Earn Amex Membership Rewards Points By Shopping
Thanks to a partnership with American Express, you can turn your Rakuten cash back rewards into Membership Rewards. Its a great way to earn Membership Rewards points on regular purchases, without much added effort.
If you already have a Rakuten account, you can easily switch your earning preference to Membership Rewards. Simply log into your account and follow these steps:
After this, rewards get transferred to your Membership Rewards account quarterly.
Is American Express Membership Rewards Worth It
The American Express Membership Rewards program is one of the most lucrative rewards programs in the game if you prefer travel rewards. If you’re unsure, read up on the difference between cash back, miles and points to decide which type of rewards program is best for you. However, if you’ve got the travel bug, Amex’s long list of transfer partners makes these points particularly valuable, and the wide variety of excellent Membership Rewards-earning cards helps make it easy to accumulate points.
American Express Corporate Platinum Card
The Amex brands prestige charge card has long been Platinum. Like its personal and business counterparts, the Corporate Platinum card is centered around international travel and resort stays.
With a wide range of extra perks , the Corporate Platinum Card certainly lives up to its premium moniker. However, with its pricey annual fee, companies will likely only want to hand out Platinum Cards to executives or other high-ranking employees.
Heres the gamut of Platinum Card benefits cardmembers can take advantage of:
- $100 Airline Credit: Up to $100 in incremental airline fees charged to a Platinum Card can be covered through statement credits annually.
- The Global Lounge Collection: This offers access to over 1,200 lounges in over 500 airports across the world.
- Global Dining Collection: Cardmembers can receive special access to reservations and extraordinary experiences at restaurants. Plus, the opportunity to meet celebrity chefs at exclusive culinary events.
- This benefit provides card members with the opportunity to attend various sports, fashion, fine dining, entertainment, and performing arts experiences not usually available to the general public.
- Fine Hotels & Resorts Program: Cardholders can enjoy complimentary benefits and competitive rates at over 1,000 properties internationally.
- Concierge Services: This benefit can help card members book restaurant tables, purchase gifts, and more.
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Which Amex Cards Are Most Rewarding For Earning Points
As you can see, the best Amex card for earning points really depends on your needs and spending patterns. Personally, I have several American Express cards, though if youre looking to have a lean card portfolio:
- For personal cards, the American Express® Gold Card is great if you spend a lot at restaurants and supermarkets, which are popular spending categories for many people
- For business cards, the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is a no-brainer for any business for the 2x points on non-bonused spending the American Express® Business Gold Card can make sense if you have a business that spends a lot in the 4x points categories
Theres potentially a lot of value to be had with creating Amex credit card duos, which will supercharge how many points you earn. If youre going to apply for cards, make sure youre aware of Amexs card application rules.
Can I Transfer Amex Reward Points To My Spouse’s Hotel Loyalty Account
You can transfer your American Express Membership Rewards points to someone else’s loyalty account. However, they must be an authorized user of one of your credit cards that earns Membership Rewards points. Before you transfer points to an airline or hotel loyalty program, make sure there are award redemptions available.
Also, note that there is a 90-day waiting period for authorized users, so be sure to add your authorized users in time for any transfers that you would like to make.
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How Much Are Your Points Worth
If you dont want to go down the rabbit hole of complicated calculations when youre determining the worth of your American Express points, you can use the calculator on the companys website. It lets you check the value of rewards from 1,000 to 100,000.
You can determine the American Express points value for each of these categories:
- Pay with Points at Checkout
- Redeeming for Gift Cards
- Transferring Points
Heres a breakdown of how you can use your Memberships Rewards Points based on their worth.
Can I Link A Corporate Card To My Amex Membership Rewards
TPG reader Johnny tweeted this week:
“@thepointsguy I’ve heard I can pay a fee to link my corporate amex to my personal MR account. Got any info or a link you can share?”
There’s nothing better than getting miles and points when your company pays for them. When I worked at Morgan Stanley, I was charging at times up to $100,000 a month for different events and on travel, earning points all the while.
Corporate American Express cards come in many different flavors. The one I had was a Green Corporate Amex, and I could pay $75 a year to enroll it in Membership Rewards and link it to my personal Membership Rewards card. Generally, all you have to do is call the number on the back of your card to see if you’re eligible. Some companies make deals with American Express to not allow their employees to earn points, and in exchange maybe they get better interest rates or accrue points into a central pool.
