American Express Membership Rewards - AMEX moves to tiers for Membership Rewards

June 21, 2007 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
American Express Creates Three Distinctive Membership Rewards® Levels to Meet Cardmember Lifestyle and Usage Needs

Multi-Level Program Linked to Different Card Products Offers Enhanced Customer Experience through Unique and Innovative Features, and Expanded Roster of Redemption Partners

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--American Express (NYSE:AXP) has introduced new Membership Rewards program levels aligned with specific Card products designed to better meet Cardmember lifestyle and reward program usage needs. Today, American Express® Cardmembers will participate in one of three Membership Rewards program levels based on the Credit or Charge Card they have in their wallet. For those Cardmembers with American Express Credit Cards, including Blue from American Express®, the company has created the Membership Rewards ExpressSM program. American Express Charge Cardmembers with American Express Green and Gold Cards will have the Membership Rewards program. Platinum Card® members and Centurion® Cardmembers will be enrolled in the Membership Rewards FirstSM program.

In addition, the company has announced a number of new, innovative features across all levels of the Membership Rewards program, including Points AdvanceSM, as well as an expanded list of redemption partners.

“Our goal is to continue to improve and evolve the Membership Rewards program to create a truly special experience for our Cardmembers,” said Ralph Andretta, senior vice president and general manager, Membership Rewards, American Express. “The new program levels and added redemption features are the latest examples of how we strive to give Cardmembers what they want and need from their rewards program.”

Details on New Program Levels

Membership Rewards Express will offer a breadth of benefits for Cardmembers with Credit cards, including Blue from American Express, such as:

* Easily attainable retail, dining, entertainment and select travel rewards
* Ability to earn points faster and more easily by shopping at BonusPointsMall.com, where Cardmembers can earn double points year-round at more than 160 online retailers
* Access to the new Express RewardsSM Hotel Card that allows Cardmembers to redeem points for a prepaid card valued at $25, $50 or $100, which can be used toward everything from hotel spa services and gift shop purchases to an entire stay at participating lodging locations at Marriott® and Radisson Hotels & Resorts® properties
* Features such as the Pay with Points option, which allows Cardmembers to instantly redeem Membership Rewards points for all or part of the cost of any airline ticket, hotels, cruises and travel packages without blackout dates or restrictions when booking travel at www.membershiprewards.com/paywithpoints
* Ability to earn double points when booking travel through the American Express Travel website
* Access to rewards from more than 140 desirable partners such as Barnes & Noble, Blockbuster, Crate and Barrel, Gap, The Home Depot, Pottery Barn, and newly added casual dining category partners

Membership Rewards will provide greater travel flexibility for American Express Green and Gold Charge Cardmembers, including:

* Ability to transfer points to more than 20 frequent flyer and frequent guest accounts to redeem for flight or hotel stays
* Ability to redeem points for travel certificates for additional airlines and hotels, as well as for cruises, car rental and adventure travel packages
* Access to Flight Finder and Room Finder, the program’s recently launched one-of-a-kind booking tools that enable Cardmembers to search, transfer points and book reward travel all in one single online transaction with participating frequent flyer and frequent guest programs. Participating partners include AirTran Airways, the Hilton HHonors® Program and Priority Club® Rewards, with more great partners to come.
* All the same reward partners and program features available through Membership Rewards Express

Membership Rewards First will provide the ultimate in exclusivity and flexibility, as well as unique access to one-of-a-kind experiences and travel rewards for Platinum and Centurion charge Cardmembers, including:

* Exclusive access to an assortment of luxury partners through First CollectionSM, a private portfolio of rewards from premium brands in jewelry and watches, high-end fashion, distinguished lifestyle, and world-class travel. Partners include EOS Airlines, Lamborghini, Monarch Billiards, Neiman Marcus, The Ritz-Carlton, Tiffany & Co., and Premier Cru vintage wines – a classification reserved for only the very best wines from the Bordeaux region of France
* Dedicated 800 customer service number
* Ability to earn triple points year-round on purchases made through BonusPointsMall.com
* All the same reward partners and program features available through Membership Rewards Express and Membership Rewards

To learn more about the new benefits and services of the new program levels, please visit www.membershiprewards.com/tier/tierComparison/tierComparison.aspx.

New Points Advance Feature Allows Cardmembers to “Advance” Points to Redeem Rewards

Membership Rewards program enrollees across all levels, can now enjoy Points Advance, a first-of-its-kind service that allows Cardmembers to “advance” points against future points earned at the time they choose to redeem points for a reward.1 The newly launched feature will allow Cardmembers to advance up to the number of points required for a desired redemption, or for the maximum number of points available to advance, whichever is less. The number of points Cardmembers can advance is based on their program level – 5,000 points for Membership Rewards Express, 15,000 points for Membership Rewards, and 60,000 points for Membership Rewards First.

When redeeming a reward online, American Express will provide Cardmembers with the Points Advance option at check-out on the shopping cart page near the conclusion of the redemption transaction. Points Advance can also be requested through the Membership Rewards’ customer service phone number. Cardmembers have 12 months to replace the points, without incurring any fees, through spending with the American Express Card.2

2007 Membership Rewards Program Partners

American Express has added a number of popular retail, travel, dining and entertainment Membership Rewards partners to allow customers to redeem points for more of the things they want. Among the latest offerings is a new casual dining category, which features dining rewards at The Cheesecake Factory, California Pizza Kitchen, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Red Lobster and Olive Garden. These latest choices are among the hundreds of redemption options that span the program’s Travel, Shopping and Dining & Entertainment categories.

The 2007 Membership Rewards program partners3 are as follows:

* Airlines: Aeromexico, Aeroplan, Air France/KLM, Air Jamaica, AirTran Airways, Alitalia, All Nippon Air-ways (ANA), Cathay Pacific Airways, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, EL AL Israel Airlines, Frontier Airlines, GlobalPass®, Hawaiian Airlines®, JetBlue Airways, Mexicana® Airlines, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Southwest Airlines®, SWISS, Virgin Atlantic Airways.
* Car Rentals and Rail: Amtrak®, Avis®, Enterprise Rent-A-Car®, Hertz®, Classic Car Club and Rail Europe.
* Dining & Entertainment: American Express ® Gift Cards Especially for Dining, Benihana, BLOCKBUSTER®, Broadway.com™, By Invitation Only® Events for Platinum Cardmembers, California Pizza Kitchen, The Capital Grille®, The Cheesecake Factory®, Create Your Own Reward, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar®, Lettuce Entertain You® Enterprises, Inc., LIVE NATION, McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants, The Melting Pot, Morton’s® The Steakhouse, Olive Garden, Patina Restaurant Group, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Red Lobster, Roy’s, Regal Cinemas, Regal Entertainment Group, Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group©, Telecharge.com, Theme Parks Unlimited, Ticketmaster, Tribeca Film Festival, USGA®, USTATM, Xperience Days.
* Financial Services: American Express® Gift Cheques, American Express® Travelers Cheques, AwardPlanner and MileageManager, Link2Gov (www.pay1040.com/mr), Official Payments Corp.® (http://www.officialpayments.com/mr), SIRIUS Satellite, and Points.com, USA TODAY®. More than 1,000,000 charitable organizations are available through an online giving portal, www.americanexpress.com/give.
* First Collection: Baccarat, Bergdorf Goodman, Chopard, Davidoff Cigars and Accessories, EOS Airlines, Ermenegildo Zegna, Premier Cru Bordeaux Wines, IWC, Lamborghini, Mikimoto, Monarch Billiards, Montegrappa writing instruments, Neiman Marcus, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, Pebble Beach Resorts, Piaget, Raffles Hotels & Resorts, Relais & Chateaux's Relais Gourmands Restaurants, The Ritz-Carlton, Steinway & Sons, and Tiffany & Co.
* Hotels: Best Western Gold Crown Club® International; Destination Hotels and Resorts, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts; Hilton Honors® (Hilton®, Conrad®, Coral by Hilton, Doubletree®, Embassy Suites Hotels®, Hampton Inn® , Hampton Inn & Suites, Hilton Garden Inn®, Hilton Grand Vacations Club®, Hilton Vacation Club, Homewood Suites by Hilton®, and Scandic); Hyatt Hotels & Resorts®; Priority Club® Rewards (InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Hotel Indigo®, Holiday Inn®, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®), Joie de Vivre Hospitality, Loews Hotels, Marriott International® (Marriott® Hotels, Resorts and Suites, Renaissance® Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard® by Marriott, Residence Inn® by Marriott, Fairfield Inn® by Marriott, TownePlace Suites® by Marriott, Spring Hill SuitesTM by Marriott); Marriott Vacation Club International, MGM Grand/The Mirage, Miraval Life in Balance Resort and Spa, Omni Hotels®; Preferred Hotel Group (Preferred Hotels & Resorts and Summit Hotels & Resorts), Sol Meliá Hotels & Resorts, Starwood Preferred Guest® (St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W Hotels®, Le Meridien®, Sheraton® Hotels & Resorts, Four Points® by Sheraton, Westin® Hotel & Resorts), and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts®. Swissotel Hotels & Resorts.
* Merchandise: Adidas, All-Clad, Apple iPod, AT&T, Bang & Olufsen, Baume & Mercier, Bodum®, Bose®, Boston Accoustics, Bowflex®, Bulova, Bushnell, Callaway® Golf, Camelback, Canon, Celestron, Cobra Golf, Coleman, Creative®, Cuisinart, De'Longhi, Dooney & Bourke, Dunhill, Dyson, Garmin, Hearts on Fire, Hewlett Packard, Igloo, iRobot, Jabra, JA Henckels, Hartmann, Jansport, JBL, JVC, kate spade, Kenneth Cole Reaction, KitchenAid®, Krups, KOSS, Lagos, Lalique, Le Creuset®, Lenox, Lladro, Logitech, Majorica, Maui Jim®, Microsoft, Mizuno, Monster Cable, Montblanc, Motorola, Movado, Nambe, Nike, Nikon, The North Face, Oakley, Ogio, Omas, Oreck®, Panasonic, Pentax®, Philips, Plantronics, Polar, Rayban, Riedel, Royal, Samsonite, Samsung, SanDisk, Sharp, SenrySafe, Skagen, Skil, Sky Golf, Sony®, Staub, Steiner Sports, Swarovski, TAG Heuer, Takamine, TaylorMade®, Timberland, Titleist Golf, TIVO, Toro, Toshiba, Travelpro, Trek®, Tumi, Villeroy & Boch, Waterford, Weber, Wilson®, Yamaha, and many more.
* Retail: Banana Republic, Barnes & Noble, Bath & Body Works®, Bloomingdale’s, Brooks Brothers, Cole Haan, Crate and Barrel, Dell™ Computer, ESCADA, FTD.COM®, Fortunoff, Gap, Lands' End®, Linens ‘n Things®, L’Occitane, PBteen®, Pottery Barn®, Pottery Barn Kids®, Red Door Spas, Restoration Hardware, Saks Fifth Avenue, Smith & Hawken, Smithsonian Institution, Spa Finder®, Talbots, The Home Depot®, The Sharper Image®, Tourneau, and 800wine.com.
* Sports and Adventure: Abercrombie & Kent, American Skiing Company, Aspen/Snowmass, Butterfield & Robinson, Epiculinary, ESPN Golf Schools Presented by Lexus, Golf, Academy of Hilton Head Island at Sea Pines, Intrawest Mountain Resorts, Lake Austin Spa, Mountain Travel Sobek, Mizuno Golf, Moorings, NauticBlue, O.A.R.S, Richard Petty Driving Experience™, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Adventure Parks, Skip Barber Racing School, Smithsonian Journeys, Space Adventures Ltd., Tauck World Discovery, Troon Golf, Universal Golf Ticket™, Universal Ski Ticket™, USGA, Vail Resorts, and Van Der Meer Tennis.

About The Membership Rewards Program

The Membership Rewards program from American Express has more than 140 redemption partners. The program allows Cardmembers to earn one point for virtually every dollar charged on eligible, enrolled American Express Cards4.

Membership Rewards points are redeemable in a wide selection of reward categories, including travel, retail merchandise, entertainment, shopping and recreation gift certificates, experiences, financial services and charity rewards. Enrollees may also customize their own redemption experiences through the program’s Create Your Reward and Experiences options and use points for just about anything they can imagine. Points have no expiration date, and there is no limit on the number of points a Cardmember can earn.

For more information about the Membership Rewards program, or to apply for an American Express Card, consumers can call 1-800-THE-CARD or visit 800TheCard.com.

About American Express

American Express Company (www.americanexpress.com) (NYSE:AXP) is a leading global payments, network and travel company founded in 1850.

