American Express Membership Rewards - Rate American Express Membership Rewards

We are going to review American Express Membership Rewards in the next issue of InsideFlyer magazine and would like your input.

If you would like to participate, please post your response in the thread with the pros and cons of membership in Membership Rewards and grade the program from A to F (A being the highest grade). You can include a plus or minus with the rating.

You can also respond directly to me at dmankell@insideflyer.com.
Thank you!

I would grade it a 'C' overall. For my particular travel preferences, my monthly spend with American Express went from $6000 to $500 the day that Diners Club began co-branding with Mastercard. This decision was due solely to the negatives of the Membership Rewards program. For my particular travel preferences, the AMEX card is of little value to me anymore. They ended their relationship with Marriott Rewards. They ended their relationship with American Airlines (back to the TWA days). And they have no ability to transfer points to Amtrak Guest Rewards (yes I know you can broker through Continental, but I would never build up hundreds of thousands of points counting on a brokering relationship that could go away tomorrow) . So you've got the largest airline, the largest hotel chain, and the only rail travel program, none of which are represented in the program.

For my travel preferences, the Diners Club card can't be touched by anything American Express offers, except the Starwood American Express which would get me 2 of the 3 (no Marriott).

Diners Club gets me all three and for less per year.

We are going to review American Express Membership Rewards in the next issue of InsideFlyer magazine and would like your input.

If you would like to participate, please post your response in the thread with the pros and cons of membership in Membership Rewards and grade the program from A to F (A being the highest grade). You can include a plus or minus with the rating.

You can also respond directly to me at dmankell@insideflyer.com.
Thank you!

I'd have to agree with the "C" grade. Membership Rewards points can not be earned as quickly as most other programs (e.g. HHonors Points with the AMEX Hilton HHonors AMEX card, one earns three or five points per dollar; AMEX MR points exchange to HHonors 1:1.3,) and they have what I estimate as inflated reward requirements.Additionally, it seems they are limited in partnerships and would prefer you buy merchandise at vastly inflated prices. Membership Rewards points are nearly my last resort for points earning, even though I occasionally use my AMEX Platinum card for some of its particular benefits (e.g. cruise cabin credit, AMEX Platinum package and discount.)

This post (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=9429612&postcount=1) addresses my belief further.

I give Amex MR a "B-".

While my primary reward card is the Starwood Amex, I keep my Platinum MR card for two reasons: the travel benefits and the fact that I can make immediate transfers from my Amex MR account to Continental at a 1 to 1 rate. Since Continental is my main carrier, this benefit helps me top off my OnePass account quickly and easily before snagging award seats. To be honest, that's the only MR award I've ever redeemed.

I also like the fact that you can borrow MRs against your future earnings. (Pay back within 12 months.)

If Continental wasn't my preferred airline, I'd consider the value of the MR program to be a "C" or lower.

MR has been my primary CC program for about 1.5 years. I don't travel much (3-5 trips per year), so my CC rewards are not mainly for travel. My schedule does not allow much flexibility in travel dates, so reward air travel is certainly one of the last things for which I usually need points.

I like the multitude of reward opportunities with MR. I have used the ski lift ticket reward (which is a very good ratio). I have also transfered several thousands points to CO, F9, and PriorityClub (all 1:1). Although the airline transfers come with fees.

Several multiple point opportunities (2x or better) in the past 12 months have made it relatively easy to earn lots of points. Plus, I like the quality of the Amex service that comes with using the card.

Overall, B+.

Separating the card benefits, enormously diluted for the UK Centurion, and looking just at the MR points then its unique value lies in the ability to transfer points into numerous other schemes. Its own rewards are pretty poor value in comparison. For the transfer capacity, I'll give it B.

had blue the gold then platinum in oz - just not worth it overall.

any travel you try to book is overpriced - basically poor service etc - the only real benefit it the point per $$ but they keep changing the program.

saved points for nz for years - now nz is not part of the program - don't like qf - its not as customer focused as they would like you to believe

if you have any issues with payments or errors on your account - they are nasty to deal with

i would not recommend amex to anyone - the only benefit would be the charge card with unlimited -

adam

C-

Awards are very expensive and the cash equivalent is as low as 1/2 cent per point (as opposed to gift cards which are a penny per). Some kudos for variety, but most people would be better off getting a cash back card and just using the cash to buy what they want.

Mike

I rate the program a "B".

First of all, AMEX is a great company. They provide generous credit limits; solid dispute resolution and they are easy to do business with. I like how you can easily pool your MR points across cards, and adjust your credit limit across business and personal cards in real-time. I like how when you pay your bill online, you instantly get credit for it.

I like the variety of redemption partners, and the instant transfers to CO, DL, etc. The ability to transfer points to StarWorld partners like Air Canada and ANA is also very valuable.

A very valuable feature is that the points never expire. Another valuable feature is occasional promotions where they offer you bonus MR points if you spend above a certain level.

AMEX also offers MR points on "Corporate Cards" that do not have a personal guarantee.

I rate the program a "B" because the Starwood Amex has a much better rewards program -- the *wood points are worth at least 25% more than MR points. I haven't found any worthwhile redemptions in the MRFirst program.

