Transfer and maximize: The ultimate guide to Amex Membership Rewards

American Express issues several dozen different cards, including cobranded hotel and airline cards, as well as two editions (personal and business) of the invite-only Centurion card. That’s a dizzying array to choose from. Still, only a handful of publicly available Amex cards grant full access to the company’s Membership Rewards program. These include cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express.

In the points-and-miles world, Membership Rewards points are considered some of the most valuable points around. They are valued at a respectable 2 cents apiece per TPG valuations and can be used to facilitate adventures across a myriad of partners. The program partners with 18 airlines (including Aeromexico, British Airways, Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue and Singapore) and three hotel chains (Hilton, Choice and Marriott).

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Whether you’re looking to dive into the Membership Rewards program for the first time, or you’re looking to expand your portfolio, select a card for a family member or pair an existing personal card with a business card, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s take a closer look at this program and analyze some of the top MR-earning cards, what they offer, how to redeem the points and how to maximize benefits.

Earning with credit cards

First, here's a quick glance at the welcome offer, bonus category structure, annual fee and benefits for each of the seven most valuable Membership Rewards credit cards. Several of the welcome offers were recently boosted, making now a perfect time to apply.

The information for the Amex EveryDay and the Amex EveryDay cards from American Express has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

That's a lot of information, so let's take a deeper dive into each card and what each one offers.

The Platinum Card® from American Express

The Amex Platinum is often referred to as the king of the premium travel rewards cards. In addition to its slew of travel benefits, it recently got several new everyday perks that non-frequent travelers should appreciate. Read the full review.

Welcome offer

Earn 80,000 points after you spend $6,000 in the first six months of opening your account. Per TPG valuations, this welcome bonus is worth a whopping $1,600.

You may be targeted for an even larger bonus through CardMatch Tool (offer subject to change at any time). Those who apply through CardMatch will earn the same bonus on restaurants worldwide and Shopping Small in the U.S., so it’s definitely worth checking to see if you are eligible.

Related: The complete guide to American Express Membership Rewards partners

Earning

You'll earn 5x points per dollar spent for prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel (including prepaid Fine Hotels and Resorts booked online) and flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel. You'll earn 1x point per dollar on other purchases. This makes the Amex Platinum particularly useful for airline bookings but less so for other spend categories, such as dining at restaurants.

Perks

Amex Platinum benefits could be worth hundreds of dollars annually. The primary benefits include:

• Access to more than 1,400 airline lounges across 130 countries through Priority Pass, Delta Sky Clubs (on same-day Delta flights), American Express Centurion Lounges and Escape Lounges. Enrollment is required for select benefits.
• An up to $200 airline fee credit annually covers incidentals like checked bag fees, change fees and inflight purchases on one selected qualifying airline.
• New: Up to $200 in hotel credit to use toward prepaid Fine Hotels and Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings, which requires a minimum two-night stay.
• Up to $200 in Uber cash each calendar year.
• New: Up to $189 annual Clear credit
• New: Up to $240 digital entertainment credit annually (split into monthly $20 credits) to use toward participating partners, including Audible, The New York Times, SiriusXM and Peacock
• New: Up to $300 Equinox credit annually to use toward select Equinox memberships or Equinox+ subscription
• Up to $100 in credit at Saks Fifth Avenue each year. Your first $50 statement credit is available from July 1 to Dec. 31 and your second $50 statement credit is available from Jan. 1 to June 30. Enrollment required.
• The card also waives foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees) and comes with complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite and Hilton Honors Gold status.
• You’ll get Avis Preferred, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards and National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status. You’ll need to enroll for these benefits, and you can do so on the Amex website.
• Access to the Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts program, which bestows benefits at participating properties, including top international hotels. Benefits include noon check-in (when available), room upgrade (when available), daily breakfast for two people, complimentary Wi-Fi, guaranteed 4:00 p.m. late checkout and, at select properties, a complimentary third or fourth night and on-property credits for perks such as dining or spa treatments. Plus, you'll earn 5x points on stays booked online through FHR and you’ll even get elite benefits and hotel loyalty points during your stay.
• Access to a special concierge service that can assist you in booking high-demand restaurants and events, as well as finding a perfect dinner spot or even delivering items on demand. You’ll need to call to use this benefit and sign up for texting to make things more convenient.
• You can add up to three authorized users to your account for a total of $175 per year (see rates and fees) and that can really help you maximize the value you’re already getting from being a cardholder. Authorized users can get lounge access, the Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit (Up to $100), Marriott and Hilton Gold Elite status, Amex FHR benefits and more.

