The US version of American Express Membership Rewards with 20 transfer partners – more than double Canada's eight. Includes several partners and better transfer rates not available to Canadian cardholders, plus co-branded Delta and Hilton cards.
| Program | Ratio | Speed |
|---|---|---|
| American Express Membership Rewards (Canada)CAMust hold MR-earning cards in both countries | ~1:0.71 | 1-2 weeks |
| Program | Ratio | Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Transferable Points | ||
| American Express Membership Rewards (Canada)CAMust hold MR-earning cards in both countries | 1:1 | 1-2 weeks |
| Star Alliance | ||
| Aeroplan | 1:1 | Almost instant |
| ANA Mileage Club | 1:1 | 3 days |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 1:1 | Almost instant |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 1:1 | 1-2 days |
| Oneworld | ||
Our Valuation
1.8 cents per point(USD)
2.5 cents per point (CAD)
The broadest US transfer partner set with roughly 20 partners, plus frequent transfer bonuses that temporarily boost value. The go-to US currency for accessing premium programs like ANA, Singapore, and Virgin Atlantic.
Last updated: March 1, 2026
American Express US Membership Rewards (MR) is one of the most popular points currencies available. There are a number of excellent US-issued credit cards for earning MR points through welcome bonuses and daily spending, making it relatively easy to rack up points.
In addition to earning, there are a number of excellent ways to redeem MR points for luxury travel, statement credits, and more.
To be clear, on this page, we're referring to American Express Membership Rewards earned through US-issued credit cards. If you're looking for Canadian American Express Membership Rewards, be sure to check out our separate page for relevant information.
American Express has a number of credit cards with high welcome bonuses for both personal and business credit cards.
The full list of publicly available personal credit cards is as follows:
Note that there's also the American Express Platinum Card for Schwab, and the American Express Platinum Card for Morgan Stanley. Both cards require you to have an eligible account with the respective banks before you're allowed to apply, and have benefits that are almost identical to the Platinum Card, albeit with welcome bonuses that tend to range from 60,000–100,000 MR points.
The American Express Gold Card is a step down from the Platinum Card. It comes with a lower $250 (USD) annual fee, as well as a lowered welcome bonus which has been as high as 90,000 MR points.
The American Express Green Card is the base-level card of the three Platinum, Gold, and Green card lineup. The signup bonus goes as high as 50,000 MR points, and comes with a very reasonable $150 (USD) annual fee.
Rounding up the personal publicly available credit cards that earn MR points are the American Express EveryDay Credit Card and the American Express EveryDay Preferred Credit Card.
The EveryDay Card comes with no annual fee, and a signup bonus that has gone as high as 25,000 MR points. On the other hand, the EveryDay Preferred Card has a $95 (USD) annual fee, and a signup bonus that can reach up to 30,000 MR points.
In addition to the publicly available American Express personal cards, there’s also the Centurion Card and the Goldman Sachs Platinum Card. Both cards are significantly harder to get approved for, and the welcome bonuses and benefits aren’t publicly advertised.
Similar to the American Express personal cards, the best business card for earning MR points is the Business Platinum Card by American Express.
In the past there have been targeted promotions offered to high-spending individuals that have reached up to a staggering 250,000 MR points; however, the highest publicly available offer has been for 150,000 MR points. As a premium card, the annual fee is $695 (USD), but it also comes with a variety of benefits and statement credits that can easily make up for the hefty annual fee.
The American Express Business Gold Card has a $295 (USD) annual fee. Similar to the Business Platinum Card, there are sometimes targeted offers available with much higher signup bonuses, but the public offer hovers around 50,000–90,000 MR points.
The American Express Business Green Card has a lower $95 (USD) annual fee, and a fairly consistent signup bonus of 25,000 MR points.
Lastly, the American Express Blue Business Plus Credit Card has a $0 annual fee, and a public signup bonus that’s been as high as 15,000 MR points in recent years, with targeted offers going as high as 50,000 MR points.
The amount of MR points you’ll earn depends on the card you're using, what category your purchase falls in, and in some cases, how much you spend.
The earning rates on US-issued American Express credit cards that earn MR points are as follows:
Otherwise, we see elevated earning rates on many everyday essentials, such as groceries, restaurants, and travel.
An interesting concept is seen on the two EveryDay cards, which offer elevated earning rates if you make a minimum number of transactions each month. In particular, the EveryDay Preferred Credit Card gives an outstanding 4.5 MR points per dollar spent at supermarkets, which can really add up quickly.
The earning rates for US-issued American Express business cards is as follows:
We also see a range of caps on elevated earning rates, which could be a factor to consider if your business puts through large volumes each year.
If you have an American Express card, you can send a friend or family member a unique link for them to apply for the same card, or another card within the same card family.
The amount of MR points you can earn depends on the card you are referring from. There’s a limit to how many MR points you can earn per calendar year, which also changes depending on the card you are referring from.
You can see your referral options, as well as how many MR points you’ll get per referral by logging into your account and looking at each card.
In fact, American Express may give you MR points as an incentive to upgrade from a lower-tiered card to a higher one. Upgrades are targeted and will depend on a number of factors.
Some of these Amex Offers will earn you extra MR points per dollar spent, while others will hand out a bulk of points at one time after you hit a larger spending threshold at specific stores or businesses.
In order to be eligible for Amex Offers, you’ll have to add that offer to your card and then meet the specific requirements set out for that offer before the offer expires.
You can also only add one specific Amex Offer per card, so if you have multiple cards that earn MR points, you’ll want to be strategic about which card you add the offer to.
This can be a great way to rack up more MR points, as your authorized user will be earn MR points for you on their own day-to-day spending. Of course, you’ll still be responsible for the bill at the end of the month, so you’ll only want to do this with a family member or someone else whom you trust.
