American Express Membership Rewards (MR) points are by far the most powerful rewards currency in Canada.Membership Rewards points excel in pretty much every metric: they are extremely easy to earn, they offer very good value on the redemption side, and as a transferable points currency, the flexibility they provide is unparalleled.If you had to pick one rewards program in Canada to concentrate on, Amex Membership Rewards should be a no-brainer.
Earning American Express Membership Rewards Points
American Express Membership Rewards points can be earned in a number of ways, including the following:
- Welcome bonuses, spending, and upgrades on credit cards that earn Membership Rewards points
- Referral bonuses through the Refer-a-Friend program
- Amex Offers
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Credit Card Welcome Bonuses
Signing up for American Express credit cards that earn MR points is the best way to build up your points balance, as American Express is known for offering high welcome bonuses if you’re able to meet the minimum spending requirement.In fact, there are seven American Express credit cards that earn MR points to choose from – four personal cards and three business cards.Looking closer, here’s the list of the available cards that you can use to earn American Express MR points:Within the personal card category, the flagship American Express Platinum Card tends to come with the highest welcome bonus, albeit paired with a hefty annual fee of $799 (all figures in CAD). This annual fee is offset by some strong benefits, including an annual $200 travel credit. as well as a $200 restaurant credit, effectively making the annual fee $399.The American Express Gold Rewards Card has a lower annual fee of $250, and with it, a lower welcome bonus. You'll also get four complimentary visits to Plaza Premium Lounges.The American Express Cobalt Card offers a much lower welcome bonus than the Platinum Card and the Gold Card, but it has the best earning rates for daily spending. The annual fee comes in the form of $12.99 monthly fee.Lastly, the American Express Green Card is the only card in the lineup that earns MR points and has no annual fee.Looking at the American Express business credit cards, the American Express Business Platinum Card is the best in terms of earning MR points from a consistently strong welcome bonus. Like its personal counterpart, the annual fee is $799.Another option to consider is the American Express Business Gold Rewards Card, which has an annual fee of $199, and comes with a fairly consistent welcome bonus of around 75,000 points.The third and final offering in the business card category is the American Express Business Edge Card, with an annual fee of $99.Credit Card Spending
Beyond the chunk of points you’ll earn through the welcome bonus, you’re also able to continue earning MR points through day-to-day spending on each of the cards.![](https://pftraveldev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Amex-Cobalt.png)
- 2 MR points per dollar spent on dining and food delivery purchases in Canada
- 2 MR points per dollar spent on eligible travel purchases
- 1 MR point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases
- 2 MR points per dollar spent on gas, grocery, and drugstore purchases
- 2 MR points per dollar spent on eligible travel purchases
- 1 MR point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases
- 5 MR points per dollar spent on restaurant, food delivery, and grocery purchases (up to a maximum of $2,500 per month)
- 3 MR points per dollar spent on streaming services
- 2 MR points per dollar spent on gas, public transit, and eligible travel purchases
- 1 MR point per dollar spent point on all other eligible purchases
- 1 MR point per dollar spent on all eligible purchases
- 1.25 MR points per dollar spent on all eligible purchases
- 1 MR point per dollar spent on all eligible purchases
- 3 MR points per dollar spent on office supplies, electronics, rideshare services, gas, and eats and drinks (including food delivery services, but excluding groceries)
- 1 MR point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases
Credit Card Upgrades
In addition to earning points through welcome bonuses and everyday spend, American Express also has targeted upgrade offers on some of their MR points earning cards.![](https://pftraveldev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-02-005530.png)
Refer-a-Friend
Another great way to collect American Express MR points is through the American Express’s Refer-a-Friend program.With this program, if you have an American Express card, you can send a friend or family member a unique link through which they can apply for the same card or another eligible card. Once your friend’s application is approved, you’ll receive the corresponding number of points as set out by the program.![](http://pftraveldev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Screen-Shot-2023-10-03-at-4.16.15-AM.png)
- American Express Platinum Card: 10,000 MR points per referral, to a maximum of 225,000 points per calendar year
- American Express Gold Rewards Card: 7,500 MR points per referral, to a maximum of 112,500 points per calendar year
