Save money: 6 ways to redeem Amex Membership Rewards points for holiday gifts

If cash is a little bit tight this 12 months, it’s possible you’ll discover your American Express Membership Rewards factors stability is increased than your financial savings account stability. If you happen to fall into this camp, it’s possible you’ll surprise how one can flip a few of your Membership Rewards factors into holiday gifts this season.

Usually we might advocate redeeming your factors for a visit. Journey is among the finest presents you may give anybody — particularly in case you may give your time and the present of journey collectively. Additionally, redeeming your Membership Rewards points for journey will typically present probably the most worth on your factors.

Nevertheless, not everybody can journey or needs to journey. Though redeeming your factors for journey typically supplies probably the most worth on a cents-per-point foundation, one of the best redemption is the one which helps you meet your targets. Proper now, your particular person targets could not contain a flight or lodge.

Whether or not you want to gift travel, a toy or the newest and biggest gadget, let’s take a better have a look at the best ways to redeem Amex Membership Rewards points for presents this vacation season.

Some transferable rewards programs allow you to share rewards with others. Nevertheless, Amex is among the extra restrictive applications relating to sharing. Particularly, Amex solely permits you to switch Membership Rewards factors to your loyalty accounts or the loyalty accounts of your approved customers.

Fortunately, most airline and lodge loyalty applications can help you e-book awards for others whenever you’re touring collectively. Some loyalty applications even can help you book travel for others once they’re touring with out you. So, you might be able to give the present of journey this vacation season by reserving award journey for others.

If you happen to’re seeking to e-book award journey this vacation season, you possibly can switch your factors to the next Membership Rewards transfer partners:

• Airline loyalty applications: Aer Lingus AerClub, Aeromexico Rewards, Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, ANA Mileage Membership, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways Govt Membership, Cathay Pacific Cathay, Delta SkyMiles, Emirates Skywards, Etihad Visitor, HawaiianMiles, Iberia Plus, JetBlue TrueBlue, Qantas Frequent Flyer, Qatar Airways Privilege Membership, Singapore Airways KrisFlyer and Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership
• Lodge loyalty applications: Alternative Privileges, Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy

TPG’s December 2024 valuations peg the value of Membership Rewards points at about 2 cents every. So, you may typically need to goal to get not less than 2 cents per level whenever you switch to journey companions. Nevertheless, make sure award availability exists earlier than transferring.

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Though most transfers are prompt, it may well typically take as much as 48 hours for factors to switch. Take a look at our article on how long American Express Membership Rewards transfers take to estimate switch occasions.

Associated: Which is the best American Express credit card for you?

Amex Pay with Points permits you to redeem Membership Rewards factors for 1 cent every whenever you e-book airfare via Amex Travel. So, a $1,000 flight would value 100,000 Membership Rewards factors in case you use The Platinum Card® from American Express or the American Express® Gold Card.

Nevertheless, holders of choose Amex business cards get a rebate when utilizing Pay with Factors for airfare as follows:

• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Get 35% of your factors again whenever you use Pay with Factors for first- and business-class flights on any airline or flights in any class in your chosen airline, as much as 1 million factors again per calendar 12 months.
• Centurion Enterprise Card from American Categorical: Get 50% of your factors again whenever you use Pay with Factors for first- and business-class flights on any airline or flights on a specific airline in any class. Per Upgraded Points, starting Feb. 1, 2025, Amex will impose a cap of three million factors again yearly for cardholders.

The knowledge for the Centurion Enterprise card has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.

Better of all, you possibly can e-book a flight for anybody utilizing Pay with Factors.

It’s also possible to e-book pay as you go motels, cruises, automotive leases and holidays utilizing Pay with Factors via Amex Journey. Nevertheless, you may solely get 0.7 cents per level, so $700 in pay as you go lodge stays will value 100,000 Membership Rewards factors.

You will get a barely higher redemption charge of 1 cent per level in case you use Pay with Factors for a pay as you go keep booked via Amex’s Fine Hotels + Resorts program. Take into account, although, that solely choose Amex cardmembers can entry this premium lodge program.

Associated: Your complete guide to maximizing holiday purchases

Redeem Amex factors for present playing cards

It’s also possible to redeem Membership Rewards factors for a wide range of present playing cards. Nevertheless, redemption charges depend upon the kind of present card and present (focused) presents out there:

• 1 cent per Membership Rewards level (for instance, $1,000 in present playing cards for 100,000 factors) for many present playing cards
• 0.85 cents per level for choose present playing cards, together with Finest Western, Bonefish Grill and Macy’s
• 0.7 cents per level for choose present playing cards, together with Finest Purchase, 4 Seasons, Hilton, Marriott, Starbucks and Uber
• 0.5 cents per level for American Categorical present playing cards (a $500 present card for 100,000 factors). Notice that Amex is at present working a present card promotion, so your factors are value about 0.67 cents apiece.

Different present card promotions on my Amex Platinum Membership Rewards account embody Apple present playing cards at 1.06 cents per level; they had been beforehand 0.85 cents per level. Moreover, Delta Air Strains present playing cards are at present being provided at 0.87 cents per level; they had been beforehand valued at 0.7 cents per level.

You may get a bodily or digital present card for many redemptions. You may get hold of present playing cards in varied values, however most begin at $25 or $50.

Associated: What credit cards should you use to purchase gift cards?

Use Amex Pay with Factors at checkout

Pay with Factors is not only for journey. You should use Pay with Factors at checkout whenever you store with varied retailers, together with Amazon, Finest Purchase, Dell, Grubhub, Seamless, PayPal, Ceremony Help, Saks Fifth Avenue and Staples.

Nevertheless, paying with factors at these retailers often is not an excellent use of your factors in case you’re searching for one of the best return. You will solely get 0.7 cents per level for the retailers listed above whenever you redeem Membership Rewards factors. So, a $700 buy would value 100,000 Membership Rewards factors.

The redemption charge is even worse at 0.5 cents per level in case you use Membership Rewards factors for occasion tickets via Ticketmaster.

Associated: Best ways to use Amex Membership Rewards points: From business-class flights to Europe to Hawaii

It’s also possible to donate your points to charity. Particularly, you possibly can donate to greater than 1.5 million U.S. charities via JustGiving with Amex Pay with Factors.

You will get 0.7 cents per level whenever you make a JustGiving redemption. So, 100,000 Membership Rewards factors would offer $700 towards the charity you select.

Associated: The best credit cards to maximize your charitable donation

Cowl latest Amex card expenses

If you happen to purchase presents together with your card from retailers that do not take part in Pay with Factors, you may think about using Membership Rewards factors to cowl your purchases.

Though you possibly can redeem Membership Rewards factors to cowl latest expenses in your card, doing so will solely present a redemption charge of 0.6 cents per level. So, you’d want 100,000 factors to cowl a $600 cost.

Associated: Earn more and spend less: How to use your points and miles better in 2025

Need to give the present of journey? You will get one of the best worth out of your factors by transferring them to journey companions after which reserving luxurious lodge stays or premium-cabin flights for family members. It’s also possible to get 1 cent per level in worth when utilizing Pay with Factors to book flights through Amex Travel.

Even in case you do not need to give the present of journey, you possibly can nonetheless get 1 cent per level in worth by redeeming factors for choose present playing cards.

Understanding the redemption worth earlier than you redeem your factors for vacation presents is a good suggestion. One straightforward solution to examine all of the choices on your Amex Membership Rewards factors is to make use of Amex’s Rewards Calculator.