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You know we love our flexible points, and American Express Membership Rewards® are no exception. I recently transferred Membership Rewards® to British Airways to travel to London. It was easy to transfer my points and then book a ticket.

American Express offers several credit cards that earn Membership Rewards®. American Express Membership Rewards® are similar to Chase Ultimate Rewards®. Here are some things you need to know about American Express Membership Rewards® credit cards.

• One of the most important things to remember about American Express Membership Rewards® cards is you can usually only earn each welcome offer once. Because of the once-per-lifetime rule, make sure you apply when the welcome offer is high.

• Although many of the cards have an annual fee, it’s typically offset by some pretty amazing rewards and welcome offers. Most benefits are offered per calendar year. I like the Platinum Card® from American Express so much that it will always be in my wallet. More on that later.

We talk about American Express Membership Rewards® in Podcast #47—Breaking Down AMEX. Listen for more info.

Transfer Partners

American Express airline and hotel transfer partners include:

• Aer Lingus
• AeroMexico
• Air Canda
• Air France/KLM
• ANA
• Avianca
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Delta
• Emirates
• Etihad
• Iberia
• JetBlue
• Qantas
• Qatar
• Singapore
• Virgin Atlantic
• Choice Hotels
• Hilton Hotels
• Marriott Hotels

Not every transfer is 1:1, but many are. Additionally, there are often transfer bonuses so you can earn more miles and points for your Membership Rewards.

The Platinum Card® from American Express

This is my personal favorite American Express Card. Yes, it has a high annual fee of $695, but it also has some really great benefits that make up for that high fee. You can read my review of this card here. It lists all the great benefits, too. I think this is a card I will always have in my wallet.

For rates and fees of the The Platinum Card® from American Express, see Rates and Fees; terms apply. 

With the Platinum Card® from American Express, you may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers may vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

Apply, and if approved:

1. Find out your offer amount
2. Accept the Card with your offer
3. Spend $8,000 in 6 months
4. Receive the points

American Express® Gold Card

Another popular card, the American Express® Gold Card, has an annual fee of $325, but like the Platinum Card® from American Express, it has several benefits that help offset that fee. You can read our full review of that card here.

For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, see Rates and Fees; terms apply.

With the American Express® Gold Card, you may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers may vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

Apply, and if approved:

1. Find out your offer amount
2. Accept the Card with your offer
3. Spend $6,000 in 6 months
4. Receive the points

All information about American Express® Gold Card from American Express has been collected independently by Travel Mom Squad. American Express® Gold Card is no longer available through Travel Mom Squad.

If you are interested in the American Express® Green Card, you will want to apply for those before applying for the American Express® Gold Card. American Express now has a specific family language requiring you to get them in a certain order, or you will be locked out of the welcome offer.

The American Express® Gold card gives you 4x on groceries and restaurants which can add up!

American Express® Green Card

I would only apply for the American Express® Green Card if I wanted to earn more American Express Membership Rewards®, as I find it difficult to offset the $150 annual fee. It does come with up to $209 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for CLEAR Plus® with your card.

For rates and fees of the American Express® Green Card , see Rates and Fees; terms apply.

All information about American Express® Green Card from American Express has been collected independently by Travel Mom Squad. American Express® Green Card is no longer available through Travel Mom Squad.

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has an annual fee of $695, but it also has some really great benefits that make up for that high fee. You can read about the benefits that come with this card here. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is one that both my husband and I have had.

For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, see Rates and Fees; terms apply.

All information about The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has been collected independently by Travel Mom Squad. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is no longer available through Travel Mom Squad.

American Express® Business Gold Card

The American Express® Business Gold Card is another great option for earning American Express Membership Rewards®, and the annual fee is $375.  My favorite benefit is earning up to $20 in statement credits monthly when using my Business Gold Card for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and office supply stores (enrollment required). I use mine for treats from Grubhub, of course!

For rates and fees of The American Express® Business Gold Card, see Rates and Fees; terms apply.

All information about American Express® Business Gold Card from American Express has been collected independently by Travel Mom Squad. The American Express® Business Gold Card is no longer available through Travel Mom Squad.

Business Green Rewards Card from American Express

I’ve never had the Business Green Rewards Card as the welcome offer is typically not very high, but the annual fee is only $95.

For rates and fees of The Business Green Rewards Card from American Express, see Rates and Fees; terms apply.

All information about the Business Green Rewards Card from American Express has been collected independently by Travel Mom Squad. The Business Green Rewards Card from American Express is no longer available through Travel Mom Squad.

American Express Referral Bonuses

A great way to earn more Membership Rewards® is to refer others, including your spouse, friends, and family members. I love that once you have a card that earns Membership Rewards®, you can often refer for other cards that earn Membership Rewards® (even if it’s a card you don’t currently hold). Here’s how to do that:

• Once you sign in, you will see a screen that looks like this:

• Click on the blue button that says “refer now.” You will get the following screen:

• You can refer someone by email or send them a personalized link. You can even post that link on Facebook to entice all your friends to sign up and earn more referral points.

Redeeming American Express Membership Rewards®

Here are all the ways you can redeem your Membership Rewards®. You’ll often get the most value from transferring them to partners and booking travel directly with those partners. If you want maximum value, don’t fall for the ease of covering your card charges, paying with points at checkout, or redeeming your points for gift cards.

Sharing Points

Unfortunately, American Express does not allow you to share points with friends or other household members unless they are an authorized user on one of your accounts. An additional card must be issued to the authorized user at least 90 days prior to linking your Membership Rewards® account to that authorized user’s partner program account. Because I am an authorized user on one of my husband’s cards, he can share or transfer his Membership Rewards® to me. 

Points Expiration

You don’t have to worry about this if you have at least one card that earns Membership Rewards® open. I have no plans to close my Gold and Platinum cards, so this is a non-issue for me. 

American Express Offers

American Express Offers are offers that are particular to a certain American Express cards. It may be something like, “Save $40 on a $200 Marriott stay” or something similar. You have to add these to your card and then use that card for your purchase. Once you’ve met the requirements of the offer, you’ll earn a statement credit for the amount of the offer. I have saved a lot of money with these offers, and they are worth checking out. Here’s some of what is currently offered on my Platinum card.

Bottom Line

Membership Rewards® are one of our favorite flexible currencies. We have used these rewards for much of our international travel.  If you like to travel on the partner airlines listed, like Delta, these cards are definitely for you!

Let us know if you have more questions about American Express Membership Rewards® or how to use them. We are always happy to help you through the process!

Related Posts

Podcast #47 Breaking Down AMEX

How to Transfer American Express Membership Rewards® to Airline and Hotel Partners

Review of The Platinum Card® from American Express

American Express Family Language

What Can You Do with 75K American Express Membership Rewards®?