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

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

You will learn: what the Canadian program covers, what points can and cannot do, and who it suits.

The program allows you to earn Membership Rewards points for most transactions using certain American Express cards, and to redeem them for rewards or transfer them to select third-party programs [1]. Points have no cash value and cannot be exchanged for cash, sold or traded in any other way [1].

Amex may change the terms — including the earn rate, rewards, reward partners, and caps or fees on earning and redeeming — by giving notice [1]. A change to your advantage can be made immediately and explained later; otherwise you receive at least 60 days' notice before it takes effect [1]. For consumers in Quebec, Amex will only make changes that are not prohibited under the Quebec Consumer Protection Act or other applicable consumer protection laws [1].

Who it suits: holders of eligible cards issued by Amex Bank of Canada, since only select American Express cards issued by Amex Bank of Canada can be enrolled [1].

Go deeper: Canadian card points programmes compared and Membership Rewards Canada compared with RBC Avion.

Step 2: How you join: eligible cards, tiers and fees

You will learn: how enrolment works, what the reward tiers are, and which program fees apply.

Only select American Express cards issued by Amex Bank of Canada can be enrolled, Amex will tell you if your card is eligible and if enrolment is required, and your card must be in good standing to be enrolled and to stay in the program [1]. Supplementary cards associated with your card earn points towards your points account, not their own or another person's [1]. Each eligible card is assigned a specific reward tier — Membership Rewards First Tier, Membership Rewards Tier or Membership Rewards Select Tier — which determines the rewards available, and your cardmember agreement tells you which one applies [1].

For personal and small business cards the annual enrolment fee is $0 for the cards listed in the terms, and a points reinstatement fee applies if Amex agrees to return lost or forfeited points: $20 per online request and $30 per telephone request for each monthly reinstatement [1].

Go deeper: authorized user and the card selection framework.

Step 3: How earning works

You will learn: what the earn rate measures, what never earns points, and how refunds and merchant categories change a balance.

The earn rate is the number of points for each Canadian dollar of purchases charged to your card, and the per-card rates appear in the terms' Appendix 1 – Earn Rates by Card [1]. You earn points on all eligible transactions, meaning purchases made using your card except the transactions listed in the terms under “When You Will Not Earn Points” [1].

No points are earned for charges processed, billed or prepaid to your card before enrolment, interest, card fees, program enrolment fees, cash equivalent transactions whether or not they appear as purchases on your statement, points earned in a way that breaches the terms or is not intended to be earned, or any other transaction Amex tells you is excluded [1].

Bonus earn rates may be offered on certain cards or as promotions and depend on merchant categorisation; they do not apply where a merchant category is not identified, which can happen when the transaction information does not come directly from the merchant — for example a payment account with a third party, an online retailer selling other merchants' goods, or a merchant using a third-party payment service such as a card reader attached to a mobile phone [1]. Refunds remove the points earned for the original purchase; if your earn rate changes, the new earn rate applies to refunds whatever the original rate, and the balance may go negative [1].

Go deeper: Canadian card points earning rates compared and the earning rate glossary entry.

Step 4: How to use points: travel, statement credits and transfers

You will learn: the three routes for spending points and the conditions attached to each.

Redeeming points is not a card payment: you must still pay at least the minimum payment due, and your card and all other linked cards must not be past due before you can redeem [1]. Different options have different values, set out in Appendix 2 – Redemption Rates by Reward, and it is your responsibility to compare them [1]. If you are short of points you can buy up to 25% of the points a reward requires at the time of redemption, in increments of 100 with a minimum purchase of 1,000 points, though points cannot be purchased for corporate cards [1].

Under the Flexible Points Travel Program, points pay for new travel purchases including taxes, surcharges and fees booked through American Express Travel Services or at americanexpress.ca/travel; the full cost is charged to your card and a statement credit follows within 10 business days of booking, at 1,000 points = $10 travel credit [1]. From January 6, 2027 the Fixed Points Travel Program is no longer available except for the Centurion Card, The Platinum Card, The Business Platinum Card and enrolled Corporate Platinum Cards, known as the Travel & Lifestyle Services Cards, and from that date it is no longer available through digital channels even for those cards but continues by telephone through Travel & Lifestyle Services [1]. For Quebec residents, except for the Travel & Lifestyle Services Cards, the Fixed Points Travel Program is no longer available for points earned after the effective date, and points earned before it keep equivalent redemption value through other redemption options [1].

