How Should I Redeem 30,000 Amex Points for Award Travel?
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
TPG reader Mike messaged me to ask about his options for using Amex Membership Rewards points for travel:
"I have 30,000 points on my American Express® Gold Card Card; how should I redeem for an award flight?"
The easiest option is to use Pay with Points, which gets you 1 cent per point when booking through the Amex Travel portal. Using that method, your 30,000 points are worth $300. However, we can do much better!
The joy of Amex Membership Rewards (and other transferable points) is that you can use them with a wide variety of airline partners. Here's the complete list of Amex airline transfer partners:
- Delta
- Aeromexico
- Air Canada (Aeroplan)
- Flying Blue (Air France and KLM)
- Alitalia
- ANA
- Asia Miles (Cathay Pacific)
- British Airways
- El Al
- Emirates
- Hawaiian Airlines
- Iberia
- jetBlue
- Singapore Airlines
- Virgin America
- Virgin Atlantic
My personal recommendations would be Air Canada Aeroplan and British Airways Avios. Aeroplan offers some short-haul flights for 15,000 miles round-trip, so those 30,000 points could get you two round-trip flights, which is probably worth more than $300 — depending on your destination, of course. For more information, you can check Aeroplan's flight reward chart.
British Airways is also great for short-haul flights, as you can get flights up to 650 miles (like New York to Montreal) for just 4,500 Avios each way. The fees are low when you redeem on American and Alaska, and British Airways doesn't add last-minute booking fees, which is really helpful. In this case, your 30,000 points could get you up to six of those awards, or up to four awards at the next level (up to 1,150 miles). For more information, check out my post on Avios distance-based awards.
We've written extensively on using Amex Membership Rewards points — here are some related posts that you may also find useful:
- Redeeming Amex Membership Rewards for Maximum Value
- Best American Express Membership Rewards Redemptions
- 10 Ways to Use the Amex Premier Rewards Gold Sign-up Bonus
If you have any other questions, please tweet me @thepointsguy, and follow me on Instagram.
[card card-name='American Express® Gold Card' card-id='22035076' type='javascript' bullet-id='1']
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.