Start here: American Express Membership Rewards (US) — enrol, earn, use and keep points

Step 1: What Membership Rewards is and who it suits

You will learn: what the terms govern, how far they reach, and which US Cards sit inside the programme.

The terms are the agreement between you and the Rewards Program owner and operator, American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. [1] They relate only to the Rewards Program; the terms for a specific product are in the separate document you received when you enrolled [1]. American Express may make changes to the Rewards Program and to these terms at any time — for example changing the points earned or required to redeem, imposing caps or fees, increasing program fees, or cancelling rewards or the Rewards Program [1]. If the Rewards Program is cancelled, you will be notified at least 90 days in advance and can earn or use points during that time, although certain rewards may be changed or cancelled [1].

The programme suits holders of an eligible US American Express Product: Card Products must be issued by American Express or one of its affiliates in the U.S. and billed in U.S. dollars [1]. The eligible Products are listed in the Compare Products section of the terms, and American Express may change Product eligibility at any time [1].

Go deeper: Start here: cards and transfers for how card points and transfers fit together, US transferable points systems compared for how Membership Rewards sits beside other US systems, and Amex MR vs Chase UR for the two side by side.

Step 2: How you join: your Rewards Account

You will learn: who holds a Rewards Account, how Products are linked to it, and when an enrollment fee applies.

To participate and to have an account — a Rewards Account — you must have at least one eligible and enrolled Product [1]. You hold it because you are the primary Card Account holder (a Basic Card Member) or the primary account holder of another Product, and your Product is enrolled [1]. Additional Card Members on Consumer and Business Card Accounts do not have their own Rewards Accounts [1].

If you have multiple Products, American Express may automatically link them to the same Rewards Account, and you can link or delink any of them by calling the number on the back of your Card [1]. Redemption options can be narrower: if the only Card Product linked is a Legacy Card, availability is limited, and if only a Checking Account is linked with no Card Account, options are also limited [1]. Certain Products carry annual Rewards Program enrollment fees, charged each year on the anniversary of the date your enrollment completes processing and continuing until you unenroll by calling the number on the back of your Card [1].

Go deeper: Amex card levels guide for how the Products differ, Amex Gold Card (US) and Amex Platinum Card (US) for two of the Products, and Amex Membership Rewards pooling rules for what a shared Rewards Account means.

Step 3: How earning works

You will learn: the base earn rate, what counts as an eligible purchase, and the payment condition attached to every point.

Card Members earn one point for every dollar of spend on an eligible purchase using an enrolled Card, where an eligible purchase is a purchase on your Card for goods and services minus returns and other credits [1]. Eligible purchases do not include, among other items the terms list, cash advances and cash equivalents including gift cards, person-to-person transactions, balance transfers, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, fees or interest charges, or purchases covered by points or other rewards at point of sale [1]. American Express sets that list in its sole discretion, may change it without notice, and may remove points it determines were earned on ineligible purchases [1].

Points for a billing period are earned only if the minimum amount due is received on time: for a Consumer or Business Card Account, by the Payment Due Date shown on that statement [1]. If payment is late, the points accrued during that period do not post — you can still earn them after paying the amounts due, but you must request them within 12 months after the billing period and pay a $35 fee for each billing period and each Card Account you request them for [1].

Any additional points depend on the Product: the Compare Products section of the terms shows whether your Card earns additional points on certain purchases [1]. Merchants are assigned codes based on what they primarily sell, and a purchase earns no additional points if the merchant's code is not in an additional points category [1]. Additional points may not post where a merchant uses a third party to sell its products or services or to process or submit the transaction, or where you pay through a third-party payment account, mobile wallet or digital wallet [1].

Go deeper: Amex Blue Business Plus for one of the Products in the programme, and Amex card levels guide for how earning differs across the range.

Step 4: How to use points

You will learn: the four redemption routes in the terms and the conditions attached to each.

