Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
American Express cards earn either Membership Rewards® points or cash back. Whether you're considering which type of card to get or looking to get the maximum value from your American Express points, you may be wondering how much American Express Membership Rewards points are worth.
As you'll see in detail below, American Express redemption options generally range between 0.5 cents and 1 cent per point. However, you can get much more value than that through American Express' many airline and hotel transfer partners.
How to earn Amex points
You earn Membership Rewards points by spending on eligible American Express rewards cards. The fastest way to accumulate American Express points is by earning the welcome bonus you'll receive after applying for a card and meeting the bonus offer requirements.
Some of the best travel cards for earning Amex points include:
- American Express Platinum Card®: You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $12,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership*.
- American Express® Gold Card: You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership*.
- American Express® Green Card: Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership
The American Express Platinum Card® is a premium card loaded with annual statement credits, entertainment benefits, extensive airport lounge access, elite status perks and more. (Enrollment required for select benefits mentioned)
- Access to 1,550+ airport lounges, including Priority Pass™ Select lounges (enrollment required) and Amex Centurion lounges
- Statement credit offers worth up to twice what the annual fee costs
- Elite status perks for hotels and rental cars (Enrollment required for select benefits mentioned)
- High annual fee
- Many statement credit offers are complicated and are earned in increments or limited to specific purchases
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $12,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you're approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you're approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Get more for your travels with 5X Membership Rewards® points on all flights and prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel®, including Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings. You earn 5X points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through American Express Travel® on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
- With over 1,550 airport lounges - more than any other credit card company on the market* - enjoy the benefits of the Global Lounge Collection®, over $850 of annual value, with access to Centurion Lounges, 10 complimentary Delta Sky Club® visits when flying on an eligible Delta flight (subject to visit limitations), Priority Pass Select membership (enrollment required), and other select partner lounges.* As of 07/2025.
- $200 Uber Cash + $120 Uber One Credit: With the Platinum Card® you can receive $15 in Uber Cash each month plus a bonus $20 in December when you add your Platinum Card® to your Uber account to use on rides and orders in the U.S when you select an Amex Card for your transaction. Plus, when you use the Platinum Card® to pay for an auto-renewing Uber One membership, you can get up to $120 in statement credits each calendar year. Terms apply.
- $300 Digital Entertainment Credit: Experience the latest shows, news and recipes. Get up to $25 in statement credits each month when you use your Platinum Card® for eligible purchases on Disney+, a Disney+ bundle, ESPN streaming services, Hulu, The New York Times, Paramount+, Peacock, The Wall Street Journal, YouTube Premium, and YouTube TV when you purchase directly from one or more of the providers. Enrollment required.
- $600 Hotel Credit: Get up to $300 in statement credits semi-annually on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection* bookings through American Express Travel® using the Platinum Card®. *The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
- $400 Resy Credit + Platinum Nights by Resy: Get up to $100 in statement credits each quarter when you use the Platinum Card® to make eligible purchases with Resy, including dining purchases at U.S. Resy restaurants. Enrollment required. Plus, with Platinum Nights by Resy, you can get special access to reservations on select nights at participating in demand Resy restaurants with the Platinum Card®. Simply add your eligible Card to your Resy profile to book and discover Platinum Nights reservations near you.
- $209 CLEAR+ Credit: CLEAR+ helps get you to your gate faster by using your face to verify you are you at 55+ airports nationwide. You can cover the cost of a CLEAR+ Membership* with up to $209 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for CLEAR+ with your Platinum Card®. *Excluding any applicable taxes and fees. Subject to auto-renewal.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, are charged by the airline to the Platinum Card® Account. American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details.
- Start your vacation sooner, and keep it going longer. When you book Fine Hotels + Resorts® through American Express Travel®, enjoy noon check-in, when available, and guaranteed 4PM check-out.
- $300 lululemon Credit: Enjoy up to $75 in statement credits each quarter when you use the Platinum Card® for eligible purchases at U.S. lululemon retail stores (excluding outlets) and lululemon.com. That's up to $300 in statement credits each calendar year. Enrollment required.
