The value of American Express Membership Rewards points will vary depending on how you redeem them. They can be used for travel, cash back, card charges, gift cards, and at checkout with select retailers.
The easiest value comes from redeeming them for travel booked through American Express Travel in which your points will be worth 1 cent apiece. If you're looking to maximize your value, you can transfer your points to AMEX's airline and hotel partners which can give your points as much as 2 cents or more in value.
How to earn AMEX points
There's a small handful of ways to earn Membership Rewards points, but the primary route is to use American Express Membership Rewards credit cards. You can also earn points using Rakuten Rewards as well as through offers through American Express (such as signing up for a Business Checking account).
Earning Membership Rewards points using credit cards
American Express offers a large selection of credit cards that you can use to earn Membership Rewards points. For every $1 spent across these cards, you will earn 1 Membership Rewards point along with bonus points based on any multipliers the card has.
Here are our picks for the best American Express credit cards for earning Membership Rewards points:
Credit Card | Highlights |
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Best For Lounge Access & Luxury Travel
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Best For Restaurants & U.S. Supermarkets
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Best For Lounge Access & Luxury Business Travel
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Best For Business Rewards
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Best For Small Business & Miscellaneous Purchases
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Earning Membership Rewards points using Rakuten Rewards
Rakuten Rewards is a free-to-use cash back portal and shopping rewards website portal that hosts thousands of affiliate links. When you click on an affiliate link, that retailers website is opened in a new window/tab and you can shop as normal.
Once you make a purchase, Rakuten is notified and you'll receive a small percentage of the money that they earn off that purchase. If you have a Membership Rewards credit card, you will get paid in Membership Rewards points instead of cash back.
If you shop online often, you can easily earn tens of thousands of Membership Rewards points throughout the year — especially with all of the annual promos that have which can earn you 10X points per $1 spent and more.
Sign up for free through The Point Calculator and you'll earn $30 the first time you use it. Once you sign up, be sure to switch your reward preference to Membership Rewards points!
AMEX points value
The value of American Express Membership Rewards points can vary depending on how they are redeemed. These points can be used directly with American Express or transferred to their airline and hotel partners, providing flexibility in how they are used. As a result, the value of these points is not fixed and can vary depending on the redemption method chosen.
Membership Rewards points offer an easy range of 0.5 cents to 1 cent in value per point meaning that you can redeem 10,000 points for a value of $50 to $100 with no effort. Higher redemption values will either require a certain combination of Membership Rewards credit cards or research on which transfer partners offer the best bang for your points.
Here's our breakdown of AMEX points value based on redemption:
Redemption option | AMEX points value (in cents) |
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Point transfers to airline partners | 1.2 - 2 |
Point transfers to hotel partners | 0.4 - 1 |
Booking flights through American Express Travel | 1 - 2 |
Booking Fine Hotels & Resorts | 1 |
Booking other travel through American Express Travel | 0.7 |
Paying with points at checkout | 0.7 |
Using points for card charges (statement credit) | 0.6 |
Redeeming points for gift cards | 0.5 - 1 |
How to calculate the value of AMEX points
The value you get out of your Membership Rewards points when redeeming them directly with AMEX are pretty much set in stone, but the value you get when transferring points to AMEX's airline and hotel partners will heavily vary.
You can calculate the value of your Membership Rewards points by dividing the cash cost of a redemption by the number of points required.
AMEX Points Value = Cash Cost of Redemption ÷ Points Required.
For example, if you were to transfer 80,000 Membership Rewards points to one of AMEX's airline partners to redeem them for a $1,200 flight, your points would be worth 1.5 cents each. This is because $1,200 divided by 80,000 points is $0.015.
If you need to calculate the value of a redemption, use our Membership Rewards Points Redemption Value Calculator.
Redeeming AMEX points for the best value
You will get the best value out of Membership Rewards points when transferring them to AMEX's airline partners. You can also get solid value transferring points to select hotel partners and redeeming them for travel directly through American Express Travel.
AMEX Point transfers to airline partners
Transferring Membership Rewards points to airline partners will give your points a value of about 1.2 to 2 cents per point depending on the airline and how they are redeemed. You'll get the highest value when aiming for premium, First, and Business class cabins after transferring your points.
