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Do American Express Membership Rewards points expire?

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Key takeaways

• American Express Membership Rewards points do not expire — but they can still be revoked, depending on the circumstances.
• If you cancel your Amex credit card account and don’t have another card open, for example, your points will be taken away.
• Keeping your account in good standing while using your points throughout the year will help to ensure that you never have to worry about losing your points.

The American Express Membership Rewards program is one of the most popular credit card rewards programs out there, closely competing with Chase Ultimate Rewards and the Citi ThankYou Points program . That’s because Amex points are easy to earn and flexible to use.

You can earn points with any eligible American Express card , such as The Platinum Card® from American Express , American Express® Gold Card or The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express . You’ll earn points on all purchases you make with your card, along with bonus points for select category purchases (which vary depending on the card). Then, you can redeem points for gift cards, statement credits, travel, merchandise, transfers to Amex airline and hotel partners and more.

But before you apply for a card that earns American Express Membership Rewards points , you need to understand the long-term value of those points — namely, do those American Express points expire? We go over what might cause you to lose your Membership Rewards points and what you can do to avoid those situations.

Can you lose American Express points?

American Express Membership Rewards points do not have an expiration date, and there are no limitations on how many points you can earn. However, there are certain situations where you may forfeit your points, as outlined in the Membership Rewards program’s terms and conditions :

Your account is canceled

If you cancel an Amex consumer card or checking account and you do not have at least one other eligible, linked Amex card, you will lose all of the points you’ve earned.

However, there are a few exceptions to this. If you cancel an Amex corporate card, you may be able to redeem your points for up to 30 days after your account is canceled. If you’re classified as a New York Card Member — meaning someone who’s card billing address is in New York — then you’ll be able to redeem your points for up to 90 days from the date of the account closure notification, but you must call the number on the back of your card to do so.

But you’re not the only one who can cancel your account. American Express holds the right to cancel your card or checking account for any reason, including inactivity, death, insolvency or bankruptcy. If an account was canceled in error, you will not lose your points. But if your card is canceled due to inactivity, you must use your points within 90 days if you don’t want to forfeit them.

You made a late payment

If you don’t pay at least the minimum amount due on your credit card statement, you will lose all of the Amex points you earned with that Amex card during that billing period. However, it is possible to retrieve points you lose this way. To do this, you must:

• Pay any amounts that you owe.
• Contact Amex to request your lost points within 12 months after the relevant billing period.
• For each account and billing period that you request your lost points, you must pay a $35 fee.

As a best practice — not only to retain your Amex points, but also to keep your credit in good shape and avoid penalty fees — make sure to pay your credit card bills in full and on time .

You misused the Membership Rewards program

If American Express believes you have engaged, or attempted to engage, in “abuse, misuse or gaming in connection with earning or using points,” it may suspend or take away your points or else cancel your account.

You have a negative points balance

You may have a negative points balance if you:

• Have your points taken away due to misuse
• Return a purchase and don’t have enough points in your account to cover the points reversal
• Are incorrectly given a points incentive award and don’t have enough points in your account to cover the points reversal

In these cases, any points that you earn going forward will first be applied to your points balance. Once you achieve a positive balance, you can resume using your points.

Your corporate card is suspended

If your Amex corporate card is suspended for any reason — such as insolvency or bankruptcy — Amex will also suspend your ability to use your Amex points. You will regain access to your points once your suspension is lifted.

Don’t lose your points — what to do before you close an Amex account

If you want to close a credit card that earns American Express Membership Rewards points, you should make sure you have another card that earns points within this program first. That’s because, per American Express’ terms and conditions, you will forfeit your unused American Express points if you close your card account and don’t have another credit card that earns the same type of rewards.

For that reason, many consumers apply for an American Express Membership Rewards card with no annual fee before closing a premium card like the Amex Platinum Card or Amex Gold Card. For example, if you open a no-annual-fee card like the Blue Business Plus Credit Card or Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express first, then you can maintain your points balance after closing your other credit card account.

