Best Ways To Spend American Express Points

Many American Specific rewards playing cards can help you earn factors inside the versatile American Specific Membership Rewards program. You’ll be able to redeem these factors for reward playing cards, merchandise, assertion credit and Amex experiences. Typically, you’ll get probably the most worth to your Amex factors in the event you use them for journey redemptions.

We’ve put collectively a listing of the most effective methods to make use of your American Specific Membership Rewards factors, whether or not you ebook flights and inns by means of Amex Journey, put your factors towards a trip bundle or switch your factors to qualifying airline and lodge companions. And in the event you’re pleased with assertion credit or reductions at fashionable retailers like Amazon and Grubhub, we may help you perceive these choices as effectively.

1. Switch factors to journey companions

Amongst prime bank cards that can help you switch factors to journey companions, American Specific could also be one among your greatest decisions. Amex lets you switch factors to 18 airways and three inns—which provides you loads of alternative to achieve your vacation spot and get evening’s sleep!

When transferring factors, you’ll need to take note of the switch ratio, which may differ relying on the journey associate you select. For instance, you possibly can switch 1,000 Membership Rewards factors for 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy factors, those self same 1,000 Membership Rewards factors may get you double the factors by transferring to Hilton Honors. Examine your choices to get probably the most worth out of your factors, and try our present factors and miles valuations to make sure you’re choosing a switch associate that helps you maximize your rewards.

2. E-book your subsequent journey by means of Amex

Slightly than switch your Membership Rewards factors to a different loyalty program, Amex lets you ebook flights, pay as you go inns and extra instantly by means of its ou need to use your Membership Rewards factors for journey however don’t need to switch them to a different loyalty program, you possibly can all the time ebook flights, pay as you go inns and extra by means of the American Specific Journey Portal.

Reserving journey with Amex is likely one of the greatest methods to spend your American Specific factors, particularly in the event you plan your journey utilizing the issuer’s rewards factors calculator. When you’ve got the Platinum Card® from American Specific, for instance, 10,000 Membership Rewards factors are price $100 towards flights, however solely $70 in direction of pay as you go inns and pay as you go automobile leases. Use the calculator to get probably the most out of your factors, so you possibly can concentrate on getting probably the most out of your trip!

3. Pay With Factors whenever you store on-line

Pay With Factors makes it simple to make use of your factors at checkout with collaborating manufacturers that embody Amazon, Finest Purchase, Grubhub and RiteAid. Simply hyperlink your Membership Rewards account or — relying on the retailer — try with an eligible American Specific bank card. From there, you choose Pay With Factors, assessment your Amex factors stability and use some or all of them to cowl your transaction whole.

In the event you aren’t planning any upcoming journeys, utilizing Pay With Factors at checkout could also be one among your higher choices. Although, right here too, you should use Amex’s on-line calculator to substantiate you’re getting the most effective use out of your Amex factors. When you’ve got the American Specific® Gold Card, for instance, you’d see that 10,000 factors are price $70 at Amazon, Finest Purchase and different fashionable retailers — lower than the $100 worth you’d get in the event you booked a flight with AmexTravel.com.

4. Flip factors into assertion credit

Like many issuers, American Specific lets you flip your Membership Rewards factors into assertion credit. Use your factors to chip away at your bank card stability and keep away from curiosity in your excellent debt.

However take into account that irrespective of which Amex card you employ, redeeming your Amex factors for assertion credit affords much less worth than in the event you’d redeemed your factors for journey by means of Amex, a journey associate or Pay With Factors at checkout. As an illustration, relying in your card, 10,000 factors may whole a low $60 in assertion credit.

5. Deposit your factors in an Amex checking account

In the event you financial institution with American Specific, you could have the choice of depositing your Amex factors instantly right into a Membership Rewards Checking or Amex Enterprise Checking account. Whereas Amex doesn’t share how a lot worth you’ll get per level, it’s price assuming that you simply may not get as a lot from making checking account deposits than you’d in the event you transferred your factors to journey companions or used them to ebook journey by means of Amex.

6. Store fashionable manufacturers by means of Rakuten

Many issuers supply a card purchasing portal that lets you maximize your factors with fashionable manufacturers and rating offers, however Amex isn’t one among them. Slightly, you possibly can earn boosted factors by means of Amex Affords or money again by means of Rakuten.

