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The American Express Membership Rewards program offers both flexibility and value with competitive ongoing earn rates, a wide range of redemption options and no points expiry. It also offers valuable promotions and signup bonuses. The bonus points offers vary and only last for a promotional period, but some cards come with 100,000 bonus Membership Rewards when you meet the spend requirement. If you're considering an Amex card with a 100,000 bonus points offer or are saving up your points, you can use this guide to get some inspiration for the best ways to spend your Membership Rewards.
The redemption options available through Membership Rewards are grouped into four key categories:
As with most reward programs, the dollar value of your points varies significantly depending on the redemption you choose. While there are thousands of options across all categories, travel redemptions – and particularly, transferring points to a frequent flyer program – tend to offer a high return rate on your points.
A key feature that sets Membership Rewards apart from other reward programs is the number of frequent flyer program partners and the points conversion rate. For most options, one Membership Rewards point equals one frequent flyer point. With that in mind, we’ve focused the following sections on how far 100,000 Membership Rewards points will get you when you transfer them to any of the following frequent flyer programs:
The sections below give you examples of domestic and international flights you could take with 100,000 points, based on each frequent flyer program. Flight options are ranked from least to most points required for the redemption and include economy, premium economy and business class fares. Note that other taxes and surcharges may also apply.
Back to topAmerican Express Membership Rewards customers enrolled in the Ascent Premium or Business Ascent streams of the program can transfer their points to the Qantas Frequent Flyer Program. These are the only Membership Rewards customers that currently have this option, so you’ll need an American Express Platinum Business card to be eligible for a points transfer. Below are the key details for transferring points to Qantas:
Origin | Destination | Fare Class | Qantas Points |
---|---|---|---|
Sydney | Melbourne | Business | 32,000 |
Brisbane | Adelaide | Business | 48,000 |
Sydney or Melbourne | Perth | Business | 72,000 |
Darwin | Melbourne or Sydney | Business | 72,000 |
Perth | Brisbane | Business | 72,000 |
Origin | Destination | Fare Class | Qantas Points |
---|---|---|---|
Sydney or Melbourne | Vancouver | Economy | 90,000 |
Sydney or Melbourne | Los Angeles | Economy | 90,000 |
Sydney or Melbourne | Dubai | Economy | 90,000 |
Brisbane | Johannesburg | Economy | 90,000 |
Sydney | Hong Kong | Premium Economy | 90,000 |
Sydney or Melbourne | Phuket | Business | 96,000 |
Sydney | Bali or Jakarta | Business | 100,000 |
Melbourne | Fiji (Nadi) | Business | 100,000 |
Perth or Darwin | Auckland | Business | 100,000 |
Origin | Destination | Fare Class | Qantas Points |
---|---|---|---|
Sydney | Honolulu | Business | 72,000 |
Melbourne or Sydney | Paris | Premium Economy | 94,500 |
Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane | New York | Premium Economy | 96,000 |
Perth or Melbourne | London | Premium Economy | 96,000 |
Sydney | Hong Kong | Premium Economy | 90,000 |
Sydney or Melbourne | Phuket | Business | 96,000 |
Sydney | Bali or Jakarta | Business | 100,000 |
Melbourne | Fiji (Nadi) | Business | 100,000 |
Perth or Darwin | Auckland | Business | 100,000 |
All Membership Rewards customers can transfer their points to Virgin’s Velocity frequent flyer program. Below are the key details for transfers:
Origin | Destination | Fare Class | Velocity points |
---|---|---|---|
Sydney | Melbourne | Business | 47,000 |
Brisbane | Adelaide | Business | 47,000 |
Sydney or Melbourne | Perth | Business | 71,000 |
Darwin | Melbourne or Sydney | Business | 71,000 |
Perth | Brisbane | Business | 71,000 |
Origin | Destination | Fare Class | Velocity Points |
---|---|---|---|
Perth | Abu Dhabi | Economy | 84,000 |
Sydney or Melbourne | Hong Kong | Premium Economy | 89,400 |
Brisbane | Tokyo | Premium Economy | 89,400 |
Sydney or Melbourne | Los Angeles | Economy | 89,600 |
Sydney or Melbourne | San Francisco | Economy | 89,600 |
Perth | Kuala Lumpur | Business | 99,000 |
Melbourne | Bali | Business | 99,000 |
Origin | Destination | Fare Class | Velocity Points |
---|---|---|---|
Brisbane | Honolulu | Business | 59,500 |
Sydney | Honolulu | Business | 71,500 |
Melbourne | London | Economy | 75,000 |
Sydney or Melbourne | Los Angeles | Business | 95,500 |
The Air New Zealand frequent flyer program earns you Airpoint Dollars, rather than points. These “dollars” are worth AUD$1 each and can be redeemed for flights, travel and other rewards through the program.