What’s more, American Express has often run promotions in which authorized users earn extra MR points on qualifying spending, up to a maximum amount of MR points.
Some cards, like the personal Gold Card, allow you to add up to five authorized users for free. Adding supplementary users on other cards, such as the Platinum Card or Business Platinum Card, comes with with extra annual fees of $175 (USD) and $300 (USD), respectively.
Along with a greater earning potential on daily spending, cardholders can also take part in the card benefits, so the extra annual fees may certainly be worth it for the right person.
If you have a card that earns MR points, you can choose to get paid out in MR points rather than cash. For every 1% cash back you could earn, you’ll instead earn 1 MR point.
This can quickly add up, as there are often promotions during which you can earn as many as 10 MR points per dollar spent, which comes on top of the credit card points you’ll earn with the card you use to make the purchase.
You’ll want to pay attention to the fine print for the specific store you intend to shop from to make sure your purchase is eligible for the MR points.
Fortunately, American Express provides quite a few options for redeeming MR points, which is indeed one of the strengths of the program. You'll want to acquaint yourself with all the available options, though, to ensure you're getting the best bang for your buck.
In sum, there are 18 airlines and three hotel partners you're able to transfer to.
The full list of airline partners, as well as the corresponding ratios and transfer times, is as follows:
The best program to transfer your MR points to will largely depend on your own travel goals.
Air Canada’s Aeroplan program is great for unlocking Star Alliance partner flights at fairly decent rates. Some of the most aspirational products you can book using the program include ANA First Class, Lufthansa First Class, Etihad Airways First Class, Singapore Airlines business class, and more.
British Airways Avios is a solid option for short-haul flights in parts of Asia and Australia, and can also be used to book Qatar Airways Qsuites.
For one of the most well-rounded aspirational experiences, consider transferring your MR points to Emirates Skywards and book Emirates A380 First Class.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer is one of the only ways to book the airline's famous Suites Class and try out the double bed in the sky.
Or, you could consider transferring your points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and booking ANA First Class at a bargain.
While it’s harder to get the same level of outsized value transferring to hotel programs over airline programs, there are still situations in which it could make sense, especially if there are promotions offering bonus points for transfers. However, generally speaking, there’s definitely more value to be found transferring to airline programs.
Once you transfer MR points to another program, you won’t be able to transfer them back. So, it’s always best to have a specific redemption in mind before initiating your transfer rather than just transferring points without giving it much thought.
Your points will always be more valuable if they're transferable, and since most transfers are instant, you don't have to wait long for them to appear in your account.
You can pay with points for other travel including prepaid hotels, car rentals, and cruises at a much lower value of 0.7 cents per point.
If you have the American Express Business Gold Card or the American Express Business Platinum Card, you’ll get rebates on airline bookings made with a designated US airline you must select beforehand.
With the Business Gold card, you’ll receive a 25% rebate, up to a maximum of 250,000 MR points per year. This means your MR points will effectively be worth 1.33 cents per point.
If you have the Business Platinum Card, you’ll get a much higher 35% rebate, up to a maximum of 500,000 MR points per year. With the 35% rebate, you can get a much higher redemption value of 1.54 cents per MR point.
Many popular stores are on the list, and you'll get a value that ranges from 0.7–1 cent per point.
What’s more, if you are checking out with PayPal at any store that accepts PayPal, you can pay with MR points instead of cash.
All of the “Pay with Points at Checkout” options give a low redemption value of 0.7 cents per point, with the exception of NYC Taxis, where you can redeem MR points at a 1 cent per point.
However, you’ll get a significantly lower value of 0.6 cents per point, which is a terrible use of MR points, given the multitude of other options available.
With the Morgan Stanley version of the Platinum Card, you can redeem your MR points directly into your investment account at a rate of 1 cent per point.
With Schwab, you can also cash out MR points directly into your account, but at a higher rate of 1.1 cents per point. This is a better rate than you’ll get if you redeem MR points for statement credits, online shopping, or Amex Travel.
That being said, there are situations where it does make sense, especially if you have a Canadian American Express card with fewer transfer partners.
The fastest way to earn MR points is through credit card signup bonuses. If you tend to spend a lot of money throughout the year, or if you have plenty of friends and family members to whom you can refer, you can also pad your balance year after year.
The best way to redeem MR points for top value is by transferring them to airline loyalty programs, through which you can book premium flights at a significantly discounted price.
| British Airways Avios | 1:1 | Almost instant |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 5:4 | Up to 1 week |
| Iberia Club | 1:1 | 1-3 days |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 1:1 | Almost instant |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 1:1 | Almost instant |
| SkyTeam |
| Aeromexico Rewards | 5:8 | 2-12 days |
| Air France KLM Flying Blue | 1:1 | Almost instant |
| Delta SkyMiles | 1:1 | Almost instant |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 1:1 | 1-2 days |
| Other Airlines |
| Aer Lingus AerClub | 1:1 | Almost instant |
| Emirates Skywards | 5:4 | Almost instant |
| Etihad Guest | 1:1 | Almost instant |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | 5:4 | Almost instant |
| Hotel Programs |
| Choice Privileges | 1:1 | Almost instant |
| Hilton Honors | 1:2 | Almost instant |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 1:1 | Almost instant |
First-year value
$3,451
Annual fee: $799
• Earn 90,000 points upon spending $10,000 in the first 3 months
• Earn 40,000 points upon spending $45,000 in the first 12 months
• Plus, earn 40,000 points upon spending in month 13
Earning rates
Key perks
Annual fee: $799
• Earn 90,000 points upon spending $10,000 in the first 3 months
• Earn 40,000 points upon spending $45,000 in the first 12 months
• Plus, earn 40,000 points upon spending in month 13
Earning rates
Key perks