American Express Membership Rewards Points

How can I earn Membership Rewards points?

You earn Membership Rewards through everyday spending on American Express (Amex) cards. The earn rate varies depending on the card. These are the current rates for everyday spending. (Note that different earn rates may apply for some transaction types or above a set cap.)

What can I convert my Membership Rewards points to?

The American Express Australia website has around 50 rewards options. To give you an idea of how you can use points, we've broken them down into 3 key types of rewards.

Point transfers to frequent flyer or hotel loyalty programs

Here are the frequent flyer and hotel programs you can transfer membership rewards to, listed with minimum transfer values.

Membership Rewards doesn't offer Qantas Points conversion, but you can earn Qantas Points on the Qantas American Express Ultimate, Qantas American Express Discovery, Qantas American Express Premium and American Express Qantas Business Rewards cards.

Travel rewards

You can use Membership Rewards Points to pay for travel with American Express Travel, Helloworld or Webjet. If you don't have enough points to make your preferred booking, you can make up the difference with your Amex card. Some key details to keep in mind:

• Helloworld Travel. You can redeem 20,000 Membership Rewards for $100 worth of travel, including cruises, flights, accommodation and travel packages.
• Webjet. Every 20,000 Membership Rewards equals $100 value with Webjet.
• American Express Travel. The number of Amex points you need to pay for part or all of a booking will be shown when you're logged in and search for flights, hotels, car rentals, experiences and travel packages. You'll need a minimum of 1,000 Membership Rewards Points for this reward.

Shopping and gift cards

• Account credit. Redeem your Membership Rewards for credit to your American Express card account starting at $50 (10,000 points) up to $8,000 (1,600,000 points).
• Select + Pay. This service is available through the American Express app and allows you to instantly redeem points for part of a purchase you've made using your Amex card. Cash value starts from $5 per 1,000 points for the Select + Pay option, but could be slightly higher at $100 per 13,500 points in some cases.
• David Jones Shop with Points. You can redeem points directly when you shop with David Jones online. Simply select "Points" as a payment option at the online checkout and then choose how many points you'd like to redeem. With this option, you'll need to redeem a minimum of 3,000 Membership Rewards, with every 1,000 points equal to $5 value.
• PayPal with Points. If you have added your Amex card to a PayPal account, you can redeem your points for PayPal purchases at the checkout. Just select the "Membership Rewards" option once you've chosen to pay with PayPal at an eligible retailer, and every 1,000 points will give you $5 value.
• Using points for gift cards. Spend your Membership Rewards points on gift cards with partnered brands including Amazon, iTunes, Super Cheap Auto, Myer, David Jones and more. To give you an example, you can redeem 5,000 points for a $25 gift card, 10,000 points for a $50 gift card and 20,000 points for a $100 gift card at the time of writing.

How much are Membership Rewards points worth?

The value of Membership Rewards depends on how you use them.

Converting them for cash or shopping options gives an effective value of 0.5 cents per point.

The value for airline and hotel conversions will vary depending on how you ultimately use the points. For instance, Velocity Points can be worth anywhere from 0.4 cents to 4 cents each.

What can I get with 100,000 Membership Rewards points?

• Flights with Virgin Australia. If you transferred 70,000 Membership Rewards for 35,000 Velocity Points, you could fly from Melbourne to Queenstown in business class (35,000 Velocity Points one-way, plus fees and taxes).
• Flights with Singapore Airlines. Converting 100,000 Membership Rewards Points to 33,333 KrisFlyer Miles would give you enough for an upgrade from ecomomy to premium economy on a one-way flight from Sydney to Singapore (30,500 KrisFlyer Miles).
• Amex partner travel bookings. You can book $500 worth of travel through Webjet or helloworld with 100,000 Membership Rewards points.

How to earn Amex Membership Rewards Points

Earn points on your card spending

When you have an Amex Membership Rewards card, you'll automatically earn points per $1 spent on eligible transactions. This includes most everyday spending, such as supermarket or retail shopping, dining out, takeaway and petrol.

Amex cards also typically offer points for spending with government bodies, such as the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). This is rare among reward programs.

You won't earn points on cash advances, refunded purchases, credit card fees and charges or spending on gambling.

Earn more points with an introductory bonus point offer

If you don't have an American Express card and haven't had one in your name for the past 18 months, you could boost your points balance by getting an Amex card with a bonus points offer.

Amex referral bonus points

If you already have an American Express card, the Amex referral program gives you another way to earn bonus points when you refer a close friend or family member to American Express.

All you have to do is log in to your account, go to the Refer a Friend section and check what offers are available. Then share your referral link with a friend or family member. If they use the link to apply and are approved, you'll get rewarded.

How to redeem Amex Membership Rewards points

Redeem your points by following these steps:

What's the best way to get value out of Amex Points?

Our expert says: What's the best way to get value out of Amex Points?

"In general, transferring your Membership Rewards points to a frequent flyer program and then redeeming the points for flights or upgrades offers the highest dollar value. Amex Points are great because you can convert them to lots of airline programs. But if you're not interested in flights, you can still use the points on gift cards or credit to your account. It's all about what you actually value most."

Richard Whitten

Senior Money Editor

Frequently asked questions

• How does Membership Rewards compare with direct earn frequent flyer cards?

  Amex already offers some of the highest point earn rates for its Velocity and Qantas credit cards, so Amex point transfers to these programs typically wouldn't offer the most value in this situation.

  American Express Membership Rewards points may be transferred to selected airline partners at different rates, which vary by airline program and card type and are subject to change.

• How many Amex points do I need for a free flight?

  This depends on the flight and how you redeem your points. Here are some examples:

  • 100,000 Membership Rewards Points would be enough for a flight worth $500 if you booked with helloworld or Webjet.
  • 140,000 Membership Rewards Points would be enough for a return business class flight from Melbourne to Queenstown if you transferred them to Velocity Frequent Flyer (70,000 Velocity Points plus fees and taxes for a Business Reward Seat).

Written by

Angus Kidman

Editor-at-large

Angus Kidman is Finder’s International Editor-at-Large and an award-winning journalist with over 30 years of experience in tech, travel and finance. He was previously the editor of Lifehacker Australia and Australian Personal Computer, and is a recognised commentator, appearing on shows like Sunrise and The Project. A two-time IT Journalism Award winner, Angus has written for top publications such as The Sydney Morning Herald, the AFR, The Australian and Gizmodo, and is known for his expertise in travel rewards and consumer technology. See full bio

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