Americanexpress Com Travel Guide: Earning Points and Booking Trips

Earning points with American Express is a breeze, especially if you use your card for everyday purchases. You can earn 1 point for every dollar spent, and with the right card, you can earn up to 5 points for every dollar spent.

American Express Membership Rewards points can be redeemed for travel bookings, but it's essential to understand how the redemption process works. You can redeem points for flights, hotels, and other travel expenses, but the value of your points may vary depending on the redemption option you choose.

To make the most of your points, it's crucial to choose the right American Express card for your travel needs. Some cards offer more points for travel-related purchases, while others offer additional benefits like travel insurance and concierge services.

To earn Membership Rewards points, you'll need an American Express branded credit card that earns points, such as The Platinum Card, American Express Gold Card, or American Express Business Gold Card. These cards offer lucrative welcome offers to get you started.

You can earn points on various purchases, such as 4x points on restaurants and 3x points on flights booked through AmEx Travel with the American Express Gold Card. The Amex Platinum cardholders earn 5x points on flights up to $500,000 per calendar year and prepaid hotels through AmEx Travel.

Here are some of the most valuable Membership Rewards cards, including their welcome offers, bonus categories, annual fees, and perks:

You can earn American Express Membership Rewards points through various credit cards, including the Platinum Card, Gold Card, and Business Platinum Card. The Platinum Card earns 80,000 points after spending $8,000 within the first six months, while the Gold Card earns 60,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first six months.

Each credit card has its own bonus categories, with the Platinum Card offering 5 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel, and the Gold Card offering 4 points per dollar on purchases at restaurants worldwide.

The Business Platinum Card earns 150,000 points after spending $20,000 within the first three months, and offers 5 points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com. The Business Gold Card earns 100,000 points after spending $15,000 in the first three months, and offers 4 points per dollar on two select categories where you spend the most each billing cycle.

You can also earn points on everyday business purchases with the Blue Business Plus Credit Card, which earns 15,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first three months. This card offers 2 points per dollar on everyday business purchases up to $50,000 each calendar year.

Some credit cards offer additional benefits, such as the Green Card, which earns 3 points per dollar on transactions involving restaurants, travel, and transit. The American Express Gold Card offers 4 points per dollar on restaurants and 3 points on flights booked through Amex Travel.

Here's a comparison of the welcome offers for each credit card:

By choosing the right credit card and taking advantage of the bonus categories, you can earn a significant number of American Express Membership Rewards points to redeem for travel, gift cards, or other rewards.

Points are a unit of measurement used to track progress, rewards, or penalties in various systems, such as loyalty programs or credit scores.

In a loyalty program, points are often earned by making purchases or taking specific actions, and can be redeemed for rewards or discounts.

For example, a customer might earn 10 points for every dollar spent at a particular store.

Points can also have expiration dates, after which they become invalid and cannot be used.

Booking travel on American Express Travel offers several benefits. You can earn 2X points per dollar spent on cruises booked through the portal, and even redeem Amex MR points for a portion of or all of your sailing.

The search process for cruises is straightforward, allowing you to filter by cruise line, destination, travel dates, and sailing duration. You can also earn stateroom credits of $100–$300 and other onboard perks through the Cruise Privileges program if you have a Platinum Card or Business Platinum Card.

If you're booking a car rental, you can plug in your destination, dates, and time, and filter by type of car, rental car company, and features. You can even pay now and use MR points to book part of or all of your prepaid rental, or pay later and earn 2X points per dollar.

The key is to comparison shop and run the numbers through the actual rental car companies before you book to make sure you're getting the biggest bang for your buck.

Booking flights can be a daunting task, but with the right approach, you can snag the best deals.

Research shows that booking flights at least two weeks in advance can save you up to 20% on average.

It's also a good idea to be flexible with your travel dates, as prices can vary greatly depending on the day of the week and time of year.

In fact, a study found that Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays tend to be the cheapest days to fly.

If you're looking to save even more, consider flying during the off-season, which typically falls in the periods between holidays and school breaks.

For example, flying during the summer months can be much cheaper than during the winter holidays.

You can also use online tools to compare prices and find the best deals, such as using a meta-search engine to compare prices across multiple airlines.

Additionally, consider using budget airlines, which can offer significant savings, especially for shorter flights.

However, keep in mind that budget airlines often charge extra for amenities like checked bags and food, so be sure to factor those costs into your overall price.

Booking cruises and rentals through the Amex Travel portal is a great way to redeem your Membership Rewards (MR) points. You can search by cruise line, destination, travel dates, and sailing duration to find the perfect fit.

Clicking on the "Cruises" tab will give you a list of options, including Mediterranean cruises in November 2021. Prices are shown per person, based on double occupancy cabins.

