Buying Amex Membership Rewards Points from American Express - Worth It?
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Today I was reading through the updated Membership Rewards terms and conditions that came with my Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express to see if anything new caught my eye and thought it would be good to do a refresher post on how you can actually buy Membership Rewards points and if it's really worth it at 2.5 cents per point.
If you don't have enough points in your account for a redemption, American Express gives you the option to buy a certain amount of points in 1,000-point increments depending on the credit card you have linked to your account. Some cards will allow you to buy up to 100,000 points per calendar year, while you can buy up to 500,000 points per year with other cards. If you have a card from each category linked to your account, both cards will be eligible to buy up to 500,000 points total - you get the greater benefit of your cards. Each Membership Rewards account can only purchase up to 500,000 points, so even if you have two cards in the 500,000-point category and they're linked to the same MR account, your limit is still 500,000 points.
You can buy up to 100,000 points per calendar year if you have the:
Blue for Business® Credit Card
Blue for Students® Card
Some Blue from American Express® Cards
Business Management Account
Gold Optima® Card Optima® Credit Card
Platinum Optima® Card
Platinum Business Credit Card®
ZYNC® Card
You can buy up to 500,000 points per calendar year if you have the:
Amex EveryDaySM Credit Card
Amex EveryDaySM Preferred Credit Card
American Express® Gold Card
American Express® Green Card
American Express® Rewards Plus Gold Card
American Express® Senior Gold Card
American Express® Senior Green Card
American Express® Traditional Gold Card
American Express® Traditional Green Card
Ameriprise Gold Card
Business Centurion® Card from American Express OPEN®
Business Gold Card
Business Gold Rewards Card
Business Green Card
Business Green Rewards Card from American Express OPEN
The Business Platinum® Card from American Express OPEN
Business Purchase Account
Centurion® Card
Some Costco Business Cards*
Executive Business Card
Fidelity Green Card
Mercedes-Benz Credit Card from American Express
Morgan Stanley Credit Card from American Express
Platinum Card®
Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express
Small Business Card
No More Point Advances
Amex used to give cardholders the option to advance points, but they removed this part of the program on June 30, 2013. Points advance was a versatile Membership Rewards benefit because if a redemption you wanted or lucrative transfer bonus became available, you could have enough points in your account for it, even if you hadn't earned enough points yet, and you'd have 12 months to earn the points you'd advanced yourself through normal spending. Then if you didn't earn them back, Amex would simply charge you 2.5 cents per point – not cheap, but it could still make sense depending on the redemption.
Since points advance is no longer available, buying points may be a good idea if you're falling short for a great redemption. I wouldn't speculatively go buying Membership Rewards points, but if you need a few thousand extra to top up your account for a specific, imminent redemption, they could be worth it. Or if you were going to do something like buy Delta or Flying Blue miles or British Airways Avios, it might make sense to buy Amex points instead and then transfer to the airline partner. Especially if there is a transfer bonus going on that would bring your per-mile cost even lower.
This is also more of an option to consider since Chase Ultimate Rewards also stopped allowing cardholders to buy points toward the end of 2013 as well.
To purchase Membership Rewards points, you need to call American Express at the phone number on the back of your card, enter your card number and security pin and then say "Membership Rewards." Your points purchase must be part of a transfer, so you can't just buy points to have them sit in your account.
This isn't an option I plan to use anytime soon, but it is good to know you have this option. If you need to top up any of your Membership Rewards transfer partners, it could be cheaper to buy Amex and transfer instead of buying through the frequent flyer program itself!
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
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| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees