Start here: American Express Membership Rewards in Australia — earn, redeem, transfer and keep your points

Step 1: What Membership Rewards in Australia is and who it suits

You will learn: who the programme is run by, what the two kinds of reward are, and how the terms can change.

The terms split rewards in two. Amex Program Rewards are all rewards provided through the Program other than Partner Loyalty Program Rewards, including gift cards, Pay with Points, Points for Credit, Cover Charges with Points and any other rewards that may be added from time to time [1].

American Express may add reward partners and benefits and make non-material changes at any time without prior notice, vary the number of Points needed to redeem a specific reward with at least 60 days' notice, and remove rewards it considers material with no less than 90 days' notice unless the removal is required by law [1]. Rewards it believes are not material to the Program, which may include certain rewards partners, can be removed without prior notice [1]. New terms take effect on 9 November 2026 [2].

The programme applies to Card Members holding an eligible Australian dollar personal charge or credit Card issued by American Express Australia Limited, subject to approval and payment of the relevant Annual Fee where it applies to the Card [1].

Go deeper: Membership Rewards Australia compared with Qantas Points and credit card points.

Step 2: How you join: eligibility, enrolment and the annual fee

You will learn: what participation depends on, when the Annual Fee is billed, and how Additional Cards and multiple Accounts are treated.

That Annual Fee is billed to the Primary Account on the Enrolment Date — the date the Program Account is opened or, for Cards where the Program is optional, the date you opted into the Program — and all later Annual Fees are automatically billed at the beginning of each Enrolment Year, meaning the 12-month period from the Enrolment Date and each successive 12-month period [1].

Points earned by any Additional Card Members automatically accrue to your Program Account only, and Additional Cards cannot be enrolled in the Program separately from your Program Account [1]. Only Accounts kept in good standing and which are not overdue are eligible for enrolment and participation [1].

The Schedule of Fees sets the Program Account Annual Fee at $80 per year unless notified otherwise by American Express in the current terms, and at $99 per year unless notified otherwise in the terms effective 9 November 2026, which also refer Card Members to their Financial Table [1] [2].

Go deeper: authorized user and Membership Rewards pooling rules.

Step 3: How earning works

You will learn: how the Earn Rate is applied and which charges do not earn Points.

The Earn Rate is the number of Points earned for every full one Australian dollar purchase of goods and services charged and billed to your Account, and the applicable Earn Rate can be viewed in your Online Account [1]. Points are earned on every eligible one Australian dollar purchase: each purchase is rounded down to the nearest dollar and multiplied separately by each applicable Earn Rate, only full Points are earned, and where a fraction of a Point arises the total for the transaction is rounded up or down to the nearest whole Point [1]. The balance of Points accrued, including from any Linked Accounts, is notified in the monthly Primary Account statement, and Points accrued have no monetary value [1].

Clause 4.1 sets out what does not earn Points: charges processed, billed or prepaid before the Enrolment Date; cash advances and any other cash services, transactions or fund disbursements; interest charges; fees and charges; the Points portion of a Pay with Points redemption; charges in relation to promotional offers that are excluded from accrual; charges for which payment in full is not received for any reason; balances transferred from other credit card accounts; charges at a merchant in which you, an Additional Card Member or a related third party has an ownership interest; and any credits posted to the Primary Account or a Linked Account, including those arising from returned goods or services or from billing disputes, against which accrued Points are reduced [1].

Go deeper: earning rate and eligible card spend.

Step 4: How to use points: Pay with Points, credits, gift cards and transfers

You will learn: which redemption routes the terms describe and the conditions attached to each one.

Points may only be redeemed while all your accounts with American Express are kept in good standing and are not overdue, and may only be redeemed by the Primary Card Member; minimum redemption thresholds may apply and are notified at the time of redemption [1]. Some redemption options may not be available to your Card or Program, so Card-specific options and rates are shown in the Online Account [1].

