Is This AMEX Membership Rewards Partner a Good Deal?

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American Express is making it easier to use AMEX Membership Rewards points.

Now you can book discounted Expedia flights using American Express Membership Rewards Points.  But just because you can doesn’t mean you should!

Discounted Expedia Flights Using American Express Membership Rewards Points

Link:   AMEX Expedia Partnership

Link:   AMEX Expedia Terms & Conditions

American Express has a way to use your AMEX Membership Rewards points!  You can now redeem your points through Expedia.

Here are the details:

• Each AMEX Membership Rewards point is worth 0.7 cents through Expedia
• Expedia will charge your American Express card for the full amount.  You’ll receive a statement credit in the amount of points you used within 4 business days
• You CAN use Expedia coupons when paying with points, cash, or a mix of both
• You can NOT use AMEX Membership Rewards points for bundled packages (such as airfare + hotel + car)

Similar to the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal, you can choose the ratio of AMEX Membership Rewards points and cash to pay for your travel through Expedia.  And there doesn’t appear to be a minimum amount of points you can use.

If you cancel or return a Pay with Points reservation, Expedia will refund the corresponding dollar amount to your card.  To retrieve the AMEX Membership Rewards points you used for your purchase, you’ll have to call 1-800-297-3276.

You can read the full Terms & Conditions here.

Which Cards Are Eligible?

You can link any credit cards that earn AMEX Membership Rewards points to your Expedia account.  These cards include:

• Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express
• The Platinum Card® from American Express
• The Business Platinum® Card from American Express
• The Blue Business®️ Plus Credit Card from American Express

Note:   You can only link 1 AMEX Membership Rewards points earning credit card to your account at a time.  So make sure you merge all your AMEX Membership Rewards points to your linked card on the AMEX website.

How to Use AMEX Membership Rewards Points Through Expedia

Step 1.   Sign-in to Expedia

Head to Expedia.com and log-in to your account at the top of the page.

Step 2.   Find “Payment Methods” on Your Account Page

Click “My Account” at the top of the home page, and click the “Payment Methods” tab on the right side of the page.  Here you’ll see the option to pay with either AMEX Membership Rewards points or Citi ThankYou points.  Click the link that says “Shop on Expedia with your eligible points today!“

Step 3.   Click “Link Your Accounts”

Under “Partner Programs“, you’ll see an option to link your AMEX Membership Rewards account.  Click “Link Your Accounts“.

Step 4.   Enter Your Card Details

Enter the information on your eligible AMEX Membership Rewards points earning credit card to link your account.

That’s it!  Your AMEX Membership Rewards account should be linked to Expedia.  The site will show you how many AMEX Membership Rewards points you can use to shop for airfare and hotels.

Just search for travel as you normally would.  For example, a flight from Orlando to Newark in early December costs ~$138 on JetBlue.

When you are at checkout, Expedia will give you the option to use AMEX Membership Rewards for all or part of the bill!

You can use the exact same process for booking hotels!  Just remember, you can NOT book packages with your AMEX Membership Rewards points (like airfare + hotel).

Should You Use AMEX Membership Rewards Points Through Expedia?

Booking travel through Expedia with AMEX Membership Rewards points is a BAD deal.

You’ll only get 0.7 cents per point in value through Expedia.  That’s only slightly better than redeeming your points for cash at 0.6 cents each.  And AMEX Membership Rewards points can be worth so much more!  Because you can transfer AMEX Membership Rewards points to valuable transfer partners like British Airways, Delta, and Singapore Airlines for Big Travel.

For example, a flight from Minneapolis to Vancouver, British Columbia, usually costs ~$200 one-way.  But you can transfer just 9,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points to Delta for the same flight!  That’s a value of ~2.2 cents per point ($200 / 9,000 points).

Even if you redeem your points for airfare through the AMEX Travel Portal, you’ll get a value of 1 cent per point (30% more value than through Expedia!).

Plus, you will NOT earn hotel points or elite night credits when you book a hotel through an online travel agency like Expedia.  And the hotel will likely NOT recognize your elite status.

I recommend using your AMEX Membership Rewards points with transfer partners to get the best value.

Check out my Big Travel guide to AMEX Membership Rewards points to learn how to get the most out of your points!

Bottom Line

There’s a way to spend your AMEX Membership Rewards points.  And it’s NOT a good deal.

American Express and Expedia have partnered up to give you the opportunity to buy travel at a value of 0.7 cents per point.  As long as you have an AMEX Membership Rewards points earning credit card, like the Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express or The Platinum Card® from American Express, you can participate.

Redeeming points for 0.7 cents each is a bad deal for savvy folks like us, because you can get 3X that value (or much more!) by transferring your AMEX Membership Rewards points to travel partners like Delta, Etihad, and Flying Blue!

Do you plan to use this American Express Expedia partnership for your travels?