How to Use American Express Membership Rewards Points for Travel and Everyday Purchases
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Most reward programs focus on travel purchases. Why? It’s all about making the most of your trip at a lower cost! Especially since it’s often the best value for redeeming points.
The American Express Privilege-Points program is one of the few where you can also apply your points to other expenses, without losing value.
How to Use American Express Membership Rewards Points for Travel or Purchases
It’s easy to redeem your American Express Membership Rewards points for travel purchases and even for everyday purchases. The redemption method and ratio are the same.
Charge any travel or other purchase to your card and redeem your points by logging into your online account.
Here, the example is for a American Express Cobalt® Card but the procedure is the same for American Express Membership Rewards cards.
On the home page, choose one of your Membership Rewards cards and click on “View and redeem points”:
Next, you’ll see a history of your last 3 months of purchases or your last 150 eligible purchases on the card. If you wish to apply Membership Rewards points to previous purchases, please call American Express customer service.
Here, I’ve chosen to apply points to a transaction with FoodHero. The rate is 1,000 points = $10.
Then click on the “Use Points” section, then “Cover it with Points”.
You can adjust the slider to choose the exact number of Membership Rewards points you want to use for this transaction. Here, I’m choosing 5,488 Membership Rewards points for a credit of $54.88.
Click on “Redeem Now”.
A confirmation screen appears. Simply check, accept the terms and conditions and confirm the transaction. The credit will be posted to your account within 24-48 hours and marked “Points for purchases”.
You can also use your Membership Rewards points to pay for all or part of an order on Amazon.ca. However, the exchange rate is less favourable, with 1,000 points equalling a $7 credit.
Here are all the American Express Membership Rewards cards that allow you to use points for all your expenses:
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $191.88 | |||
| $250 | |||
| $0 | |||
| $799 | |||
| $799 | |||
| $199 |
Use Points for Everyday Purchases
Generally speaking, it doesn’t make sense to apply points to anything other than travel: their value is much lower. The exception is Membership Rewards points, which have the same value for all types of expenses (1,000 points = $10 statement credit).
Comparison – Against a Statement Credit
In general, the redemption rate for a Statement credit is unfavourable, but this can allow you to use your points that are lying dormant and that you don’t know what to do with!
| Reward Program | Points for a $10 credit |
|---|---|
| BMO Rewards | 3,333 |
| CIBC Aventura | 1,600 |
| MBNA Rewards | 1,200 |
| TD Rewards | 4,000 |
| Awards NBC | 2,500 |
| RBC Avion Rewards | 1 720 |
| Scene+ | 1,450 |
Be aware that programs may require a minimum number of points to exchange for a statement credit. These numbers have been standardized to give a sense of scale and to better compare them, as they do not have the same value.
Bottom Line
American Express Membership Rewards points are among the best loyalty program points. They’re beloved for their flexibility, and for making sure you can use your points without losing value.
For a higher level of points usage, you can even transfer your Membership Rewards points to other programs.
Although the American Express Cobalt® Card is the Membership Rewards credit card we’ve long recommended, find the one that best suits your needs in this article.
- Annual fee
- $191.88
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$255Total$255Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $255
- Welcome offerGet 1,250 points after $750 in purchases per month for 12 months
- Up to 15,000 points
Apply Now
on American Express's website
Apply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).
What is the value of American Express points for shopping?
When applied to earn account credit on purchases, American Express Membership Rewards points are generally worth 1 cent per point, or 1000 points = $10. This value is lower than the one we can get for travel, which can reach 2 cents or more per point.
Can I use my American Express points at Amazon?
Yes, you can link your American Express account to Amazon.ca to use your points at checkout, but that’s not the most advantageous way to use your points. The conversion rate on Amazon is 1,000 points = $7, whereas if you wait to use your Membership Rewards points to obtain a Statement credit on the same purchase, you’ll get a conversion rate of 1,000 points = $10, a more advantageous option.
What are the best ways to use American Express points?
American Express Membership Rewards points offer the best value when transferred to partner travel programs such as Aeroplan, Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors Flying Blue or others, and then used for more than 1 cent per point. For purchases, give preference to statement discounts over using them on Amazon.
Go further with American Express Membership Rewards
To maximize your Membership Rewards earning, check our complete American Express Membership Rewards program guide and our best American Express Membership Rewards credit cards ranking, updated monthly by the Milesopedia team.