Booking with a Membership Rewards credit card earns 2X points per dollar spent on cruises. Platinum and Business Platinum cardholders can also score stateroom credits of $100-$300 and other onboard perks through the Cruise Privileges program.

To book a car rental, you'll plug in your destination, dates, and pick-up location. You can filter results by car type, rental company, and features like unlimited mileage.

You can pay now and use MR points to book part of or all of your prepaid rental, or pay later and earn 2X points per dollar. Just be sure to review the rental car policies and comparison shop to get the best deal.

Here are some key things to keep in mind when booking cruises and rentals through the Amex Travel portal:

Booking hotels and resorts on Amex Travel can be a great way to save money and earn rewards. American Express Travel offers a lowest rate guarantee, so if you book on Amex Travel and see a lower price elsewhere, you can file a claim for a refund of the difference.

Booking a Fine Hotels Collection room can sometimes be a better deal than a lower-tier hotel, especially for last-minute deals. I recently snagged a Fine Hotels room at the NoMad Las Vegas for $160, which normally costs around $500 per night.

You can earn a significantly higher point reward by paying with an American Express card and booking on Amex Travel, compared to booking directly on the hotel's website. This is one of the major upsides to using Amex Travel.

Cardholders of the Platinum card get status with Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors, which means they can book lower-tier rooms and generally be upgraded at least one room level at check-in.

To access the American Express Travel portal, log in to your American Express account and click on the "Travel" option in the top left corner of the dashboard page. This will take you to the main travel portal where you can search for flights, hotels, vacation packages, rental cars, and cruises.

The portal's front page is a standard travel booking interface with options to search for various types of travel. Below the main search engine, you'll find information about cancellation policies and pandemic travel details, as well as an interactive map showing Covid-19 testing and vaccination requirements around the world.

To book cruises or car rentals through the portal, click on the corresponding tab on the homepage and search by cruise line, destination, travel dates, and sailing duration. You can also earn 2X points per dollar spent on cruises booked through the portal with certain American Express credit cards.

Here are some benefits of using the Amex Travel portal to book your trip:

To access the American Express Travel portal, start by logging in to your American Express account.

Click on the "Menu" button in the top left corner, then select "Travel" to access more options. From there, you can click on "Book a Trip" to head to the main travel portal.

The Amex Travel portal's front page is user-friendly, with options to search for flights, hotels, vacation packages, rental cars, and cruises.

Below the main search engine, you'll find current information about cancellation policies and other important pandemic travel details, as well as an interactive map showing Covid-19 testing and vaccination requirements around the world.

To take advantage of the portal's perks, hover over the "Book" button at the top of the page to access shortcuts to the International Airline Program (IAP), Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts, and The Hotel Collection.

If you need help finding a Travel Insider or want to explore special offers, hover over the "Explore" button in the main menu instead.

To book travel through the portal, you'll have the option to "Use Only Points" or "Use Points + Card", so you can choose whether to redeem all your points or just some.

To access the American Express Travel portal, log in to your American Express account and click "Menu" in the top left corner, then select "Travel" to access more options and book a trip.

The Amex Travel portal's front page is similar to any other travel booking interface, with options to search for flights, hotels, vacation packages, rental cars, and cruises.

Below the main search engine, you'll find current information about cancellation policies and other important pandemic travel details.

You can use the Amex Travel portal to book flights, hotels, or other travel and choose to "Use Only Points" or "Use Points + Card" to redeem your American Express Membership Rewards points.

To cancel a booking made with MR points, call 1-800-297-3276 to get them returned.

Booking airline tickets through Amex Travel can sometimes result in unassigned seats, which may require paying an additional fee to guarantee an assigned seat.

The Amex Travel portal may not always show the closest hotel options, and sometimes hotels 50+ miles away may be listed without clear indication of their distance from the desired area.

If you book a flight or hotel through the Amex Travel portal, you may not be able to work directly with the airline or hotel in case of issues.

The Amex Travel portal offers a lowest rate guarantee: if you book on AmEx Travel and see a lower price elsewhere, you can file a claim for a refund of the difference.

Booking a Fine Hotels Collection room can sometimes be a better deal than a lower-tier hotel, especially with perks like room upgrades, free breakfast, and property credits.

American Express offers trip cancellation insurance on some of its cards, including the Centurion Card, Platinum, and Delta, Hilton, and Marriott cards.

Eligibility and benefit levels vary by card, so it's essential to check your specific card details.

Trip cancellation insurance can provide financial protection if you need to cancel your trip due to unforeseen circumstances.

For more information on the terms, conditions, and limitations of this benefit, visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide.

This insurance is underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.