Related: 3 unique perks that keep the Amex Platinum in my wallet

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

There’s one very good reason why the Business Platinum Card stands out as a best-in-class pick among the top business cards: It offers unparalleled travel rewards and perks. From airport lounge access to huge points earnings on airfare and hotel spending, this is a card the frequent business traveler really could use to their benefit. Read the full review.

Welcome offer

Earn 120,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Platinum Card® within the first three months of card membership. If you can meet this hefty $15,000 spend requirement, you’ll earn points worth more than the card’s annual fee. Per TPG valuations, the 120,000-point welcome offer could net you $2,400 in value if you hit minimum spending requirements.

Earning

You’ll earn 5 points per dollar when you purchase airfare and prepaid hotel rooms from American Express Travel. That’s the same return as you’ll see on the personal Platinum Card, though with the personal Platinum Card, you also get 5 points per dollar on airfare booked directly with airlines.

For businesses with significant expenses, Amex will add a slight incentive to coax you to use its card: earn 1.5 points per dollar on eligible purchases in select business categories and eligible purchases of $5,000 or more; on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year.

Perks

Rewards and redemption limitations aside, the Amex Business Platinum really shines when it comes to travel perks.

• You'll get access to The American Express Global Lounge Collection, which includes more than 1,400 Priority Pass lounges worldwide, as well as Delta Sky Club lounges, which you can access on same-day Delta flights. Enrollment required for select benefits.
• This card provides an up to $200 annual airline incidental fee credit like the personal Platinum card. (enrollment required)
• Any premium travel rewards card worth its fee also offers reimbursement for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.(Up to $100) The Amex Business Platinum is no exception, giving you a reimbursement for your application fee once every four years.
• The card also waives foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees) and comes with Gold Elite status in the new Marriott program and complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status. (enrollment required).
• You’ll get Avis Preferred, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards and National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status. You’ll need to enroll for these benefits from the benefits tab of your online account.
• Access to the Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts program, which bestows benefits at participating properties. Benefits include noon check-in (when available), room upgrade (when available), daily breakfast for two people, complimentary Wi-Fi, guaranteed 4:00 p.m. late checkout and, at select properties, a complimentary third or fourth night and on-property credits for things like dining or spa treatments. Plus, you'll earn 5x points on stays booked online through FHR and you’ll even get elite benefits and hotel loyalty points during your stay.
• Non-travel benefits include up to $400 in annual statement credits towards U.S. Dell purchases.

American Express® Gold Card

The Gold Card is the perfect card for foodies since it offers generous bonus earnings on dining at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets. In particular, you can earn 4x Membership Rewards points on dining at restaurants. That represents a solid 8% return on your restaurant spending. Plus, you'll get 4x points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases (then 1x thereafter). With a $250 annual fee (see rates and fees) and many benefits, this card is a solid in-between card that falls between the premium card category and the entry-level tier. Read the full review.

Welcome offer

You'll earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you use your new card to make $4,000 in purchases in your first six months of card membership. Per TPG valuations, the 60,000-point welcome bonus is worth $1,200. Check the CardMatch Tool to see if you’re targeted for a 75,000-point Gold card offer. This targeted offer is subject to change at any time.

Earning

You'll earn 4x Membership Rewards points per dollar on dining at restaurants; 4x points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year (then 1x); 3x points on flights booked directly with an airline or on American Express Travel; 1x point on other purchases.

Perks

The card's up to $120 annual dining credit provides up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at participating dining partners such as Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations

Beginning early 2021, cardmembers also get up to $10 of Uber Cash each month (up to $120 annually). Card must be added in Uber account to receive Uber Cash benefit.