Another negative of MR is that the point tracking system is very confusing and the online interface for tracking points is poorly designed. I sometimes worry that I am not receiving all the points that I am due.

As other FT'ers have noted, I also don't like that the MR points appear on my business credit card statement -- I wish I could keep my MR balance private from my employees who process our credit card bills.

AMEX is a leader. the MR program is an addition to the best credit/charge card out there (when it comes to charges approval and instant credit for payments). You people say you are switching to a DC mastercard ??? I don't get it. AMEX offers the most benefits for using their card. think about the buyers protection and the extended warranty they give you. you people are nutttss to judge AMEX because of some miscalculations in your points. I get my points on the clock's tick. once had a situation with missed bonus points and when I called, I actually got an adjusted bonus of 2000 extra MR points just to keep me happy. They made my day ...


I rate the program a "B".

First of all, AMEX is a great company. They provide generous credit limits; solid dispute resolution and they are easy to do business with. I like how you can easily pool your MR points across cards, and adjust your credit limit across business and personal cards in real-time. I like how when you pay your bill online, you instantly get credit for it.

I like the variety of redemption partners, and the instant transfers to CO, DL, etc. The ability to transfer points to StarWorld partners like Air Canada and ANA is also very valuable.

A very valuable feature is that the points never expire. Another valuable feature is occasional promotions where they offer you bonus MR points if you spend above a certain level.

AMEX also offers MR points on "Corporate Cards" that do not have a personal guarantee.

I rate the program a "B" because the Starwood Amex has a much better rewards program -- the *wood points are worth at least 25% more than MR points. I haven't found any worthwhile redemptions in the MRFirst program.

Another negative of MR is that the point tracking system is very confusing and the online interface for tracking points is poorly designed. I sometimes worry that I am not receiving all the points that I am due.

As other FT'ers have noted, I also don't like that the MR points appear on my business credit card statement -- I wish I could keep my MR balance private from my employees who process our credit card bills.

AMEX offers the most benefits for using their card. think about the buyers protection and the extended warranty they give you.

Also offered by Diners Club...

Purchase Assurance/Extended Warranty Insurance
Retail purchases made with the Diners Club Card are protected with Purchase Assurance Coverage. If an item is damaged or stolen within 90 days of purchase, you may receive coverage up to $10,000. Extended Warranty Insurance doubles the original manufacturers' (or U.S. store brand) warranty up to a maximum of 12 months on most items for warranties of up to 5 years.

http://dinersclubus.com/dce_content/personalcards/chargecardpersonal/corebenefits

I do a lot of business spend and earn several hundred thousand points a month. I'd rate the MR program a C.

I find it very irksome that they so carefully optimize (in their favor) the cost of every reward. Although some rewards are a penny a point, they shave it like crazy, and anything approaching cash is half a cent a point. Even for "pay with points" they vary the "exchange rate" based on whether you book airfare, cruise, hotel or package. Everytime I go to redeem a reward I feel that I'm being nickeled and dimed.

And of course the two airlines that are most flexible and generous with awards (AA and UA) are excluded from MR point transfers. I can transfer all the points I want to Continental or Delta, but try to actually get a reward ticket from either of them.

Membership Rewards, on its own, gets a B-. The positives are transfer partners (though not as many as earning points via Starwood) and the ability to transfer points to anyone you want when linking accounts online (not permitted in the T&C but technically feasible with the website, so a bit of a grey area).

The real benefits of Amex Membership Rewards are that it's linked to the benefits that come with premium Amex cards. Not a great program on its own, but the US Amex Platinum card comes with some amazing benefits so I'm willing to take the good with the bad of the MR program. (And I find Amex Plat a much better cost/value deal than Centurion!)

- lounge access AA/CO/DL/NW
- domestic companion airfare
- some minor status such as with VS and SPG

But the real downside of the Amex MR program itself is that it has lost many better partners over the years and hasn't replaced them with equally valuable partners. And the mileage transfer fee (tax recoupment, but not all programs pass such things along) is annoying.

Best illustration of how valuable Amex points are compared to SPG points? SPG is a transfer partner, but usual rate is 3:1! :eek:

The main advantages of the program come with the MR First program, including the E0 redemptions. Other than that they get come credit for the variety or transfer partners, but it is not universal. For a regular green/gold card-holder I think that there are a number of other programs that offer more bang for the buck.

Overall, I'd give the program a "C" rating.

I'd give the MR program a B+. I've transferred points primarily to DL for full award travel in BE and upgrades to BE. When I've priced out the relevant tickets for the best possible fares, I'm getting $0.04 to $0.05 per point.

Where I'd like to see improvement is better Star Alliance options (eg. UA) and I would also like to see more promotions that are not targeted. It's frustrating to read about double points options, 25% bonuses for certain point transfers, etc. and not be eligible for them.

Susan

What would bring this to the B+ range would be to bring back the double points/spend. Bonuspointsmall is too tedious what Amex needs is a resurrection of double points at the POS.
Right now as it stands for me .............C

I have dropped my spend on my MR Amex to near zero. Travel, entertainment and gas go on my Costco Amex. My reason is the Costco Amex rewards are in dollars. Dollars, unlike points are not devalued at the whim of the program. I suppose this is a D- rating.

