How you choose to redeem your Membership Rewards points will impact the overall value you get in return. For travel cards, the most lucrative way to use your points is by transferring your points to one of Amex’s travel partners. Otherwise, redeeming for travel through Amex’s own travel portal for airfare will let you secure a rewards value of 1 cent per point.
Unfortunately, you’ll only get 0.7 cent per point in value for prepaid hotels, prepaid car rentals and cruises booked directly through Amex. Redeeming for statement credits or using your points with select merchants won’t provide a good value in comparison, either.
If you’re not interested in redeeming your credit card rewards for travel, consider getting a cash-back card that offers better value when redeeming for direct cash back or a statement credit.