There are no foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees) with this card. You can also get up to a $100 hotel credit on qualifying charges when you use your card to book a stay of two nights or longer through The Hotel Collection. Enrollment required for select benefits.

American Express® Business Gold Card

This card is a great option for those who value flexibility in both earning and redeeming points. With the Business Gold Card, you'll always earn 4x in the two spending categories where you spent the most that month. So, you don't have to worry about selecting the best two categories. Couple that with the flexibility of the Membership Rewards program and you have a potent combination. Read the full review.

Welcome offer

Earn 70,000 bonus points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months of account opening. Per TPG valuations, the 70,000-point welcome bonus would be worth $1,400.

Earning

The card offers bonus points on six different categories of purchases: airfare, advertising, technology, gas, restaurants and shipping (the latter five only apply to U.S. purchases). You'll earn 4x points on two categories, but the two categories with the highest spend will be automatically chosen each month as your 4x categories. You'll only earn 4x on the first $150,000 of bonus category spend each calendar year. Once you’ve passed that amount, your earning rate will drop to that of all other purchases: 1x points.

These bonus categories can be quite lucrative. Based on TPG's valuation of Membership Rewards points at 2 cents each, you're getting an 8% return on the two categories where you spend the most each month. If you’re able to max out your bonus category spend by spending $150,000 in bonus categories each year, you’ll take home 600,000 points annually, which are worth $12,000. This doesn’t include any other points you’d earn on everyday purchases, which still give you a respectable 2% return.

Perks

While the Business Gold Card may come with terrific earning ability and valuable flexibility in redeeming your points, the added collection of perks on the card is a bit lackluster. Here’s a quick overview:

• Get 4x Membership Rewards® points on the two select categories where your business spent the most each month
• 25% points back after you book a flight using Pay with Points (up to 250,000 points per calendar year)
• Access to Amex Offers
• Premium Roadside Assistance: You’re covered for emergency roadside assistance if your car is suddenly inoperable up to four times per year. If you call American Express, they will arrange assistance and pay for eligible third-party charges related to towing less than 10 miles, winching, jump starts, flat tire change when you have a workable spare, lockout service or delivery of up to two gallons of fuel. If towing exceeds 10 miles, you'll be charged $3 per mile.

Amex EveryDay® Credit Card

If you’re looking for a no-annual-fee credit card that still allows you to participate in the Membership Rewards program, this flavor of Amex EveryDay is a terrific option. It still gives you a category bonus at U.S. supermarkets, which is notable since many no-fee cards offer a flat earning rate across all merchants. It may take a while to get to a valuable redemption like Lufthansa first class, but it’s a good way to start.

Welcome offer

You'll earn 10,000 Membership Rewards points after you use your new card to make $1,000 in purchases within the first three months of card membership, although you could be targeted for an elevated 15,000-point offer through the CardMatch Tool (offer subject to change at any time). Per TPG valuations, this welcome offer is worth $200.

Earning

You'll earn 2x points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year); then 1x point after that and 1x point everywhere else. If you make 20 or more purchases with your card in a billing period, you'll earn 20% extra points on those purchases, less returns and credits.

Perks

Given the no-fee nature of the card, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the Amex EveryDay Credit Card has minimal perks. We'll point out a few below, most of which are considered table stakes for a points-earning card.

• You'll earn 2x Membership Rewards points on every dollar of eligible travel purchases — such as prepaid hotel stays, vacation packages and cruises — when you use your card to book your trip through amextravel.com.
• Access to Amex Offers
• Travel accident insurance
• Amex Extended Warranty: the length of your warranty can be extended for up to two additional years when you use your card for eligible purchases that come with an original U.S. manufacturer's warranty of five years or less.

Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card

This is another card that gets you into the Membership Rewards program without a high annual fee. It’s also great if you don’t travel that frequently, as you still receive some solid category bonuses for everyday spending. If you use it as your primary card, you should definitely make a point of hitting 30 transactions a month to earn the 50% bonus, though be sure you know the timeline for how American Express awards these points.

Welcome offer

You'll earn 15,000 Membership Rewards points after using your new card to make $1,000 in purchases within the first three months. Per TPG valuations, this welcome offer is worth $300.