Other companies simply don’t allow their employees to earn points, because they worry that doing so will incentivize employees to spend more than they should just for the rewards. Hopefully there aren’t too many greedy people out there that would unethically charge their company more money to get a benefit for themselves, but I’m sure there are people out there who have done that.
If you have other questions, feel free to tweet me at @thepointsguy, message me on , or send me an email at info@thepointsguy.com.
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Redeem Amex Membership Rewards Points By Transferring To Travel Partners
American Express has 20 airline and hotel transfer partners in other words, the Amex points youve earned can be transferred to any of the 20 hotel and airline partners. The best way to redeem Membership Rewards for maximum value is through airline transfers. But keep in mind that not all airline loyalty programs are equal.
Ultimately, youll want to research which program will offer you the most in return, depending on what your travel plans are. With each of the partners, youll need to link your accounts, and youll also need to search for award availability with the airline of your choice before transferring any points.
If youre looking to transfer your Amex Membership Rewards points, these are the 20 airline and hotel partner options, as well as the transfer rate.
- Aer Lingus AerClub: 1:1
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue: 1:1
- ANA Mileage Club: 1:1
- British Airways Executive Club: 1:1
- Choice Privileges: 1:1
Pros Of American Express Membership Rewards Programs
The American Express® Membership Rewards Program has the following pros:
- Flexibility: The main benefit of the rewards program is its flexibility. You can use your points on pretty much everything from entertainment and dining to travel and grocery shopping. Since American Express partners with a large number of retailers and airlines, youre likely to get a good deal.
- Easy to Earn: Its also easy to earn Membership Rewards Points, especially if you have a business card.
- Extra Perks: Along with the reward points, American Express® Membership-eligible cards also give you extra perks. For instance, the American Express® Platinum Card gives $200 worth of hotel credit and $240 for digital entertainment that can be used to pay for The New York Times, Audible and other subscriptions.
- Promotions and Bonuses: Cardholders also get bonus points and promotions based on the criteria for each card. These bonuses help cardholders earn points quickly and get close to their next major redemption.
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Book Rooms With Hotel Partners
Just as airline partner transfers result in amazing deals, so do transfers with Amex hotel partners.
Amex partners with three hotel chains: Hilton, Marriott and Choice. Using the same strategy above, you can transfer Membership Rewards points to the hotel program at an often higher value.
Hilton offers the best transfer ratio value, at 2 Hilton points per 1 Membership Rewards point. Marriott and Choice hotels offer a 1-to-1 ratio.
Using this ratio, here’s how many hotel points you could get by transferring 100,000 Membership Rewards® points :
- Hilton: 150,000 points
- Choice: 75,000 points
You’ll typically yield more value by transferring your points to airline partners and booking flights, but using points for hotel stays can be smart too. You’ll do well when redeeming points for luxury hotels or when demand for hotels is high which translates into high cash prices.
You can book the Conrad Maldives for 95,000 Hilton points a night, meaning the Amex Platinum welcome bonus would almost be enough to reward cardmembers with a two-night stay. Rooms at the Conrad Maldives can go for more than $1,000 a night.
American Express Membership Rewards: The Basics
Earning points: Many American Express cards earn Membership Rewards points with each purchase. Cards that earn points include AmEx’s signature Green, Gold and Platinum cards.
You’ll earn at least 1 point per dollar spent with your card. Depending on the card, you may earn extra points for spending in specific categories, such as 3 points per dollar at restaurants or 5 points per dollar on certain travel purchases. Additional points can be earned through bonus offers for new cardholders, targeted “Amex Offers” that give you bonus points for shopping with specific merchants, or other incentives.
Not all American Express rewards cards earn Membership Rewards. The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express and the American Express Cash Magnet® Card earn cash back in the form of Reward Dollars, which can be redeemed as a statement credit. And if you have a card issued by American Express with a hotel or airline partner such as Delta or Hilton you’ll earn points or miles in that partner’s loyalty program instead.
Using points: Membership Rewards points can be redeemed for things like:
» MORE:Which American Express card is right for you?
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When Do Amex Points Post
After completing eligible purchases, your rewards points will initially appear as Amex points “pending.” Because these points are in pending status, they are not technically posted. So, when do Amex points post? Within 24 to 72 hours after you pay the minimum amount due on your statement.
For rates and fees of American Express® Gold Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.
The information related to American Express® Green Card, The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express, The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express, Blue from American Express®, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, American Express® Business Gold Card and The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express has been independently collected by ValuePenguin and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply to American Express credit card offers. See americanexpress.com for more information.
These responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Amex Everyday Preferred Credit Card
Annual fee: $95Bonus categories: 3x points at U.S. supermarkets , 2x points at U.S. gas stations, and 1x points everywhere else you receive a 50% points bonus when you use your card 30 or more times per billing cycle, meaning you earn up to 4.5x points at supermarkets, 3x points at gas stations, and 1.5x points everywhere else
The Amex EveryDay Preferred Card has the potential to be the best card for families that spend a lot at supermarkets. Its also the most rewarding Amex personal card for everyday, non-bonused spending, since youre earning up to 1.5x points per dollar spent.
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Why You Can Trust Bankrate
At Bankrate, we have a mission to demystify the credit cards industry regardless or where you are in your journey and make it one you can navigate with confidence. Our team is full of a diverse range of experts from credit card pros to data analysts and, most importantly, people who shop for credit cards just like you. With this combination of expertise and perspectives, we keep close tabs on the credit card industry year-round to:
- Meet you wherever you are in your credit card journey to guide your information search and help you understand your options.
- Consistently provide up-to-date, reliable market information so you’re well-equipped to make confident decisions.
- Reduce industry jargon so you get the clearest form of information possible, so you can make the right decision for you.
At Bankrate, we focus on the points consumers care about most: rewards, welcome offers and bonuses, APR, and overall customer experience. Any issuers discussed on our site are vetted based on the value they provide to consumers at each of these levels. At each step of the way, we fact-check ourselves to prioritize accuracy so we can continue to be here for your every next.
Personal Card Annual Credit
Earn some extra credit
Did you know your Corporate Card could earn you an annual credit on your personal American Express card? As a Corporate Card Member, you may be eligible to apply for an exclusive offer on a new American Express Card. If approved, you can earn up to a $150 Personal Card Annual Credit every year at renewal when you maintain the same Corporate Card account. Plus, you can enjoy a special welcome offer when you bring home the backing of American Express.
Terms Apply
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Can You Buy Amex Points
Need some extra points to get a reward? You can buy up to 100,000 or 500,000 Amex MR points per year, depending on which card you have. If you have two cards linked to the same account, you can buy the number of points allowed by the card with the higher level of benefits.
You can buy Amex points for $25 per 1,000 points, and the charge will be billed to your account. You can buy points only for your own account, and you can lose purchased points in the same way you can lose points you earned via spending or bonuses.
How To Redeem Membership Rewards
You have a number of options when redeeming your American Express Membership Rewards, but if youre looking for the absolute highest value, stick to airfare.
Transferring to a partnering airline generally garners the best cent-per-point ratio but booking through American Express Travel is also a good option. This is especially true if you have the Business Platinum Card, since booking airfare with this card on your selected airline offers a 35 percent points rebate .
Some other popular redemption options include:
- Gift cards up to 1 cent per point
- Shopping with points 0.7 cents per point
- Purchasing event tickets 0.5 cents per point for event tickets at Ticketmaster
- Charitable donations 0.7 cents per point
For a complete list of redemption options and the value of points in their respective categories, visit our Membership Rewards redemption guide.
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Other Amex Business Green Rewards Card Benefits
- Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance: Decline the add-on insurance from rental car companies at the counter and use this secondary coverage instead.
- Baggage Insurance: Baggage Insurance Plan coverage can be in effect for Eligible Persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen Baggage during their travel on a Common Carrier when the entire fare for a Common Carrier Vehicle ticket for the trip is charged to an eligible Account. Coverage can be provided for up to $1,250 for carry-on Baggage and up to $500 for checked Baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the Common Carrier . For New York State residents, there is a $10,000 aggregate maximum limit for all Covered Persons per Covered Trip. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
- Global Assist Hotline: Emergency assistance and coordination services when you travel more than 100 miles from home . Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.)
- Access to Amex Offers: Save money with targeted Amex offers available to cardholders using an enrolled Amex card.
Earn Amex Membership Rewards Points By Booking Travel
Booking travel with American Express is rewarding, too you can earn bonus points on your credit card, plus you can often get additional perks and rewards. For example, with the Amex Platinum, youll get 5x points per dollar spent on hotels booked through Amex Travel. As an added incentive, youll receive perks like free breakfast for two, room upgrades when available and hotel credits to use at the spa or onsite restaurant just by booking with Fine Hotels & Resorts or the Hotel Collection. In general, booking travel through American Express pays off in more ways than one.
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