American Express Membership Rewards is one of the go-to programs for the savvy points collector. The program has the most airline and hotel points transfer partners of Australia’s major credit card rewards programs, coupled with high day-to-day earning rates and sign-up offers.
It’s a powerful combination that lets you rack up points faster and use them on a broader range of airline partners across different alliances. On the flip side, there have been a few devaluations to the redemption rates, so here’s how things stand now.
Benefits of American Express Membership Rewards
Here are a few quick reasons:
- American Express offers a range of cards from entry-level to Platinum and Centurion tiers. There’s a card to suit a wide range of applicants with different annual fees, perks and points-earning capabilities.
- Points don’t expire as long as your Membership Rewards account with American Express is active.
- Most importantly, Membership Rewards points are flexible. You can transfer those points to different airline or hotel partners as needed.
- Aside from points, American Express cards are often eligible for great statement offers that could save you money on goods or services you might have bought anyway.
Where can I transfer Membership Rewards points to?
There is a wide variety of direct transfer partners from Membership Rewards. These include Velocity Frequent Flyer, KrisFlyer, Asia Miles and Qatar Airways Privilege Club. Certain premium cards also have access to Qantas Frequent Flyer as a transfer partner (usually, Qantas only participates with direct-earn cards).
For some transfer partners, two Membership Rewards points will convert to one frequent flyer point (or mile). However, most programs are now 3:1, including Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer. American Express has a list of most transfer partners and their current conversion rates.
| Transfer Partner (Amex AU) | Rate (Membership Rewards) | Minimum transfer |
| Air New Zealand | 200 to 1 | 2,000 MR pts = 10 Airpoint Dollars |
| Cathay Asia Miles | 3 to 1 | 7,500 MR pts = 2,500 miles |
| Emirates Skywards | 4 to 1 | 4,000 MR pts = 1,000 miles |
| Hilton Honors | 2 to 1 | 2,000 MR pts = 1,000 pts |
| Malaysia Airlines | 3 to 1 | 1,500 MR pts = 500 miles |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 3 to 2 | 600 MR pts = 400 pts |
| Qantas (Ascent Premium only) | 2 to 1 | 2,000 MR pts = 1,000 pts |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 3 to 1 | 750 MR pts = 250 Avios |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 3 to 1 | 7,500 MR pts = 2,500 miles |
| Virgin Australia Velocity | 2 to 1 | 2,000 MR pts = 1,000 pts |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 3 to 1 | 3,000 MR pts = 1,000 pts |
Don’t forget you can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points onwards to a range of other international frequent flyer programs. This increases the versatility of the Membership Rewards scheme.
What American Express cards earn Membership Rewards points?
There is a broad range of American Express Cards that earn Membership Rewards Points. We’ll cover the two most common personal cards below.
The American Express Explorer Credit Card
The mid-range Explorer Credit Card offers a $400 annual travel credit with American Express Travel and two lounge visits to the American Express Lounge in Sydney or Melbourne, for a $395 annual fee.
It earns 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on most purchases, which convert to 1 Qantas or Velocity Point, or up to 0.67 points/miles per dollar with other airline partners. Government and ATO spending earn half that rate.
The American Express Platinum Card
The Platinum Card is American Express’ premier card product. It offers a high-cost, high-return strategy for accruing points. The annual fee is $1,450, but many premium inclusions can offset it. These include a decent sign-up bonus and travel credit, plus unlimited lounge access through various programs and more.
The Platinum Card will likely suit those who want a large Membership Rewards sign-up bonus, big spenders, and/or those after the extensive list of ancillary benefits. It earns 2.25 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent, except for government and ATO spending, which earn 1 point per dollar.
That’s 1.25 Qantas or Velocity Points, or up to 0.75 points/miles per dollar with other airline partners.
How do Membership Rewards compare with ‘direct earn’ cards?
Direct-earn cards are convenient if you’re happy to maximise one program. We consider flexible points programs like Membership Rewards to offer great flexibility and value. Read more in our introduction to flexible points programs.
It means you’re not locked into any one frequent flyer program. For example, you will usually get better value on oneworld airline flights when using Asia Miles rather than Qantas Points.
There may also be transfer bonuses that give you more points whenever you convert your Membership Rewards balance to a partner program. These bonuses increase the value of your points accordingly.
What are the other features of American Express Cards?
Bonus sign-up points
If you haven’t held almost any American Express card in the past 18 months, you might be eligible for a new card sign-up bonus! These vary depending on promotions, so check out our latest sign-up deals.
Acceptance of American Express by retailers
American Express is not accepted by all merchants in Australia. Of those that do, some are fee-free, while others charge an additional fee for payment. From 1 October 2026, surcharges will be banned. Merchants that accept Amex will do so without any extra fees.
As such, any savvy point hacker would likely have an American Express Card and a Mastercard or Visa on hand when Amex is not accepted/preferred. However, most major stores will accept Amex without issues.
Amex Offers
All Amex-issued cards, regardless of rewards program, come with ‘Amex Offers‘, which are immediate statement credits for hitting a spending target with a specific retailer.
Examples include a $30 credit for spending $150 at Myer, or a $50 credit back after spending $350 with Qantas. These promotions refresh frequently, so be sure to check back for new offers.
The American Express Referral Program
You may find that the best sign-up bonuses are not public. American Express regularly tweaks its sign-up bonuses for Membership Rewards cards, and sometimes, the best bonuses are available if you let another cardholder refer you.
If you’re in a position to refer someone else for a new card, you both might benefit. As a referrer, you could earn a chunk of bonus points if your referee applies and is approved for a new American Express card.
Summing up: Is American Express Membership Rewards for you?
Stowing your points in Membership Rewards gives you redemption flexibility, allowing you to transfer them to programs later once you have a firm plan for your points.
It can be helpful to have flexibility when playing the points game. Given that Membership Rewards partners with Velocity, Privilege Club and Asia Miles, this covers all the major alliances and domestic/Trans-Tasman options you might want outside of Qantas.
The solid range of cards covers low and high spenders alike, with decent card inclusions and points-earning rates, especially in the entry-level American Express Platinum Edge Card.
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