Earning

You'll collect 3x points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per calendar year; then 1x); 2x points per dollar spent at U.S. gas stations; and 1x point per dollar spent everywhere else. If you make 30 or more purchases in a billing period, you’ll earn 50% more points on all purchases.

Perks

You'll receive some fairly standard rewards card benefits perks, which we've highlighted below.

• You'll earn 2x Membership Rewards points on every dollar of eligible travel purchases — such as prepaid hotel stays, vacation packages and cruises — when you use your card to book your trip through amextravel.com.
• Access to Amex Offers
• Travel accident insurance
• Amex Extended Warranty: the length of your warranty can be extended for up to two additional years when you use your card for eligible purchases that come with an original U.S. manufacturer's warranty of five years or less.

Related: Amex EveryDay vs. Amex EveryDay Preferred: Which should be in your wallet?

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

According to Amex, the Blue Business Plus was created specifically for smaller small businesses — think sole proprietorships or young companies with limited revenue could benefit most from a no-interest intro offer. And, with an all-encompassing 2x bonus up to $50,000 each calendar year (then 1x), business owners can spend more time focused on growing their companies and less time worrying about which card will earn them the greatest return.

Welcome offer

Earn 15,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months of account opening

Earning

This is a no-annual-fee card (see rates and fees) that earns 2x points on everything (yes, everything!) up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1x beyond that. Those 2x points equal 4 cents per dollar, or around 4% back on whatever your business needs. If you’re planning to spend beyond $50,000 annually, we’d recommend shifting to a category-specific card to maximize earnings.

Perks

As you'd expect from a no-annual-fee card,(see rates and fees) the perks are fairly minimal. Below, we've highlighted a few of the noteworthy additions.

• You can add employees for $0 a piece, and all of their spending will boost your earning. (We can't swear that they'll appreciate not being able to earn their own points, though.)
• Amex Extended Warranty: the length of your warranty can be matched for up to two additional years when you use your card for eligible purchases that come with an original US manufacturer's warranty of five years or less.
• Amex Purchase Protection: Eligible items purchased on the card will be protected from accidental damage or theft for up to 120 days from the moment you buy them.
• You’ll also be eligible for Amex Offers, giving you a series of targeted discounts and/or boosted earning rates across select merchants.

Other ways to earn Membership Rewards points

Once you have one (or more) of the above credit cards, there are a couple of additional options for earning Amex points. The first is by leveraging Rakuten, one of our favorite online shopping portals here at TPG. Formerly known as Ebates, the site used to only offer cash back for shoppers who clicked through to participating merchants from its dashboard. However, members now have the option of earning cash back or Membership Rewards points.

If you don't currently have an account, you can sign-up here and enjoy a one-time bonus of $30 (or 3,000 points) when you spend at least $30 within 90 days of becoming a member.

Read more: How to use Rakuten to earn bonus cash back or Amex points

Another way to earn Membership Rewards points is when you buy or sell your home. This happens through a company called RBN, a referral brokerage that matches prospective buyers and sellers with participating agents — and then awards you up to 1 Amex point for every $1 of the purchase or sale price after closing.

To learn more, check out this guide — or you can visit RBN's site to start the process of connecting with a participating agent.

Redeeming Membership Rewards: Poor-value options

Unfortunately, several options for redeeming your points represent less than stellar value and should typically be avoided. These include:

Use points for charges — This is like a cash-back option for covering eligible charges on your billing statement. What are eligible charges? There's no published definition, and American Express can change whatever charges it deems eligible at any time without prior notification. You’ll only receive 0.6 cents per point with this option, so it’s not a very good return.

Pay with Points at check-out— After linking your Membership Rewards accounts with various online merchants like Amazon and GrubHub, you can use points to pay for your purchases at a slightly better (but still poor) value of 0.7 cents per point. Although this option can sometimes be useful for promotions, you may want to turn this option off to prevent accidental and unauthorized use of your points.

Complimentary Uber rides — You can redeem points for Uber rides at a value of 1 cent apiece. Add an eligible Membership Rewards American Express card as your payment method, and the Uber app will present you with a “Use Points” option to pay for the ride.

