Amex Membership Rewards: How to earn, redeem and transfer

With an American Express card that earns Amex Membership Rewards points, cardholders can redeem points through American Express Travel for hotels (including vacation rentals), car rentals, cruises and flights, or opt to use their points for statement credits, gift cards and more.

Whether you’re a points expert or not, you can also maximize your Amex Membership Rewards points by transferring them to Amex’s airline and hotel partners. With many options for redeeming and maximizing your hard-earned points, your Amex rewards are extremely valuable.

Here’s how to redeem points, maximize Amex benefits and find the best Amex cards for earning Membership Rewards points.

What are Amex Membership Rewards points?

Membership Rewards points are the rewards currency of American Express. If you have an Amex card that earns Membership Rewards points, you will earn them for everyday spending, just as you would earn airline miles with an airline-branded card or hotel points with a hotel-branded card. Plus, depending on your Amex card, you can also earn bonus points in certain spending categories.

In the world of points and miles, American Express Membership Rewards points are considered some of the most valuable and useful points you can earn because of their flexibility. Per TPG’s April 2026 valuations, Amex points are worth 2 cents apiece.

How do I earn Amex Membership Rewards points?

The easiest way to earn many Membership Rewards points is to apply for a Membership Rewards-earning American Express card.

Earning Membership Rewards points from cards

Here’s a look at the welcome offer, bonus-category structure, annual fee and benefits for each of the six most valuable Membership Rewards cards to help you choose the best Amex card.

Welcome offer	Earning rates	Annual fee	Notable perks
Find out your offer and see if you’re eligible for as high as 175,000 bonus points after spending $12,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.	Earn 5 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (on up to $500,000 each calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent) and prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel Earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases		Receive up to $400 in statement credits each calendar year (up to $100 per quarter) when you dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible purchases with Resy. No reservation required. Receive up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $75 per quarter) for eligible purchases at U.S. Lululemon retail stores (excluding outlets) and online. Receive up to $200 in statement credits each calendar year for incidental fees charged by one airline you select. Receive up to $600 in hotel statement credits every calendar year (up to $300 biannually) on prepaid Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings with Amex Travel when you pay with your card (Hotel Collection stays require a two-night minimum). Enrollment is required for select benefits. Check out a full list of Amex Platinum card benefits.
Find out your offer and see if you’re eligible for as high as 300,000 bonus points after spending $20,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.	Earn 5 points per dollar spent on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com Earn 2 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases in select business categories and eligible purchases of $5,000 or more (on up to $2 million in combined purchases each calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent) Earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases		Receive up to $150 in statement credits on U.S. purchases made directly at Dell and an additional $1,000 statement credit after spending $5,000 or more at Dell per calendar year. Receive a $250 Adobe statement credit after spending $600 or more on U.S. purchases made directly at Adobe each calendar year. Receive up to a $209 Clear+ statement credit each calendar year (subject to auto-renewal). Get up to $120 in statement credits every calendar year for purchases made directly with any U.S. wireless telephone provider (up to $10 per month). After spending $250,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year, unlock up to $1,200 in Amex Travel online flight statement credits and up to $2,400 in One AP statement credits for use in the next calendar year (subject to auto-renewal). Enrollment is required for select benefits. Check out a full list of Amex Business Platinum card benefits.
Find out your offer and see if you’re eligible for as high as 100,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.	Earn 4 points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent) Earn 4 points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1 point per dollar spent) Earn 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com Earn 2 points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on amextravel.com Earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases		Receive up to $120 in Uber Cash each calendar year, valid on Uber rides and Uber Eats orders in the U.S. (up to $10 each month; add your Amex Gold to your Uber account and pay with any Amex card). Receive up to a $120 dining statement credit each calendar year (up to $10 each month) to use at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com and Five Guys. Receive up to a $100 Resy statement credit each calendar year at U.S. Resy restaurants (up to $50 biannually). No reservation required. Get up to $84 in Dunkin’ Donuts statement credits each calendar year at U.S. Dunkin’ locations (up to $7 each month). Enrollment is required for select benefits.
Find out your offer and see if you’re eligible for as high as 200,000 bonus points after spending $15,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.	Earn 4 points per dollar spent on the top two eligible categories (from six categories) where you spend the most each billing cycle (on up to $150,000 in combined purchases from these two categories each calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent) Earn 3 points per dollar spent on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ Earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases		Receive up to a $240 statement credit each calendar year (up to $20 each month) for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub and office supply stores. Earn up to $155 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $12.95 per month, plus applicable taxes) for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to automatic renewal; Plus Ups excluded). Enrollment is required for select benefits.
Earn 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.	Earn 3 points per dollar spent on restaurants worldwide, travel and transit Earn 1 point per dollar spent on other purchases	$150	Receive up to a $209 Clear+ statement credit each calendar year (subject to automatic renewal). Enrollment is required.
Earn 15,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership.	Earn 2 points per dollar spent (on up to $50,000 each calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent) Earn 1 point per dollar spent on other purchases		*Eligibility and benefit level vary by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.

