How to earn Amex Membership Rewards on UK business cards

How do Amex UK business cards earn Membership Rewards points?

Points are earned at one Membership Rewards point for every full pound of eligible spend, and the programme is offered on selected American Express Cards rather than on all of them. [5] The balance usually updates 24 to 48 hours after the charge has appeared on the Card Account, and the Membership Rewards statement normally ends four to six days before the Card statement, so spending from those days appears in the following points statement. [5] Booking flights, pre-paid hotels, car hire and experiences through American Express Travel Online earns one additional Membership Rewards point per £1. [5]

Several kinds of transaction are excluded from eligible spend on the Card: [5]

• Interest, balance transfers, cash advances (including transactions treated as cash) and the loading of prepaid cards. [5]
• All fees, including annual membership fees and default fees. [5]
• Foreign exchange transactions and American Express Travellers Cheque purchases. [5]
• Amounts later credited back to the Card Account as refunds or other types of credit. [5]

Points are earned per full pound of eligible spend, and the programme is available only on selected American Express Cards. [5]

How do you transfer business points to airlines and hotels?

Transfers are started from the Membership Rewards account, either by linking the partner loyalty account online or by calling the Membership Rewards team, and the link can take up to 14 days to verify. [5] There is no limit to the number of partner programmes that can be linked. [5] Points can only be transferred into an account in the cardholder's own name, and a transfer to a partner programme is irreversible once it has been made. [5] The Membership Rewards transfer partners guide sets out how the airline side of that works.

Points that stay inside the programme are spent at fixed rates, as of 18 October 2026: [5]

For Corporate Cardmembers, the ability to enrol in Membership Rewards depends on whether the company has signed up to the programme. [5]

Sole trader or limited company: what is the difference?

Most UK businesses are set up either as a sole trader or as a limited company, and the structure chosen affects how the business pays tax and what its legal responsibilities are. [6] These rules describe the business itself under UK company law and sit apart from the points programme terms above. [6]

Sole trader. This is the simplest structure to set up and keep records for, and the sole trader makes all the business decisions and keeps the profits after tax. [6] A sole trader is personally responsible for all of the business's debts, which is unlimited liability, and does not pay Corporation Tax. [6] Trading can begin without registering, but registration for Self Assessment is required once earnings exceed £1,000 in a tax year, which runs from 6 April to 5 April. [6]

Limited company. A limited company is legally separate from the people who own it and is run by one or more directors. [6] Owners are responsible for business debts only up to the value of their financial investment, which is limited liability, and the company must be registered before it begins trading. [6] [7] Directors must keep company and accounting records and file accounts and tax returns, while the company pays Corporation Tax and registers for VAT if it meets the requirements. [7] A limited company also needs at least one shareholder, who can be a director, and must identify the people with significant control over it, such as anyone holding more than 25% of the shares or voting rights. [7]

Moving between the two is possible, and GOV.UK notes that it is usually easier to move from sole trader to limited company than the other way round. [6]

Exceptions and limits

• If the Card Account agreement is ended and no other linked Cards sit on the points Account, the cardholder has 30 days from the date of the request to redeem, after which the points are forfeited. [5]
• If American Express cancels or ends the Card Account under the agreement, points earned but not yet redeemed are lost. [5]
• Missing a monthly payment on the Card Account forfeits the points earned in the previous month. [5]
• Under the Pay with Points terms, points cannot be redeemed where the Card Account, or a Flexselect account, has a credit balance, where a credit would create one, or where a payment has been missed. [5]
• If goods or services bought with points through SafeKey are returned or cancelled, the refund is credited to the Card Account and the points are not returned to the Points Account. [5]
• Annual membership fees fall outside eligible spend, so the Card fee itself never earns points. [5]
• A partner transfer is irreversible even if the reward seat or room the points were moved for cannot be found. [5]
• Points are earned on eligible spend only, and the full restrictions sit in the Membership Rewards terms and conditions rather than in this overview. [5]

Frequently asked questions

Do Amex UK Membership Rewards points expire?

There is no expiration date on Membership Rewards points while the cardholder remains enrolled in the programme and compliant with its terms. [5] Points can still be lost — for example through closing the last linked Card Account, having the account cancelled, or missing a monthly payment. [5]

Can business points be transferred to someone else's airline account?

No. Membership Rewards points can only be transferred into an airline or hotel account held in the cardholder's own name. [5]

Which business spending does not earn points?

Interest, all fees including the annual membership fee, balance transfers, cash advances and cash-type transactions, prepaid card loading, Travellers Cheque purchases and foreign exchange transactions all fall outside eligible spend, as do amounts later refunded. [5]

What are 1,000 Membership Rewards points worth?

As of 18 October 2026 they are worth £4.50 when used as a statement credit, against a Card purchase, through Pay with Points partners or towards American Express Travel bookings, and £5 when redeemed for gift cards. [5]

Does the business need to be a limited company?

UK businesses are most often set up as a sole trader or a limited company, and both structures carry their own registration, record-keeping and tax duties. [6] [7] A sole trader can start trading before registering but must register for Self Assessment above £1,000 of earnings in a tax year, while a limited company must be registered before it trades. [6] [7]

Related pages

Programme: American Express Membership Rewards (UK). Guides: Membership Rewards transfer partners, UK credit card points for business class. Glossary: credit card points, all terms.

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. It covers American Express business cards issued in the United Kingdom that earn Membership Rewards; personal Cards, Corporate Cards and Amex cards issued in other markets are not covered here.

1. American Express UK Membership Rewards programme, checked 18 October 2026
2. GOV.UK: Set up a business, checked 18 October 2026
3. GOV.UK: Set up a private limited company, checked 18 October 2026