The Remarkable Power of American Express Membership Rewards

American Express Membership Rewards is the standout loyalty program offered by American Express that allows cardholders to redeem points from their eligible American Express card for a wide range of rewards, including travel, merchandise, gift cards, statement credits, experiences, and more. Similar to the value offered by Chase cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards, Membership Rewards are valuable for their sheer versatility. From the American Express Travel website, you can redeem your points directly. You can also redeem your Membership Rewards to 20 travel partners at varying ratios (more on that further down)! 

Here’s a quick overview of some of the American Express cards that earn Membership Rewards:

• The Platinum Card from American Express
• American Express Gold Card
• American Express Green Card
• The Amex EveryDay Preferred Credit Card from American Express
• The Amex EverDay Credit Card from American Express
• The Business Platinum Card from American Express
• American Express Business Gold Card
• The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express
• The Platinum Card from American Express for Schwab
• Platinum Card from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley
• American Express Centurion Card (also known as the "Black Card")
• Centurion Business Card from American Express (also known as the “Black Card”)

How to redeem American Express Membership Rewards:

1. Head to American Express Travel and sign in with your American Express card username and password
2. Once logged in, navigate to the center section that allows you to select how you’d like to redeem your points:

1. Travel: Book flights, hotels, cruises, car rentals, and experiences
2. Merchandise: Purchase a wide variety of products, including electronics, clothing, and more.
3. Gift Cards: Redeem points for gift cards to popular retailers and restaurants
4. Statement Credits: you can redeem points for a statement credit that gets applied to your card’s balance
5. Experiences: Redeem for concert tickets, special events, or exclusive access to certain activities
6. Donations: In some cases, you can even donate your points to charitable organizations

The most popular option is redeeming your points for travel:

1. Enter your travel details, including your destination, dates, and preferences, in the search fields provided on the travel portal
2. Once you've completed a search, you will see various travel options that match your criteria. These options will include the Membership Rewards point cost for each selection.

3. Choose the best travel option for you and make sure you have enough Membership Rewards points to cover the redemption
4. Enjoy your trip! 

Even though there are tons of ways to redeem your points, you’ll get the most value when you transfer them to one of 20 American Express travel partners. When you convert points into a hotel or airline currency, you can redeem them for free hotel nights and award flights that might otherwise be too expensive. You can even stretch the value of your points further by taking advantage of periodic transfer bonuses to specific partners, which happens more than you realize. 

Here are all of American Express’s partners: 

These options provide a ton of flexibility and don’t require you to tie yourself to one loyalty program. 

How to transfer American Express Membership Rewards to travel partners:

1. Log in to your American Express account
2. Once you're logged in, find the section Membership Rewards section and look for “Travel Partners” 
3. Choose the partner loyalty program where you want to transfer your points
4. Enter the transfer details: provide all the necessary information, including the loyalty program account number where you want to transfer the points. Ensure that the account details are accurate to prevent any issues with the transfer
5. Confirm the Transfer: make sure to review the number of points you're transferring and any associated transfer fees (if any). Confirm the transfer once you're satisfied with the information
6. Processing time: as you can see in the table above, transferring points to partner programs isn’t always instant. It can take anywhere from a couple of minutes to several days for a points or miles transfer, depending on the partner
7. Once the transfer is complete, you should receive a confirmation from American Express and the partner loyalty program. Make sure to check your loyalty program account to confirm that the points have been successfully transferred.

Keep in mind that the transfer ratios (how many Membership Rewards points are needed to get a certain number of miles/points in the partner program) and the availability of transfer partners can change. It's wise to always check the current transfer rates and partners. 

Note: Once you transfer your Membership Rewards to these partners, you cannot undo the action. 

Bottom line: American Express Membership Rewards stand out due to their exceptional versatility and value. From flexible redemption options to exclusive travel perks and a wide range of partner programs, these rewards offer a comprehensive and valuable experience. This versatility, combined with American Express’s commitment to the customer experience (they just ranked highest in customer satisfaction among credit card issuers by JD Power Power for the fourth year in a row), makes them top-tier for rewards cards. 

A member of the Kudos team, growth lead Brian Yip, redeemed his Membership Rewards for a free trip to Tulum, complete with airfare and a stay at an all-inclusive resort. 

What’s the best redemption you’ve ever unlocked with an American Express card that earns Membership Rewards?