- American Express Cobalt Card: 5,000 MR points per referral, to a maximum of 75,000 points per calendar year
- American Express Green Card: 2,500 MR points per referral, to a maximum of 37,500 points per calendar year
- American Express Business Platinum Card: 20,000 MR points per referral, to a maximum of 225,000 points per calendar year
- American Express Business Gold Card: 15,000 MR points per referral, to a maximum of 75,000 points per calendar year
- American Express Business Edge Card: 5,000 MR points per referral, to a maximum of 75,000 points per calendar year
Amex Offers
Every American Express card comes with a series of rotating promotions called Amex Offers. A majority of Amex Offers provide statement credits; however, you can usually find a few that offer MR points.![](https://pftraveldev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot_20231128_171058_Amex-CA-jpg.webp)
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Redeeming American Express Membership Rewards Points
In the same way that there are many ways to earn American Express Membership Rewards points, there are also lots of options when it comes to redeeming your hard-earned points.When debating your MR redemption choices, you’ll want to consider which redemption route offers the best opportunity to maximize the value of your points.In general, transferring MR points to airline and hotel partner programs is often the best way to get the most value out of the American Express Membership Rewards program.However, there’s also a variety of other ways to redeem MR points that still provide great value, and we’ll go over these options below.
Transferring to Partner Programs
Generally speaking, the best choice for redeeming MR points is by transferring them to partnered loyalty programs.The American Express Membership Rewards program is partnered with six airlines and two hotel loyalty programs to which you can transfer your MR points.The airline loyalty partner programs and the corresponding transfer ratios are as follows:- Air Canada Aeroplan: 1:1
- Air France KLM Flying Blue: 1:0.75
- British Airways Executive Club (Avios): 1:1
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles: 1:0.75
- Delta SkyMiles: 1:0.75
- Etihad Guest: 1:0.75
![](https://pftraveldev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-11-28-180949.png)
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Fixed Points Travel Program
Another option for redeeming your MR points for good value is by booking flights through the American Express Fixed Points Travel program.When booking flights through the Amex travel portal, you can use a specific number of MR points to cover the base ticket price of your fare, up to a certain amount (based on your chosen route).![](http://pftraveldev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/amex-fixed-points-economy.png)
Statement Credits
Membership Rewards points can also be redeemed for statement credits. This is probably the quickest and easiest way to redeem your MR points; however, you’ll likely get better value by transferring to a partnered loyalty program instead.When redeeming your points for statement credits, you’ll get a fixed rate of 1 cent per MR point. To access this option, you’ll also need to redeem a minimum of 1,000 MR points.![](https://pftraveldev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/amex-statement-jpg.webp)
Other Options for Redeeming MR Points
Although additional redemption options for MR points do exist, they should all be avoided. This includes the options to redeem your points for gift cards, for purchases made on Amazon or with PayPal, or for overpriced items in the Amex online store.![](https://pftraveldev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-11-28-183306.png)
Transferring Points to Another Country
The final option for redeeming your MR points is by transferring them to an Amex MR program in another country. In this case, if you hold an American Express card within a second (or third) country, you can transfer your MR points to that account.For example, if you have an American Express US card that earns Amex US Membership Rewards points, you can transfer your Canadian MR points to your US Membership Rewards account.MR points will be transferred based on the exchange rate, so you’ll end up with less US MR points than the number of Canadian MR points you started with. However, you’ll have access to more transfer partners in the US program, which may help you unlock flights that you don’t have access to through the Canadian MR transfer partners.Conclusion
American Express’s Membership Rewards program is arguably the strongest rewards program in Canada. There are lots of ways to earn MR points, including with generous welcome bonuses and referral bonuses.The program also offers a wide array of transfer partners, allowing you to piece together your travel plans through several airline and hotel loyalty programs, or to redeem your points for fixed-rate flights at a decent value.With so many redemption choices, make sure you take some time to get to know all of the options in order to make the best decision for your needs.