Another way to make sure you’re not in a position to forfeit your American Express Membership Rewards points is to use them often. According to recent valuations from Bankrate , each point you earn within this program is worth approximately 2.0 cents when redeemed for transfer partner travel, so these points can be considerably more valuable than some rewards currencies you can earn with other travel credit cards .

By keeping an eye on your balance and spending them routinely, you can make sure you get the most out of their value.

The bottom line

Although American Express Membership Rewards points do not expire, there are certain situations where you may lose the points you’ve accumulated. Make sure these situations don’t apply to you by paying your bill on time and in full, keeping your account active and following Amex’s terms and conditions.

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The complete guide to American Express Membership Rewards

• Membership Rewards, the points currency of American Express, are among the most valuable credit card points you can earn.
• You can transfer Membership Rewards points to 18 airline and three hotel loyalty programs.
• Some of the best ways to redeem your Membership Rewards points are to transfer them to airline programs.

With an American Express card that earns lucrative Membership Rewards points, cardholders can redeem points through Amex Travel for hotels (including vacation rentals), car rentals, cruises and flights, or opt to use their points for statement credits, gift cards and more.

Whether you're a points expert or not, you can also maximize your Membership Rewards points by transferring them to Amex's 21 airline and hotel partners. With so many options to redeem and maximize your hard-earned points, your Membership Rewards points are extremely valuable.

Keep reading to find out more about how to redeem points, how to maximize Amex benefits and the best Amex cards to earn Membership Rewards points.

What are Amex Membership Rewards points?

Membership Rewards points are the points currency of American Express. If you have an Amex card that earns Membership Rewards points, you will earn them for everyday spending, just as you would earn airline miles with an airline-branded card or hotel points with a hotel-branded card . Plus, depending on what Amex card you have, you can also earn bonus points in certain spending categories.

In the world of points and miles, American Express Membership Rewards points are considered some of the most valuable and useful points you can earn because of their flexibility. Per TPG's August 2024 valuations , we value Amex points at 2 cents per point. Since Membership Rewards points are a form of transferable currency — Amex currently has 18 airline and three hotel partners — there are a lot of ways to get the most value out of your points when you transfer them to partners.

Related: How (and why) you should earn transferable credit card points in 2024

How do I earn Amex Membership Rewards points?

The easiest way to earn a lot of Membership Rewards points is by applying for a Membership Rewards points-earning American Express card. Amex has several to choose from, ranging from premium cards with generous benefits (and high annual fees) to no-annual-fee cards that reward daily spending.

Earning Membership Rewards points from credit cards

Here's a look at the welcome offer, bonus-category structure, annual fee and benefits for each of the six most valuable Membership Rewards cards to help you choose which is the best Amex card for you .

The information for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Other ways to earn Membership Rewards points

Once you have one (or more) of the above cards, there are additional options for earning Amex points. The first is leveraging Rakuten , one of TPG's favorite online shopping portals. Formerly known as Ebates, the site once offered cash back to shoppers who clicked through to participating merchants from its dashboard. However, members can now earn cash back or Membership Rewards points.

If you don't have an account, you can sign up here and enjoy a one-time bonus of $30 when you spend at least $30 within 90 days of becoming a member.

Read more: How to use Rakuten to earn bonus cash back or Amex points

Do Amex points expire?

Membership Rewards points do not expire, provided you keep at least one card that earns Membership Rewards points open.

If you cancel all Membership Rewards Amex cards, you must redeem or transfer your points before closing the last card. Otherwise, you will forfeit the points.

Who are the Membership Rewards transfer partners?

By transferring Membership Rewards points to 18 airline and three hotel transfer partners , you can search for award travel across the globe, covering almost every major route and city. Thus, earning Membership Rewards is usually more valuable than only earning points in one of these airline or hotel loyalty programs. Remember, you are not locked into one transfer partner — you can send some points to one program and then some to another.

Below, we've listed all those partners, transfer ratios and the transfer times discovered in our testing.

