How Much Are American Express Membership Rewards Points Worth in October 2023?

How much your American Express Membership points are worth will ultimately depend on how you use them. You can get anywhere from 0.5 cent per point to — according to The Points Guy calculations — 2 cents per point in rewards value, and potentially more. The most lucrative ways to redeem your points are for airfare and point transfers.

Whether you have one Amex credit card or several, you’ll need to know how redemptions work and how much value you’ll get in return for spending.

Read more: Best Credit Cards for TSA PreCheck and Global Entry

The Platinum Card from American Express point values

For more information, check out our full review of The Platinum Card® from American Express.

American Express Gold Card points value

See our full review of the American Express Gold Card for more details.

All information about the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.

American Express® Green Card point values

Amex Everyday® Preferred Credit Card* point values

Amex Everyday® Credit Card* point values

How to get more from your Membership Rewards Points

Redeeming Amex Membership Rewards points for airfare through Amex’s travel portal will net you a per-point value of 1 cent. However, using points to book prepaid hotels, cruises and prepaid car rentals through American Express will only net you 0.7 cent per point. 

Other nontravel options offer even lower point values, so your best bet is redeeming Amex points for airfare through Amex Travel or transferring points to partners for potentially even greater value.

Point transfers allow you to transfer your Membership Rewards Points to one of American Express’s 21 airline and hotel partners, typically at a 1:1 ratio. Then, you can use your transferred points to book flights or hotel stays directly through the airline or hotel’s own loyalty program. 

By transferring your points to a partner, with the right deal you could increase how much they’re worth. In some instances, you may even get a per-point value of 2 cents or more. To figure out how much your points are worth in a given redemption, divide the dollar cost of the booking by the point cost. To maximize your value when booking award travel, try booking well in advance to access the best availability. It also helps being flexible about your desired dates and itinerary to take advantage of deals.

Amex airline transfer partners

While you can transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to three hotel loyalty programs — Choice Privileges, Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy — Amex airline transfer partners offer the most potential value when it comes to maximizing rewards. 

In fact, you can frequently get 2 cents per point or better when you transfer points to airlines and redeem miles for a premium flight redemption like an international business class fare.

Amex lists the following airline partners and transfer ratios, but keep in mind that airline transfer bonuses are offered from time to time. Also, the ratios below represent the base transfer rate, but you’ll often get an even better per-point value depending on the transfer deal.

*All information about the Amex Everyday Preferred Credit Card and Amex Everyday Credit Card has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of the American Express Green Card, click here.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card from American Express, click here.

For rates and fees of the American Express Gold Card, click here.