1
Terms, conditions and restrictions apply.

2
Cardmembers will be charged for points not earned back within that time period at the rate applicable to point purchase transactions.

3
Partners vary by program level

4
Some Cards require enrollment and the payment of an annual program fee. Terms and conditions apply.

Wow - this looks big. I can't wait to see this thread in a day or two!

Two things that stand out to me are:

1. Credit card customers apparently no longer able to transfer MR points to airlines.

2. Ability to borrow MR points from future charges.

I think everything in the press release has been mentioned piecemeal over the past several months, but it's good to have all the changes summarized in one place.

Not sure why they renamed Membership Rewards Options to Membership Rewards Express. Need to verify that credit cards linked to a charge card will still earn full Membership Rewards points that can be transferred to other programs.

It's apparently a good marketing decision to give the Points Advance feature a new name. Few seem to realize that the Gold card had this feature for at least two decades. Here is a mention from 1999...

http://flyertalk.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-139929.html

The footnotes listing the 2007 partners are confusing because it is not possible to transfer to all of the listed airlines or hotel chains. Many of them offer only redemptions for specific awards, typically economy class flights :td: .

Triple points year-round on purchases made through BonusPointsMall.com may make it worth using for some merchants who offer only one mile per dollar at airline online shopping portals.

Yeah what if you have more than one type of card? Which level are you in? Eg I have a Blue credit card and a green charge card?

Airlines: Aeromexico, Aeroplan, Air France/KLM, Air Jamaica, AirTran Airways, Alitalia, All Nippon Air-ways (ANA), Cathay Pacific Airways, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, EL AL Israel Airlines, Frontier Airlines, GlobalPass®, Hawaiian Airlines®, JetBlue Airways, Mexicana® Airlines, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Southwest Airlines®, SWISS, Virgin Atlantic Airways.

Anyway certainly no additions as promised.

what if you have more than one type of card?

Under the previous system, points earned with your Blue card were commingled with points earned with your Green card and all were redeemable under the terms of the full Membership Rewards program. I do not think this has changed, but have not seen any explicit confirmation. I will inquire.

certainly no additions as promised.

If I were American Express I would point out that the additions were made during the soft rollout: Alitalia, FlyingBlue, Singapore.

Airlines: Aeromexico, Aeroplan, Air France/KLM, Air Jamaica, AirTran Airways, Alitalia, All Nippon Air-ways (ANA), Cathay Pacific Airways, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, EL AL Israel Airlines, Frontier Airlines, GlobalPass®, Hawaiian Airlines®, JetBlue Airways, Mexicana® Airlines, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Southwest Airlines®, SWISS, Virgin Atlantic Airways.

Anyway certainly no additions as promised.

I really wish that AMEX would start cooperating to any degree with United. I know that the problem is that Case has infused United with LOTS of money, but couldn't there be ANY sort of symbiotic relationship?

While I think UA's relationship with Chase is an obstacle today there must be more to it. To the best of my recollection UA has never participated in Membership Rewards even going back to the predecessor program called Membership Miles. It may simply be that the (then) first tier domestic carriers, AA and UA, had much less to gain from this type of program than the smaller domestic carriers and foreign carriers.

While I think UA's relationship with Chase is an obstacle today there must be more to it. To the best of my recollection UA has never participated in Membership Rewards even going back to the predecessor program called Membership Miles. It may simply be that the (then) first tier domestic carriers, AA and UA, had much less to gain from this type of program than the smaller domestic carriers and foreign carriers.

Mia, you may be correct. I just wish that at least for the elite levels of AMEX, that there would be some cooperation between the programs. To me, and I believe, many others, that would be a true "enhancement" to the program. You have the worlds second largest airline, and the largest rewards program, it seems to me that some sort of cooperation would really benefit both.

I wish that I new the full story and the histories of the two programs. The Chase angle is the only thing I have heard and it makes sense.

Posted by MrAOK:

AMEX moves to tiers for Membership Rewards

Thanks for posting this! No word/announcement from AMEX regarding this ... at least not to my knowledge.

Good job that MrAOK, mia, others keep me posted.

BTW, I have some "problems" with the "new" Membership Rewards website. I believe the "old" one was better, more information.... and my "pending points" are missing ("0") .. I'll wait 'til the new billing cycle and see if they post.