Rakuten is among the many prime money again purchasing portals providing offers at greater than 3,000 retailers promoting clothes, electronics, house items, meals, journey and extra. Enroll with Rakuten, hyperlink an eligible Membership Rewards account and earn factors for each greenback spent by means of the platform. Earn a minimal 500 factors to money out what you’ve earned as Membership Rewards.

Rakuten offers may be profitable, relying in your spending, with previous affords together with 30 p.c money again at meals supply service Inexperienced Chef and 6 p.c money again at Goal Optical.

7. Redeem factors for reward playing cards

Consider it or not, redemption towards reward playing cards could also be one of many higher methods to make use of your Membership Rewards factors. Your factors are sometimes price about 1 cent every, which implies 10,000 Membership Rewards factors might be price as a lot as $100 — on par with journey redemption.

The issuer affords reward playing cards that cowl journey, eating, experiences and extra. You too can use them to buy American Specific reward playing cards, generally at a reduction, which act as a bank card you possibly can reward to others or save for a wet day. Get the most effective worth out of your factors by exploring your choices on Amex’s reward card website.

What American Specific playing cards earn you Membership Rewards?

If you would like an American Specific bank card that earns Membership Rewards, you’re in luck. Amex affords six private bank cards and 4 enterprise bank cards that earn Membership Rewards factors, together with fashionable bank cards just like the Platinum Card from American Specific and the Amex Gold Card.

In the event you’re contemplating the Blue from American Specific card as a starter bank card, remember that it affords fewer level redemption choices — and fewer worth per level — than different Amex playing cards on the record. The Blue card is a superb credit-building software, particularly for people who find themselves new to credit score, nevertheless it will not be one of the best ways to get probably the most out of your Membership Rewards factors.

Methods to earn American Specific Membership Rewards factors

There are a lot of alternative ways to earn American Specific Membership Rewards factors, whether or not you’re incomes rewards on on a regular basis spending, profiting from a useful welcome supply or referring your favourite Amex bank card to a buddy.

Listed here are the most effective methods to earn American Specific Membership Rewards factors:

• Use your Amex bank card for on a regular basis purchases: Each time you employ your American Specific card to make a purchase order — in retailer, on-line or on the pump — you could have the chance to earn Membership Rewards factors. The Amex EveryDay Card — which affords 2X factors at U.S. supermarkets (as much as $6,000 per yr), 2X factors on pay as you go rental automobiles booked by means of AmexTravel.com and 1X factors on all different purchases — is a useful possibility for individuals who need to earn Membership Rewards factors with out paying an annual price.
• Use your Amex card for bonus class purchases. Some American Specific playing cards supply greater rewards whenever you store in particular classes. The Amex Gold Card, for instance, affords 4X factors at eating places worldwide, 4X factors on Uber Eats purchases, 4X factors on U.S. grocery store purchases (as much as $25,000 in purchases per yr), 3X factors on flights booked instantly with airways or AmexTravel.com and 1X factors on all different purchases. To maximise your bank card rewards, select an Amex card that provides excessive rewards in classes you store typically.
• Earn your welcome bonus. New cardholders could have the chance to earn a useful welcome bonus with their Amex bank card. Decide an Amex bank card that provides a welcome bonus with a minimal spending requirement you possibly can afford, after which do your greatest to earn these additional factors!
• Benefit from Amex Affords. Amex regularly affords reductions, assertion credit or bonus factors in the event you store at particular retailers. These Amex Affords present up in your on-line bank card account or cell app, so be sure you test frequently — and use our information to Amex Affords to maximise your factors.
• Refer an Amex card to household or pals. Many individuals don’t understand that they’ll earn bonus rewards by referring their favourite bank cards to household or pals. Use our bank card referral information to get began.

The underside line

The American Specific Membership Rewards program may be extraordinarily useful — if you know the way to make use of it. Whether or not you’re redeeming your Membership Rewards factors for journey or maximize your rewards at retailers, you’ll be higher ready to make the most of each level you earn. In the event you don’t have already got an Amex bank card in your pockets, see our record of the most effective American Specific playing cards for high-value rewards applications and extra.

*Issuer-required disclosure assertion

Details about the American Specific® Inexperienced Card, Amex EveryDay® Most popular Credit score Card, Amex EveryDay® Credit score Card and Enterprise Inexperienced Rewards Card has been collected independently by Bankrate. Card particulars haven’t been reviewed or permitted by the cardboard issuer.