American Express Membership Rewards (US): earning, transfers and redemptions

Earning points

Card members earn one point for every dollar of spend on an eligible purchase made with an enrolled card, and some products earn additional points on particular kinds of purchase. [1] Additional points depend on the merchant code assigned to the seller, so a purchase may not earn extra points where the code falls outside the category, where a third party sells or processes the transaction, or where a mobile or digital wallet is used. [1]

Eligible purchases exclude cash advances and cash equivalents including gift cards, person-to-person transactions, balance transfers, traveller's cheques, purchases or reloads of prepaid cards, fees and interest on the account, foreign exchange and account service fees, programme fees, and purchases already covered by points at the point of sale. [1] American Express sets that list at its discretion, may change it without notice, and may remove points it decides were earned on ineligible purchases. [1]

Earning also depends on payment timing: if the minimum amount due is not received by the payment due date on a consumer or business account, points from that billing period do not post. [1] They can be recovered by paying the amount due, requesting the points and paying a fee for each billing period and each card account, provided the request is made within 12 months of that billing period. [1]

Only the basic card member holds the Rewards Account. [1] Where a cardholder has several enrolled products, American Express may link them automatically to the same Rewards Account, and which redemption options are open depends on the products linked. [1]

Transferring points to partners

Points may be transferred to participating partner loyalty programmes, which the terms describe as programmes like those offered by airlines and hotels. [1] [5]

The partner account has to be linked before any transfer, and it must be held either by the cardholder or by an additional card member whose additional card was issued at least 90 days before linking. [1] The transfer help page adds that the name on the card and the name on the partner account must match. [3]

In most cases the minimum transfer is 1,000 points and transfers must be in multiples of 1,000. [1] American Express says transfers typically take 48 hours to process, though some programmes delay posting, and advises checking the partner account before booking an award. [1] [3]

A transfer cannot be reversed, points moved to a partner cannot be converted back, and from that point the partner programme's own rules apply. [1] [5] An excise tax offset fee of $0.0006 per point, capped at $99, is charged on points transferred to a U.S. airline frequent flyer programme, and American Express notes the fee may be more or less than the excise tax it actually pays on a given transfer. [1] [5]

If an airline programme leaves the Rewards Program, American Express may limit transfers to it before participation ends, and that limit will be at least 100,000 points. [1] [5] If the only product on the Rewards Account is a Legacy Card, the transfer option is not available at all. [1]

Other ways to use points

Pay with Points. Points can be applied at checkout with participating brands or through American Express Travel: the card is charged for the purchase, points are deducted and a statement credit is applied, with any shortfall left on the card. [1] In participating New York City taxis, the points used must cover the whole fare plus tip. [1]

Gift cards. Points can be exchanged for merchant gift cards or for American Express Gift Cards, which have no cash value, require at least 1,000 points when bought online, and ship only within the U.S. or U.S. territories, excluding Hawaii and Vermont. [1]

Statement credits and card charges. Cover your Card Charges applies to undisputed charges of at least $1 that occur in the U.S. or a U.S. territory and appear in recent activity or the current statement, and a statement credit redemption must be worth at least $1; corporate card members are not eligible for either. [1]

Checking accounts. Where a checking account is linked, eligible debit card spend earns one point per two dollars, and where only a checking account is linked the points can be used only for deposits or for transfers to a limited selection of partners. [1] Redeem for Deposits converts 1,000 points into an $8 deposit at the standard rate, rising to a higher rate on the first 1,000,000 points per calendar year for a business checking account with a linked Business Platinum Card. [1]

Limits and losing points

• Ownership. Points do not belong to the cardholder and cannot be transferred to another person's Rewards Account, sold, or passed on through divorce, inheritance or bankruptcy. [1]
• Cancelling the last product. All points are lost immediately if the last linked product is cancelled or unenrolled, except that where the last product is a corporate card the cardholder may redeem for up to 30 days after cancellation. [1] Points removed because American Express cancels an account for inactivity can still be used for 90 days. [1] No points are lost where American Express cancels a product by accident. [1]
• Restricted accounts. Points generally cannot be used, and the Rewards Account may be cancelled, if a product is in restricted status, cancelled or past due, or a returned payment is outstanding. [1] Card members with a New York billing address can keep using points for 90 days in some of these situations by calling the number on the card. [1]
• Negative balances and fraud. New points first reduce a negative balance, and points cannot be used until the balance is positive; American Express may suspend earning or use, remove points and cancel products where it decides there has been fraud, abuse or gaming. [1]
• Changes and tax. American Express may change the terms at any time, including earn rates and redemption levels, and gives at least 90 days' notice if it cancels the programme. [1] Points may be treated as taxable income and reported to the IRS. [1]
• A general expiry period for points, the number of transfer partners, the transfer ratio for each partner, and the annual fees of individual cards are not stated in the terms and help page used here. [1] [3]

Related pages

Compare the rival bank currency in Chase Ultimate Rewards and the head-to-head in Amex MR versus Chase UR. For the practical sequence before moving points, see the transfer points checklist and how to redeem Amex Membership Rewards. Background terms: flexible points, transfer ratio, transfer time.

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. Canadian, U.K., Australian and other national Membership Rewards programmes, and the terms of individual American Express cards, are not covered here.

1. Membership Rewards Program Terms and Conditions (US), checked 18 October 2026
2. American Express help centre: How do I transfer Membership Rewards points?, checked 18 October 2026
3. Membership Rewards Program Terms and Conditions (US), transfer section as rendered in a browser, checked 18 October 2026