You may be able to transfer points to participating partner loyalty programs, such as those offered by airlines and hotels [1]. You must link your Rewards Account with the partner account first, and that account must be in your name or in the name of an Additional Card Member on your Card Account, with the Additional Card issued at least 90 days before linking [1]. Once transferred, points cannot be reversed, the partner programme's terms apply, and the rate varies by partner [1]. In most cases you must transfer a minimum of 1,000 points and only in multiples of 1,000, and a transfer typically takes 48 hours to process, though some programmes delay posting [1]. Points sent to a U.S. airline frequent flyer program carry an excise tax offset fee of $0.0006 per point, up to $99 [1]. If the only Card Product linked to your Rewards Account is a Legacy Card, this option is not available [1].

Pay with Points can be used at checkout with participating brands or through American Express Travel, and with a Legacy Card only through American Express Travel [1]. American Express charges your Card Account for the purchase, deducts the points and applies a statement credit for the points used, so any difference remains charged to the Card [1]. It cannot be reversed, and if part of the purchase is refunded you receive a statement credit, unless you call the number on the back of your Card to have points reinstated [1].

Cover your Card Charges lets Basic Card Members, and possibly Account Managers and Rewards Managers on a Card Account, use points towards eligible charges (generally, charges in the U.S. or a U.S. territory, in recent activity or the current statement, never disputed and at least $1), and Basic Card Members can also redeem points worth at least $1 for a statement credit, which cannot pay the Minimum Payment Due; Corporate Card Members are not eligible for either [1]. All redemptions are final and cannot be reversed or expedited [1].

Go deeper: Redeem Amex Membership Rewards for the redemption options in detail, Amex Membership Rewards US transfer partners for the partner side, Amex Membership Rewards transfer times and minimums for how long transfers take, and Transfer points checklist for the order to do things in.

Step 5: Keeping points: no tiers, and how points are lost

You will learn: why there is no status ladder here, and the exact events that remove points.

The terms describe no status tiers: points sit in one Rewards Account [1]. Points do not belong to you and are not your property; you cannot transfer them to someone else's Rewards Account, sell them, or pass them on as part of a legal action such as a divorce, an inheritance or a bankruptcy [1]. Generally you cannot use points, and American Express may cancel your Rewards Account, if your Product is in restricted status, cancelled or past due, or if a returned payment is outstanding; New York Card Members (Card Members with a New York billing address on a linked Card Account) can keep using points in those scenarios for 90 days by calling the number on the back of their Card [1].

If American Express cancels any of your Products for any reason, including your death, insolvency or bankruptcy, you lose all the points in your Rewards Account [1]. Three exceptions are stated: the executor of your estate or your personal representative may be able to make a one-time points redemption upon your death, depending on your Product, by calling 1-800-AXP-EARN (297-3276); cancellation for inactivity gives you 90 days to use the points; and you do not lose points if a Product is cancelled by accident [1]. If you cancel or unenroll your last linked Product, you immediately lose all the points, although if that last linked Product is a Corporate Card you may be able to redeem points for up to 30 days afterwards [1].

New points are applied first to a negative balance, and you cannot use points until the balance is positive [1]. Points may be considered taxable income and reported to the IRS on Form 1099 or Form 1042-S [1].

Go deeper: Transferable points when closing a card for the closing-a-card sequence, and Amex Membership Rewards pooling rules for how points sit across linked Products.

Step 6: Your first concrete action

You will learn: the five checks to complete before your next statement closes.

1. Confirm your Product is a US American Express Product enrolled in Membership Rewards, and check in the Compare Products chart of the Membership Rewards Program Terms and Conditions whether it earns additional points or carries an annual Rewards Program enrollment fee [1].
2. Pay at least the minimum amount due on time every statement, because points are not earned for a billing period paid late and requesting them afterwards costs $35 per billing period and Card Account [1].
3. Before any transfer, link the partner loyalty account in your own name, or in an Additional Card Member's name where that Card was issued at least 90 days earlier, and transfer only what you need, because transfers cannot be reversed — start at the American Express points transfer page [1].
4. If you hold several Products, keep at least one linked before cancelling a card, since cancelling or unenrolling your last linked Product loses all points immediately [1].
5. Read the summary of recent program updates at www.americanexpress.com/mrupdates/, the page the terms give for changes and for the availability of redemption options [1].

Next, work through Redeem Amex Membership Rewards, which takes the four redemption routes above one at a time.

Next: Redeem Amex Membership Rewards and the American Express Membership Rewards (US) programme hub.