Plus I know too much about computer security to be comfortable with a RFID enabled card in my wallet.

Plus I know too much about computer security to be comfortable with a RFID enabled card in my wallet.

Can you please elaborate some more on that?

As this is for MR specifically, rather than Amex in general, I'll rate MR as "C", but Amex plat overall rates higher at "B+" - because of the dispute resolution, lounge access, domestic BOGO, etc.

Range of partners - B (compared with Starwood Amex-A, most airline cards-D)
Bonuses - D (few transfer bonuses of late, no booking bonuses)
Earning Rate - C (few ways to eran > 1 point/$)
Flexibility - B (because they don't enforce the rule about who you can transfer to)

I switched my primary card to *Wood Amex last year, but also have the plat card for the card benefits (not MR). My secondary card is AS Visa, for the AS online booking bonus.

So, in conclusion, Amex is a pretty good card, but MR is mediocre at best.

Customer Service A+, Live Pulse Wait Time A-, Disputes A, Other Resolutions A-, Annual Fee Free for another year A+, APR rate A+, MR program C (continues to Devalue with fewer options of Frequent Flyer Programs and Frequent Guest Programs and unappealing exchange rate for Shopping / Dining / Entertainment or Statement Credit), Pay with Points for part of trip C and Exclusives C.

had blue the gold then platinum in oz - just not worth it overall.Also in Oz, have had the gold card a long time. Amex phone-service excellent up to now but Syd office being vacated in favour of a disgusting ICC model like UA; no doubt by now Oz clients' personal financial details are all over Bengal and available for identity-theft.

As for "Membership Rewards", have a horse-laugh evey now and again by going through the long list of worthless junk, vague descriptions and silly prices compared with the equivalent frequent flyer miles.

In Oz there's another problem, MR points-to-miles are hamstrung to QF and its Scrooge-like award rates. Yes SQ and other airlines are listed by MR but at double-cost, half-a-mile per point.

Grade D

I'm also in the low "C" range, and only because of the 1:1 transfer for a few different airlines.

As others have mentioned, the loss of many of their partners has really given the program a black eye. I rarely use my Plat card these days for charges unless I've maxed out my SPG card.

Wow-- I'm the Lone Ranger here-- My rating is A-

Points are easy to acquire, transfer and use.

And now they'll loan them to me (60K at a time)


My favorite airlines-- Virgin, Air France, Delta & Hawaiian are partners.

I only use them for 1 purpose: Biz or FC flights.
That's when they're valuable.


I'll admit I put more on my Starwood card, but I love my MR miles.

I'll give it a C. I had MR Gold for about 10 years, but gave it up this year. Minuses were the loss of partners, the dropping of double miles for certain merchants, and the loss of other double miles promotions. They offered me a $50 statement credit to stay, so I quit.

Right now, I put restaurant and gas on my Costco Amex (3% cash back) and most of the other purchases on my Delta Amex (double miles grocery/drug stores).

C-

Awards are very expensive and the cash equivalent is as low as 1/2 cent per point (as opposed to gift cards which are a penny per). Some kudos for variety, but most people would be better off getting a cash back card and just using the cash to buy what they want.

Mike

I agree - we all have to band together to push this value higher in the face of 2% cash back cards

I'd give the MR program a B+. I've transferred points primarily to DL for full award travel in BE and upgrades to BE. When I've priced out the relevant tickets for the best possible fares, I'm getting $0.04 to $0.05 per point.

Where I'd like to see improvement is better Star Alliance options (eg. UA) and I would also like to see more promotions that are not targeted. It's frustrating to read about double points options, 25% bonuses for certain point transfers, etc. and not be eligible for them.

Susan

I agree re value when used for bus/1st travel vs retail bus/1st ticket prices but usually have to book many many months in advance to achieve this if at all - and that's if the airlines even release any awards seats, which they sometimes don't even do, even the 1st day the tix go on sale 11 months in advance

Wow-- I'm the Lone Ranger here-- My rating is A-

Points are easy to acquire, transfer and use.

And now they'll loan them to me (60K at a time)


My favorite airlines-- Virgin, Air France, Delta & Hawaiian are partners.

I only use them for 1 purpose: Biz or FC flights.
That's when they're valuable.


I'll admit I put more on my Starwood card, but I love my MR miles.

can also use MR to book travel on non-partner airlines where non-partner airlines have alliance with those airlines in alliance with MR

I would give it a B due to the fact that I can fly any airline/flight at the 1 cent redemption rate. I recently tried to book a flight 11 months in advance. With any airline FF redemption it was a 60,000 level but US Air had flights at $420 each. I could use MR to get them at 42,000 points. That is real value to me.

I would give it a B due to the fact that I can fly any airline/flight at the 1 cent redemption rate.

If you value this type of redemption you can do better, much better, using Citi's ThankYou Rewards program because you can easily earn two, three or five points per dollar ongoing, while Membership Rewards is almost always one point per dollar. Even American Express' own BlueSky product gives a better return than Membership Rewards when used this way.