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You Can Now Use AMEX Membership Rewards Points to Book Fine Hotels & Resorts Stays

  • Jason Stauffer

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    If you’ve got any version of an AMEX Platinum card you’ll have access to the American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts program (FHR).  When you make a booking through FHR you’ll get a variety of perks like early check-in, late check-out, upgrades, and dining credits.  The specific benefits vary by hotel, but it’s similar to what you would get if you have elite status. (Enrollment required).

    As of late last year both The Business Platinum Card® from American Express and The Platinum Card® from American Express earn 5X AMEX Membership Rewards points on prepaid FHR bookings made with American Express Travel.  And now you can use AMEX’s Pay with Points feature to book FHR hotel stays.  Pay with Points allows you to pay for travel booked through the AMEX travel site at a rate of 1 cent per AMEX point.

    It’s nice to have this option, but this isn’t likely to be a great deal very often.

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    With this change you’ll be able to use AMEX Membership Rewards points to pay for stays at luxury hotels, like the Four Seasons Hotel Moscow…eventually

    Use AMEX Membership Rewards Points for FHR Stays

    In most cases, using Pay with Points is going to get you less travel than other options, like transferring your AMEX Membership Rewards points to travel partners.  But some FHR locations offer a 3rd or 4th night free when you book through AMEX.  And if you can find a cheap nightly rate you might end up using fewer points than other options.

    In general, AMEX Membership Rewards points aren’t the best for booking free hotels nights.  So having an extra option is nice.  Plus with FHR hotels you’ll get these perks:

    Right now the ability to use Pay with Points is just being rolled out and isn’t available for every FHR hotel just yet.  Also, FHR bookings normally earn hotel points as well.  But I’m not sure if that will be the case if you book using Pay with Points.  If you have made an FHR booking using Pay with Points, let me know your experience.

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    Hat tip:  The Points Guy

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)