Statement-credit options are priced at 1,000 points = $10 for Use Points for Purchases, Pay Balance with Points (minimum 1,000 points for a $10 credit), Points for Annual Card Fee and Points for Concierge Bookings, the last limited to The Platinum Card, The Business Platinum Card and the Centurion Card [1]. Pay/Shop with Points covers select merchants at 1,000 points = $7 at Amazon.ca, with SafeKey Pay with Points and with PayPal, and 1,000 points = $10 with Air Canada Pay with Points [1].

To transfer, you must first connect your points account to the account in your name with the third party [1]. Transferred points are no longer part of the program, are covered by the third party's terms and may have an expiry or use-by date, and a transfer cannot be reversed [1]. Appendix 2 lists the following ratios, and rewards availability and partners are subject to change [1]:

• Aeroplan: 1,000 points = 1,000 Aeroplan Points [1].
• Air France KLM Flying Blue: 1,000 points = 1,000 Flying Blue Miles [1].
• Cathay Pacific: 1,000 points = 750 Asia Miles [1].
• British Airways: 1,000 points = 1,000 Avios [1].
• Delta SkyMiles: 1,000 points = 750 SkyMiles [1].
• Hilton Honors: 1,000 points = 1,000 Hilton Honors Points [1].
• Marriott Bonvoy: 1,000 points = 1,200 Marriott Bonvoy points [1].
• ALL Accor: 1,000 points = 500 ALL Accor Reward Points [1].

Go deeper: Canadian card points redemption options compared, transferring Membership Rewards Canada points to Aeroplan, transfer partners across Canadian card programmes and the transfer ratio glossary entry.

Step 5: Keeping your points: no expiry, but several ways to lose them

You will learn: why points do not expire, and which events still remove or cancel them.

There is no expiry or use-by date on points while you stay enrolled in the program [1].

If Amex does not receive the required monthly payment on time for your card or any linked card, it removes the points earned in the previous month — and only those points — which may result in a negative balance, and this repeats each time a required payment is late while earning restarts from the date of your next statement [1]. You cannot redeem points while a required monthly payment is outstanding, and can redeem again once payments are up to date [1]. If you cancel your card, all points are immediately lost unless you leave at least one other linked card open in good standing, in which case points are not lost and you continue to earn with that card [1]. If Amex cancels your card for any reason, all points are immediately lost [1].

If you cancel participation in the program, your points account is cancelled and you have 30 days from the date you request cancellation to transfer or redeem your points, after which they are lost and cannot be returned [1].

Amex is not obliged to return lost points and the decision rests solely with it; it may return them if your card and all linked cards are in good standing, you request it within 3 months of the statement showing the points removed, and you pay the reinstatement fee [1]. Your points account is cancelled if your card is three months past due, and points cannot be returned once the account is cancelled [1].

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

Step 6: Your first concrete action

You will learn: the five checks to complete on your own account today.

1. Open the Membership Rewards Program Terms and Conditions and find the reward tier assigned to your card in your cardmember agreement, because the tier decides which rewards you can choose [1].
2. Set up on-time monthly payments: if the required monthly payment is not received on time, Amex removes the points earned in the previous month and you cannot redeem until payments are up to date [1].
3. Before any transfer, connect the partner account held in your own name and check the ratio in the terms, because a transfer cannot be reversed [1].
4. Compare the Flexible Points Travel Program with the statement-credit options before redeeming, since different options have different values [1].
5. Redeem or transfer before cancelling a card, because all points are lost on cancellation unless at least one other linked card stays open in good standing [1].

Next: read the American Express Canada Membership Rewards page, which states that the terms were updated as of October 1, 2026 and links to them [2], then work through the transfer points checklist and the programme hub.