The information for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

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Other ways to earn Membership Rewards points

Once you have one (or more) of the above cards, there are additional options for earning Amex points. The first is leveraging Rakuten, one of TPG’s favorite online shopping portals. Through Rakuten, you can opt to earn cash back or Membership Rewards points.

If you don’t have an account, you can sign up and enjoy a standard one-time bonus of $30 when you spend at least $30 within 90 days of becoming a member.

You can also earn Amex Membership Rewards points through referral bonuses. You’ll receive a set number of points when someone uses your referral link and is approved. Keep in mind that rewards earned through referral bonuses are taxable.

Amex Membership Rewards transfer partners

Since you can transfer Membership Rewards points to 17 airline and three hotel transfer partners, you can search for award travel on almost every major route and city worldwide.

Emirates A380 first class — ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Thus, earning Membership Rewards points is usually more lucrative than earning miles or points in a single airline or hotel loyalty program. Remember, you are not locked into one transfer partner — you can send some points to one program and then some to another.

Below, we’ve listed all those partners, the transfer ratios and the transfer times discovered in our testing.

If you haven’t done so, link your transfer partner accounts to your Membership Rewards account now. This will prevent future delays when you need to make a quick transfer.

The best ways to redeem Amex Membership Rewards points

To get the most value from your points, you will want to transfer them to partners.

Here are just a few of our favorite redemptions:

Fly to Hawaii on points and miles: Transfer your Membership Rewards points to Delta SkyMiles, and you’ll pay as little as 18,200 SkyMiles for a one-way flight from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL).
Save on business-class award flights: Singapore Airlines operates two of the world’s longest flights, one from Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and another from SIN to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). You won’t want to spend 18 hours in an uncomfortable seat, so transfer your Membership Rewards points to the Singapore KrisFlyer program to book business-class flights. Both routes cost 117,000 KrisFlyer miles plus taxes and fees one-way, a small price for comfort on such a long flight.
Transfer your Amex Membership Rewards points to Iberia Club: On off-peak dates, you can fly from JFK and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Spain’s Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) for just 16,000 Iberia Club Avios in economy, 29,500 Avios in premium economy and 40,500 Avios in business class each way.
Transfer your Amex Membership Rewards points to Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue program: Book business-class flights from North America to Europe starting at just 60,000 Flying Blue miles each way.
Book domestic JetBlue award flights: Transferring your Membership Rewards points to Etihad Guest can be a good option. JetBlue flights 500 miles or shorter within North America cost just 6,000 Etihad Guest miles (transfers from Amex to Etihad end on June 30).

Just remember that transfers are irreversible, so you should transfer your Amex points only after you’ve confirmed the award space for the flight or hotel you want.

For more information on maximizing your Amex points for travel, check out our guide to sweet spots and more with Membership Rewards points.

Additionally, you can also use your points to book virtually any travel through the Amex Travel platform. You usually receive 1 cent per Amex point. This is an OK value, but not a spectacular way to redeem your points. It’s still better than the redemptions we’re about to get into, however.

Poor-value ways to redeem Membership Rewards points

Unfortunately, several options for redeeming your points represent less-than-stellar value and should typically be avoided if you want to maximize your hard-earned Amex Membership Rewards.