Instant transfers are always preferred, and Amex does a good job of making that happen compared with other transferable points , such as Chase Ultimate Rewards points and Citi ThankYou Rewards points. If you haven't done so already, link your transfer partner accounts to your Membership Rewards account. This prevents delays in the future when you may need to make a quick transfer.

Related: Current point transfer bonuses

The best ways to redeem Membership Rewards points

There are endless ways to use these transfer partners to get maximum value for your Membership Rewards points. Here's just a few of our favorite redemptions :

• Fly to Hawaii on points and miles : Transfer your points to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and you'll pay just 13,500 KrisFlyer miles for a one-way flight from California, Oregon or Washington to any of the four Hawaiian islands serviced by Alaska Airlines. Those based elsewhere in the country can book nonstop or connecting flights on United Airlines. You'll pay 19,500 points for a one-way economy ticket or 39,000 for business class. This includes United's long-haul nonstop flights from Newark, Chicago and Washington, D.C., to Honolulu.
• Save on business-class award flights: Singapore Airlines also operates two of the world's longest flights, from Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). You won't want to spend 18 hours in an uncomfortable seat — so use your Membership Rewards to fly business class. Both routes cost 111,500 points plus taxes and fees one-way, a small price for comfort on such a long flight.
• Transfer your Amex points to Iberia Plus : On off-peak dates, you can fly from JFK and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) for just 17,000 Avios in economy, 25,500 in premium economy and 34,000 in business class each way. This is a steal — most airlines charge at least 60,000 miles for a one-way business-class flight to Europe.
• Transfer your Amex points to Air France-KLM's Flying Blue : Book business-class flights from North America to Europe starting from just 50,000 miles each way.
• Book domestic American and Alaska award flights : Following devaluations from British Airways Executive Club , Qatar Airways Privilege Club is now the best way to book domestic flights operated by American and Alaska Airlines. Flights 650 miles or shorter can be booked for just 6,000 Qatar Airways Avios.
• Transfer your Membership Rewards points to Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club program: Book round-trip business-class flights to Japan on ANA for just 105,000 Membership Rewards points from the West Coast of the United States and 120,000 points from the East Coast.

Just remember that transfers are irreversible, so you should only transfer your points once you've confirmed award space for the flight or hotel you want.

You can also use your points to book virtually any travel through the Amex Travel booking platform . You usually receive a value of about 1 cent per Amex point. This is an OK but not spectacular way to redeem these points.

Poor-value ways to redeem Membership Rewards points

Unfortunately, several options for redeeming your points represent less than stellar value and should typically be avoided if you want to maximize your hard-earned rewards. These include:

Using points for charges : This is like a cash-back option covering eligible charges on your billing statement. What are eligible charges? You can view the list of eligible charges from your current online statement. With this option, you'll only receive 0.6 cents per point, so it's not a great return.

Using Pay with Points at checkout : After linking your Membership Rewards account with online merchants like Amazon , Best Buy and Grubhub, you can pay for your purchases at a slightly better (but still poor) value of 0.7 cents per point. Although this option can sometimes be useful for promotions, you may want to turn this off to prevent accidental and unauthorized use of your points.

Redeem for taxi rides in New York City : You can redeem points for your fare in New York City taxis at a value of 1 cent per point.

Redeeming for gift cards : One of the worst options is redeeming your points for gift cards. Depending on the merchant, these redemptions are worth anywhere from 0.5 cents to 1 cent apiece.

Related: How everyday purchases cost me thousands of points

Bottom line

Membership Rewards points are easy to earn thanks to Amex's generous card offers . Plus, with a mix of transfer partners, they're also easy to redeem. Whether you choose to splurge on a tropical getaway or use your points to visit family in another state, having Membership Rewards points at your disposal can definitely help save you money.

For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum card, click here . For rates and fees of the Amex Gold card, click here . For rates and fees of the Amex Business Gold card, click here . For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum card, click here . For rates and fees of the Blue Business Plus card, please click here .

