What's the average value of Membership Rewards points earned with AMEX Australia? The answer: 0.5 cents per point. Every 10,000 AMEX points are worth about $50 in cash value.
You can obtain higher than average value by transferring your points to AMEX's airline and hotel partners. This can give you as much as 2 cents per point in value with certain airline partners, specifically when booking First and Business class flights.
Here's our valuations for American Express Membership Rewards points:
| Redemption options | Redemption value (in cents) |
|---|---|
| Point transfers to partners | 0.5 - 2 |
| Booking travel through AMEX, Helloworld, and Webjet | 0.5 |
| Gift card redemptions | 0.5 |
| Cover credit card charges | 0.5 |
| Shop with points for David Jones, PayPal, and SafeKey | 0.5 |
Point transfers to partners: 0.5 cents to 2 cents per point.
Membership Rewards Points can be transferred to up to 13 partners consisting of airlines and hotels. The transfer ratio for most partners are 2:1 meaning that transferring 2,000 Membership Rewards Points will give you 1,000 miles/points.
Transferring your Membership Rewards points to AMEX's airline partners will generally give you the best value. This is because 2 Membership Rewards Points, worth 1 cent on average, can be converted to 1 airline mile which has the chance to be worth more than 1 cent in value depending on the redemption.
As an example, let's look at a flight between Perth and Brisbane for Economy. The cash cost of flights during early spring start at $249.99 while the cost in Velocity points are 21,900 Velocity points plus $36.34 or, if you wish to pay in all points, 28,100 Velocity points.
The Points + Pay would require you to transfer 42,000 Membership Rewards points. This redemption would get your points a value of 0.61 which is better than the standard 0.5 cents per point.
If you decided to pay in all points, you would need to transfer 56,200 Membership Rewards points to get 28,100 Velocity points. This redemption would give your points 0.52 cents per point which is pretty close to average value.
For this particular flight, business class would give your Membership Rewards points a whopping 1.9 cents per point for Points + Pay and 1.6 cents per point if you decided to pay in all points.
Learn More: AMEX AU Transfer Partners Conversion Calculator
American Express Travel: 0.5 cents per point.
Membership Rewards Points can be redeemed on the American Express Travel Portal for flights, hotels, cruises and car rentals. Do note that you'll need to redeem a minimum of 1,000 points. You can book your travel using all points or you can book with a combination of points and an American Express credit card.
Booking travel with Helloworld: 0.5 cents per point.
You can use your Membership Rewards Points to book travel through Helloworld. This is done by visiting a local Helloworld Travel branch in-person and using your points.
Every 20,000 Membership Rewards points you redeem $100 worth of travel which is a value of 0.5 cents per point. You can book using all points or a combination of points and payment when booking travel with Helloworld.
Booking travel with Webjet: 0.5 cents per point.
You can redeem Membership Rewards Points towards flights with Webjet which gives your points a value of 0.5 cents per point. You can redeem 20,000 Membership Rewards Points for $100 worth of travel.
Gift card redemptions: 0.5 cents per point.
Membership Rewards Points can be redeemed for physical and digital gift cards with over 30 retailers. Redemptions start at 3,000 points for a $15 gift card which will give your points a value of 0.5 cents apiece.
The available gift card denominations will vary depending on the retailer, but most feature your standard $25, $50, and $100 denominations.
| Value | Points Needed |
|---|---|
| $15 | 3,000 Points |
| $25 | 5,000 Points |
| $50 | 10,000 Points |
| $100 | 20,000 Points |
| $250 | 50,000 Points |
| $500 | 100,000 Points |
Use points to credit your card: 0.5 cents per point.
Membership Rewards points can be used to wipe away charges made to your eligible Membership Rewards credit cards. Once a transaction posts to your account, you can redeem them starting at a minimum of $1,000 Membership Rewards Points which is worth a $5 credit.
Points can also be used to pay for your card's annual fee or towards the Membership Rewards fee for Ascent. This is at the same rate of 0.5 cents per point.
Shop with points: 0.5 cents per point.
The Shop with Points program allows you to use your points for purchases with several retailers.
David Jones: Every 1,000 Membership Rewards points you redeem will equal 5 dollars with David Jones. You must redeem a minimum of 3,000 points ($15).
PayPal: Every 1,000 Membership Rewards points you redeem will equal 5 dollars with PayPal.
SafeKey: When you use your Membership Rewards credit card to pay with a retailer that uses SafeKey, you'll have the option to pay with points. Every 1,000 Membership Rewards points you redeem will equal 5 dollars online. SafeKey partners include:
- MYER
- Apple Rewards Store
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Singapore Airlines
- Travel Associates
- TravelPay
- Chemist Warehouse
NOTE: Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines are direct transfer partners of the Membership Rewards program. You can also transfer points to Qatar Privilege Club and then convert those to British Airways Avios.
Transferring your points to Cathay, Singapore, and British Airways (via Qatar) may yield significantly higher value than 0.5 cents per point, so be sure double check the award flights before committing to using Shop with Points for these airlines.
AMEX points to dollars
Use the AMEX Points Value Calculator to determine the average dollar value of Membership Rewards Points earned with AMEX Australia. This will give you an idea of how much your points are worth on average.
| Redemption options | Redemption value |
|---|---|
| Transfer To Partners | $0 - $0+ |
| AMEX Travel, Webjet, Helloworld | $0 |
| Gift Cards | $0 |
| Ticketmaster, David Jones | $0 |
| Use Points For Purchases | $0 |
Average Cash Value
These are the average cash values for Membership Rewards Points when used for travel, gift cards, and other redemptions at a value of 0.5 cents per point:
| AMEX Points | Cash Value (AUD) |
|---|---|
| 1,000 Points | $5 |
| 2,000 Points | $10 |
| 5,000 Points | $25 |
| 10,000 Points | $50 |
| 20,000 Points | $100 |
| 50,000 Points | $250 |
| 100,000 Points | $500 |
How to earn Membership Rewards points
American Express offers a small handful of credit cards you can use to earn Membership Rewards points. Here are those cards:
| Credit Card | Card Details |
|---|---|
Luxury Travel & Global Lounge Access
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
How much are AMEX Australia Membership Rewards Points worth?
Points are worth 0.5 cents per point for most redemptions.
What can you redeem AMEX Australia Membership Rewards Points for?
Points can be redeemed for travel through the AMEX Travel Portal, Webjet, and Helloworld. You can also use them for gift cards, card charges, to pay at checkout with retailers, and transfer them to airline and hotel partners.
What's the best use of AMEX Australia Membership Rewards Points?
The best value will usually be obtained by transferring your points to AMEX's airline partners. You can typically get 1 cent or more in value through point transfers.