Redeeming for gift cards — One of the worst options is redeeming your points for gift cards. Your points are worth anyway from 0.5 cents to 1 cent apiece on these redemptions, depending on the merchant.

Related: How everyday purchases cost me thousands of points

Transferring to partners

This is where the magic really unfolds. By transferring Membership Rewards points to 18 airline and three hotel transfer partners, you're able to search for award travel across the globe, covering just about every major route and city on airlines you may never otherwise have the chance to try.

Below, we've listed out all of those partners, along with transfer ratios and the transfer times discovered in our testing.

Instant transfers are obviously always preferred, and Amex does a good job of making that happen compared with other transferable points, such as Chase Ultimate Rewards points and Citi ThankYou points. If you haven’t done so already, link all your different transfer partner accounts to your Membership Rewards account. This prevents delays in the future when you may need to make a quick transfer.

Related: Current point transfer bonuses

There are endless ways to use these transfer partners to get maximum value for your Membership Rewards points. Here's just a sampling:

• Transfer your points to Etihad to redeem on its partners, such as 50,000 miles for a business-class flight from the U.S. to Japan on American Airlines or 44,000 miles for a business-class seat on Royal Air Maroc between the U.S. and Casablanca (CMN).
• Transfer your points to your Singapore KrisFlyer account to fly first class on the A380 for 52,000 Membership Rewards points each way between Singapore (SIN) and Sydney (SYD).
• You can also redeem Avianca LifeMiles and Air Canada Aeroplan miles to book cheap Star Alliance partner awards, such as domestic flights on United from 6,000 miles one-way in economy or 15,000 miles in business.
• The Choice Privileges program used by Choice Hotels is a 1:1 Membership Rewards transfer partner, and it boasts several properties across typically expensive European cities. For award nights, these hotels range from 8,000 to 25,000 points.
• Transfer your points to British Airlines Avios to open up various options, such as flying from Boston to Ireland on Aer Lingus for just 26,000 Avios round-trip. Plus, you can still fly short-haul within other countries like Japan for 6,000 Avios each way with no fuel surcharges.
• To book Delta, including its Delta One Suites, transfer points to Delta or Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club. For instance, you can grab a Delta One Suite ticket on Delta's Airbus A350 or A330-900neo to Europe for 60,000 miles (and no fuel surcharges).

With so many options, you'll want to review some of our favorite tips and tricks on redeeming Membership Rewards points. We've listed a number of the very best ones in the section below. Just remember that transfers are irreversible, so you’ll only want to transfer your points once you’ve confirmed award space for the flight you want.

Further reading

Now that you've learned the basics of Amex Membership Rewards, you'll find more advanced information in our multitude of guides on the subject. Here are some of our favorites:

• How long do American Express Membership Rewards take to transfer?
• Choosing the best American Express card for You
• Redeeming American Express Membership Rewards for maximum value
• The best ways to use 100,000 Membership Rewards points
• 5 best ways to use 60,000 Membership Rewards points
• Best ways to redeem Amex points on SkyTeam airlines
• Best ways to redeem Amex Points on Star Alliance Airlines
• Best ways to redeem Amex points on Oneworld airlines
• Can you transfer Amex Membership Rewards points between family members?

Bottom line

The American Express lineup of Membership Rewards cards offers something for everyone — from frequent travelers to budding small business owners to those looking to dip their toes in without shouldering a large annual fee. To make the most of the lineup, you'll want to take a hard look at what you spend money on. The goal is to optimize your array of Amex cards (historically up to five) so that you have a card for every major category that matters to you, along with a card for "everyday spending" that doesn't neatly fit into a bonus category.

Currently, most Amex card bonuses include language that a person is only eligible for a bonus “once in a lifetime," which could impact which cards you should add going forward. So while one card may be suitable from a usage standpoint, you may want to ogle a card with a welcome offer that you can actually cash in on — and that means applying for a card that you've never held before. If you're unsure if you're eligible for a certain welcome bonus, be sure to check first using Amex's qualification tool.

Ethan Steinberg contributed to this post.

For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Gold Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Gold Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Blue Business Plus Card, please click here.