American Express Membership Rewards (UK)

Earning points in the UK

The UK programme pays one Membership Rewards point for each full pound of eligible spend charged to an enrolled Card. [4] Amex lists the exclusions explicitly: interest, all fees including annual membership and default fees, balance transfers, cash advances and transactions treated as cash, loading of pre-paid cards, American Express Travellers Cheque purchases, foreign exchange transactions, and amounts later credited back as refunds or other credits. [4] [6]

Posting is not instant. Amex says the points balance updates 24 to 48 hours after a charge appears on the Card Account, and that a Membership Rewards statement period usually ends 4 to 6 days earlier than the Card statement period, so points earned in that gap appear on the next rewards statement. [4] Rewards earned on Additional Cards are not split: Amex says Additional Cardmembers share one Account and all rewards from Additional Card spend go into the primary Account. [6]

Card choice changes the earning picture. Amex lists The American Express Rewards Credit Card as earning one Membership Rewards point for every full pound of purchases with no annual fee, and presents The Platinum Card and the Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card on the same UK rewards and card pages with their own annual fees and representative APRs. [4] [6] Spend booked through American Express Travel Online on flights, pre-paid hotels, car hire and experiences earns one additional point per £1. [4]

What points are worth at redemption

Amex publishes a flat redemption rate rather than a moving one. Paying with points at SafeKey-enabled online checkouts, at Amazon.co.uk, through PayPal, donating to UK charities through JustGiving, funding carbon-removal projects through companies such as Climeworks, taking a statement credit against the monthly Card balance, covering the cost of a Card purchase, and booking through American Express Travel Online are all quoted at 1,000 points = £4.50; Gift Cards are quoted at 1,000 points = £5. [4] The page states no separate cash value, bonus or valuation for transfers to airline and hotel programmes. [4]

Redemptions run through Online Services or, for members without online access, by telephone on the Membership Rewards line. [4] The pay-with-points terms attach conditions: a member cannot redeem while the Card Account or any Flexselect Account is in credit, when a credit would push it into credit, or after a missed payment, and points earned in the previous month are forfeited and deducted from the Points Account if a payment is missed. [4] If goods are returned or a service cancelled, the refund goes to the Card Account and the Points Account is not automatically reimbursed; Amex says members who want the points back must contact it. [4]

Transfers to airline and hotel programmes

Points can be moved to "an Amex loyalty partner programme", meaning airline and hotel programmes. [4] Members link a partner loyalty account online or by telephone, and Amex says there is no limit to the number of partner programmes that can be linked, although verification of a linked account can take up to 14 days. [4] Two restrictions are stated plainly: points can only be transferred into an account in the member's own name, not someone else's airline or hotel account, and transfers to partner programmes are irreversible. [4]

Members comparing transfer value against the flat 1,000 points = £4.50 redemption rate will need that partner list and each partner's own award rules; see the transfer ratio glossary entry and the transfer points checklist. [4]

Exceptions and limits

• Where points are lost. If a member ends the Card Account agreement and no other linked Cards sit on the points Account, Amex gives 30 days from the date of the request to redeem, after which the points are forfeited; if Amex cancels or ends the Card Account under the agreement, unredeemed points are lost. [4] Amex points readers to the full terms for every situation in which points may be lost. [4]
• Cards outside the programme. The British Airways American Express Credit Card collects Avios at 1 Avios per £1 rather than Membership Rewards points, and the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card earns Marriott Bonvoy points with automatic Silver status and 15 Elite Night Credits. [6]
• Eligibility to hold a UK Card. Amex's UK eligibility checklist for a personal Card asks applicants to be 18 or over, to have no history of bad debt, a permanent UK home address and a current UK bank or building society account, with employment, income and bank details needed for some Cards. [6]
• Corporate Cardmembers. Enrolment for Corporate Cardmembers depends on whether their company has signed up to the programme. [4]
• The specific airline and hotel transfer partners, transfer ratios, any annual transfer cap, and the treatment of part-pound spend. [4]

Related pages

How-to: how to redeem Amex Membership Rewards, transfer points checklist. Terms: flexible points, transfer ratio, glossary index. Other markets: Membership Rewards (US), Membership Rewards (Canada), Membership Rewards (Australia).

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. It covers the UK Membership Rewards programme only: the US, Canada and Australia Membership Rewards programmes are not covered here, and neither are the airline and hotel loyalty programmes that UK points can be transferred into.

1. American Express (UK), Membership Rewards programme page and FAQ, checked 18 October 2026
2. American Express (UK), credit cards overview and card footnotes, checked 18 October 2026
3. American Express (UK), homepage product and services index, checked 18 October 2026