with just one–be strategic in using different credit cards for different purchases to earn points faster. 

Welcome Bonuses

Most American Express credit cards offer generous welcome bonuses just for signing up and spending a certain amount in the first few months of using the card.

For example, you could earn up to 100,000 bonus Membership Rewards points with the Platinum Card. All you need to do is spend $10,000 within the first 3 months (to earn 70,000 points) and make a purchase between 14 and 17 months of card membership (to earn 30,000 points). 

With rent being one of your largest monthly expenses, you can reach the welcome bonuses much faster by using your American Express credit card to pay your rent. You could easily earn 100,000 points within a few months and book your next vacation for free, maybe even fly business class.

Redeem Points for Travel 

Redeeming Membership Rewards points for flights at a partner airline like Air Canada and British Airways is by far the best way to maximize this program. As mentioned before, you can also transfer points 1:1 to some airline loyalty programs and use them on any flight when booking directly with the airline. 

Now that you know how to earn and redeem Amex Membership Rewards points for the best value, why not use your credit card to pay rent and earn points even faster? With Chexy, you can use your Amex card to pay rent and build your credit score while earning points that you can redeem for free flights, hotel stays, and more.

Pro tip: Sign up for an American Express card with a large welcome bonus, use Chexy to pay your rent, and you'll be on your way to earning up to 100,000 points and getting your next vacation for free. 

Get started with Chexy today. 

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FAQs

Do Amex points expire?

Amex Membership Rewards do not expire. 

Can I earn Amex Membership Rewards points with Rakuten? 

You can earn Amex Membership Rewards points instead of cash back with Rakuten only in the US. Unfortunately, it is not yet available in Canada. 

Learn more about earning Amex Membership Rewards points with Rakuten here.  

How much are 50,000 Amex points worth?

50,000 points are worth about $850. The value of points depends on how you are redeeming them. By far, the best way to redeem Amex points is with points and by transferring them to a partner airline program. 

Are there Air Miles American Express credit cards?

American Express used to have Air Miles co-branded credit cards, but as of September 2023, they have been discontinued. All cardholders were transferred to credit cards that earn American Express Membership Rewards points.