This exchange rate offers less value than most other options available for 100,000 Membership Rewards points, but we’ve still included some sample fares below to give you an idea of where you could go.
Asia Miles is a leading travel rewards program in Asia. While it’s most often associated with Cathay Pacific, it has 25 airline partners including Air China, American Airlines, British Airways and Qantas.
In terms of frequent flyer redemptions, Asia Miles offers flexibility in terms of airlines and destinations. In some cases, it can even offer better value than redeeming directly through an airline’s individual frequent flyer program (such as the Qantas Frequent Flyer program or Cathay Pacific’s Marco Polo Club).
For example, a one-way premium economy ticket from Melbourne to London (Heathrow) costs 96,000 Qantas points but only 84,000 Asia Miles. You can also get a return business trip with Qantas for 80,000 Asia Miles, compared to 120,000 Qantas points for a business class fare or 90,000 Qantas points for premium economy.
These comparisons show that it may be better to transfer Membership Rewards points to Asia Miles rather than Qantas points even if you plan on flying with Qantas. Below are the key details for Asia Miles, and some examples of where you can go if you transfer 100,000 Membership Rewards points to this program.
Origin | Destination | Airline | Fare Class | Asia Miles |
---|---|---|---|---|
Melbourne | Abu Dhabi | British Airways | Premium Economy | 72,000 |
Sydney or Melbourne | Hong Kong | Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Finnair or Qatar | Business | 80,000 |
Melbourne | Shanghai | Air China | Business | 80,000 |
Sydney | Tokyo | Qantas | Business | 80,000 |
Sydney | New York | Qantas or American Airlines | Economy | 90,000 |
Melbourne | Vancouver | Qantas | Economy | 90,000 |
Perth | Paris | Qantas or British Airways | Economy | 90,000 |
Origin | Destination | Airline | Fare Class | Asia Miles |
---|---|---|---|---|
Melbourne | Kuala Lumpur | British Airways, Malaysia Airlines or SriLankan Airlines | First | 70,000 |
Sydney or Melbourne | Honolulu | American Airlines or Qantas | Business | 70,000 |
Melbourne | London | Qantas | Economy | 84,000 |
These are just a few of the fares you can get for 100,000 Asia Miles. If you have somewhere specific in mind, check out the Asia Miles website’s search tool to find out how many points it would cost.
Any Membership Rewards customer can transfer points to the Emirates Skywards frequent flyer program,just be aware that it does cost more to transfer your points to Skywards Miles than it does for most other frequent flyer programs.
The Skywards program only has limited redemption options from Australia, and most cost over 75,000 Skywards Miles for return flights. A flight from Sydney or Melbourne to Emirates’s base in Dubai, for example, costs 90,000 Skywards Miles. You can, however, fly from Perth to Dubai for 63,000 Skywards Miles.
The frequent flyer program also specifies that you can't spend Skywards Miles on special or flex fares in economy, including one-way flights, so with 75,000 points, you’re quite limited. Alternatively, you can use the points to upgrade Emirates tickets you’ve already purchased.
Note that you can only upgrade by one cabin class, and have to have purchased at least a Flex fare to use your Skywards Miles in this way. The other option is to save your Skywards Miles up for travel in the future. Skywards Miles last for three years before expiring, and you can check out the Emirates calculator to see how many points you need for any trip you’re planning.
Etihad is the national airline of the United Arab Emirates and is also a partner airline for Virgin Australia. All Membership Rewards customers can transfer their points to Etihad Guest Miles, with the following conditions:
If you want to fly with Etihad, you can also try transferring your Membership Rewards points to the Virgin Velocity program. As Virgin Australia and Etihad are partners, you can redeem codeshare flights or direct flights through Velocity.