... points earned with your [credit] card were commingled with points earned with your [charge] card and all were redeemable under the terms of the full Membership Rewards program. I do not think this has changed, but have not seen any explicit confirmation. I will inquire.

No change. You will continue to be enrolled in Membership Rewards and accrue points on all eligible purchases. The communication recently sent does not apply to you, since you have your Nest Card linked to your Rewards Plus Gold Card. If you were to just have the Nest Card you would then be enrolled in the fee free Membership Rewards Express program.

I take this opportunity to remind that if you do not have a Nest (or Knot) credit card linked to your USA-issued Green, Gold or Platinum charge card you are missing an effortless 10,000 bonus Membership Rewards points each calendar year.

For the uninformed (ie me), what is a "Nest or Knot" card?

The Knot and The Nest are American Express credit cards, targetted at engaged and newlywed couples, that offer a 10,000 point bonus for $15,000 calendar year spend. The cards are available to anyone, no annual fee. If linked to a charge card the points are credited as standard Membership Rewards earnings.

http://www201.americanexpress.com/apply/Fmacfservlet?csi=59/0/b/3/2116102300/207121305410/0/n&from=0&mgmID=undefined

http://www201.americanexpress.com/apply/Fmacfservlet?csi=60/0/b/3/2116102300/207121305410/0/n&from=0&mgmID=undefined

Never heard of those, thanks.


The Knot and The Nest are American Express credit cards targetted at engaged and newlywed couples that offer a 10,000 point bonus for $15,000 calendar year spend. The cards are available to anyone, no annual fee. If linked to a charge card the points are credited as standard Membership Rewards earnings.

http://www201.americanexpress.com/apply/Fmacfservlet?csi=59/0/b/3/2116102300/207121305410/0/n&from=0&mgmID=undefined

http://www201.americanexpress.com/apply/Fmacfservlet?csi=60/0/b/3/2116102300/207121305410/0/n&from=0&mgmID=undefined

I really wish that AMEX would start cooperating to any degree with United. I know that the problem is that Case has infused United with LOTS of money, but couldn't there be ANY sort of symbiotic relationship?
Be careful what you wish for: Would you be happy if the relationship was that you could transfer to UA, but only at half the rate as to the other airlines they support (ie, 2000 MR points for only 1000 UA miles)?

I mention that because the precedent exists: That's exactly what happens over at Startwood AMEX (via the Starwood program, but the Starwood program no doubt had to devalue its UA transfers because of the Starwood AMEX).

Anyway, note that Chase required Diners Club (Citi) and UA to sever their transfer relationships (which were two-way, by the way) once Diners went MC, so I do think it has lots to do with Chase, even if not only with Chase at the AMEX side.

.. lots to do with Chase, even if not only with Chase at the AMEX side.

Agreed, Chase appears to be the obstacle today, but unlike at Continental (who also uses Chase for co-branded card), United has no history with American Express, no apparent marketing relationship of any consequence. I think this makes it improbable that they would press the issue with Chase because they literally don't know what they are missing, good or bad.

Something that really strikes me as odd regarding which card falls in which MR category...on the new membershiprewards website:

http://www.membershiprewards.com/catalog/landing/Eligibility.aspx?rfs=1

The Plat Business AmEx charge card is in MR Express, but the Plat AmEx charge card is MR First. If this is the case, as a Plat Business AmEx charge card holder, it is really going to irritate me that I have to go get the AmEx plat business CREDIT card just to regain the benefit of being able to transfer MR points to airline programs!

Something that really strikes me as odd regarding which card falls in which MR category...on the new membershiprewards website:

http://www.membershiprewards.com/catalog/landing/Eligibility.aspx?rfs=1

The Plat Business AmEx charge card is in MR Express, but the Plat AmEx charge card is MR First. If this is the case, as a Plat Business AmEx charge card holder, it is really going to irritate me that I have to go get the AmEx plat business CREDIT card just to regain the benefit of being able to transfer MR points to airline programs!

This looks like a website error because if you click on the bus platinum credit card in the MR First cat it brings you to the bus plat charge card. Additionally if you click on the bus plat charge card in the MR Express category you get the bus plat credit card.

Just check your MR account when you log in I am sure you will see the MR First program.

This looks like a website error because if you click on the bus platinum credit card in the MR First cat it brings you to the bus plat charge card. Additionally if you click on the bus plat charge card in the MR Express category you get the bus plat credit card.