Pay with Points can be used to shop online at eligible merchants and to book prepaid travel of a nominated value through selected Travel Partners [1]. You need sufficient available funds on the Card for the total transaction amount and must select the “Pay with Points” (or “points for credit”) option at the time of purchase: the transaction is charged in full in Australian dollars, a credit for the value of the Points redeemed appears on the statement within 3 business days as “Membership Rewards Credit”, and the relevant number of Points is debited immediately [1]. For selected Travel Partners only, Points may also be redeemed in store for prepaid travel, and those charge, credit and timing rules do not apply to in-store redemptions [1]. Points cannot be redeemed for Australian currency or any other currency, or for travel for resale or promotional purposes, and you are responsible for airport transfer fees, airport taxes, fuel surcharges and levies and other service fees relating to a Membership Rewards travel booking [1].

Points for Credit is a credit to your Account arranged through the Online Account; it cannot exceed the outstanding statement balance, is administered within 3 business days, cannot be reversed, and where Linked Accounts are held is credited to the Primary Account only [1]. With Cover Charges with Points, each Eligible Charge must be redeemed within 2 months of the charge appearing on the Card or Account, must not be currently or previously disputed, and must not be an American Express fee unless otherwise available to you; Eligible Charges may change at any time without notice and these transactions can only be completed online [1]. Gift cards are redeemed as shown in your Online Account, and American Express is not responsible for any lost, stolen or destroyed gift cards once delivered, or for any gift card used without your permission [1].

To transfer Points to a Partner Loyalty Program you must be a member of that programme, and enrolment there is your responsibility with any fees payable by you [1]. Points may only be transferred to a participating Partner Loyalty Program account held in your name, and any Points redeemed or transferred to an account in the name of another person may result in forfeiture of Points, cancellation of the Program Account and removal of associated registration numbers [1].

Points can be purchased for the redemption of any reward other than Pay with Points at Travel Partners, Points for Credit and Cover Charges with Points, in multiples of 1,000, and must be redeemed at the time of purchase [1]. The fee for purchasing Points is $25 per 1,000 Points in both Schedules of Fees [1] [2].

Go deeper: Membership Rewards Australia transfer partners, Australian card points transfer partners, pay with points and transfer ratio.

Step 5: Keeping your points: when you might lose them

You will learn: when Points expire or are forfeited, and which request windows and fees the terms set.

Points earned while in the Program have no expiry date so long as you are a Card Member, you are enrolled in the Program and all your accounts with American Express are kept in good standing and are not overdue [1].

If any of your accounts are not in good standing or are overdue, any Points accrued relating to the overdue amount are forfeited, your privilege to earn Points may be removed and your enrolment in the Program may be cancelled; a breach of any conditions applicable to any Card or to the Agreement may forfeit all of your Points [1]. Unless clause 13.3 applies, cancelling your Primary Account, or American Express cancelling the Primary Account or any Linked Account, forfeits accrued Points, which then cannot be transferred, converted or redeemed [1].

Where Points were forfeited under clause 12.1, and the Linked Accounts and Program Account have not been cancelled, a request within three months of the Card Account statement date to which the overdue payment relates, together with bringing the Account into good standing, may lead to reinstatement of the forfeited Points with a reinstatement fee payable; once the Account is cancelled or three months have elapsed from the original statement date, forfeited Points cannot be reinstated [1]. You may end the Agreement at any time by requesting cancellation of the Program, and if the Primary Account is open and current you may redeem unused Points for up to one month after the date of cancellation by calling Customer Service, with limited redemption options [1].

Go deeper: card points expiry and transferable points when closing a card.

Step 6: Your first concrete action

You will learn: the five checks to complete now, so that later decisions rest on the current terms.

• Open the current terms and note that the new terms take effect on 9 November 2026, when the Program Account Annual Fee in the Schedule of Fees changes from $80 per year to $99 per year, unless notified otherwise [1] [2].
• Confirm that every Account is in good standing and not overdue, because enrolment, earning, redemption and the no-expiry position all depend on it [1].
• Check the Conversion Rate advised at the time of your transfer request before confirming any transfer [1].
• Confirm that the Partner Loyalty Program account is held in your own name before transferring Points [1].
• Redeem any Points you want to keep before cancelling the Primary Account, since cancellation forfeits them unless clause 13.3 applies [1].

Next: work through the transfer points checklist before any transfer, then use the American Express Membership Rewards Australia programme hub to find the guide for each task.