Some of these options include:

Using points for charges: This is like a cash-back option covering eligible charges on your billing statement. You can view the list of eligible charges on your current online statement. With this option, you’ll only receive 0.6 cents per point.
Using Pay with Points at checkout: After linking your Membership Rewards account with online merchants like Amazon, Best Buy and Grubhub, you can pay for your purchases at a slightly better (but still poor) value of 0.7 cents per point. Although this option can sometimes be useful for promotions, you may want to turn this off to prevent accidental use of your points.
Redeeming for taxi rides in New York City: You can redeem points for certain New York City taxi fares at a value of 1 cent per point.
Redeeming for gift cards: Depending on the merchant, these redemptions offer a value between 0.5 cents and 1 cent per point.

Frequently asked questions

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions we’ve seen about Amex Membership Rewards.

How do I transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to airlines?

To transfer Membership Rewards points, follow these steps:

Log in to your Amex account.
Go to the rewards section.
Go to the transfer section under rewards.
Ensure the loyalty program you want to transfer your points to is linked.
Select the partner you want to transfer to and initiate the transfer.

It’s important to note that once you make a transfer, you cannot reverse it.

Are there fees or taxes when I use Amex Membership Rewards points?

While there are no fees to use Amex Membership Rewards points, there is an excise tax offset fee of $0.0006 per point, with a maximum of $99. This fee only applies when transferring points to one of Amex’s U.S.-based airline partners, like Delta SkyMiles and JetBlue TrueBlue.

Can you pool or share Amex points?

If you have multiple Membership Rewards points-earning cards, the points will all be pooled in your Amex account. However, Amex doesn’t allow you to transfer points between accounts, even if it’s between family members. Amex also doesn’t allow you to transfer your points to a partner program in someone else’s name, except for an authorized user on your Membership Rewards account who has been on the account for at least 90 days.

Do Membership Rewards points expire?

Membership Rewards points do not expire, provided you keep at least one card open that earns them. If you cancel all of your Amex Membership Rewards cards, you must redeem or transfer your points before closing the last card. Otherwise, you will forfeit the points.

Bottom line

Thanks to Amex’s generous card offers, Membership Rewards points are easy to earn and redeem. They’re also easy to use with a variety of transfer partners.

Whether you choose to splurge on a European getaway or use your points to visit family in another state, having Membership Rewards points at your disposal can help you save money.

For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Blue Business Plus Card, click here.

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Stacie Harris

Stacie Harris is a local resident and reporter of the Maple Grove area. Stacie reports on medicine and science for the Maple Grove Report.

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Recent Reviews

Claiming a Casualty Loss for Property You Don’t Own – Houston Tax Attorneys

Natural disasters can be expensive. This is particularly true for those who own or have an interest in real estate.

Our tax laws provide some relief through casualty loss deductions and theft loss deductions. But what happens when someone pays to repair property they don’t legally own? This question is particularly relevant when parents continue to financially support their adult children by paying for property repairs after a disaster. Can they claim the casualty loss deduction on their own tax returns?

The recent case of Taylor v. Commissioner, T.C. Summary Opinion 2025-10 (March 3, 2025), addresses this situation and provides an opportunity to consider the ownership requirement for casualty loss deductions.

Facts & Procedural History

The taxpayer and his then-spouse acquired real estate in Texas in 1992. Following their divorce in 2000, the taxpayer-husband transferred his interest to his wife via a special warranty deed.

The taxpayer-wife died in 2007 and her minor daughters inherited the property. The taxpayer-husband was appointed guardian of the estate for his then-minor daughters.

The daughters reached adulthood by 2012, so the taxpayer-husband transferred the property to the children via a deed. When Hurricane Harvey struck in 2017, the property was owned by the taxpayer-husband’s now adult daughters. The taxpayer-husband did not live in the property in 2017.

The taxpayer-husband paid expenses to repair the damage to the property and he paid the insurance on the property. He claimed a $49,500 casualty loss deduction on his 2017 tax return for the damage.

The IRS conducted a tax audit and issued a Notice of Deficiency in 2021, determining a deficiency of $17,537 in federal income tax and an accuracy-related penalty under Section 6662(a). The IRS did not challenge the substantiation for the casualty loss deduction, as it normally does. Rather, it challenged the deduction on the basis of the taxpayer’s ownership of the property.

The taxpayer petitioned the U.S. Tax Court, challenging the IRS’s determination. The question for the court was whether the taxpayer-husband is entitled to a tax loss for the property that he used to own given that he paid for the repairs to the property.