- $155 Walmart+ Credit: Receive a statement credit* for one monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) after you pay for Walmart+ each month with the Platinum Card®.* Up to $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Ups not eligible.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- $895 annual fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Balance transfer fee
N/A
Foreign transaction fee
None
The American Express Gold Card is great for earning valuable Membership Rewards® points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets.
- You can earn $400+ in dining and rideshare credits every year (Enrollment required for select benefits mentioned)
- Exceptionally rewarding for eligible restaurant and U.S. supermarket purchases
- No foreign transaction fees
- Larger annual fee
- Credits are more complicated, you earn them monthly or semi-annually
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 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 vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you're approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you're approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You'll know upfront exactly how much you'll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Foreign transaction fee
None
The American Express® Green Card is geared toward those who frequently travel and eat out often, but don't want to shell out on a premium card.
- Up to $199 credit for a CLEAR® Plus membership each year (subject to auto-renewal)
- Earns flexible rewards you can transfer to 20+ airline and hotel loyalty programs
- No foreign transaction fees
- $150 annual fee
- No ongoing non-travel statement credit offers
What's the value of Amex points for cash back?
American Express cardholders can redeem Membership Rewards points to offset card charges at a rate of 0.6 cents per point through Cover Your Card Charges. That's a pretty poor redemption rate for your American Express points, and yet this option still comes with several restrictions.
Not all charges are eligible for Cover Your Card Charges. To be eligible, the purchase must be at least $1 and have occurred in the U.S. or U.S. territory, and the charge must appear in your account under 'Recent Activity' or in your current statement. Partial redemptions aren't allowed, you'll need to have enough points to cover the entire purchase.
As if those aren't enough restrictions, you can't use Cover Your Card Charges to offset purchases if they exceed your latest statement balance. So, you'll need to wait until your statement posts, and you may still be limited on which charges you can cover. Also, note that you'll get a statement credit in your account that reduces your card balance — not cash back.
What's the value of Amex points for gift cards?
American Express Membership Rewards can be redeemed for an array of different gift cards. For many gift card options, you'll get 1 cent per point in value by redeeming points this way — or potentially more when there's a special offer.
However, not all redemptions are as valuable. Some redemption options yield only 0.7 or 0.85 cents per point. It depends on which retailer's gift card you are redeeming points for. For example, at the time of this writing, a $100 Best Western gift card costs 11,765 points, while you can get a $100 Delta Air Lines gift card for 14,286 points.
Worst of all, you'll only get 0.5 cents per point in value when redeeming points for American Express gift cards.
What's the value of Amex points for travel?
American Express cardholders generally get either 0.7 or 1 cent per point when using Membership Rewards points to pay for travel booked through the Amex Travel site — depending on what kind of travel you're purchasing. However, after factoring in a points rebate, certain American Express business cards can effectively get up to 1.54 cents per point toward eligible flights.
Booking flights with Amex points
The best value is found when booking flights through Amex Travel or when using points to upgrade your flight. In both cases, American Express cardholders can redeem points at 1 cent per point. This can be a useful redemption option, particularly for inexpensive flights:
Even better, certain American Express business cards can receive a points rebate when cardmembers use Pay With Points to book flights. To be eligible for the rebate, you must either book an economy flight on your selected qualifying airline or business or first class on any airline.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express cardmembers get a 35% points rebate, up to 1,000,000 points back per calendar year, on flights booked through Amex Travel with your selected qualifying airline. After factoring in the rebate, Amex Business Platinum cardmembers effectively get 1.54 cents per point in value.
The Business Platinum Card from American Express is a premium business card loaded with statement credit offers for business services and travel that help justify its steep annual fee.
- Access to 1,550 airport lounges, including Priority Pass (Enrollment required) and Amex Centurion lounges
- Hotel and rental car elite status perks
- Earns flexible rewards you can transfer to 20+ airline and hotel loyalty programs (Enrollment required for select benefits mentioned; Benefits may be subject to auto-renewal)
- High annual fee
- Limited bonus spending categories
- Some statement credit offers are earned in small increments or only apply to purchases from a single brand
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- As High As 300,000 points. Find Out Your Offer. You may be eligible for as high as 300,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $20,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
- The American Express Global Lounge Collection® can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,550 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card company on the market as of 07/2025.
- See how you can unlock over $4,000 in business and travel value annually after meeting qualifying spend thresholds on the Business Platinum Card. Terms apply.