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Do American Express points expire? Here’s how to avoid losing your points

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American Express points  are some of the most coveted in the travel credit cards hobby. You can redeem them for travel, cash them in for gift cards, or redeem them with Amex transfer partners  like Delta and Air Canada for even more value. As with any credit card rewards program, it would stink if you put effort into earning points only to have them expire before you can use them. So you may be thinking, do American Express points expire?

The short answer is Amex Membership Rewards points do not expire, as long as you meet certain conditions. However, there are instances where you could lose your hard-earned Amex points . We’ll show you how to make sure that doesn’t happen.

American Express points don’t expire, but you could still lose them

Put simply, as long as you keep at least one card that earns Amex points open, your points will not expire.

Where you can run into trouble is if you want to cancel a card, perhaps because you don’t want to pay a big annual fee. If you don’t have another Amex Membership Rewards earning card and you cancel, you’ll lose all your points for good. However, you may be eligible for a 30-day grace period to use your Amex points after you cancel if you have other Amex cards open.

For example, suppose you have The Platinum Card® from American Express, but decide it’s not worth paying the $550 annual fee (see rates & fees) because you’re not able to make the most of the benefits. If you cancel and don’t have another Amex Membership Rewards card (like the American Express® Gold Card), you’ll lose all the points you’ve accumulated.

Unfortunately, you can’t work around this by transferring your Amex points to a spouse or anyone else with an Amex Membership Rewards points account. Here are some things you can do.

Open an Amex Membership Rewards card with no annual fee first

If avoiding an annual fee altogether is your goal, a couple of Amex Membership Rewards cards have no annual fee :

• The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (see rates & fees) 
• Amex EveryDay® Credit Card

You could first open one of these cards to preserve your Amex Membership Rewards points, then cancel the annual fee card you’re looking to get rid of. Double check to make sure the new card is linked to the same Membership Rewards account before you cancel.

Downgrade to a card with a lower or no annual fee

It’s possible in some cases to downgrade a card with a high annual fee to a Membership Rewards card with a lower (or no) annual fee. Downgrading an card is a little trickier because there aren’t many options due to Amex’s rules. The biggest thing to remember is that you can’t change a business card (like The Business Platinum Card® from American Express) to a personal card (like the American Express® Gold Card), or vice versa.

Transfer your points to an airline or hotel partner before you cancel

Another option is to transfer your Amex Membership Rewards points to one of their airline and hotel partners if you don’t want to open a new card or downgrade your old one. Consider your travel plans before you do this, and have a look at our guide to transferring Amex points .

Once you transfer your points to an airline or hotel, you can not reverse the transfer. But your points will be safe in your airline or hotel account to use for free travel even if you cancel your Amex card.

Here are Amex’s current airline transfer partners:

And here are the options for hotels (you’ll usually get a better deal transferring to airlines, though):

Keep in mind, once you move your points to an airline or hotel partner, you’ll have to abide by the rules of the program you transfer your points to. For example, if you transfer to Delta, you won’t ever have to worry about losing your points because Delta miles never expire, but that’s not the case with every partner.

Bottom line

Amex Membership Rewards points don’t expire, but you will lose them if you don’t keep at least one of the best American Express Membership Rewards earning card open. Because Amex Membership Rewards points are so valuable, you don’t want to let them go to waste if you need to cancel your card (say to avoid paying a steep annual fee). To preserve your points you can:

• Open another Amex Membership Rewards points earning card with no annual fee before you cancel
• Downgrade to an Amex Membership Rewards points card with a lower or no annual fee
• Transfer your Amex Membership Rewards points to an airline or hotel partner before you cancel

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For the rates and fees of The Platinum Card from American Express, please click here.

For the rates and fees of The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express, please click here.

Featured photo by Chad Zuber/Shutterstock.

Joseph Hostetler

Joseph Hostetler is a full-time writer for Million Mile Secrets, covering miles and points tips and tricks, as well as helpful travel-related news and deals. He has also authored and edited for The Points Guy.

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