Singapore Airlines is a leading carrier across Asia and offers many flight redemption options through the KrisFlyer rewards program. Here are the key details for transferring Membership Rewards points to your KrisFlyer account:
KrisFlyer also gives you the opportunity to save 15% on redemptions. To be eligible, choose a Saver awards fare on SilkAir flights, or a Saver or Standard awards fare on Singapore Airlines flights that you redeem online. We’ve included both the standard KrisFlyer Miles required and the discounted rates in the examples below.
Origin | Destination | Fare Class | Standard KrisFlyer Miles | KrisFlyer Miles with 15% discount |
---|---|---|---|---|
Australia (excluding Perth and Darwin) | Beijing or Shanghai | Economy | 70,000 | 59,500 |
Australia (excluding Perth and Darwin) | Hong Kong | Premium Economy | 90,000 | 76,500 |
Australia (excluding Perth and Darwin) | Los Angeles | Economy | 95,000 | 80,750 |
Perth or Darwin | Bangkok, Hong Kong or Kuala Lumpur | First | 95,000 | 80,750 |
Perth or Darwin | Beijing or Shanghai | Business | 100,000 | 85,000 |
Australia (excluding Perth and Darwin) | Europe (for example, London, Paris or Amsterdam) | Economy | 100,000 | 85,000 |
Origin | Destination | Fare Class | Standard KrisFlyer Miles | KrisFlyer Miles with 15% discount |
---|---|---|---|---|
Australia (excluding Perth and Darwin) | Singapore | First | 75,000 | 63,750 |
Australia (excluding Perth and Darwin) | Malaysia, Indonesia or Brunei | First | 75,000 | 63,750 |
Australia (excluding Perth and Darwin) | Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia or Laos | First | 75,000 | 63,750 |
Australia (excluding Perth and Darwin) | Beijing or Shanghai | First | 92,500 | 78,625 |
Perth or Darwin | Africa, Middle East or Turkey | First | 100,000 | 85,000 |
While the seven frequent flyer programs above are popular and familiar options for many Australian travellers, Membership Rewards also has three other airline reward partners. These frequent flyer programs don’t offer Australian travellers as many options, but we’ve listed out some of the key points for each of them below.
Origin | Destination | Fare Class | Enrich Miles |
---|---|---|---|
Sydney or Melbourne | Hong Kong | Economy | 72,000 |
Perth | Abu Dhabi | Economy | 72,000 |
Sydney or Melbourne | Bali (Denpasar) | Business | 96,000 |
Origin | Destination | Fare Class | Royal Orchid Plus Miles |
---|---|---|---|
Australia | Central Asia and Middle East | Economy | 85,000 |
Australia | China North, Japan, Korea and Mongolia | Economy | 90,000 |
Australia | Hawaii | First | 100,000 |
Note: Virgin Atlantic is based in the United Kingdom and does not include Australian destinations on its rewards flight tables. Unless you spend a lot of time flying out of the UK, it would be better to consider transferring your Membership Rewards points to a different frequent flyer program if you want to use them to book flights.
Back to topNot sure if you want to transfer your Membership Rewards points to a frequent flyer program? Here are some other redemptions you can make with 100,000 points.
100,000 Membership Rewards points can open up a wide range of redemptions, particularly for frequent flyers. Find out more about the ways you can spend your points, and choose an option that offers great value for your individual needs.
Back to topEarn flexible rewards points as you spend and enjoy a big 100,000 bonus points offer with the Citi Rewards Credit Card.
Enjoy 100,000 bonus Velocity Points, a reduced first-year annual fee and points per $1 spent with the Citi Rewards credit card.
The American Express Velocity Business Card earns points per $1 spent and offers complimentary travel insurance and two complimentary Virgin Australia lounge passes each year.
The American Express Business Card offers reliable service, a wide range of benefits, additional features, and competitive fees.
The Amex Qantas Business Rewards Card offers 150,000 bonus Qantas Points, no pre-set spending limit and platinum perks including complimentary insurances.
Enjoy an introductory 90,000 bonus Citi reward Points, a $100 Coles eGift card, plus a reduced first-year annual fee with this Citi Rewards Card offer.
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Can I use my points to purchase a one way airline ticket from London to Australia for by son?
Hi Edward,
Thanks for your inquiry.
Yes, you can use your Membership Rewards Points to redeem or purchase a ticket for your son, provided you meet these conditions:
1. Amex has received prior a written authorisation from you.
2. All your accounts are active and kept in good standing and are not overdue.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
May