- Get up to $300 in statement credits semi-annually for up to a total of $600 in statement credits per calendar year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using the Business Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
- No Preset Spending Limit: The spending limit on the Business Platinum Card is flexible, so unlike a traditional credit card with a set limit, the amount you can spend adapts based on factors such as your purchase, payment and credit history.
- Make the Business Platinum Card® work even harder for you. Hilton for Business members get up to $200 back per calendar year when you make an eligible purchase at Hilton properties across the globe. Gift cards are not an eligible purchase. Benefit enrollment required.
- Fly like a pro with a $200 Airline Fee Credit. Select one qualifying airline to receive up to $200 back per year on baggage fees and other incidentals.
- Use the Business Platinum Card and get up to $209 back per calendar year on your CLEAR+ Membership (subject to auto-renewal).
- Maximize your time away with Fine Hotels + Resorts through Amex Travel™.
- Enroll and get up to $150 in statement credits on U.S purchases directly with Dell Technologies on the Business Platinum Card and an additional $1,000 statement credit after you spend $5,000 or more on that same Card per calendar year.
- Enroll and get up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year on U.S. purchases of ChatGPT Business* on the Business Platinum Card. *Subject to auto-renewal.
- Enroll and get a $250 statement credit after you spend $600 or more on U.S. purchases directly with Adobe per calendar year on the Business Platinum Card.
- Get up to $90 in statement credits quarterly for purchases with Indeed on the Business Platinum Card. That's up to $360 back per year. Enrollment required.
- Get up to $10 in statement credits per month for wireless telephone service purchases made directly with a wireless provider in the U.S. on the Business Platinum Card. That's up to $120 back per year. Enrollment required.
- 2X points on purchases at U.S. construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more, up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year. Purchases eligible for multiple additional point bonuses will only receive the highest eligible bonus.
- 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com
- 1X points on other eligible purchases
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Once you book your flight — whether through American Express or not — you can use Membership Rewards points to upgrade your flight. The Upgrade with Points redemption option lets you use points to bid for an upgrade on over 20 airlines.
Booking hotels with Amex Points
One of the perks of holding the American Express Platinum Card® or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is access to luxury hotels via the Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR) program. By booking one of these hotels through Amex Travel, cardmembers get a slew of perks — including free breakfast, room upgrades, a $100 on-site credit, late checkout and more. Additionally, personal Amex Platinum cardholders get up to $600 back as statement credits per year for eligible prepaid FHR or The Hotel Collection bookings (Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay; Certain room categories are not eligible for upgrade).
Plus, if you use points to pay for an FHR booking, you can get a redemption rate of 1 cent per point. For all other hotel bookings through Amex Travel, almost all American Express cards get a redemption rate of 0.7 cents per point. That means 10,000 Membership Rewards points would cover $100 towards a stay at a Fine Hotels & Resorts property or $70 at another hotel booked through Amex Travel.
Booking other types of travel
American Express cardholders can also use points to book rental cars, cruises, vacations, and more through Amex Travel. For these types of redemptions, most American Express cardholders get a redemption rate of 0.7 cents per point.
That means 10,000 Membership Rewards points would cover $70 towards other types of travel booked through Amex Travel.
What's the value of Amex points for shopping online?
In addition to using points to Cover Your Card Charges, you can redeem points at checkout at several online retailers. With two exceptions noted below, the Pay With Points redemption option provides 0.7 cents per point in value.
That redemption rate is an ever-so-slightly better rate than the 0.6 cents per point that you get when using points to offset card charges. So, if you're planning on redeeming points through Cover Your Card Charges, it's worth seeing if you can make the purchase through one of the participating retailers and use Pay With Points instead.
You'll get a redemption rate of 0.7 cents per point when using points at checkout at the following retailers:
- Amazon
- Best Buy
- Dell.com
- Grubhub
- JustGiving
- Newegg
- NYC Taxi
- PayPal
- Rite Aid
- Seamless.com
- Staples
The only exception to this Pay with Points redemption rate is NYC Taxi (1 cent per point).
There's also an option to shop with Membership Rewards points. However, you'll only get 0.5 cents per point with this option, which is an even lower rate than what you'd get by redeeming for a statement credit.
The best use of Amex points: Membership Rewards transfer partners
So far, all the redemption options we've covered have provided no more than 1 cent per point in value. Yet, American Express Membership Rewards points are considered some of the most valuable points available. And that's because of American Express' valuable airline and hotel transfer partners.
You can transfer Amex points to 21 airline and hotel partners. With few exceptions, points transfer at a 1:1 ratio. American Express transfer partners include the following:
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Aeromexico Premier
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue
- ANA Mileage Club
- Avianca LifeMiles
- British Airways Executive Club
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Delta SkyMiles
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest
- Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
- Iberia Plus
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Singapore KrisFlyer
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- Choice Privileges
- Hilton Honors
- Marriott Bonvoy
Transfer partners are where the real value of Membership Rewards is found. For example, you can transfer 60,000 Membership Rewards points to Aeroplan to book a one-way business class award to Europe on United, Lufthansa, TAP Air Portugal or any other Star Alliance partner:
As of writing, that one-way business class flight between Newark and Lisbon on TAP is currently priced at over $2,400, meaning you'd be getting an amazing value of roughly 4 cents per point once you factor in the taxes and fees.
Or, transfer 90,000 Membership Rewards points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club to book a round-trip business class award on ANA from the U.S. West Coast to Japan.
Just keep in mind that not all of American Express' transfer partners are as valuable. Choice Privileges and Marriott Bonvoy points typically provide less than 1 cent per point in value. So, you'll generally want to avoid using points for these programs — unless you find a particularly valuable redemption or need to top off your account with a few more points.
Delta SkyMiles
As Delta uses dynamic award pricing, the value of SkyMiles is limited to an average value of around 1.2 cents per mile — although you can sometimes get a higher value than that. So, it's a good idea to check the cash price of any Delta flights before transferring miles. Consider booking cash flights through Amex Travel at 1 cent per point rather than transferring points to Delta SkyMiles to book an award flight. After all, you'll also earn SkyMiles and elite status credits when you use American Express points to buy a cash airfare.
However, for the right redemption, it can make sense to transfer points to Delta. After all, it's hard to beat paying as little as 4,000 points for a one-way award flight:
As of writing, that ticket costs $69, meaning you'd be getting nearly 1.6 cents per point with this redemption after factoring in taxes.
The worst uses of Amex points
The least-valuable American Express redemption options only provide 0.5 cents per point in value. As there are so many more valuable ways to use Membership Rewards points, these redemption options should be avoided:
- Excise Tax Offset Fee: American Express collects excise tax when you transfer points to U.S.-based airline mileage programs. You have the option to use points to cover this cost, but the redemption rate is only 0.5 cents per point. So, it's better to pay this excise tax out-of-pocket.
- American Express Gift Cards: The redemption rate for travel, retail and dining gift cards varies between 0.7 and 1.0 cents per point. However, you'll only get 0.5 cents per point when redeeming points for American Express gift cards.
- Shop with Membership Rewards Points: You can buy various merchandise products directly from American Express through the Shop with Membership Rewards Points website. However, you'll only get a value of 0.5 cents per point. So, it's better to purchase merchandise directly and use Cover Your Card Charges to get 0.6 cents per point. Or, you can Pay With Points at Checkout at Amazon, Best Buy, and other retailers at 0.7 cents per point.
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Bottom line
For most redemption options, American Express Membership Rewards points are worth no more than 1 cent per point. And some redemptions only provide 0.5 cents per point in value.
However, by maximizing American Express' airline and hotel transfer partners, you can get much more value than this — whether it's booking domestic Delta flights from 4,000 miles each way or a one-way business class trip to Europe for 60,000 miles. These redemptions are often much more valuable.
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Read more
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express Platinum Card®, click here.
For rates and fees of the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees for the Business Platinum card for Amex, click here.
For rates and fees for the American Express® Green Card, click here.
*The American Express Platinum Card® and The American Express® Gold Card Welcome Offer: To view your personalized offer, you must first submit an application. If approved, you will: (1) receive your Welcome Offer details, (2) have the option to accept the Card with that offer, (3) be required to spend at least $8,000 ($12,000 for the Platinum) on eligible purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership, and (4) earn Membership Rewards® points. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