Here's a few of the best options when it comes to transferring Membership Rewards points to airline partners:
- Delta Airlines: Delta offers great promotion sales from time to time that can net you some fantastic value when redeeming SkyMiles. They also have great deals on short-haul, one-way flights throughout the United States.<
- Virgin Atlantic: Virgin offers great award redemption flying from U.S. West Coast to Asia and from U.S. East Coast to Europe. You can also use them to book Delta One flights at a cheaper cost than using Delta's own SkyMiles.
- British Airways: British Airways' award chart is based on distance which makes Avios fantastic for short-haul trips. This especially holds true for booking short-haul trips with American Airlines and Alaska Airlines using Avios such as a flight between the West Coast and Hawaii for example.
- Singapore Airlines: While there are many sweet spots with Singapore Airlines, they are most known for their premium in-air First Class Suites which (if you can find award space) will offer exceptional value.
- Air France-KLM: The Flying Blue program provides great value when flying between the U.S. and European destinations. They also have monthly promos to select cities that can net you some serious value.
AMEX point transfers to hotel partners
When transferring Membership Rewards Points to American Express hotel partners, you can expect an average value of around 0.4 to 1 cent per point. While this is significantly lower than the value airline partners offer on average, it is possible to get higher value when booking high-end resorts or hotels in popular destinations (e.g. Maldives, Bora Bora, islands, beaches, etc).
Here are few of the best hotel transfer partners for Membership Rewards:
- Marriott Bonvoy: There are many sweet spots in the Marriott Bonvoy program. This will typically be Marriott's lower end hotels (e.g. Category 1-2) and Marriott's high-end hotels (Category 7-8) which can offer anywhere between 1 and 2 cents per point.
- Choice Privileges: Choice Points provide a solid value when booking stays in expensive cities, particularly European cities such as London in which you can easily squeeze 1 cent or more out of your points. Choice is also great for when you're visiting cities that are "off the beaten path" as there are many instances of cities in which Choice is the only option with no other major brand anywhere in the vicinity.
Booking flights through AMEX Travel
When you redeem your Membership Rewards Points for airfare through the American Express Travel, they will have a value of 1 cent each. This means a $300 flight would cost you 30,000 Membership Rewards Points to cover it.
The exception to this is by using The Business Platinum Card® from American Express which offers a 35% rebate. This rebate gives you 35% of your points back (about a month later) on bookings through American Express Travel which bumps up the value of your points to 1.54 cents each.
If you've built up a lot of points and you want an easy way to redeem them for fantastic value, grabbing up the Business Platinum is a route to take.
AMEX Travel hotel redemptions
You can use Membership Rewards Points to book hotel stays through the American Express Travel Portal. You'll get 1 cent per point booking Fine Hotels & Resorts and 0.7 cents per point for all other redemptions.
- Fine Hotels & Resorts: If you have a personal or business version of the Platinum Card, you'll be able to book stays through Fine Hotels & Resorts. Room upgrades, daily breakfast for two people, guaranteed 4pm late check-out, noon check-in, complimentary Wi-Fi, and a unique property amenity, such as a spa or food & beverage credit comes with Fine Hotels & Resorts reservations.
- The Hotel Collection: The Hotel Collection is available to personal and business cardholders of Platinum and Gold cards. You'll receive a $100 hotel credit to spend on qualifying dining, spa, and resort activities and can also receive a room upgrade at check-in if available for The Hotel Collection reservations.
Upgrade with points
Membership Rewards Points can be used to place an offer towards a seat upgrade with more than 20 airlines.
After you've purchased your ticket with a participating airline, you can jump to the American Express Travel Site to enter your reservation details. If the itinerary is eligible for an upgrade, you can then use points to make an offer.
You will find out where or not the offer has been granted usually within 5 days of the flight.
Pay with Points
The Pay With Points program allows you to redeem your points at checkout with top retailers. This will give you 0.7 cents in value per point with the majority of the listed partners.
While not the best use of points, it's nice to have an option that can help the cost off your bill at checkout. The option to pay with Points will typically appear if you have a Membership Rewards credit card attached to your account.
Card charges and statement credits
Membership Rewards Points can be redeemed towards card charges for a value of 0.6 cents per point. You can use your points to cover card charges made to any of your Membership Rewards credit cards regardless of how the points were obtained.