Just check your MR account when you log in I am sure you will see the MR First program.


You're right...I didn't dig deep enough - the graphics on the website are incorrect. The text descriptions are correct, and MR is showing First program for my Bus Plat.

Even with these changes, it still won't get me to switch from using my Starwood AMEX card. As long as I'm getting 1.25 points on virtually any airline for every dollar spent, versus MR's 1 to 1 on a select list of airlines, I won't be switching anytime soon. If MR wants me to start using my Platinum card more often, they need to offer double points or increase the value of the airline point transfer.

If MR wants me to start using my Platinum card more often, they need to offer double points or increase the value of the airline point transfer.

In my opinion American Express management is delighted to have cardholders who pay $450 per year for a Platinum Card and use a different American Express product for purchases. The only way to demonstrate that Membership Rewards First is not good value for money is to cancel the card and move transactions to another card issuer.

Under the previous system, points earned with your Blue card were commingled with points earned with your Green card and all were redeemable under the terms of the full Membership Rewards program. I do not think this has changed, but have not seen any explicit confirmation. I will inquire.

Spent 30 minutes on the phone with Amex. Started trying to get them to reverse the $40 Memb Rewards fee from my blue card. Memb Rewards insisted it was justified as when I got the card it was linked to my existing Memb Rewards and that was a higher tier (Corp) so the $40 was the fee for the higher tier. Firstly I said there were no tiers when I got the blue card. The CSR told me "there always were tiers, they were just publicized" last week.:rolleyes: Then I said i wasn't informed of any fee when I applied for the card so I wasn't interested and wanted to cancel the card. He said fine.:rolleyes: Transfers me to "retention" who doesn't try to retain me at all. When she cancels I ask about reversing the charges - she says she can't see my account :rolleyes: (I cannot believe the way Amex's left hand doesn't know what the right is doing). I get transferred to accounts department. Finally I got a decent CSR. Not only did he offer to delink the cards and I would thus not be up for the $40 fee (I wasn't interested in this) but he also gave me a $35 credit towards the $75 Memb Rewards fee for the corp card. ^

Well I applied for the blue card just to get a $50 coupon from a retailer I was purchasing from. Not a good Amex/MR experience.

I called AmEx to cancel my Plat card, since I don't get $450 of benefit from it. Still have Blue cards for my wife & child. I was specifically told the remaining Blue cards would no longer be eligible for transfering points to airlines.

...specifically told the remaining Blue cards would no longer be eligible for transfering points to airlines.

Correct. Blue participates in Membership Rewards Express unless linked to a card that participates in the full program. Your card was linked, now it is not.

A couple years ago, I started using an Amex Blue card as one of my primary credit cards, so that I could earn Continental miles for spending on it. I hadn't yet transferred those points to Continental, thinking there was no immediate need to do so.

Obviously to a great extent, I snoozed, and I lost, but has anyone had any luck in convincing Amex to allow a one-time transfer of credit card MR miles? If I sign up for a transfer-eligible Amex product (which I'm sure they'd love to see) will my current points convert?

If I sign up for a transfer-eligible Amex product (which I'm sure they'd love to see) will my current points convert?

If you hold a Green or Gold charge card you will be enrolled in full Membership Rewards, and any points earned with the Blue credit card will appear in that MR account. The sequence of events does not seem to matter, it's the cards your hold at time of redemption.

Correct. Blue participates in Membership Rewards Express unless linked to a card that participates in the full program. Your card was linked, now it is not.

So I have a Blue card already and am waiting on my new Gold card. Do I contact Amex to have these MR accounts linked after I receive the Gold card or will the link become automatic?

contact Amex to have these MR accounts linked after I receive the Gold card or will the link become automatic?

In my experience if you entered or mentioned your existing account number during the application process the accounts will be automatically linked. Also, when you receive your new card you can activate it by logging into your existing online account at http://americanexpress.com , and using the link which says Don't see all your Cards? Register another now .

In my experience if you entered or mentioned your existing account number during the application process the accounts will be automatically linked. Also, when you receive your new card you can activate it by logging into your existing online account at http://americanexpress.com , and using the link which says Don't see all your Cards? Register another now .

Thank you for your quick reply! I logged in later today and the cards are already linked, although I have not yet received the card!