About Casualty Loss Deductions

Section 165(a) of the tax code provides for a tax loss deduction for “any loss sustained during the taxable year and not compensated for by insurance or otherwise.” This is a very broad provision. This broad provision is then narrowed by specific limitations that are set out in the tax code.

Specifically, for individual taxpayers, Section 165(c) restricts deductible losses to three categories:

Losses incurred in a trade or business
Losses incurred in transactions entered into for profit, though not connected with a trade or business
Personal losses arising from “fire, storm, shipwreck, or other casualty, or from theft”

The third category—personal casualty losses—enables taxpayers to deduct losses from sudden, unexpected events like hurricanes, floods, and fires. These deductions provide important tax relief for taxpayers facing significant financial setbacks due to disasters and other unexpected events.

The Ownership Requirement for Casualty Losses

While Section 165 itself doesn’t explicitly say that there is an ownership requirement, the courts have consistently held that only the owner of property at the time of a casualty can claim the resulting loss deduction. This judicial interpretation reflects the fundamental purpose of the casualty loss provision: to provide tax relief to those who have suffered an economic loss from damage to their property.

The leading case establishing this principle is Draper v. Commissioner, 15 T.C. 135 (1950), where the Tax Court denied a casualty loss deduction to a taxpayer who replaced his adult daughter’s property destroyed in a fire. The court held that since the taxpayer didn’t own the property, he couldn’t claim the deduction, regardless of his financial contribution to replacing the items.

This ownership requirement continues to be enforced in more recent cases. In Rogers v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2019-90, the Tax Court reaffirmed that “a casualty loss deduction is authorized only when the claimant is the owner of the property with respect to which the loss is claimed.”

Paying for Someone Else’s Property Repairs

Many taxpayers voluntarily pay expenses for property they don’t own–particularly when helping family members. That is the situation in the Taylor case.

These payments might include:

Parents paying repair costs for properties owned by their adult children
Individuals paying expenses for properties owned by elderly parents
Taxpayers contributing to repairs for damaged properties in their communities

When these payments are made out of generosity or family support, they generally do not create a deductible interest in the property for tax purposes. The IRS and courts consistently maintain that paying expenses for someone else’s property–regardless of the amount or reason–does not transfer the casualty loss deduction to the payer.

From a tax perspective, voluntary payments for property expenses are more akin to gifts than investments creating deductible interests. This principle applies even in cases where the taxpayer previously owned the property or has an emotional attachment to it.

The court in Taylor acknowledged that the taxpayer may have paid for the repairs to the damaged property. However, it found that these voluntary payments did not establish a deductible interest in the property under Section 165. The court noted that a tax deduction for a casualty loss for property is allocated to the person who owned the property and incurred the economic loss, not to those who voluntarily pay to repair it. Citing Draper v. Commissioner, the court reaffirmed that a taxpayer cannot claim casualty loss deductions for property owned by adult children, even if the taxpayer pays for expenses related to that property.

Exceptions to the Ownership Rule

While the general rule requires legal ownership for casualty loss deductions, tax law recognizes certain limited exceptions where non-title holders might claim such deductions. These exceptions generally involve taxpayers who have economic interests in the property despite not holding legal title:

Equitable ownership – where a taxpayer is making payments under a contract to purchase property but hasn’t yet received formal title
Leasehold interests – where a tenant has made substantial improvements to leased property
Life estates and remainder interests – where the taxpayer holds a legally recognized partial interest
Properties held in certain trust arrangements where the taxpayer maintains beneficial ownership

Taxpayers who wish to maintain tax benefits while supporting family members might consider alternative approaches based on these interests. With a little tax planning, such as converting a house to a rental property (rental property losses would fall under the business/profit-seeking categories of Section 165(c) rather than personal casualty losses), maximizing partial asset dispositions, etc., the taxpayer very well may be able to claim the casualty loss for property that they do not own. Suffice it to say that these approaches should be implemented with proper documentation and genuine economic substance to withstand IRS scrutiny.

The Takeaway

This case reiterates that a casualty loss deduction goes to the owner. The taxpayer has to own the property that suffered the damage. Simply paying for repairs or maintenance does not transfer the deduction to the payer, regardless of family relationships or previous ownership history. When supporting family members with property expenses, taxpayers should understand that these payments generally don’t create tax benefits. If tax considerations are important, alternative arrangements that maintain legitimate ownership interests should be established before a casualty occurs.