When redeeming your Membership Rewards Points, AMEX allows you to pick which charges you want to cover using your points. If you do not have enough points to cover the charge, it will not allow you to use partial points to cover it.
Very rarely, AMEX will offer promotions in which you can redeem points for 1 cent each for statement credits. I've only seen this a handful of times, so don't count on it too much.
Gift cards
Membership Rewards Points can be redeemed for over 90 different gift cards consisting of restaurants, retail stores, entertainment and more. The value you get out of redeeming your points for gift cards will range between 0.5 cents and 1 cent in value.
Shop with points
You can use Membership Rewards Points to shop the Membership Rewards store. It features a range of departments such as technology, home & office, sports & games, and more.
It also has brand name products from top companies such as Apple, Sony, and Google. Redeeming your AMEX points through the shopping portal will give them a value of 0.5 cents each which is one of the lowest redemption values for Membership Rewards Points.
Unless you find a deal within the Membership Rewards store, you would be better off using your card to make the purchase and then using points to cover the card charges.
Calculator: Convert AMEX points to dollars
Use the AMEX Points Value Calculator to estimate the average dollar value of your points based on our valuations. This will give you an idea of how much your points are worth on average.
AMEX Points Value Calculator
Redemption | Average Dollar Value |
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Transferring points to airline partners | $0 to $0 |
Transferring points to hotel partners | $0 to $0 |
AMEX Travel airfare via Business Platinum Card's 35% rebate | $0 |
All other AMEX Travel airfare bookings | $0 |
AMEX Travel hotels through Fine Hotels & Resorts | $0 |
All other AMEX Travel hotel bookings | $0 |
Pay with Points at checkout | $0 |
Card charges & statement credits | $0 |
Gift cards | $0 - $0 |
Shopping portal | $0 |
Calculator: AMEX points redemption value
Use the Membership Rewards Points Redemption Value Calculator to determine if a redemption is worth it based on the cost in cash and the cost in points. Try to aim for redemptions that gives you at least 1 cent per point (though you should strive for higher if possible).
FAQs
How much are AMEX Membership Rewards Points worth?
American Express Points have a value range of 0.5 to 1 cent each when redeemed with American Express. They can be worth significantly more when transferred to airline and hotel partners.
What's the best way to redeem AMEX Membership Rewards Points?
The best way to redeem points for maximum value is by transferring them to AMEX's airline and hotel partners. This can give you more than the 1 cent in value you would get redeeming them through American Express.
How much are 10,000 AMEX Points worth?
The value of 10,000 AMEX Points ranges from $50 to $100 when redeemed through American Express, but can be worth as much as $200 when transferred to a frequent flyer partner.
How much are 20,000 AMEX Points worth?
The value of 20,000 AMEX Points ranges from $100 to $200 when redeemed through American Express, but can be worth as much as $400 when transferred to a frequent flyer partner.
How much are 30,000 AMEX Points worth?
The value of 30,000 AMEX Points ranges from $150 to $300 when redeemed through American Express, but can be worth as much as $600 when transferred to a frequent flyer partner.
How much are 40,000 AMEX Points worth?
The value of 40,000 AMEX Points ranges from $200 to $400 when redeemed through American Express, but can be worth as much as $800 when transferred to a frequent flyer partner.
How much are 50,000 AMEX Points worth?
The value of 50,000 AMEX Points ranges from $250 to $500 when redeemed through American Express, but can be worth as much as $1,000 when transferred to a frequent flyer partner.
How much are 60,000 AMEX Points worth?
The value of 60,000 AMEX Points ranges from $300 to $600 when redeemed through American Express, but can be worth as much as $1,200 when transferred to a frequent flyer partner.
How much are 75,000 AMEX Points worth?
The value of 75,000 AMEX Points ranges from $375 to $750 when redeemed through American Express, but can be worth as much as $1,500 when transferred to a frequent flyer partner.
How much are 80,000 AMEX Points worth?
The value of 80,000 AMEX Points ranges from $400 to $800 when redeemed through American Express, but can be worth as much as $1,600 when transferred to a frequent flyer partner.
How much are 100,000 AMEX Points worth?
The value of 100,000 AMEX Points ranges from $500 to $1,000 when redeemed through American Express, but can be worth as much as $2,000 when transferred to a frequent flyer partner.